Book Reviewed: Flight Paths: How a Passionate and Quirky Group of Pioneering Scientists Solved the Mystery of Bird by Rebecca Heisman

Survival of migratory birds Many wonderful books have been written on what migrating birds do and how they do it, but if you dig a little deeper, you will find another story that is equally fascinating. The environmental impact on the survival of migratory birds. For example, many birds seek out similar climates year-round in the Americas, they spend the summer in drier parts of North America, and the winter in drier parts of Central and South America. Recent studies suggest that we are the sixth mass extinction on this planet. Approximately 3 billion fewer birds are living in North America today than there were in 1970. This is a staggering 29 percent decline. The volume of annual bird migration to the Americas alone has dropped by 14% in just the last decade. The causes are habitat loss, impact of pesticides, collisions with human-made structures, predation by outdoor cats, and climate change. This book focuses on how to fight the extinction of migratory birds with modern tools. The radar gathers data on migration patterns, the use of miniaturized tracking devices tracks the movements of individual bird, and the machine learning and high-volume genetic sequencing examine migration in finer detail. Instead of relying on trackers, we can now follow their journeys using information already encoded in their feathers, their blood, and their DNA (intrinsic markers). Birds’ feathers carry crucial information about where they've been and what's happening in their habitats, which can help with much-needed conservation efforts. In addition, the mercury concentrations in historical versus modern feather samples gives a sense of environmental effects. North American Breeding Bird Survey, an annual volunteer effort in which bird-watchers comb established roadside routes in spring and report what they find have been significant in understanding human impact of the habitats of migratory birds. This book is written for all readers interested in bird migration, and what one can do to minimize the extinction of birds.

Book Reviewed: But Have You Read the Book?: 52 Literary Gems That Inspired Our Favorite Films by Kristen Lopez

Stories that inspired great films This is an eclectic collection of fiction that transpired into great movies on the big screen. The Color Purple, Dr. No, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Little Women, and the Shining are some of the movies discussed in this book is published by the cable channel, the Turner Classic Movies (TCM). The work of giants of American literature like Ernst Hemingway, Scott Fitzgerald, and Harper Lee inspired successful films, and there were also books that were out of prints for like Bringing Up Baby, and All About Eve. Many directors like Steven Spielberg, Stanley Kubrick, Robert Altman, and John Ford converted the book stories into great movies. This book offers an insight into the process of turning a story into a screenplay. Some screenplays remain true with the text upon which it is based, but some don’t mirror its source material. This book takes us behind-the-scenes look at the successful process from the printed page to the big screen. For me as a reader, I have read some of these stories elsewhere and this is simply a summary of what has been written elsewhere on the web.

Book Reviewed: Cinematic Places by Sarah Baxter

Illustrations of the places that inspired Hollywood films This book is inspired by twenty-five Hollywood films that explore some of the cinema's alluring locations in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa. The book provides illustrations that do not appeal much to the readers. In fact, it did not help me recall these locations, many of which I have seen many times. I would have liked to see the still prints from the movie and compare with current pictures of these locations. That would have helped connect with the stories of these films. The book includes Spike Lee's Brooklyn-set “Do the Right Thing,” the cultural backdrop of 1980s New York, which is as important as the movie's authentic neighborhood and brownstone stoops; “Rocky,” starring Sylvester Stallone, much of the filming was done on a limited budget in Philadelphia. especially in the Kensington neighborhood; and “Vertigo,” starring Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novack in the iconic San Francsico area. The illustrations are clearly a bust to inspire readers to connect with these historic locations.

Book Reviewed: The Return of Wolves: An Iconic Predator’s Struggle to Survive in the American West by Eli Francovich

Rewilding the wolves This is a fascinating story of the wolves that were restored to the ecosystem the American Northwest. In 1995, after years of planning, a team of experts carefully relocated fourteen wolves from the Canadian Rockies to the Yellowstone National Park. The final result was wolves’ population grew and spread to the State of Washington. The news of their resurgence provoked reactions. For scientists, wolves represented a singular opportunity to observe, in real time, the consequences of a long-absent predator returning to an ecosystem. For activists, the return of wolves was a clarion call for conservation. For some ranchers and farmers, wolves became a prime example of government overreach, an attack on their values and way of life. For journalists, like Eli Francovich, who works for a newspaper in Spokane, Washington, this was the opportunity of a lifetime for investigative reporting. The author was familiar with the story of Daniel Curry, a range rider who’s a job requires him to spend most of the year in the woods trying to keep wolves from killing cattle, and cattle from wandering into the mouths of wolves. The author details his experiences of working with Curry and how his efforts are balancing the wolf problem particularly in the State of Washington. The primary tension underlying the wolf wars is one that's common to all human-nonhuman relationships, the problem of coexistence. Do we have the will and wisdom to coexist with animals? The reintroduction of wolves has fueled debates about the wolf's role in ecological rewilding and for the restoration of biodiversity. In today's fraught political climate, Eli Francovich’s captivating storytelling is peppered with fascinating insights into the human-wolf relationship.

