"Turning to Birds" | Reviewed by Bill Schwab

In 12 beautifully crafted essays, actor Lili Taylor reflects on her journey to becoming a birder. She invites the reader to accompany her as she shifts from being scarcely aware of birds to becoming an avid birder. In her enthusiasm for her newfound feathered friends, she talks to anyone willing to hear about birds and their survival.

In each essay, the author weaves together ornithology, psychology, and philosophy with news about the latest apps and "bins" (short for binoculars). The birder quotes a neurologist who published a paper on the health benefits of "a stroll during which you intentionally shift your attention outward instead of inward." The study refers to these as awe walks. Taylor attests, "I've been taking awe walks for years, except I call it birding."

The actor opens her book by listing the parallels between acting and birding. Both share the skills of listening, attention, investigation, observation, perception, and specificity. Taylor discovered birding when she left New York City to decompress at her upstate New York home, nestled among rolling farmlands. Away from the cacophony of city noises, her senses were awakened.

"There were things going on out in the yard: stories, drama, mating, fighting, death," she writes. "During that time of personal quiet, I entered a world of sound outside myself—and I’ve never left."

Taylor brought her love for birding back to New York City, where she observes feisty Purple Finches and black necklaced Blue Jays perching on a nearby fire escape. She is exhilarated by watching a murmuration of swifts dive down an old chimney and a flock of migratory birds swoop up the side of the Empire State Building to rest on window ledges as they pause for the next leg of their trip.

"Turning to Birds" is part memoir, part celebration of the beauty of the natural world, and a poignant reminder that all living beings are interconnected. She challenges readers to view the world through a new lens, making it possible to experience surprise and joy in unexpected places.

Lili Taylor's book feels very personal. It is elegant prose accompanied by Anna Koska's black-and-white sketches of birds. It is a pleasant, restful read.

About the author: Lili Taylor is an award-winning actor in movies, television, and theater. She gained fame for her role in the film Mystic Pizza (1988) and received awards for her appearance in I Shot Any Warhol (1996.) Lili's notable works for television include Anne Frank:  The Whole Story (2001) and Live from Baghdad (2002.) Taylor is a board member of the National Audubon Society, the American Birding Association and the New York City Bird Alliance.

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