Books like Crow Planet: Essential Wisdom from the Urban Wilderness

I thought this book was going to be about crows, and it WAS supposed to be about crows. That's what her editor asked her to do and it almost seemed that she felt the subject was beneath her. I find crows fascinating and an integral part of our cities ecosystem, not to mention they are scarily intelligent. So at first, I felt mislead and skeptical. She does share some interesting facts about crows, but altogether, it's about a chapter's worth.But I found this such a surprising, satisfying read. She is from Seattle (bonus). The book is mostly focused on what it means to be a naturalist, and how to have hope for our world, even though the global warming damage has already been done. As depressing as this is, she struggles and succeeds in having an optimistic outlook. She has a young daughter, and she's influencing her daughter heavily - so she HAS to be optimistic. But the overlying theme, that's really been on my mind, is just how much wildlife we have in our own urban surroundings. You don't have to drive out to "the country"! I'm morphing into a nerdy bird watcher and am amazed at the kind of birds, right here in Seattle. Many times crows have help me find these birds - I found a spotted owl recently. And I'm not easily impressed, being from Western Montana. I'm also looking at trees, plants and even bugs differently. THIS IS WHERE I BARE MY SOUL: I stopped working a few years ago because of chronic illness. Being sick is isolating and I still grieve the loss of my "normal" life. To build up my physical & mental stamina, I've been taking slow, reflective walks in some of the spectacular natural places we have right here in Seattle. It's forced me to look at my surroundings and my life more clearly and closely. And let me tell you, I've been learning & seeing some AMAZING things. But I digress...BACK TO THE BOOK: So I do recommend this book. I wish I could give it 4.5 stars. The .5 is because the book title was misleading and a few times the mother/daughter stuff was just a little too precious. I'm rather jaded with the "hip mama" movement. Don't get me wrong - I'm glad people are are excited to be parents, but there are other aspects in life that are also very important and rewarding. But I DO know some truly hip mamas, who I admire greatly, and I think this author would definitely fall into this category.