The first reviews are in: Publisher's Weekly, September 30, 2013
“Greenberg pulls together a wealth of material from myriad sources to describe the life and death of this species, describing the majesty of millions flying overhead for hours as well as the horror of tens of thousands of birds being slaughtered while they nested . He also examines the larger lessons to be learned from such an ecological catastrophe—brought on by commercial exploitation and deforestations, among other causes—in this “planet’s sixth great episode of mass extinctions.” Greenberg has crafted a story that is both ennobling and fascinating.”
The New Yorker, January 9, 2014
"Equal parts natural history, elegy, and environmental outcry...a painstaking researcher, Greenberg...gives Feathered River Across the Sky and unexpected poignancy."
A link to the article
Wall Street Journal
"Joel Greenberg has done prodigious research into the literature of the passenger pigeon and lays much of it out in this book. For that effort, all who care about the living world owe him a debt of gratitude"
A link to the article
The New York Review of books, January 9, 2014
Here's a link to the article
The Chicago Tribune, Rick Kogan
"But it is another new book, a brilliant, important, haunting and poignant book, "A Feathered River Across the Sky: The Passenger Pigeon's Flight to Extinction" (Bloomsbury) that will forever change the way in which you think of pigeons (all birds, really) and about the natural world . . . The book describes, in vivid detail, forceful narrative and handsome illustrations, the history of this species and the factors that contributed to its extinction."
A link to the article
Library Journal , October 15, 2013
"As the centenary of the passenger pigeon's extinction nears, Greenberg offers this cautionary tale of the once most populous bird on earth. . . Greenberg's sifting of the historical record shows how a variety of factors—e.g., the use of the telegraph to report locations of immense nesting colonies to be pillaged, the completion of the eastern railroad network, complete habitat destruction—sealed the bird's fate. VERDICT The human folly depicted here is as deep as the pigeons were numerous, and the author's occasionally mordant comments on the grim events give the book an added charge, making his intended "teaching moment" certain. Highly recommended."
Macleans, January 10, 2014
A link to the article
Laura Ercikson's blog, Conservation Big Year, 2013
"Throughout, Greenberg writes in a simple, straightforward way as if channeling E. B. White, leavening the depressing with the fascinating. . . I’ve never before wanted a third hand, but I wish I could sprout one just so I could give this book three thumbs up. It doesn’t just pack a punch—it packs a punch to the head, the heart, and the gut. Greenberg’s Feathered River across the Sky: The Passenger Pigeon’s Flight to Extinction is one of the most important books I’ve ever read."
A link to the article
Tri Corner News (CT)
"The tale of this bewildering, spectacular crash (imagine if, 10 years from now, you woke up and there were no more robins in your backyard, or anyone’s) is told in compelling detail by naturalist Joel Greenberg . . . The occasion of this book and the centenary it marks are enough to give us pause to think."
A link to the article
Cleveland Plain Dealer
"Joel Greenberg offers a moving account of the end of the passenger pigeon in 'A Feathered River Across the Sky'. . . The purpose is not simply to add to a reader’s list of reasons to disdain her fellow man (though the book accomplishes that), but to open eyes and minds to conservation issues of today."
A link to the article
Chicago Reader
"A fearsome researcher, Greenberg [is] most powerful toward the end of the book, when we watch the species dwindle, sometimes bird by bird."
A link to the article
BirdWatching
"We can vouch for both the quality of Greenberg’s research and writing and the power of his story. We liked A Feathered River so much that we included it in the year-end roundup of notable books in our December 2013 issue, and we devoted six pages of our February 2014 issue to an article by Greenberg about the Passenger Pigeon’s abundance, amazing movements, nesting, and ultimate extinction."
A link to the article
Carrie Laben, 10,000 Birds
"I am pleased to say that Joel Greenberg, in A Feathered River Across the Sky, has created a new and highly worthwhile contribution to the literature of the passenger pigeon. Combining genuine literary talent wit a passion for research and synthesis, he has written a book I will hence forward be the first that I recommend to anyone wanting to learn more about these iconic birds."
