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| To See Every Bird on Earth: A Father, a Son, and a Lifelong Obsession | 
| Author: Dan Koeppel
Publisher: Plume
Category: Book
List Price: $14.00
Buy New: $4.96
You Save: $9.04 (65%)
New (7) from $4.96
Avg. Customer Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 688507
Format: Bargain Price
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.8
Dewey Decimal Number: 598
ASIN: B000LMPLME
Publication Date: April 25, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 1-5 of 10 | | NEXT » |
 A wonderful combination of family memoir and bird list obsession July 6, 2008
You don't have to be extremely interested in birds to love this book! I have a passing interest in birds--I like looking at ones that come to my feeder and I always seek them out at zoos, but I loved this book. The idea of trying to see every bird on Earth (something no-one probably will ever actually do) is fascinating, and the author's father is one of the best Big List birders in the world. He is also a complex and somewhat troubled man, and I found that part of the story just as interesting. Koeppel's family life growing up after his parents divorce sounds at times hellish, although he doesn't dwell on this. It left him with a need to try to relate to his father, the man he kept hoping would rescue him as a boy. His father is not a demonstrative person, and the triumph of the small ways they are able to connect over birding are very touching to read about.
I will seek out more travel writing by Dan Koeppel.
 A Mixed Bag June 18, 2008
I went back and forth trying to decide whether I liked this book or not. I decided that I mostly did but when I didn't, I really didn't. The parts of the book that dealt with the birding and even the psychology of the Big Lister was pretty interesting. But a significant portion of the book was dedicated to the foibles of the author's father both as a parent and as a man. The author's father is not a public figure. Delving into some of the sordid details of his life felt sort of like reading somebody else's mail. Besides the fact that it felt intrusive, it frankly just wasn't that interesting. I am sorry the author's parents got divorced. I am sorry that his mother dated a series of losers and his dad became a swinger. I just don't know what that has to do with looking for all of the birds in the world. I would like to read a book that covered that topic. I thought that I was going to when I got this one.
Real Slow Starter February 24, 2007
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
When I read a book of this sort, I expect it to open up a new world, a lifestyle I am not familiar with, much as the book "Orchid Fever" tells of Orchid hobbyists that become fanatical about their subjects. This book really does not start until it is half over. It did not appeal to me that the author writes about his family-life , his parents and their troubled marriage, how the father "settled" for being a physician instead of following his hobby (birdwatching). When his father could retire he did, and probably because he was backed by a physician's income throughout the years, when it became time to pursue his hobby, he made up for lost time. This is where the book should have started. The story of the world's top listers and the methods and extremes they adhere to for a chance sighting of another species of bird, new to them and to add it to their lifetime list . I considered the first half of the book as fluff. The second half of the book is a reward for getting through the first half.
not just about birding December 9, 2006
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
To See Every Bird on Earth is about the father of the author who had a lifelong obsession with birding. However it is about much more than that as the author fills out the life of everyone from himself to his grandparents. He describes his grandparents trip from Nazi Germany to the United States and their effort to help found Israel. Then he moves on to his fathers life. He notes his father's early love of birding and tries to figure out why it became an obsession. This has to do with his father's parents pushing him in a direction he didn't want to go and the fallout of a failed marriage among other things. The author notes with sadness his fathers distance as a result of his obsession with birding and concludes that birding was an escape for him. However the book ends on a high note as father and son finally begin to reach out to eath other. Although I am not a birder I really enjoyed this book. I especially enjoyed his accounts of the times he grew up in, the 60's and 70's.
 Life's dreams and obligations November 14, 2006
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This book is about birds and birding but more importantly it is about life's dreams and obligations. As a birder and a doctor I could easily relate to the father in the book and as a son of a divorced father and mother, I could have empathy with the author. I was intrigued with the possiblility of reading this book about world birding, the travels and the stories but the book was better than just that. I have often wondered about the effect of my birding on my son's lives and my wife. Fortunately I somehow have managed to maintain a good marriage and according to my sons have not done them harm from birding unlike what seemed to happen to the father and son in this book. This book details the dramatic effects of one's struggles with their lifetime dreams (birding, career, and travel in this case)and the obligations of marriage, fatherhood,and being a dependable provider. For those passionate about their dreams and sensitive to their obligations, life can be a difficult road and the best choices may have unsought complications.
Compared with the author and his father I have felt fortunate in this life and this book served as an unexpected gauge of that sometimes not too apparent good fortune. I hope many people read this book.
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