So, I conclude, that it is important to care, but not to despair. The house could fall to wreckage surrounded by weeds.' Even within these species, during the segment on the auk, Cokinos noted that with the auk gone, and the walrus gone, seals then thrived on the Bird Rocks. But I do not agree with this statement: 'It's as if we live in a house from which, each hour, we remove a foundation stone, a joist, a rafter. I am grateful for many modern technologies, but if I had it my way, I'd be living a quiet self-sustainable life in the woods, with not too much of it. At the end of his book, Cokinos outlines some thoughtful ways to be aware - recycle, lessen car usage, educate and speak out. But I do not believe we carry a burden of vast guilt, akin to original sin, because some flora and fauna are no longer in existence. I know humans can be greedy and excessively wasteful. I lament the loss of the woods around my neighborhood, all for more apartment complexes and cookie cutter homes. The mass boom of humans has proven to impact the small as well as the big ecosystems of the world. Death, destruction and extinction are parts of that flow.

I believe there is a natural, spiritual and ancient flow of the universe and our Earth. Cokinos highlighted many instances where deforestation and mass hunting were attributing factors to these birds' extinctions. But it is important to be aware of the bigger scheme of things. Self-care, but not excessive selfishness. Our land/homes, health, and of course, we should have a goodwill towards those around us. We take personal care in our livelihood, and that of our family. We can live our lives, as small or as big as we want/can, and for the most part, our scope should be narrow. But, having read these chronicles, I am imbibed with a sense of importance in awareness. I cannot quite relate to his keen sense of loss for these six birds, nor for his drive to find the minutiae of their histories. His travels were of interest, and I appreciated that his location during the initial inspiration of this book was in my neck of the woods - Kansas. He annotates his personal quests to learn as much about six recently extinct birds, which entails trips around the country and beyond, visiting various locations, museums and speaking with distantly related people. Cokinos is a man who reveals a robust passion for birds (and fact-seeking) in Hope is the Thing with Feathers. Overlap in locations, histories, species, passions. As I read more and more nature/travel kinds of non-fiction, I see more overlap.

Hope is the thing with feathers