Follows the 1998 Big Year competition between Sandy Komito, Al Levantin, and Greg Miller during which the three rivals risked their lives to set a new North American birding record, an event that took them to such locales as Del Rio in search of the rufous-capped warbler and British Columbia in pursuit of the Xantus' hummingbird. 75,000 first printing.
"Outside" magazine
A feathered version of "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World."
"Chicago Tribune"
A most compelling tale. This is a bird book for the masses....Their chase is entertaining and wonderfully retold.
"The Boston Globe"
Superlative...ebulliently wonderful....The suspense ratchets up, and Obmascik's considerable skill is to make these men so real in their quests, so admirably alive, that in the end who wins the contest is almost beside the point....Because the true subject here is the human spirit -- and all the impossible, incredible, and wondrous things we do and endure for our beloved passions.
"Outside" magazineA feathered version of "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World."
"Chicago Tribune"A most compelling tale. This is a bird book for the masses....Their chase is entertaining and wonderfully retold.
"The Boston Globe"Superlative...ebulliently wonderful....The suspense ratchets up, and Obmascik's considerable skill is to make these men so real in their quests, so admirably alive, that in the end who wins the contest is almost beside the point....Because the true subject here is the human spirit -- and all the impossible, incredible, and wondrous things we do and endure for our beloved passions.
Stefan Fatsis author of "Word Freak: Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius, and Obsession in the World of Competitive Scrabble Players" Red-breasted nuthatches! Himalayan snowcocks! Spotted woodpeckers! Nutting's flycatchers! "The Big Year" is the Gumball Rally of birding -- a rollicking, nonstop, trans-continental adventure. Mark Obmascik brings the doggedness of an investigative reporter, the grace of an accomplished storyteller, and the compassion of a fellow-traveling obsessive to this alluring quest for avian supremacy.
T. R. Reid "Washington Post's" Rocky Mountain Bureau Chief, regular commentator on National Public Radio's "Morning Edition, " and author of "Confucius Lives Next Door" Here's a rare species: a book on birdwatching that turns out to be charming, engrossing, and educational even for people who can't tell a mudhen from a magpie. It was so much fun, I didn't want the big year to end. When it did, there was only one thing to say: "Where'd I put those binoculars?"
Jeff Corwin wildlife biologist, executive producer and host of Animal Planet's "The Jeff Corwin Experience""The Big Year" is big fun. A rollicking, feather-ruffler of a read, this uproarious adventure of three men who flew over the cuckoo's nest in their search for avian glory will have you cawing with laughter.
Kenn Kaufman author of "Kaufman Focus Guides: Birds of North America" If you didn't think that a bird book could be a gripping page-turner, "The Big Year" will blow you away. Mark Obmascik has captured the best and the worst of birding, the euphoria and insanity of bird-chasing as an extreme sport, in this vivid, well-crafted epic.
