Synopses & Reviews
Although Gerd Heinrich, a devoted naturalist, specialized in wasps, Bernd Heinrich tried to distance himself from his "old-fashioned" father, becoming a hybrid: a modern, experimental biologist with a naturalist's sensibilities.
In this extraordinary memoir, the award-winning author shares the ways in which his relationship with his father, combined with his unique childhood, molded him into the scientist, and man, he is today. From Gerd's days as a soldier in Europe and the family's daring escape from the Red Army in 1945 to the rustic Maine farm they came to call home, Heinrich relates it all in his trademark style, making science accessible and awe-inspiring.
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“...scientist and naturalist of the first rank and a nature writer of uncommon talent...” Edward O. Wilson
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“...amazing saga, full of twists and turns...his magnum opus...vividly descriptive...he has produced his best book ever...” Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature and Deep Economy
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“...I couldnt leave its pages...it has joined the small collection of my most favorite book...” Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, anthropologist and author of the bestseller The Hidden Life of Dogs
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“...extraordinary...a memoir of fun, daringness and intellectual curiosity, the heartwarming evolution of a modern biologist.” Jean Craighead George, award-winning author of Julie of the Wolves
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“...by one of the premier naturalists of our time...a splendid book, truly compelling, and bound to endure.” Thomas Eisner
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“Arguably todays finest naturalist author...our latter-day Thoreau.” Publishers Weekly
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“The Snoring Bird...show[s] readers why the work of an observant field biologist still matters.” Los Angeles Times Book Review
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“A remarkable story.” Portland Press Herald
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“...brilliant...there is in Heinrichs every page, wonderment.” San Francisco Chronicle
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“Heinrich, who combines his keen scientific eye with the soul of a poet, enthralls.” New York Times Book Review
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“One of the finest living examples of that strange hybrid: the science writer.” Los Angeles Times Book Review
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“Heinrichs stunning family saga...his magnum opus...vividly descriptive...he has produced his best book ever...” Alice Calaprice, award winning editor; author of the Quotable Einstein books, The Einstein Almanac, and Dear Professor Einstein
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“...You will not want to put it down...an engrossing and powerful narrative of human achievement...” Samuel W.F. Wolfgang, author of German Boy and The War of Our Childhood
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“...splendid nature writing...a fascinating glimpse of the growth of one scientists mind. Heartily recommended.” Library Journal
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“...beautifully written story of a mans efforts to reconstruct posthumously the life of his father...” Jared Diamond, author of Guns, Germs, and Steel and Collapse
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“Some of Heinrichs most lyrical writing...the future scientist as a footloose nature boy.” New York Times Book Review
About the Author
The author of numerous bestselling and award-winning books, Bernd Heinrich is a professor of biology at the University of Vermont. He divides his time between Vermont and the forests of western Maine.
Exclusive Essay
Read an exclusive essay by Bernd Heinrich