The Global Pigeon (Fieldwork Encounters and Discoveries)

Bought this as a gift for my dad after I heard the author on a podcast I like, “You’re the Expert.” He loved it! I’ve actually bought it for other people since then (great gift option because it’s not likely they’ve already read it)

An enjoyable read, from beginning to end. A top notch ethnography, interrogating animal-human interactions as a prism for understanding communities and urban life, while also opening up questions about the epistemological undergirding of contemporary qualitative methods.

If you find pigeons fascinating and don't look upon them as "rats with wings", you will appreciate this enlightening look at man's relationship to these birds. Deep reading of a sociological nature, The Global Pigeon is also entertaining, allowing the reader to experience the worlds of homers, flyers, "street" pigeons, and the colorful people who are devoted to them. A good read.

An excellent study and insight into man and beast alike. Highly original, accessible and readable, it traverses many fields and seeds enjoyable and worthy contemplation. Highly recommended if you have any morsel of interest in sociology, the human condition, and, well, the ubiquitous little pigeon.

Super fun read. It felt like reading a travel journal mixed with an adventure novel at times, while at other times giving the intellectual gymnastics and deeper understanding of the world that you're looking for in non-fiction.Despite the title, in addition to an introduction to the now fascinating world of pigeon racing, this book is really about humans. He's a great story teller, and basically shows, through the lives of folks he's met around the world, how we've influenced the species, and how they've influenced us. who knew that pigeons and coops were involved in the complex issues like gentrification?

Great book