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octavia_cade's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
4.0
There's some really interesting stuff in here, but I can't honestly say that it does what it says on the tin - the book's a little muddled, as if it doesn't quite know what it wants to be.
The subtitle, The Story and Science of Migration, is true for the first third of the book. It's a fascinating look at how scientists learned about migration, primarily through the lens of experiments on various animals. This is the type of thing that really appeals to me - not just knowing how or why, but understanding the process by which that how or why is obtained. Then migration gets dropped almost entirely: the second third is more about how various animals construct their homes, from birds to beavers to termites. Again, really interesting, and if it's moved away from the title it's still solidly a pop science book.
Then comes the final third, where the whole thing turns into a memoir, with chapter after chapter of Heinrich pottering about on his farm, or going deer hunting, or pondering the use of fire and how it, over the course of human history, contributed to the development of home. The experiments, and to a lesser extent the science, drops out entirely, and it's more straight nature writing than pop science, in that it primarily explores Heinrich's relationship with his own home. I'm not criticising the writing - I genuinely enjoyed reading this section. I could have read a whole book like this from him! But it's not the book I started reading, and I can't help but think that - interesting as the separate parts are - the book as a whole veered off track, and never really had a solid sense of its own identity.
The subtitle, The Story and Science of Migration, is true for the first third of the book. It's a fascinating look at how scientists learned about migration, primarily through the lens of experiments on various animals. This is the type of thing that really appeals to me - not just knowing how or why, but understanding the process by which that how or why is obtained. Then migration gets dropped almost entirely: the second third is more about how various animals construct their homes, from birds to beavers to termites. Again, really interesting, and if it's moved away from the title it's still solidly a pop science book.
Then comes the final third, where the whole thing turns into a memoir, with chapter after chapter of Heinrich pottering about on his farm, or going deer hunting, or pondering the use of fire and how it, over the course of human history, contributed to the development of home. The experiments, and to a lesser extent the science, drops out entirely, and it's more straight nature writing than pop science, in that it primarily explores Heinrich's relationship with his own home. I'm not criticising the writing - I genuinely enjoyed reading this section. I could have read a whole book like this from him! But it's not the book I started reading, and I can't help but think that - interesting as the separate parts are - the book as a whole veered off track, and never really had a solid sense of its own identity.
bristlecone's review
3.0
There was a lot of variation in my enjoyment of this book chapter to chapter. Most of the chapters were outstanding and fit a clear scientific and narrative theme regarding home and homing. Others were weak and seemed out of place. But overall, I enjoyed this book.
I especially enjoyed two distinct aspects of the book. First, the description of scientific studies of animal behavior. I love examples of creative research and experiment design and thinking about how to actually test theories about animal behavior. Second, I especially enjoyed the chapter about bee-lining.
I especially enjoyed two distinct aspects of the book. First, the description of scientific studies of animal behavior. I love examples of creative research and experiment design and thinking about how to actually test theories about animal behavior. Second, I especially enjoyed the chapter about bee-lining.
wanderaven's review
4.0
I’ve always been fascinated by the homing instinct, and particularly the history of science being unable to completely explain how it works. So I appreciated the opportunity to read Heinrich’s new book all about the homing instinct.
And it is all about the homing instinct. Quite a lot, even for a reader so interested in the subject. Birds, animals, insects, amphibians, humans are all included. I appreciate and agree with his predicating his descriptions of the creatures with, “I realize that this smacks to some of anthropomorphism, a pejorative term that has been used for the purpose of separating us from the rest of life.” However, many of the homing instincts he attributes to humans feels a bit sentimentalized, more of the spiritual than the literal and physical. I’m perfectly accepting of attributing emotion and empathy to animals but then to attribute most of the whole of homing motivations in human to these sentiments feels too biased for me.