A link to the article
PUBLISHER: Bloomsbury USA
ISBN: 978-1-62-040535-2
Buy at Amazon.com
Buy at Barnes & Noble
Buy at Indiebound.com
“Greenberg pulls together a wealth of material from myriad sources to describe the life and death of this species, describing the majesty of millions flying overhead for hours as well as the horror of tens of thousands of birds being slaughtered while they nested . He also examines the larger lessons to be learned from such an ecological catastrophe—brought on by commercial exploitation and deforestations, among other causes—in this “planet’s sixth great episode of mass extinctions.” Greenberg has crafted a story that is both ennobling and fascinating.”
The New Yorker, January 9, 2014
"Equal parts natural history, elegy, and environmental outcry...a painstaking researcher, Greenberg...gives Feathered River Across the Sky and unexpected poignancy."
A link to the article
Wall Street Journal
"Joel Greenberg has done prodigious research into the literature of the passenger pigeon and lays much of it out in this book. For that effort, all who care about the living world owe him a debt of gratitude"
A link to the article
The New York Review of books, January 9, 2014
Here's a link to the article
The Chicago Tribune, Rick Kogan
"But it is another new book, a brilliant, important, haunting and poignant book, "A Feathered River Across the Sky: The Passenger Pigeon's Flight to Extinction" (Bloomsbury) that will forever change the way in which you think of pigeons (all birds, really) and about the natural world . . . The book describes, in vivid detail, forceful narrative and handsome illustrations, the history of this species and the factors that contributed to its extinction."
A link to the article
Library Journal , October 15, 2013
"As the centenary of the passenger pigeon's extinction nears, Greenberg offers this cautionary tale of the once most populous bird on earth. . . Greenberg's sifting of the historical record shows how a variety of factors—e.g., the use of the telegraph to report locations of immense nesting colonies to be pillaged, the completion of the eastern railroad network, complete habitat destruction—sealed the bird's fate. VERDICT The human folly depicted here is as deep as the pigeons were numerous, and the author's occasionally mordant comments on the grim events give the book an added charge, making his intended "teaching moment" certain. Highly recommended."
Macleans, January 10, 2014
A link to the article
Laura Ercikson's blog, Conservation Big Year, 2013
"Throughout, Greenberg writes in a simple, straightforward way as if channeling E. B. White, leavening the depressing with the fascinating. . . I’ve never before wanted a third hand, but I wish I could sprout one just so I could give this book three thumbs up. It doesn’t just pack a punch—it packs a punch to the head, the heart, and the gut. Greenberg’s Feathered River across the Sky: The Passenger Pigeon’s Flight to Extinction is one of the most important books I’ve ever read."
A link to the article
Tri Corner News (CT)
"The tale of this bewildering, spectacular crash (imagine if, 10 years from now, you woke up and there were no more robins in your backyard, or anyone’s) is told in compelling detail by naturalist Joel Greenberg . . . The occasion of this book and the centenary it marks are enough to give us pause to think."
A link to the article
Cleveland Plain Dealer
"Joel Greenberg offers a moving account of the end of the passenger pigeon in 'A Feathered River Across the Sky'. . . The purpose is not simply to add to a reader’s list of reasons to disdain her fellow man (though the book accomplishes that), but to open eyes and minds to conservation issues of today."
A link to the article
Chicago Reader
"A fearsome researcher, Greenberg [is] most powerful toward the end of the book, when we watch the species dwindle, sometimes bird by bird."
A link to the article
BirdWatching
"We can vouch for both the quality of Greenberg’s research and writing and the power of his story. We liked A Feathered River so much that we included it in the year-end roundup of notable books in our December 2013 issue, and we devoted six pages of our February 2014 issue to an article by Greenberg about the Passenger Pigeon’s abundance, amazing movements, nesting, and ultimate extinction."
A link to the article
Carrie Laben, 10,000 Birds
"I am pleased to say that Joel Greenberg, in A Feathered River Across the Sky, has created a new and highly worthwhile contribution to the literature of the passenger pigeon. Combining genuine literary talent wit a passion for research and synthesis, he has written a book I will hence forward be the first that I recommend to anyone wanting to learn more about these iconic birds."
