Life List: A Woman's Quest For The World's Most Amazing Birds (2009) - Plot & Excerpts
I've been a birder for a while, but not much of a birder, in that I hadn't heard of Phoebe Snetsinger.It seems everyone else in the birding world has; when she died in 1999, Snetsinger had seen more bird species than anyone else in the world. And not just "seen" them, as in caught enough of a sight or sound to check the name of the species on a list: She had spent time studying birds, watching them, and recording her sightings. She'd been "in the game" long enough to have compiled her own field guides for countries where no such thing existed until she prepared to visit. She had excelled at what was, for decades, a gentleman's hobby. She was the world's best birder. And yes, it cost her personally, because every story of a woman's achievement has to also be told as a story of what it costs, doesn't it? According to Olivia Gentile, what it cost Snetsinger was happy relationships with her husband and children and possibly, some awareness of her own experience as she gave up a happy family life in a drive to the top.I like many aspects of the way Gentile handled Snetsinger's story. I adore her descriptions of bird species: She is the master of finding one telling, delightful detail and giving you a whole bird. "The African Jacana's back shines like newly polished copper." "The Gray Crowned-Crane stands tall and still, with a 'crown' that looks like freshly picked wheat." She's not trying to describe all the field marks, just give a sense of the bird and elicit a reaction. Who wouldn't enjoy looking at shiny copper or fresh wheat? I thought her bird descriptions were very effective.What I didn't enjoy as much was her diagnosis of Snetsinger's psychology, especially after a particularly awful incident in 1986. Gentile keeps returning to the aftermath of the incident and reviewing how inadequate Snetsinger's emotional response was. In addition to becoming repetitive, these bits never revealed any fresh insight. But I finished the book appreciating Snetsinger's achievement and feeling I had achieved some understanding of her as a person, so all in all, this is a book I would recommend to women who enjoy reading about women who aspire to excellence, and to birders of all kinds, who deserve to know about this woman's accomplishments. As a novice birder, and a woman, I really enjoyed this book. It is the story of Phoebe Snetsinger ('31-'98) who was an intelligent, driven woman who takes up birding when her youngest children reach independence, or near-independence. When she was diagnosed with cancer and given 3 mos. to live, it lights her fire and she seizes the day. All over the world, she birds like her life depends on it, and maybe it did, she lived a long healthy life in the end. Yes, she neglected her relationships striving to reach a new record "life list," but she followed her passion. I don't think she was a "family" woman with her life revolving around her husband and kids. She did become completely obsessed, and this led to some family issues. But the way I saw it, Phoebe was a frustrated scientist and essentially becomes a self-taught ornithologist, a great one at that. When she was in college women were discouraged from entering the field, so she became a linguist and a mother of four. But the scientist in her eventually emerges. I admire her. She was human, not perfect, but she had dedication, drive, guts, intelligence and a LOVE for something she believed in thoroughly; wildlife, birds in particular, and nature. Gentile did a good job putting her life in context I thought.
What do You think about Life List: A Woman's Quest For The World's Most Amazing Birds (2009)?
against all odds a 1950s housewife goes around the world birding to see the most amazing birds
—krystalharson
Well written, interesting, but I never felt like I got to know the real Phoebe.
—Reyne
Interesting and inspiring story, but very poorly written.
—Sarahsarah
