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

ISBN: 0802118348

Author: Blechman, Andrew D.

Condition: Used

In the tradition of Robert Sullivans 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 mankinds 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 pigeons transformation from beloved friend to feathered outlaw. Pigeons captures a Brooklyn mans quest to win the Main Event (the pigeon worlds 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 nations 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.