BookBrowse Reviews Better Living Through Birding by Christian Cooper

BookBrowse:

A wide-ranging memoir combining social commentary, birding and intimate nuances of self.

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The title of Christian Cooper's Better Living Through Birding: Notes from a Black Man in the Natural World does not fully capture the multifaceted nature of this book. It sounds like it might have self-help elements, provide information on birding and the natural sciences, and include some autobiographical material, but it has an even wider range than this, truly reflecting on who Cooper is as a person. It is a beautiful journey of getting to know someone and his many interests, experiences and nuances of self.

Many know Cooper from a 2020 viral video in which a white woman threatened to call the police on him when he asked her to leash her dog while he was birdwatching in Central Park. As this incident occurred around the same time as the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, the video was felt to be symbolic of the political atmosphere. Some saw the woman as a victim of "cancel culture," while others saw her as a racist beyond redemption. The short clip flattened the reality of this interaction, but the book serves to provide background and context for the moment as well as to move beyond it: first, by allowing us to understand Cooper as a full human being, and then by sharing his various motivations, thoughts and considerations in relation to this moment.

Of course, bird-related facts and stories are part of this. Cooper weaves in tips for people who want to start birding, while also conveying the wonder and beauty of observing birds in their natural habitats with all one's senses. He shows how it is a hobby that engages not just the sight, but also the ears in the process of becoming familiar with different songs. There is also the excitement of seeing rare birds, ticking them off a list, sharing in community and traveling to see birds exclusive to a certain region.

We are entertained with elements of travelogue as Cooper shares the privilege he has had of visiting all corners of the world, from the Himalayas to Australia, South America and Iceland. He relates his experiences interacting with different cultures as a gay Black man: for example, being seen as a nonthreat in Australia or an exotic draw in Argentina. Beyond social commentary, he portrays intimate revelations about his childhood and relationships with his mother and father.

Better Living Through Birding shows Cooper as much more than the 60 seconds that catapulted him to fame. After all, he was already an accomplished writer and champion of LGBTQ+ causes, and the viral video scene appears in one of the last few chapters (and one of the least fascinating). The book reads in part as an ode to science fiction, as we learn how he escaped to fantasy worlds through Star Wars, Star Trek and comics, resulting in his work as a writer for Marvel Comics and his creation of its first gay character.

What really draws people together, even if they disagree or are unable to initially understand each other's perspectives, is being exposed to different viewpoints, which is made fully possible when historically marginalized people are able to share theirs. There are so many facets to one's identity, that if you spend long enough freewheeling into different corners of another's mind, heart and history, some element of commonality and interest will undoubtedly spark. Better Living Through Birding gives readers the privilege of getting to know Christian Cooper in this way, and there is so much to explore that you are bound to be drawn in.

This review was originally published in The BookBrowse Review in June 2023, and has been updated for the July 2024 edition. Click here to go to this issue.