Here are some facts to keep in mind about Good Birders Still Don’t Wear White: Passionate Birders Share the Joys of Watching Birds:
(1) This is not a dress code.
(2) This is a NEW book edited by Lisa A. White and Jeffrey A. Gordon, illustrated by Robert A. Braunfield, just published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
(3) It is a sequel to Good Birders Don’t Wear White: 50 Tips From North America’s Top Birders, the popular 2007 collection of essays. How can you tell the difference, besides the additional word in the title? Well, the cover features a different illustration, a different subtitle, an additional editor, the American Birding Association logo, and, most importantly, the title is in an orange color block and the subtitle is in a green color block. In other words—different plumage.
(4) It is a delightful, engaging book. O.k., that’s opinion, not fact. It is a fact that the book fulfills the promise of its subtitle. The 37 essays by birders, bird artists, photographers, tour leaders, ornithologists, field guide authors, and other members of the tribe (even bloggers!) explore the diverse joys of birding. The essays are brief, specific, light-hearted with passionate cores. The topics and writing styles may differ, but there is a unifying theme underneath it all–that birding in an inclusive community and that the joys being articulated are available to all. Suggestions are offered at the end of each chapter—yes, there are still “tips”! Within the framework of sharing the joy, the tips become gifts from friends.
