Christian Cooper Better Living through Birding: Notes from a Black Man in the Natural World

About the author:

Practically born with binoculars in his hands, Christian Cooper took up birding at an early age.He was president of the Harvard Ornithological Club and co-chair of the board of directors of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and then embarked on a career as a writer and editor for Marvel Comics for the sheer joy of it. Only his volunteer work spreading“the gospel of birding” to New York City public school children rivaled that joy. Now as a vice president of New York City Audubon, he advocates for greater, safer access to green spaces for all, with a focus on outreach to underserved youth and LGBTQ+ activism.

About the book:

Equal parts memoir, travelogue, and primer on the art of birding, Better Living through Birding: Notes from a Black Man in the Natural World tells the story of Christian Cooper’s extraordinary life leading up to the now-infamous incident in Central Park and shows how a life spent looking up at the birds prepared him, in the most uncanny of ways, to be a gay, Black man in America today.

Sponsored by the Alan Ross Kumpe Memorial Endowment and Rebsamen Fund.

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