The Birds of Pandemonium

I’m  excited to give my thoughts on Michelle Raffin’s The Birds of Pandemonium for a number of reasons. Not only, as we will see, that I consider it to be a profoundly inspirational book, but also because this is the first book that I read on Libby! My daughter turned me onto this platform a little while back, and I’ve absolutely loved the ability to sample print and audio books, while at the same time supporting local libraries. If you use Libby, send me your thoughts!

The Birds of Pandemonium by Michelle Raffin

Now, back to Pandemonium.  Here is what I loved about this book.

First of all, Michelle entered into this project with a very minimal understanding of what she was about to face, but a determination to protect these birds and educate the general public as to why they are important. That’s the characteristic of the ultimate biologist and conservationist. Dive directly into your passion.

But, the real inspiration is when she realizes she is outside of her expertise, and actively engages with others in this community for assistance. How often do you encounter an obstacle and then let it deter you? I have, and I’m sure you have too. The fact that she does this repeatedly, over years, but remains focused on her cause,  is yet another level of inspiration.

 Second is the way she learns from her animals. We’re not on this planet to dominate life and ecosystems, we’re here to coexist with, learn from, and appreciate the biodiversity of our planet. Not only does Michelle learn how to care for her animals, she learns how to communicate with them, on their level, in their language. Our species could learn a lot about how to interact with each other from Michelle’s examples of how she interacts with her avian friends.

 Finally is the way that she deals with adversity. To be honest, if I had experienced the deaths of her birds, I don’t know if I would have returned the next day. But she consistently not only recovers, but uses these instances as learning experiences to enhance her abilities to further the  conservation efforts of the species which she has chosen to protect.

As a biologist, educator, and conservationist, this was exactly the book I needed to read, and it was pleasure to accompany Michelle on her journey.

 For more on Michelle Raffin’s project at Pandemonium, click here.

And, as I usually do, if a book inspires me – no matter what the platform I read or listened to it in, I go back and buy the book to support the author!  I recommend you do as well.