The Birds of Pandemonium
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more
Flip to back
Flip to front
The Birds of Pandemonium Hardcover – October 7, 2014
See all 4 formats and editions
Hide other formats and editions
| Amazon Price | New from | Used from |
|
Audio CD, Audiobook, CD, Unabridged
"Please retry"
|
$15.42 | $26.14 |
 |
$17.14
FREE Shipping on orders over $35.
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Gift-wrap available.
NO_CONTENT_IN_FEATURE
Start reading The Birds of Pandemonium on your Kindle in under a minute.
Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.
Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?.
|
Editorial Reviews
Review
“Charming, self-effacing and extremely reverent.” —The New York Times
“[A] lovely memoir-cum-how-to manual for starting an aviary from scratch . . . Learning from the birds, Raffin has made Pandemonium into a true sanctuary.” —Booklist
“Michele Raffin has written a delightful account of her adventures caring for injured and abandoned birds. It is a good read, full of wonderful accounts of bird behavior, demonstrating caring, learning, sociability, adaptability, and a will to live. Its appeal is ageless, her descriptions riveting, and her devotion to the birds remarkable. I couldn't put it down for wanting to follow her adventures.” —Joanna Burger, author of The Parrot Who Owns Me: A Story of a Relationship
“A chance encounter with an injured dove proved to be a life-changing experience . . . By 2010, Pandemonium Aviaries, which had begun on a whim (fostering birds in need of a home), was a premier conservation-breeding operation playing an important global role in saving endangered species . . . A charming memoir about birds and the people who love them." —Kirkus Reviews
“Raffin’s passionate advocacy for birds is reminiscent of Jane Goodall’s support for great apes. The author emerges as a knowledgeable and, above all, endearing champion of animals, who practices what she preaches.” —Publishers Weekly
“Avian ‘personalities’ predominate in the book, but there are human angles, too, such as how Raffin manages the ups and downs of her demanding calling, the funny family dynamics as she wheedles yet one more bird into the menagerie, and the backstory exposing the secretive 'boys' club of bird breeders with which she contends. The book closes triumphantly with the birth of a rare green-naped pheasant pigeon chick, a notoriously difficult bird to breed in captivity . . . Raffin’s self-deprecating humor endears.” —Library Journal
“A remarkable book. Reading about the birds of Pandemonium will make you laugh and cry; it will make you see more clearly the need to take care of our planet; and it will confirm that one person with a passion can make a difference.” —Jeff Corwin, nature conservationist and host of Animal Planet
“Michele Raffin has made an important contribution to saving endangered birds and her book is a fascinating and rarely-seen glimpse behind the scenes. The joy she gets from her close relationships with these amazing animals and her outsized commitment to them comes through loud and clear in this engaging and joyful book.” —Dominick Dorsa, Curator of Birds, San Francisco Zoo
From the Back Cover
“A DELIGHTFUL ACCOUNT.
It's appeal is ageless, Raffin's descriptions are riveting, and her devotion to the birds is remarkable.”
—Joanna Burger, author of The Parrot Who Owns Me
It's appeal is ageless, Raffin's descriptions are riveting, and her devotion to the birds is remarkable.”
—Joanna Burger, author of The Parrot Who Owns Me
“A fascinating and rarely seen glimpse behind the scenes. The joy Raffin gets from her close relationships with these amazing animals and her outsize commitment to them comes through loud and clear in this engaging and joyful book.” —Dominick Dorsa, Curator of Birds, San Francisco Zoo
“Reading this wonderful book, one cannot help but realize how much intelligence and beauty there is throughout the bird world. The birds are Michele Raffin’s teachers, awakening a deep sense of commitment to caring for our collective future . . . This book is about reconnecting with the nature of birds, and the nature of ourselves.” —Jon Young, author of What the Robin Knows
More About the Author
Michele Raffin is the author of The Birds of Pandemonium: Life Among the Exotic and the Endangered (Algonquin Books - October 7th, 2014), Love that Lasts and The Good Nanny Book. Michele Raffin was a high tech executive, venture capital consultant and writer before deciding to devote her time to saving animals. Her publications include articles in the Aviculture Society of American Bulletin, Australian Aviculture, American Dove Association Dove Line and other avian related journals.
Ms. Raffin has been a lifelong animal lover. She was the Co-chair, Board of Directors of a large humane society for five years and served on the board of a companion bird rescue organization. Her passion for conservation and protection of the natural world is focused on saving bird species from extinction.
Ms. Raffin graduated from Tufts University (BA, Political Science) and Stanford University School of Business (Masters in Managment Science). She studied incubation with Susan Kaiseke (California Condor Project) and is a certified Aviculturist through the American Federation of Aviculture. Ms. Raffin won a gold medal at the Pan American Olympic Weight Lifting Masters Games.
