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

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(More customer reviews)Hi Andrew
My name is Jessie and I wanted to take a moment to write to you to thank you for the inspired poetry and lunacy related to your delicious book about pigeons.

I opted to post an open letter via Amazon because I want the whole world to know about your extraordinary book. I have never read anything as weirdly wonderful as this.
Finding your pigeon was a bit of kismet as it sort of snuck up on me in the book store. I was on my way to the check out counter with a biography of the Red Baron, a history of gunpowder and another book about the men who created alternate and direct currents when I saw a pigeon staring at me from the side.
It looked odd next to the other books whose covers were dull by comparison...when I saw the title next to the bird my inner teenager thought "NO way, Jose"....but sure enough it was exactly what the title implied and then some.
I love love LOVE some of the characters you met in your travels and found myself envying the fun you must have had in meeting such an eclectic group of pigeon enthusiasts and pigeon haters.
Though I must also confess that the revolting chapter related to the gutting and lung-ing of squabs elicited a whole series of voluminous UGHS! and BLECHS! The mental picture you provided was gruesome enough to force me to consider going totally vegan.
The man who wrote his doctoral thesis on spider hearing was intriguing, can you write his biography too?
And you also left me wanting to know more about the man who wrapped himself in tinfoil to keep himself warm. Sally Bananas was fascinating and I was riveted by the chapter devoted to Mike Tyson. Despite never meeting him you captured something NO ONE has ever done before... You showed his subtle and poignant humanity and made me wish the whole world could know him THAT way.
So many great stories in one book...This book really is FOR the birds.
Ahhh yes, the pigeons. After reading your absorbing book, I feel bad that for all these years I never really paid pigeons any mind. Much like my socks I took them for granted. You did for pigeons what Neruda did for socks. Showing the value and beauty of something seemingly mundane and yet utterly transformative and magical.
I missed something truly glorious in these astonishing and surprising creatures. You have a convert in Dallas. Praise be to pigeons everywhere. Next time I see one which is practically every hour, I will think of your book with a smile.
Thanks for a great read Jessie Jessup
KDGE
Dallas Texas 75240


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The Last Great Fight: The Extraordinary Tale of Two Men and How One Fight Changed Their Lives Forever Review

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(More customer reviews)Some sporting events you can remember where you were when you first heard of them. James "Buster" Douglas' boxing knockout of Mike Tyson for the Heavyweight Championship is one of those events. Arguably one of the greatest upsets in sports history, this fight has taken on a unique historical aura over the years. Joe Layden's engrossing and tragic 2007 book "The Last Great Fight: The Extraordinary Tale of Two Men and How One Fight Changed Their Lives Forever" gives a superb account of this sporting epic.
I was waiting tables on the busy Saturday night this fight took place and was amazed at the cheers coming from the bar. I realized something more was going on than your typical Tyson KO. When the fight ended, the message that Tyson had been defeated spread through the restaurant like wildfire. Luckily, I taped the fight, and went home that night to watch the bout over and over again trying to understand what my eyes could not believe. Over the years, I have re-watched this fight many times and am amazed by the eerie atmosphere of the broadcast. The fight took place in Japan, playing out before an oddly reserved crowd. The HBO announcers, puzzled and shocked, were equally confused. Tyson had such an incredibly invincible reputation that no one could believe what they were seeing.
Layden's book accurately reveals the numerous events leading up to this fight that played a crucial role in the outcome. Douglas, son of a former middleweight contender, struggled from the constant expectations of his demanding father. When his dad was removed from the training team, Douglas seemed to thrive. In addition, the death of Douglas' mother just days before the fight seemed to create a sense of destiny. He lost the fear that seemed to hold him back during his career. Tyson, suffering from an ugly divorce and too much coddling with his new Don King team, had become a man who began to either believe in his invincibility, or no longer cared.
What I liked about Layden's book was his documentation of Douglas. His story, in many ways, is a tragedy. We've read enough about Tyson and Layden expertly gives Douglas equal time with fine interviews with his training team, including long-time friend John Russell. Russell's loyalty to Douglas is especially touching. Several times during the passages detailing the Douglas years following the Tyson fight I was moved to tears. I was also surprised by the sympathetic light Layden shines on Tyson, a man portrayed far too often as a villain. After reading "The Last Great Fight," I feel as if I know Tyson and Douglas and have renewed respect for both men.
Layden hypothesizes that the Douglas/Tyson fight, held in 1990, was a quasi-end of boxing's popularity in the the public mainstream. Tyson, an enormously popular Heavyweight Champion at the time, embarked on an eventual path of shocking self destruction. He would eventually lose millions of dollars and file for bankruptcy. Douglas, in turn, would wisely invest the small fortune he made for his fight immediately following the Tyson victory, an uninspired KO loss to Evander Holyfield. The contrast of the two men's lives, finely detailed by Layden, shows Douglas ironically living in comfort while Tyson desperately struggles with financial and personal issues.
It's a disturbing story, as the cruelties of modern celebrity are revealed yet once again. Most importantly, Layden's work documents the lives of two men who are eventual victims of an ugly and greedy machine vicariously feeding on bodies and spirit. I was deeply moved by Douglas' survival to become a better man after his retirement from boxing. The brilliance of Layden's book is that it covers not only this historic fight, but the struggles of both men for years afterwards. This is a boxing story, granted. But it's also a tragic American tale you will not be able to put down.

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