A link to the article
PUBLISHER: Bloomsbury USA
ISBN: 978-1-62-040535-2
Buy at Amazon.com
Buy at Barnes & Noble
Buy at Indiebound.com
In 1983, I began collecting historical material dealing with the flora and fauna of the Chicago region. An integral part of this work was to document how people’s attitudes towards nature have changed since Europeans arrived 300 years ago. This effort led to the publication of A Natural History of the Chicago Region published by the University of Chicago Press in 2002. One frustration in writing the book was having to exclude or abridge numerous writings of great merit that could easily engage modern readers. Christie Henry, an editor at U. of Chicago Press, encouraged me to compile these works in an anthology that the press would consider publishing.
I began the task by searching for material of this region that was still of interest to a modern reader. I made an effort to select the widest variety of materials and the current selection represents the work of about 95 writers ranging in time from 1721 to 1959. These include world renowned scientists like Carl Hubbs, H.C. Cowles, and Victor Shelford; novelist Theodore Dreiser; avid bird student Nathan Leopold, better known as Richard Loeb’s partner in the 1924 murder of a fourteen-year old that was labeled “the crime of the century”; popular nature writers Gene Stratton-Porter, Edwin Way Teale, and Donald Culross Peattie; and “pioneer-squatter” Josiah Granger, whose often hilarious diary documented his solitary life in the huge Kankakee Marsh in 1852.
“At its best, nature writing invigorates, educates, and motivates. Joel Greenberg’s Of Prairie, Woods, and Water is nature writing at its best. This unprecedented anthology of literature about the Chicago’s environmental beauty inspires our wonder and spurs us to imagine the world at its best, which in turn can lead us to take action to help make it so.”
Senator Richard J. Durbin
“I had trouble putting it down. The letters, articles, journal entries, and other writings presented a wonderful window in our past . . .It was like seeing Illinois for the first time- a strange and wild foreign land that is difficult to reconcile with what we see here today.”
David L. Thomas, Chief of the Illinois Natural History Survey
“A powerful historical context for contemporary conservation concerns. I would recommended Of Prairie, Woods, and Water to anyone interested in the natural history of the Chicago region.”
Gerard T Donnelly, President and CEO, The Morton Arboretum
PUBLISHER: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 978-0-226-30661-2
The University of Chicago Press
Buy at Indiebound
Buy at Amazon.com
Buy at Barnes and Noble
I began the task by searching for material of this region that was still of interest to a modern reader. I made an effort to select the widest variety of materials and the current selection represents the work of about 95 writers ranging in time from 1721 to 1959. These include world renowned scientists like Carl Hubbs, H.C. Cowles, and Victor Shelford; novelist Theodore Dreiser; avid bird student Nathan Leopold, better known as Richard Loeb’s partner in the 1924 murder of a fourteen-year old that was labeled “the crime of the century”; popular nature writers Gene Stratton-Porter, Edwin Way Teale, and Donald Culross Peattie; and “pioneer-squatter” Josiah Granger, whose often hilarious diary documented his solitary life in the huge Kankakee Marsh in 1852.
“At its best, nature writing invigorates, educates, and motivates. Joel Greenberg’s Of Prairie, Woods, and Water is nature writing at its best. This unprecedented anthology of literature about the Chicago’s environmental beauty inspires our wonder and spurs us to imagine the world at its best, which in turn can lead us to take action to help make it so.”
Senator Richard J. Durbin
“I had trouble putting it down. The letters, articles, journal entries, and other writings presented a wonderful window in our past . . .It was like seeing Illinois for the first time- a strange and wild foreign land that is difficult to reconcile with what we see here today.”
David L. Thomas, Chief of the Illinois Natural History Survey
“A powerful historical context for contemporary conservation concerns. I would recommended Of Prairie, Woods, and Water to anyone interested in the natural history of the Chicago region.”
Gerard T Donnelly, President and CEO, The Morton Arboretum
PUBLISHER: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 978-0-226-30661-2
The University of Chicago Press
Buy at Indiebound
Buy at Amazon.com
Buy at Barnes and Noble
Reactions to A Natural History
of the Chicago Region
“A crucial book. . . What lifts it into a literary realm is something unexpected. If Greenberg’s history maintains a mostly level voice, it sometimes breaks loose, almost spontaneously, into bursts of lyricism, and then the book becomes a passionate homage- part aria, part lullaby- to our landscape.”