Ms. Raffin has been a lifelong animal lover. She was the Co-chair, Board of Directors of a large humane society for five years and served on the board of a companion bird rescue organization. Her passion for conservation and protection of the natural world is focused on saving bird species from extinction.
Ms. Raffin graduated from Tufts University (BA, Political Science) and Stanford University School of Business (Masters in Managment Science). She studied incubation with Susan Kaiseke (California Condor Project) and is a certified Aviculturist through the American Federation of Aviculture. Ms. Raffin won a gold medal at the Pan American Olympic Weight Lifting Masters Games.
Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
| 5 star |
|
4 |
| 4 star |
|
0 |
| 3 star |
|
0 |
| 2 star |
|
0 |
| 1 star |
|
0 |
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
By
Jaylia3
TOP 1000 REVIEWER on September 20, 2014
Format: Hardcover
Comment
Sending feedback...
This beautiful memoir is as utterly wonderful as it sounds. Written by a woman who wakes every morning to a symphony of songs, chatter, and calls from the 350 birds of 40 species that's she's rescued and housed in colorful and imaginatively decorated aviaries in her back and side yards, I was almost cooing with happiness as I read. It's pages are packed with lively avian personalities, birds who scheme, talk, tease, fall in love, cope, connect, dance, mourn, celebrate, and pick cage locks. There are moving stories of mistreated birds saved, abandoned birds given a home, and lonely birds found a mate.
Author Michele Raffin's interest in birds began almost by accident but quickly grew into an overwhelming, almost all-consuming obsession. Her book chronicles the joys, disappointments, triumphs, and heartbreaks of the personal hobby that she grew into an official nonprofit sanctuary, breeding and saving birds who are endangered in the wild and using outreach programs to educate the public about the plight of birds and the acute need for conservation. Written in a conversational style that makes this a fast and enjoyable read, there is obviously a serious side to its message too.
The only thing that would make me love this book more would be if it had color photos because I'd love to see all those wonderful birds, including Sweetie, a tiny joy-filled quail who was meant to be somebody's supper, Oscar, a Lady Gouldian finch who hops determinedly from perch to perch to roost with his mates at the top of the aviary because he can't fly, Tico, an incorrigible, too smart for his own good but affectionate blue and gold macaw, and Amadeus, a one legged Lady Ross's turaco who perches precariously on the laps of autistic boys that come to visit, but won't come that close to anyone else.Read more ›
Author Michele Raffin's interest in birds began almost by accident but quickly grew into an overwhelming, almost all-consuming obsession. Her book chronicles the joys, disappointments, triumphs, and heartbreaks of the personal hobby that she grew into an official nonprofit sanctuary, breeding and saving birds who are endangered in the wild and using outreach programs to educate the public about the plight of birds and the acute need for conservation. Written in a conversational style that makes this a fast and enjoyable read, there is obviously a serious side to its message too.
The only thing that would make me love this book more would be if it had color photos because I'd love to see all those wonderful birds, including Sweetie, a tiny joy-filled quail who was meant to be somebody's supper, Oscar, a Lady Gouldian finch who hops determinedly from perch to perch to roost with his mates at the top of the aviary because he can't fly, Tico, an incorrigible, too smart for his own good but affectionate blue and gold macaw, and Amadeus, a one legged Lady Ross's turaco who perches precariously on the laps of autistic boys that come to visit, but won't come that close to anyone else.Read more ›
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By
Pamela Barrett
VINE VOICE on October 7, 2014
Format: Hardcover
Comment
Sending feedback...
Pandemonium is the name of Michele Raffin’s aviaries, where she cares for Rare Exotic Birds. She begins her book telling the tales of her first little feathered rescues: a bird by the side of the road, the offer of a free bird, and later an introduction to a husband and wife team of rescue/breeders of endangered birds from all over the world. Soon she finds herself in a secretive society of bird traders who keep watch over the vanishing population of rare bird species. Every bird she acquires becomes a quest for more, and her family home/yard becomes filled and overflowing with gorgeous, amazing and entertaining birds in all sizes, shapes and colors. Lucky for us, the hardbound book has pages of professional photographs of the birds in the stories. This is the perfect gift for any bird lover, and for anyone who cares about endangered animals, animal rescue, or most importantly how birds are faring in the wild. I have raised a few different types of birds over the years and read up on each species, but I learned more through reading Michele’s story than in any book or nature special I’ve come across. The Birds of Pandemonium is a visual delight and a joy to read. 5 stars.
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
By
Robin
on October 12, 2014
Format: Hardcover
Verified Purchase
Comment
Sending feedback...
Delightful
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
3 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By
T. Marshall
on September 19, 2014
Format: Hardcover
Comment
Sending feedback...
Wow Michele thanks for writing this great book! You're the best trooper!
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
