Trash Animals:
How We Live with Nature’s Filthy, Feral, Invasive, and Unwanted Species
edited by Kelsi Nagy and Phillip David Johnson II
QL85 .T72 2013
New Arrivals, 2nd floor
Whenever I travel to a city like Chicago, there’s always one thing that I notice: pigeons. They’re everywhere! And of course, it’s not just them. There’s also the spikes and architectural additions to keep them from perching. This week’s featured title is all about the lowly animals that no one wants around.
Nagy and Johnson have brought together a number of works from environmental writers that explore the “trash species,” like gulls, coyotes, and prairie dogs, to name a few. Seventeen contributors detail their experiences with the lesser animals that no one loves for one reason or another. Through their essays, they seek to challenge the bad rap that these poor animals have received and determine whether they deserve the treatment that they currently experience.
I like how the pigeons on that book cover look like they are doing a line dance.