The voice of a native poet warrior

Book Reviewed: Weaving Sundown in a Scarlet Light: Fifty Poems for Fifty Years by Joy Harjo Joy Harjo’s poems is a collection of songs of a woman warrior's journey, a chant for survival of native heritage in the America her forefathers founded. Her voice illustrates resistance to occupation and describes the legacies of displacement. She claims that her voice is rooted itself in the Sandia Mountains, the Rio Grande River, in the sunrises and sunsets of the Southwest. Harjo's work is known for its lyrics and evocative language. She incorporates the elements of storytelling and oral tradition in her writing. I am fascinated by one of her poems, THE LAST SONG, part of which reads as follows. it is the only way I know how to breathe an ancient chant that my mother knew came out of a history woven from wet tall grass in her womb and I know no other way than to surround my voice with the summer songs of crickets in this moist south night air Here, Joy speaks bravely about the legacy and roots of her culture. She is the first Native American U.S. Poet Laureate, a position appointed by the Library of Congress. There are several poems in this book that resonates in spirit of “The Last Song.”

Book Reviewed: Vagina Obscura: An Anatomical Voyage by Rachel E. Gross

Perspectives on the female anatomy Author Rachel Gross explores the female anatomy from a social and historical perspective in eight chapters ranging from the glans clitoris to the egg cell to the vaginal microbiome. Most chapters skew medically dense areas to cause wince for the squeamish. In fact, this book is less to do with scientific accuracy and more to do with the views of a LGBTQ activist who tries to convince the readers that vagina doesn’t mean female anatomy, instead redefine it from non-binary, transgender, and intersex perspectives. She asks medical professionals to de-stigmatize vagina from feminism and women. Many chapters include personal stories of women who had medical issues with undefined genitals and the medical professionals who treated them. She concludes that scientists are still exploring the female body because the gender boundaries are fuzzier than ever. She believes that the gender and sex is a spectrum, and that hormones, chromosomes, and genitals can arrange themselves in myriad permutations. It is suggested that it is wrong for medical doctors to decide whether a child is a boy or a girl. This is the most absurd conclusion for an author writing about the whole idea of women. I did not expect anything stimulating from this over enthusiastic activist who questions the accuracy of scientific and medical opinions. Authors like this are creating unsafe social conditions for women and feminists to enjoy their natural rights, but they are seriously challenged by the trans-women who think they are “real women.”

Book Reviewed: The Courage to Be Free: Florida's Blueprint for America's Revival by Ron DeSantis

Standing the ground Ron DeSantis is a great example of achieving success through dedicated hard work. This book provides an in-depth look at his career and work to make Florida a better place. He describes how he rejected using polls as a guide in his political career, and became an active and energetic executive who focused on important issues that were relevant to Floridians. This biography of Ron DeSantis is a must-read, which shows the human side of a man who is changing the state of Florida in a way that no one else could. His legacy includes many far-ranging measures in Florida, which includes the passing of the “Stop Wrongs Against Our Kids and Employees Act," (WOKE Act) that would allow parents to sue school districts that teach critical race theory (CRT). The bill also combats "woke indoctrination" in Florida businesses and schools by preventing instruction that could make people bear "personal responsibility" for historic wrongdoings due to their race, gender, or national origin. The passage of this bill came close to the heels of the passage of the education bill known as the "Don't Say Gay" bill, which forbids instruction related to sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through Grade 3. DeSantis signed an anti-"sanctuary city" bill into law that prevents illegal immigrants find sanctuaries in Florida cities. He also worked for the legislation to prohibit technology corporations from de-platforming political candidates. The private corporations wielding de facto public power is not in the best interests of the people of Florida. He stood up and fought against Disney Corporation for opposing "Don't Say Gay" bill. DeSantis is also fighting the Fake News media and the woke journalists who believe that their role is to transform America into a progressive utopia by the creation of manufactured narratives. The book reads well, and readers interested in conservative values and the work of Gov. DeSantis would love this book.

Book reviewed: Woman Without Shame: Poems by Sandra Cisneros

A celebration of the self (five stars) This is a collection of poems that reflect Sandra Cisneros mind and heart; a mood-strewn collection of poetry that focuses on family, culture, and her thoughts. She explores themes of identity, gender, race, class, and the challenges of Hispanic women in an American society. Her poetry has emotional resonance that has significant impact on contemporary American literature. Two poems had a personal appeal for me. In Case of Emergency Contact nearest cloud. Begin by calling Milky Way. Summon: pepper tree, maguey, donkey shit, jacaranda shower, river, caliche, scorpion, hummingbird, or pearl. Will vouch we are kin. Instructions for My Funeral For good measure, smoke me with copal. Shroud me in my raggedy rebozo. No jewelry. Give to friends. No coffin. Instead, petate. Ignite to ''Disco Inferno." Allow no Christian rituals for this bitch, but, if you like, you may invite a homeless dog to sing, or a witch woman to spit orange water and chant an Otomi prayer. …….. Smoke a Havana. Music, Fellini-esque. Above all, laugh. I could not help but remember the following poem by Tony DeLorger: As the pendulum swings incessantly, and life comes and goes, the cosmos expands and grows, and we meld together with our past and future, souls of abundance shared and old. I find Cisneros’s metaphysical thoughts in these poems. As a poet, she reflects on our existence, life in cosmos, and how it could be related to each other. Physicists, biologists, and philosophers have their own language to mesmerize the beauty of existence. Cisneros is bold in admitting that a man-made religion cannot dictate terms of life to her. Many scholars have argued that her Catholic upbringing had impacted her writings, and this could be true in her earlier writings. But these poems were written later in her life as she ponders on life in a much more profound manner.

Book Reviewed: A World on the Wing: The Global Odyssey of Migratory Birds by Scott Weidensaul

Living in the wind Avian migration is the seasonal movement, often between north and south, and between breeding and wintering grounds. The Arctic Tern holds the long-distance migration record for birds, traveling between Arctic and Antarctica each year. Some species like albatrosses circle the planet flying over the southern oceans. Bird migrations also include altitudinal migrations on mountains such as the Andes and the Himalayas. This is a unique natural phenomenon that allows birds to stitch the continents together in almost an immeasurable endurance. What makes these living beings so good at mapping great distances that human beings cannot do without advanced scientific instruments? Recent studies have shown that birds visualize the magnetic field of earth through the physical phenomenon of quantum entanglement that allows them to build a map in the bird's eye with the geomagnetic fields during its migration. Photosynthesis by plants, and bird migration are the only two biological processes that involve quantum mechanics in a direct manner. The author and his team travels around the world like Alaska, South America, India, Australia, and China studying the uniqueness of these species. He also observes that migration carries high costs in predation, mortality, and the destruction of habitats by environmental changes brought about by humans. The book lacks pictures, I wished the author could have considered including the photographs of some of these unique birds in their natural environment.

Book Reviewed: Salutations to Rudra by Sheela Balaji

Śrī Rudram This book provides the English translation Śrī Rudram Anuvāka 1 – 11 in the first section, and the same in Sanskrit in the second section. No English transliteration is provided in this book. This does not make much sense. There are 11 sections or Anuvākas in the Namakam section of Sri Rudram, each containing multiple verses. These hymns praise Lord Shiva, and the first Anuvāka is distinct in terms of its structure and content from the rest of the Anuvākas. It serves as an invocation to Lord Rudra seeking his blessings and protection. The recitation of the first Anuvāka before reciting the other Anuvākas helps to create a positive and receptive mindset to receive the blessings of the Lord. However, during the routine chanting of Sri Rudram, the dhyana shlokas are not usually recited. The dhyana verses in this book appear in the same order as found in the Sri Rudram by Swami Dayananda Saraswati. In fact, his book is the source and inspiration for this author. Śrī Rudram is widely available online and there are many sources which instruct the devotees to practice the recitation. YouTube and What’s App are useful avenues. I recommend the translations and additional commentaries by Dr. R.L. Kashyap from Sri Aurobindo Kapali Sastry Institute of Vedic Culture. You can find Anuvāka 1 – 11 transliteration and translation which includes the text with phonetic changes of Anusvāra and visarga.