Christian Cooper's memoir, Better Living Through Birding, takes readers beyond the Central Park incident that gained him some notoriety in 2020 and into the mind of a thoughtful, observant man: birder, nerd, bicyclist, and much more. Cooper recounts the event in Central Park's Ramble when a white woman (falsely) told the police he was threatening her, but he doesn't dwell on it. Instead, he shares his lifelong passion for birds, including childhood Sunday morning bird walks on Long Island, and his decades of birding Central Park. He also describes his experience as a queer Black man: his gradual acceptance of his own identity, his years at Harvard, and his history of activism. (Fellow nerds will especially enjoy Cooper's memories of his time at Marvel Comics, where he rubbed shoulders with Marvel legends, and helped introduce several groundbreaking gay characters.)
With a keen eye for detail, Cooper presents to readers Central Park's birds (migratory and native) and some of his fellow birding humans. The narrative is sprinkled with helpful birding tips for novices and what Cooper dubs "the Pleasures of Birding": the joy of sighting an unusual species, the satisfaction of puzzling out a bird's identification, the peace of being out in nature. Cooper draws in seemingly disparate topics--pagan spirituality, complex family relationships--but skillfully fits them together under the umbrella of birding, savoring nature, and paying attention. Part memoir, part love letter to birding, Better Living Through Birding is a compelling journey through (and beyond) Central Park, in the hands of a capable guide. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams