Birding Books

My Uncle, G. Max White, gave my son a hand-crafted peanut butter feeder that he'd made and stained. He explained to his great-nephew, in specific detail, the kinds of birds he would start to see. We hung the feeder outside my son's window and within three days the birds started to arrive. My son was elated! We decided to add a birdseed feeder, a woodpecker feeder, a finch feeder, and a hummingbird feeder to his collection. We put a songbird clock on the wall next to his window so he could compare the birds he saw with it until we received the field guides we ordered from Amazon. He was in heaven!

We purchased the National Geographic guide and The Audubon Backyard guide, but THE SIBLEY FIELD GUIDE TO BIRDS of EASTERN NORTH AMERICA is by far the best. Everything about each bird is all on one page. The illustrations, "(more than 4200 total)" are smaller but plenty large enough to see each bird's features.

We are able to see the bird's appearance from juvenile to adult and breeding or non-breeding. We love the way we can look at the characteristics of the bird, the detailed descriptions and a map showing where the bird thrives all on the same page. It is informative and concise.

My son has discovered a vast array of birds in our area. He has been intrigued by their characteristics and songs. Uncle Max's love for birds and nature, and the spirit that has been passed on to my son through his artwork, lit the spark! My son's enthusiasm for bird watching has been fueled by referencing David Sibley's meticulous and inspiring work, THE SIBLEY FIELD GUIDE TO BIRDS OF EASTERN NORTH AMERICA. Together, G. Max White and David Sibley have encouraged my son's passion for birds; a love that will last a lifetime!

This is a compact field guide derived from David Allen Sibley's highly regarded _The Sibley Guide to Birds_. This may be heresy, but in this instance the derivative surpasses the original, and that is no mean feat.

Most notably, it is compact enough to carry into the field, and that's where birders try to sort through as many diagnostic puzzles as possible. Most species accounts include fewer visual representations than the corresponding accounts found in the Guide to Birds, but the illustrations selected are usually quite sufficient.

Remarkably, the text associated with many species accounts is more informative than the information found in the larger guide: more information about habitat preferences, behavior, and description.

I have noticed some separation from the binding near the middle of each of the two field guides I have (eastern and western) but in neither instance is it really a problem. This isn't going to be my primary North American guide (I'll still rely on the National Geographic field guide for that purpose) but if I carry two guides into the field this will often be the second.

The Sibley field guides are the current standards of birding in North America. Nothing else needs to be said. If you're going to buy one birding field guide - this is the one.

The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America is the companion volume to The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America.

The Eastern volume covers the 650 bird species found east of the Rocky Mountains. As with any bird field guide, the user wants comprehensive, easily accessible, clear information that make identifications quick and indisputable. Sibley's field guides cover all the species within the range of the volume arranging the birds in vertical columns on the page with most two-page spreads showing four species. This means that there is room for large detailed, beautiful illustrations with field marks for the diagnostic features. These marks are extremely helpful for the new birder to show what to look for and how to distinguish one species from another. This arrangement is particularly helpful when confronted with the terrible and mysterious LBJs or little brown jobs. The reader can make quick comparisons between similar species.

The text covers key identification characteristics and field marks on the illustrations, whether the species is common, uncommon, rare, etc. to an area, nesting, behavior, food and feeding, and voice description. Accompanying the text is an excellent range map showing the bird's full North American distribution.

The inside of the front cover gives a quick reference guide to the parts of a bird and what the various colors mean on the range maps. The inside of the back cover provides a map of the USA and Canada, i.e., what counts as North America for birding purposes. The first leaf inside the back cover is a Quick Index to allow the user relatively fast access to the groups of species.

The volume is compact enough to fit into a hip pocket with a bit of manoeuvring. Since it covers only part of North America, it is lighter than single volume field guides covering all of North America.

The Sibley field guides have two exceptional features. One is that if there is some interesting or noteworthy characteristic about a bird or group of birds, Sibley put in a text box. For example, there is a text box on Woodpecker Climbing Motions explaining the roll of the feet and tail in climbing. The other feature is, if a species is more common in the east say rather than the west, then the Eastern volume will have more illustrations and adjusts the text to reflect more about the species. For example, in the Western volume, the Blue Jay has four illustrations and the text starts with "uncommon", while in the Eastern volume the Blue Jay has five illustrations and the text starts out with "common".

A single field guide is never sufficient. A birder needs to compare the information and illustrations of two or more field guides. This and its companion volume are excellent choices for one of the guides and I highly recommend them.

Don't order this book if you are over 40. While the Sibley guides are well loved by many people, this version challenges the printing industry in terms of small type. If you can read 4-6 point type or walk around the woods with a magnifying glass, maybe you will find this field guide useful. I myself was totally disgusted that I could not read it in the house with my reading glasses on. I wondered if I was being picky, so I compared it to other field guides I have for birds, flowers, mammals, and trees. No question. The type in this book is much smaller and harder to read than any other field guide on my shelves. In addition, the copy I received seemed to be off color for anything that was a reddish tint.

This bird guide is in the typical Peterson style: good sketches of the birds with arrows pointing to key features which will help the field researcher/student distinguish one bird from other similar birds. It also gives information such as range for each bird plus a couple interesting facts. I'm using this book for a field biology class in college and have found it very useful.

This was a spare copy for me since it is so indispensable. One in car or golf bag or when going fishing and one at home near where we look at birds at the feeder. Has excellent pictures, concise descriptions and migration maps at the back. And it is small and light enough to carry when you go birding! If you are a beginner birdwatcher, look no further! this is a great book. There is also (obviously)a similar book for western birds!

I purchased one for our home and then two more for gifts. They enjoyed also. If you have birds at your feeders or in your yard you will find those birds for identification. It is better than the other bird identification books I have seen for the home.

The North Carolina bird watcher's assoc. said it was about the best and I believe they are right.

This guide is OK, but it doesn't have anything the National Geographic or Sibley guide doesn't have. The range maps are substandard.

I finally know what kind of birds i've been feeding for the last twenty years.

Nat Geo has done a great job with this book, at least for the non-professional bird watcher! A great resource!

Better size than Sibley for a field guide and almost as good as Sibley as a guide.Best to have both.

A single field guide is not sufficient. A birder needs to compare the information and illustrations of two or more field guides. The trick is to pick field guides that provide comprehensive, easily accessible, clear information that make identifications quick and indisputable. I believe that the Fifth Edition of the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America has a number of qualities and features that make it an admirable and worthy choice as one of the field guides one should use.

First, it has the very sage advice, "The time you spend at home with your field guide will be repaid when you go out birding." Using its maps as a guide, a birder can peruse the pages to obtain a good idea of what to expect in the field.

Among this field guide's qualities are an easy to use quick find index on the back cover flap, a convenient size, illustrations of the 967 species seen in North American (including the extinct ones) and a wonderfully helpful Introduction with many hints on bird identification, parts of a bird, the range of maps, and how to be a better birder. For example, the Introduction provides an illustration of what to look for and how to tell a Lesser Scaup from a Greater Scaup.

The text is comprehensive, providing the diagnostic features for males, females, and juveniles when these vary. Although the diagnostic features of a species are not pointed out in the illustrations, which is a drawback in my eyes, the concise text clearly sets out the features. An experienced birder will have no difficulty finding the correct family or grouping of birds even if they still cannot tell the Empidonax flycatchers apart. (That is not the fault of the field guide.)

The field guide does have a few draw backs. It promotes itself as "comprehensive, authoritative, portable, sturdy, and easier than ever to use". Without field testing, the sturdiness of the paperback format to withstand rugged use is unknown, but in doubt. The illustrations vary in quality. While the illustration of the Greater Roadrunner is absolutely brilliant in shape and color, the Northern Cardinal's color seems muddy and dull. Any birder will still be able to identify a Northern Cardinal, but the reality will be different from the illustration, which casts some doubt on the color representations of other, less well known species.

Despite these minor flaws that emphasize the need for more than one field guide, I highly recommend the Fifth Edition of the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America as one of the field guides to study at home or carry into the field.

National Geographic's 5th edition of its Field Guide to the Birds of North America is very much improved. The illustrations are larger than those in other bird books I've used in the past, and the range maps have been both updated and enlarged. There are 80 more North American species in this edition -- 967 in all -- illustrated beautifully in color and accurately described by field marks, behavior, habitat, range, and vocalization. I especially like the handy thumbtabs -- very convenient for quick reference -- and this NatGeo 5th edition has a practical, weather-resistant cover and informative flaps that can be used as placeholders. There are other bird field guides, but this is the best I've seen.

This book is very usefull even for forign bird watcher as my self, it contents almost every family that exist in south america with mthe exception of pinguins.
Very nice writen.

Have not found this book to be interesting. It jumps around and covers many birds at once. You have to spend time looking to find a bird and then it is not comprehensive enough. Would not buy this book again. Disappointing as I do use his bird guide.

Like all the Sibley books, this is comprehensive and well-written. A necessary and welcomed addition to any birder's library.

This is a useful book about bird behavior written by a true expert. It's a bit like a textbook the way it approaches broad topics and discusses various aspects.

Like any textbook, I suppose, if you go into this book with a specific question and hope for a specific answer, you may not find it. However, if you were trying to write a school report or something you would certainly find lots of useful tidbits of information in the general area of your topic.

I'd say that rather than thinking of this as a reference book, you should think of it as background reading, to be taken in small doses, for the above-and-beyond birding enthusiast.

I'm not a birder, though it seems like an interesting hobby. But I just look at the birds at the feeders and birdbath in the back yard and think, "I wonder what that one is?" So, I bought "The Sibley Guide to Birds" (which is outstanding) on the recommendation of a birder friend, and that led me to this book.

On the one hand, it's a long, dense, scientific work. The years of effort and study that went into it is astounding.

On the other hand, it's an extremely entertaining set of answers to all of those "Why do they do that?" questions that come up when you're watching birds. For example, why do bird knees seem to bend backward? Well, they don't; the knee is close to the bird's body, and what seems to be a backward knee is actually the bird's ankle. The birds are in effect walking around on their tip toes.

If hundreds of pages of information like that, coupled with beautiful illustrations and great maps, all wrapped in an easy-to-use organizational scheme sounds interesting and useful, then get this book.

For a non-birder like me, it's probably more information than I really need, but I found it fascinating.

This is the Bird ID book that can stay on the coffee table. Pages and pages of wonderful pictures of shorebirds make up the front section of the book. Let me be quick to point out if you are looking for gulls or terns they will not be in this book. This is a book about the small brownish birds ( sometimes called Peeps) that can be seen on our shores. Sanderlings, sandpipers, Godwitts, Dunlin, and our rapidly declining Red Knots are the subjects of this book. If you want to know shore birds this is the book.

This book was extremely helpful for identifying shorebirds. It shows them on the ground close up, in flight and in flocks. Detailed descriptions of status, taxonomy, behavior, migration, molt and vocalizations. Photography is excellent. If you live on or near water and need a guide, this is the one!

I bought this book for my uncle who LOVES bird watching and he is amazed with this book! It offers a lot of information many other books don't. I highly recommend purchasing this for the bird lover! :)

Of all of the information available that involves Shorebirds, this book is equal to none. It provides the most organized and complete understanding of the complicated life cycles of these birds. The photograpy is excellent not only in its quality but also in its visualizations of the different life cycles. The book advances how we look upon these types of birds by drawing refined attention to their life cycles and their ecosystems. This is a must have for all birders libraries.

An excellent shorebird guide. The best I have ever owned. Extremely helpful in teaching you HOW to identify shorebirds.

ASIN:0618225900 Birding by Ear: Eastern and Central North America (Peterson Field Guides(R)
I've always enjoyed watching and listening to our feathered friends however my identification was limited to visual. I'm a learner by repetition and this audio series makes that possible. I have a substantial commute to work and can listen as I ride. I'm not only being taught but it is very relaxing! This audio series is an excellent way to learn and remember bird songs. Looking forward to spring and putting what I've learned to use out in the field!

Great item. Good for listening to in your car. My wife loves it and we have used it to learn our birds in Alabama.

I recently got interested in birding a few months ago and asked for this CD set for my birthday. My mom gave it to me and I couldn't believe how easy it made recognizing a LOT of different bird songs and calls. The narrator gives you a "handle" on each bird song so you can remember it easily, and he gives great suggestions on how to devise your own handles. Similar-sounding birds don't seem confusing after he explains the differences to listen for. He educates you, but doesn't include any unnecessary "filler" information, only what is important and what will really matter out in the field.
Before I listened to it, I thought the narration would just be someone saying, "This is the Orchard Oriole" with a short snippet of what one sounds like, then on to the next bird. But it was a great surprise to get all this extra information. He also repeats the songs several times so you don't have to constantly rewind, and he pauses for just the right amount of time between repetitions; I found that I learned the calls pretty fast if I had the right number of seconds to consider each one. Believe it or not, after several seconds you actually do start to forget what you just heard, but it was uncanny how at the very moment I'd start to forget, it would repeat, and that was very satisfying.
I never write reviews for anything, but on this particular product, I felt like the makers really needed to be commended for sharing their knowledge in such a thorough and extremely effective fashion. They obviously spent a lot of time deciding what to include, how to arrange everything, and how to explain everything to a novice so that they would understand. Real quality seems so rare these days. I appreciated the fact that their main objective was really to teach effectively, not just to put a CD together that would make money. You'll be way more excited about birding after you listen to these CDs.
Also I wanted to mention that the audio quality is absolutely superb. One time I started my car while the CD was in, and I didn't realize it was starting to play...I got really excited because I thought I heard a White-Throated Sparrow loud and clear right by my car, so I frantically screamed to my son that one must be RIGHT NEXT TO US SOMEWHERE!!! ... but then I realized it was the CD and I was so embarrassed.
My favorite ones to listen to are the Pileated Woodpecker, the Bobolink, the Red-Shouldered Hawk and the Barred Owl. These 4 birds sound extremely bizarre and you will probably laugh your head off at the sounds they make. The Bobolink sounds like a spastic alien computer switchboard. The Veery is unbelievably weird and haunting, and the Eastern Meadowlark and Northern Cardinal are really beautiful. There are lots of different song categories which are separated and easy to find if you are looking for a certain one. Also, if you have kids, their jaws will drop listening to the intriguing sounds. Most of the birds are pretty common so you are bound to hear at least some of them if you just walk around outside.
Can you tell I'm impressed?!!!

This is a good set of disks that groups bird songs by some feature of similarity. I never knew, for instance, that robins and scarlet tanagers sound so similar. The disks are quite good for helping you learn the differences between similar-sounding species. Keep after it and you will learn to distinguish Carolina from black-capped chickadees.

That said, I would not want this for my only set of bird songs, because if you want to listen to a specific bird, it's too hard to find without the booklet in your hands. Since I listen to these disks on my PC on the patio or my PDA & my MP3 player when I'm out walking or in the car, that is not convenient for me. I bought it in combination with the "Stokes Field Guide to Bird Songs: Eastern Region" and am much more pleased with the combination than I would have been with this set alone.

Mind you, having the disks does not guarantee species identification. At this moment I'm sitting at the PC with the window to my suburban back yard open, listening to a low "chuck-chuck-chuck-chuck-chuck" that I canNOT find on either set of disks!

this cd is as expected, no surprise,no complaints.a good selection of birds have been packed into this.

Over 350 bird species are represented in this set (3 CDs, 99 tracks per CD, some tracks having more than one species). I find it to be very complete; it even includes several species that only occur as accidentals in the east region.

The recordings usually include several vocalizations for each species (songs, warning calls, imitations of other birds, or chip notes). Most samples are about 35 seconds long.

The short introductory track, in which the Stokes demonstrate reading from a script, is laughably bad, but fortunately that is not the point.

I have enjoyed birding for years and am familiar with a wide range of calls, and I am finding this set very useful for reinforcement of the ones I know and for learning the ones that I only hear for several weeks a year, such as transient species of warblers. I recommend it.

About 300 species represented on 3 CDs. Good quality recordings. Ready to rip to an MP3 player for birding and bird photography outings. If you use iPod, the iTunes software makes it easy to chose a start time for each track, thus removing the 2 - 2.5 second baritone: "Great Blue Heron," etc. See my review of Kensington portable MP3 speakers - something similar with a bit more volume would be ideal.

This is the only CD that provides a complete repetoire per bird. Other CD's provide only one type of sound per bird- a call, alarm or song. You need to have a sampling of all in order to accurately identify unseen birds. I live in an important migratory bird path and until now it was frustrating trying to identify those birds in dense foliage or in flight when I could hear them much better than see them. Since I am familiar with birds most likely to visit my area, it makes identification even quicker since I first scroll to the species I suspect. I have both the Eastern and Western Field Guides since they both apply to me in Texas.

This is a great product. Some of the bird calls I wouldn't have identified as coming from a bird! The bird is named before the call. Very clear sounds.

I bought this set at the same time as "Birding by Ear: Eastern and Central North America (Peterson Field Guides)" and am quite happy with the combination. The Stokes CDs have (nearly) all the birds in separate tracks making it easier to play just the ones I want to work with. I'm new at bird songs, so I dumped the disks to my PC and made a subdirectory of "seen" birds. Then I copied to that directory all the birds that I've visually identified in the neighborhood so I can work on learning those to start. I've copied them to my PDA and MP3 player as well to play in the car and sitting at appointments and such. The individual tracks carry not just a bird's primary song but also its different calls if it has any.

The Petersen set takes a different approach. It's a good set of disks that groups bird songs by some feature of similarity. I never knew, for instance, that robins and scarlet tanagers sound so similar. The disks are quite good for helping you learn the differences between similar-sounding species. Keep after it and you will learn to distinguish Carolina from black-capped chickadees.

Mind you, having the disks does not guarantee species identification. At this moment I'm sitting at the PC with the window to my suburban back yard open, listening to a low "chuck-chuck-chuck-chuck-chuck" that I canNOT find on either set of disks!

Almost every field guide gives a an introduction to the skills that need to be learned if one wants to develop any proficiency in finding and identifying birds in the field.In this book David takes it a whole lot further and has produced a book that covers all the skills needed and would be a great asset to any birder,be they a novice or a long time seasoned birder.It is not a book to replace the normal field guide but instead is a super addition to hone the skills of any birder,regardless of their skills.I won't try to cover what is in this book as other reviewers have done a fair job of it already.
What this book does is to explain why a bird was found where it was,why it was not something else,why is it such and such when it only remotely resembles the picture in the field guide,how could you tell,it's too dark to see the colors,and on and on.
You will also learn the many subtle differences and field marks to look for ,especially if you want to try to describe a bird to someone else,write it up in your journal or even to help if you listen to and hope to understand some more experienced birder describing a bird you may even be looking at.
One way to show what this book is all about might be to compare it to Baseball or Bridge.The standard books tell you all the rules and finer points of the game;this book tells you how to play the game.
Don't let the fact that this book has only 154 pages and not very expensive fool you.It is very unique and would
be welcomed by any birder who doesn't already have it.
I must say,however,that this is not the type of 'bird book' to buy if you just want to buy one book.It is definately the book to buy to go along with any other Field Guide that covers all the birds in an area;such as National Geographic's Birds of North America,Peterson's Field Guides,American Bird Conservancy's field guide to All the Birds of North America,Kaufman's Birds of North America,Sibley's Guides or any of the other excellent guides available.

This is the best instruction I've ever seen, printed or otherwise, on learning how to bird. It includes not only basic visual identification skills, but also the basics of how to bird by sound. Sibley teaches the feather groups and anatomy, plumage variations, molting patterns, and effects of lighting that make some indentifications so difficult. I would recommend it to any aspiring birder.

Let me depart a bit from the other glowing reviews to point out something I think is slightly odd about this book. While the book has many outstanding features, I'm not sure it is the ideal "birding basics" book.

The first half of the book has some terrific information but is often light on content (the equipment section, birding by geography section, finding more info section) as well as some glaring gaps (breeding habits, migration patterns, birding history in North America). It's one thing to tell a beginning birder how the gestalt of a White Crowned Sparrow is different from that of a White Throated Sparrow but does the beginning birder even know when to expect either in their area? The ending on ethics and conservation is so small it almost plays to the criticism that birders are more in it for the sport than for birds themselves.

The second half of the book is a stunning review of the external structure of birds. It is better than many ornithology texts in this regard. Everything you could ever need to know about feather structure, molt, proportional differences and color perception is presented along with an excellent introduction to taxonomy and bird song.

Sibley is obviously playing to his strength here which is fine because what he knows, he really knows if you get my point. The art work is great, of course.

I don't want to come across as knocking this book. I own it, enjoy it and have learned a great deal from it. I recommend that you buy it. I'm just not sure it will serve this generation of up and comming birders as the ideal "basics" book the way Jack Connor's "The Complete Birder" did for many in the prior generation.

What do you think of a basics book that can take the time to touch on a birds nasal bristles or gestalt but omit a basic discussion on migration or breeding? Maybe it's me but it strikes me as a bit odd. I think the second half could have been published as part of a book called "Sibley's Ornithology for Birders" or something to that effect.

I came into this book with some interest in learning to identify birds around the yard to a greater extent. This is the first book that I've seen to go beyond the basics of shape and color. It's actually a virtual biology lesson on birds with fine details about feathers, and molting among other topics. Very detailed materials that help the reader understand how to see the parts of the bird beyond quick impressions in order to make identifications. But I also gained a new insight into an animal that I took for granted just seeing every day. Sibley is an incredible artist and liberally demonstrates his concepts with sketches and drawings of a wide variety of birds. The combination of beautiful art, and clear, educational writing makes one of the best introductions I've ever seen to birds, and how to know and appreciate them. Highly recommended for the casual as well as serious bird enthusiast.

I'm a novice birder, to say the least. I like Sibley's guides because they are straight forward and easy to navigate. The drawings are all done by Sibley himself, not a team of various artists... believe me, it matters. Birds are shown from various angles, by sex, and at various stages of life. I think any Sibley guide would make a lovely (different) house warming gift along with, perhaps, a bird feeder.
Happy birding!

This book and Jonathan Trouern-Trend blog inspired me during a difficult time and was an inspiration for my own project.

I remember a few years ago listening to Public Radio and hearing him speak for the first time. I was driving down the road listening to him speak on the radio, crying and profoundly inspired all at the same time!

During this time in our dark history his work has been an inspiration and a comfort for many. There is something incredible in a person when they can rise above such trauma and destruction to produce something so beautiful.

I am also impressed with how he describes the resilience and potential of nature to serve us with healing under any circumstance. I look forwards to more of the same from this author!

[...]

This started out as a soldiers blog, and has more of a travelogue feel, rather than a war correspondent feel of it. The author is most interesting when presenting his walks around the camp, and finding birds in back of the laundry camp and travels. And exotic birds they are: such as Squacco heron, Greater spotted eagle, Egyptian Vulture, purple swamphen, whiskered tern, and blue-checked bee-eater. What is missing however any introspection about the war, Sadam's effect on the environment, or contrast of being in a war zone and observing nature.

Being a bird enthusiast, AND having a son in the US Army inspired me to buy (and read) this book. I had originally bought it to give to my son (who enjoyed watching birds...mostly raptors....as a child), I decided to read it myself and was amazed at the species of birds this soldier was seeing over there. Sounds like (in addition to his mission) he did have some downtime and had some positive things to say about the region, which was nice. It has to be hard to be away from your family and friends for so long....and Jonathan found a way to stay busy and keep upbeat. Kudos to him, and God Bless our military!

This is a small, beautiful book. The natural phenonomena and bird-life that Jonathan Trouern-Trend desribes with such simple elegance in Birding Babylon is both comforting and poignent as it all takes place in Iraq near the beginning of our most recent conflict there.

I salute Mr. Trouern-Trend, both as a fellow "birder" as well as a poet. His writing is spare and unembelished, yet the warm sentiment he awakens in the naturalist' heart is undeniable. Here, again, poignance was the feeling he inspired, as well as admiration for a job well-done.

I love this little book. I bought 3 more copies as soon as I read it to give to friends.

Thank you, Sergeant Trouern-Trend. I salute you! Beth Hall, San Diego, CA

Because I am a birder, a friend bought me this book. It is perfectly aimed, not a pure birding, and no ranting about the war. Shows the power of nature and appreciation of nature to put a lovely perspective on even the most ugliest of wars. I wanted to know what the birds he referred to looked like so am ordering the birds of the middle east. one might wish photos or more realistic drawing of the birds, but I think that would detract from the journal-like nature of this cute little book.

This book appealed to me for a Father's Day gift, but before I sent it along, I had to read it. Once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down! The stories were so varied and so human that my curiosity was piqued for each character. My Dad said he enjoyed it too and my Mom read it in one day!

Alex Mindt's believable characters come from all over the land, giving insights into their own dilemmas through their relationships with that male of the species, the father. To this non North-American, the stories also present a vibrant collage of the country its characters call home. A rewarding read which merits rereading.

I am so into this book. Every story is great. Every voice in this book is believable. Its funny, it made me (almost) cry, i totally connect with the characters. In fact the stories are so enjoyable that when they end i cant help but think the next has to be a dissapointment but everytime im proven wrong.
It may be my favourite collection of short stories. Thats it, thats my review.

This is a stunning collection of stories. Unlike most authors who have a standard setting for their writing, Mindt is amazingly facile. Each story is set in an entirely different locale--not just geographic locale but psychological locale. He writes as convincingly in the voice of a Vietnamese immigrant who does Elvis impersonations in Vegas as he does in the voice of the son of hospitalized schizophrenic encyclopedia author as he does in the voice of the wife of the nerdy science teacher who flunks the high school football star. Every story offers the unexpected. This author is someone to follow....

A copy of this was given to me as a gift, and since then I have passed on the favor, purchasing a half-dozen and giving them to my friends who enjoy well written and powerful short stories. There is not a weak story in this collection.

Terrific, and highly recommended.