Pigeons: The Fascinating Saga of the World's Most Revered and Reviled Bird

By Andrew D. Blechman

Book Overview

In the tradition of Robert Sullivan's best-selling Rats comes a whimsical and intimate look into the fascinating world of pigeons and the people they collect. Pigeons have been worshipped as fertility goddesses and used as crucial communicators in war by every major historical superpower from ancient Egypt to the United States, saving thousands of lives. Yet, without just cause, they are reviled today as "rats of the sky." How did we come to misunderstand one of mankind's most helpful and steadfast companions? Author Andrew D. Blechman traveled across the United States and Europe to meet with pigeon fanciers and pigeon haters in a quest to chronicle the pigeon's transformation from beloved friend to feathered outlaw. Pigeons captures a Brooklyn man's quest to win the Main Event (the pigeon world's equivalent of the Kentucky Derby), as well as a pigeon shoot where entrants pay $150 to shoot live pigeons. Blechman tracks down Mike Tyson, the nation's most famous pigeon lover, and he sheds light on a radical "pro-pigeon underground" in New York City. In Pigeons , Blechman tells for the first time the remarkable story behind this seemingly unremarkable bird.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0802118348
• ISBN13: 9780802118349
• Release Date: October 2006
• Publisher: Grove Press
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 1.11 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A very enjoyable book!

This book will have you loving pigeons before your even done with the book! A great book to either pass the time with, or just learning about the worlds most favorite bird! A great read!

A wonderful read for bird lovers and neophytes a like

Pigeons is true to its title. This is one fascinating book. It is both an informative and fun read, and the writer's passion for both prose and pigeons shines through. I highly recommend this book for anyone who cares about birds... and for anyone who just loves a good, rich narrative.

Pigeons: The Fascinating Saga of the World's Most Revered and Reviled Bird

I am totally enchanted by this book. It is well written,factual, humorous, engaging. I'm going to hate to finish it. Mr Blechman's take shows us far more than any of us knew about this trusting, yet cautious, loyal and amazing creature.

Couldn't put it down!

Who knew there was so much more than meets the eye to the park bench pigeon? I didn't even care about pigeons until I picked this book up by chance. And I'm glad I did. This is not a treatise or an advocacy book -- it's a delicious and entertaining romp through the world of pigeon obsession. Kings, queens, rural racists, Charles Darwin, Mike Tyson, Julius Caesar, Julius Reuters, Noah, the shadowy "pro-pigeon underground" ... they all share an unusual historical and emotional fixation on what I used to think was a stupid little bird. I laughed out loud and couldn't put the damn thing down. Like I said: Who knew? And who wouldn't want to know more about something we see everyday but hardly notice? I love books like that, and this is the best of the bunch. I for one will never look at a pigeon the same way again!

What a Gem!

Who would have thought pigeons could be so interesting? Blechman brings the history of this bird and society's sometimes strained but never dull relationship with it to life. His style is fluid, humorous and endlessly engaging, making this a real page-turner. Blechman has found a hidden gem in this topic and his account of the bird does not disappoint. Where Blechman shines is not only in bringing the facts about pigeons to life but in describing the people who have devoted their lives to racing, breeding, cooking, or exterminating them. This book will make you laugh out loud, it will provide you with a history and a context, and it will also make you think. I can't recommend it more strongly!