Birding to Change the World

A Memoir

By: Trish O'Kane

Narrated by: Cheryl Smith

In this uplifting memoir, a professor and activist shares what birds can teach us about life, social change, and protecting the environment.

Trish O’Kane is an accidental ornithologist. In her nearly two decades writing about justice as an investigative journalist, she'd never paid attention to nature. But then Hurricane Katrina destroyed her New Orleans home, sending her into an emotional tailspin.

Enter a scrappy cast of feathered characters—first a cardinal, urban parrots, and sparrows, then a catbird, owls, a bittern, and a woodcock—that cheered her up and showed her a new path. Inspired, O'Kane moved to Madison, Wisconsin, to pursue an environmental studies PhD. There she became a full-on bird obsessive—logging hours in a stunningly biodiverse urban park, filling field notebooks with bird doings and dramas, and teaching ornithology to college students and middle-school kids.

When Warner Park—her daily birdwatching haven—was threatened with development, O’Kane and her neighbors mustered a mighty murmuration of nature lovers, young and old, to save the birds' homes. Through their efforts, she learned that once you get outside and look around, you're likely to fall in love with a furred or feathered creature—and find a flock of your own.

In Birding to Change the World, O'Kane details the astonishing science of bird life, from migration and parenting to the territorial defense strategies that influenced her own activism. A warm and compelling weave of science and social engagement, this is the story of an improbably band of bird lovers who saved their park. And it is a blueprint for muscular citizenship, powered by joy.

A Great Autobiography

🙃 the narrator is not a birder... got some pronunciations wrong. otherwise she is very good to listen to.

Very persistent nature people

I really like the way the characters in this book worked relentlessly to achieve their goals. I actually listen to it twice because I just like the way the story was told.

How humans think only of themselves

I don’t want to write a review of the book, but I have to fill the space and I will say I enjoyed it thoroughly. I learned a lot.

Not just for bird lovers but for everyone

I loved this book….great storytelling. A compelling read about the natural world and how to protect it. A great handbook for environmental activism. Thank you Dr O’kane.

Life changing

If you care about the environment this book will capture you but it also teaches how small acts can grow into big action. I’m inspired to go and make change .