Overview

In the Crosswinds takes readers on a captivating and humorous journey from the woods of western New York to the jungles of Ecuador and the wetlands of Africa, exploring the complexities of land, movement, identity, and belonging. Join ecologist and avid birder Eli J. Knapp on a quest to rediscover how to connect with the natural world. In the face of restlessness and rootlessness, we look to the birds of the world-creatures that are at once migratory and deeply connected to place-for insight and understanding. A rollicking blend of avian science and crackling narrative, In the Crosswinds confronts the all-too-human desire to define our place on this changing planet-and reveals instead the wonder and miraculous beauty of being exactly where we are.

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Reviews

""In the Crosswinds is a probing, big-hearted quest for belonging on a tumultuous planet. Eli Knapp, an ecologist with a philosopher's soul, draws inspiration from our feathered brethren to illuminate essential conservation truths. In a common loon or wood duck, it turns out, is the preservation of the world."" --BEN GOLDFARB, Crossings ""What can birds--wild and domesticated, migratory and resident--teach us about finding home in a restless age? Through exquisite attention to his avian mentors, Knapp gleans lessons for us all."" --MICHELLE NIJHUIS, Beloved Beasts ""Brimming with curiosity and love for the world, this search for rootedness is inspiring and full of winged joy. Birds here are guides, tricksters, and companions. They, and a myriad of other creatures, are collaborators in a vividly evoked search for grounded wisdom."" --David George Haskell, Sounds Wild and Broken ""With birds as his guideposts, Knapp reexamines the rich connective tissues linking life to landscape. Sometimes lyrical, sometimes wry, and always deeply thoughtful, In the Crosswinds is a journey well worth taking."" --THOR HANSON,  Close to Home ""With a David Sedaris-style sense of humor and ecological ponderings reminiscent of Aldo Leopold, Knapp takes us on a globe-trotting journey that is as hilarious as it is educational. Hopping from one continent to the next, Knapp chronicles the wonders of dozens of avian species and introduces us to a curious species of human--the birder. Thanks to the constant chuckles, this book is an absolute delight, but there is a loftier take away as well:  In the Crosswinds reminds us why we should traipse around wild places observing birds and the rest of creation. Such wanderings not only get us outside, they also take us outside of ourselves."" --ANNETTE MCGIVNEY, Pure Land ""Fluid, fun and engaging; simultaneously thoughtful and thought provoking. An absolute delight."" --JAMES ALDRED, Goshawk Summer ""Knapp's witty and intriguing exploration of the avian world invites us to discover our own place amongst these fascinating beings and serves as a reminder of the natural world's enduring power to heal."" --TAMMAH WATTS, Keep Looking Up ""Knapp is a master educator, one who makes you ponder, question, and wonder. I wish I could be a student in his class, but this book is a lovely alternative. This book warrants a couple of reads: once for the jaw-dropping beauty of his prose, and another to ingest the immense amount of information about our environment, especially the birds that are part of it, as well as where we as humans can find our places within. It's a love letter to our natural world."" --JENNIFER HILLEBRANDT, Townie Books ""Knapp shows how birds can deepen our connections with the places we inhabit. At once thoughtful and funny, In the Crosswinds is a joy to read."" --KATIE FALLON, Vulture ""I've yet to read anything by Knapp that doesn't rock my world. His perspectives on birds--and life on Earth in general--inform, provoke thought, and sometimes even make me giggle. Knapp knows so much about so much, and the rich, compelling stories he tells never fail to satisfy while still leaving me craving more."" --DAWN HEWITT, BWD magazine and Bird Watching For Dummies

Author Information

ELI J. KNAPP is the author of The Delightful Horror of Family Birding: Sharing Nature with the Next Generation and Dead Serious: Wild Hope Amid the Sixth Extinction (2022 Foreword INDIE medalist). He holds a Masters in Environmental Science from the University of Santa Barbara and a PhD in ecology from Colorado State University, and is a professor of ecology at Houghton College. Knapp lives in Fillmore, NY, with his wife and children.

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