Nicholas Milton

The Role of Birds in World War Two by Nicholas Milton is a wonderfully entertaining and informative book that highlights the important role of the everyday, in this case birds, in raising morale during difficult times.

When I mentioned this book to a friend her first response was about pigeons. Admittedly, that was among my first thoughts as well. Milton goes far beyond just those birds directly involved in the war effort. Combining popular culture references with stories involving birds (and often other important humans) we learn just what birds meant to people.

I am not a birdwatcher hobbyist but, like so many others, I am easily captivated when I have an opportunity to observe a bird closely or a group of them going about their business. The pandemic, in much the way the war did at that time, has raised my awareness of these simple pleasures. This book shows that birds, and nature in general, are far more important to our lives than we sometimes realize.

I would recommend this to both bird lovers and those who like to read about the home front during wartime. The writing is engaging and the information is often surprising.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.… (plus d'informations)