Heinrich Heinrich's writing is comfortably both scientific and intimate. He writes of studies and scientific observations, but many of those observations are his own. I enjoyed Heinrich's black and white sketches of the insects and animals he observed scattered throughout the book, which made it feel even more personal, like a journal. A reader more scientifically focused may not appreciate this, but this is why I like writers of Heinrich's ilk. I'm attracted to these sorts of books because of the scientific elements but am often better engaged by autobiographical frosting. I never fully understand (especially when I kind of feel this way myself), when a reviewer writes that they feel that a book was too long; it is as long as it is because the author felt the included material was important. But sometimes maybe they feel longer when the subject is so throughly exhausted that it leaves the reader exhausted?
I'm thankful that Houghton Mifflin Harcourt gave me the opportunity to explore this book. I've always wanted to read Heinrich's Mind of the Raven, because of my fascination with all things corvid, and now I'm even more anxious to do so (though I will when I'm ready to be fully immersed in the subject!)
And it is all about the homing instinct. Quite a lot, even for a reader so interested in the subject. Birds, animals, insects, amphibians, humans are all included. I appreciate and agree with his predicating his descriptions of the creatures with, “I realize that this smacks to some of anthropomorphism, a pejorative term that has been used for the purpose of separating us from the rest of life.” However, many of the homing instincts he attributes to humans feels a bit sentimentalized, more of the spiritual than the literal and physical. I’m perfectly accepting of attributing emotion and empathy to animals but then to attribute most of the whole of homing motivations in human to these sentiments feels too biased for me.
Heinrich Heinrich's writing is comfortably both scientific and intimate. He writes of studies and scientific observations, but many of those observations are his own. I enjoyed Heinrich's black and white sketches of the insects and animals he observed scattered throughout the book, which made it feel even more personal, like a journal. A reader more scientifically focused may not appreciate this, but this is why I like writers of Heinrich's ilk. I'm attracted to these sorts of books because of the scientific elements but am often better engaged by autobiographical frosting. I never fully understand (especially when I kind of feel this way myself), when a reviewer writes that they feel that a book was too long; it is as long as it is because the author felt the included material was important. But sometimes maybe they feel longer when the subject is so throughly exhausted that it leaves the reader exhausted?
I'm thankful that Houghton Mifflin Harcourt gave me the opportunity to explore this book. I've always wanted to read Heinrich's Mind of the Raven, because of my fascination with all things corvid, and now I'm even more anxious to do so (though I will when I'm ready to be fully immersed in the subject!)
kirstenwis's review
5.0
Heinrich writes about entire species as if they were friends he knows. Such a fantastic read!
brianharrison's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
canamac's review
2.0
there are some nice ideas here, but i found this book a little too aimless for my taste. and i wish ideas about settlerhood were engaged with more critically in the context of settler colonialism, and that the epigraphs for each chapter were from more diverse sources.
toad_maiden's review
4.0
Heinrich has long been a favorite natural history writer of mine. His way of balancing personal anecdotes with scientific observations and literature completely appeals to my own way of seeing the natural world, and the longer I live in New England, the closer I feel to his perspective. This was a truly lovely volume, full of wonderous facts, reasonable speculation, and poetic musings about how different animals (including us) conceptualize their homes. I am a highly "homing" creature, so this was just spot-on for me. My only complaint was that the rhythm of this book was not as tight as some of his others; rather than creating a guiding narrative, Heinrich merely collects various thoughts into sections that could easily read independently of each other. I prefer a little more overarching continuity in my natural history writing, so that disappointed me somewhat. But, overall, this was an enchanting read.
hilaritas's review
2.0
This was a pretty lackluster affair in my estimation. I learned next to nothing about the "meaning and mystery" (or biological causes) of homing and nesting behavior, although I was treated to a lot of aimless holding forth about Heinrich's homesickness for the backwoods of Maine and his love for failed hunting trips. He does describe various animals' behavioral quirks in a scattershot way, but I was hoping for more explanations and less description. Okay I guess, but much more self-indulgent and meandering than I hoped based upon the promises of the title. There are better natural history books out there; I'd seek out one of those instead.