Rafael Kadushin, Chicago Tribune
“I have received your book . . . and am delighted to acknowledge so magnificent a gift and achievement.. It is like nothing else I have seen, clearly the work of a lifetime, and beautifully published.”
Donald Worster, Hall Distinguished Professor of American History, U. of Kansas and author of A River Running West: The Life of John Wesley Powell and The Wealth of Nature
“The book was a 17-year labor of love for Mr. Greenberg, a long-time birdwatcher and conservationist. His research into the landscape around you is exhaustive, yet [he] has the ability to translate that wealth of knowledge into a natural history that is actually readable. [The book] will change how you view Chicagoland.” Christine Williamson, The Chicago Birder
“[I]n his Herculean effort, Greenberg has assembled a broad and compelling portrait of interconnected communities, of survival and extinction, tragedies and triumphs. Apart from its value as a guide to our native plants and animals, [this] book is history of the best sort, offering us the past as a lesson for shaping our future.” Jim Gordon, Gary Post-Tribune
PUBLISHER: University of Chicago Press
ISBEN: 0-226-30648-8
The University of Chicago Press
Buy at Indiebound
Buy at Amazon.com
Buy at Barnes and Noble
of the Chicago Region
“A crucial book. . . What lifts it into a literary realm is something unexpected. If Greenberg’s history maintains a mostly level voice, it sometimes breaks loose, almost spontaneously, into bursts of lyricism, and then the book becomes a passionate homage- part aria, part lullaby- to our landscape.”
Rafael Kadushin, Chicago Tribune
“I have received your book . . . and am delighted to acknowledge so magnificent a gift and achievement.. It is like nothing else I have seen, clearly the work of a lifetime, and beautifully published.”
Donald Worster, Hall Distinguished Professor of American History, U. of Kansas and author of A River Running West: The Life of John Wesley Powell and The Wealth of Nature
“The book was a 17-year labor of love for Mr. Greenberg, a long-time birdwatcher and conservationist. His research into the landscape around you is exhaustive, yet [he] has the ability to translate that wealth of knowledge into a natural history that is actually readable. [The book] will change how you view Chicagoland.” Christine Williamson, The Chicago Birder
“[I]n his Herculean effort, Greenberg has assembled a broad and compelling portrait of interconnected communities, of survival and extinction, tragedies and triumphs. Apart from its value as a guide to our native plants and animals, [this] book is history of the best sort, offering us the past as a lesson for shaping our future.” Jim Gordon, Gary Post-Tribune
PUBLISHER: University of Chicago Press
ISBEN: 0-226-30648-8
The University of Chicago Press
Buy at Indiebound
Buy at Amazon.com
Buy at Barnes and Noble
Long-time birder Lynne Carpenter meticulously gathered detailed information about the region’s best birding spots and created numerous maps that make it easy for anyone to explore these places. She invited Joel to join the project to help prepare the text and add the insights he has gained through his many years as a naturalist in this region. The result is a compilation of more than 250 birding sites within, or adjacent to, the 19 counties of the Chicago region: 9 counties in IL, 6 in IN, 3 in WI, and 1 in MI. An essential guide to both beginning and experience birders, A Birder’s Guide to the Chicago Region will appeal to anyone who appreciates nature and wants to learn more about the natural history, ecology, and especially the birds of the Chicago area.
“A Birder’s Guide to the Chicago Region arrived this week. It's a
birding book, but that's like saying the Bible is a history book.” Dale Bowman, Chicago Sun-Times.
PUBLISHER: Northern Illinois University Press
ISBN:0-87580-582-5
Buy the book at Northern university Press
“A Birder’s Guide to the Chicago Region arrived this week. It's a
birding book, but that's like saying the Bible is a history book.” Dale Bowman, Chicago Sun-Times.
PUBLISHER: Northern Illinois University Press
ISBN:0-87580-582-5
Buy the book at Northern university Press