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Image for event: Thursday Afternoon Book Group

Thursday Afternoon Book Group

2025-02-20 12:00:00 2025-02-20 13:00:00 America/Chicago Thursday Afternoon Book Group Join us for a discussion of "Better Living Through Birding" by Christian Cooper. Mount Prospect Public Library - Meeting Room B room 152

Thursday, February 20
12:00pm - 1:00pm

Add to Calendar 2025-02-20 12:00:00 2025-02-20 13:00:00 America/Chicago Thursday Afternoon Book Group Join us for a discussion of "Better Living Through Birding" by Christian Cooper. Mount Prospect Public Library - Meeting Room B room 152

Mount Prospect Public Library

Meeting Room B room 152

Join us for a discussion of "Better Living Through Birding" by Christian Cooper.

Book Summary: Christian Cooper is a self-described “Blerd” (Black nerd), an avid comics fan and expert birder who devotes every spring to gazing upon the migratory birds that stop to rest in Central Park, just a subway ride away from where he lives in New York City. While in the park one morning in May 2020, Cooper was engaged in the birdwatching ritual that had been a part of his life since he was ten years old when what might have been a routine encounter with a dog walker exploded age-old racial tensions. Cooper’s viral video of the incident would send shock waves through the nation.

In Better Living Through Birding, Cooper tells the story of his extraordinary life leading up to the now-infamous incident in Central Park and shows how a life spent looking up at the birds prepared him — in the most uncanny of ways — to be a gay, Black man in America today. From sharpened senses that work just as well at a protest as in a park to what a bird like the common grackle can teach us about self-acceptance, Better Living Through Birding exults in the pleasures of a life lived in pursuit of the natural world and invites you to discover them yourself. Equal parts memoir, travelogue, and primer on the art of birding, this is Cooper’s story of learning to claim and defend space for himself and others like him, from his days at Marvel Comics introducing the first gay storylines to vivid and life-changing birding expeditions through Africa, Australia, the Americas, and the Himalayas. Better Living Through Birding recounts Cooper’s journey through the wonderful world of birds and what they can teach us about life, if only we would look and listen.

We recommend you place a hold on the select title a month prior to the meeting for ample reading time. If you'd like to place a hold over the phone, please call the Fiction/AV/Teen desk at 847-590-4070.

AGE GROUP: | Adult |

EVENT TYPE: | Discussions | Books & Authors |

TAGS: | |

Mount Prospect Public Library

info@mppl.org
Phone: (847) 253-5675

Hours
Mon, Dec 23 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Tue, Dec 24 Closed
Wed, Dec 25 Closed
Thu, Dec 26 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Fri, Dec 27 9:00AM to 7:00PM
Sat, Dec 28 9:00AM to 5:00PM
Sun, Dec 29 11:00AM to 5:00PM

About the Location

The Main Library is located in downtown Mount Prospect, next to Village Hall. The building houses an extensive collection of materials, spaces for quiet and collaborative work, several program rooms, public computers, a dedicated teen space, and engaging play area for children.

 For a comprehensive list of all services available at the Main Library, please visit the library website.

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