Bernard L. Gordon (1931–2010)

This book was really depressing. I checked it out because when we read of Pale Male it reminded me about the passenger pigeon -- once so numerous it was said to have blocked out the sun in large flocks -- now extinct. I wanted to learn more about the life history of the birds and I did read some interesting facts such as that the birds were really brightly colored in gold, blue, green and purple, and that they feed their young with a pigeon's milk produced in their digestive track.

however, most of the book was about the horrible ways that European settlers hunted down and destroyed the bird in America's early days-- setting fire to trees and burning or chopping them down just to get the babies to fall out of the nest... killing more than 5,000 at a time.

The illustrations also didn't help- they were just black and white sketches. Although if the birds had been made more endearing through the artwork I really wouldn't have been able to get very far. Sad sad sad.

If I were doing an environmental unit though I would use excerpts from the book because of its plain direct language and straightforward admittance that the animals were basically senselessly slaughtered to death. It is widely know, though, and I don't think the book sensationalized things -- the fate of the passenger pigeon was probably the most oft quoted in example in every bio class I've taken.… (més)