Customer Reviews

The Silent Sky: The Incredible Extinction of the Passenger Pigeon

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After reading Allan Eckert's books on the frontier, I was pleased to find he also wrote a book about the passenger pigeon, a subject that has always fascinated me as a history teacher and an environmentalist. I read The Silent Sky and was deeply moved. So moved in fact that I was almost ashamed to be human. The greed and outright murderous lust thousands of Americans had for such an easy prey as the passenger pigeon was shameful and hard to comprehend. Unfortunately, the passenger pigeons were so timid, easy to hunt and numerous that they were incredibly easy pickings for the pioneers of the 19th century who unbelievably decimated a species that at one time numbered in the tens of billions. Eckert is an awesome writer and really hits you in the gut with such a touching story that you feel fascination, anger, guilt (for being human) and sorrow at the same time. In what I have learned from this incredible book, it really is a silent sky out there today compared to just over a century ago. Anyone with an interest in American History and the environment just has to read this book. Eckert, as a writer and researcher is truly gifted.

If you love nature or history, you cannot read The Silent Sky without being emotionally involved not only in the events that caused the demise of the passenger pigeon but also in the complex life of this magnificant bird. The Silent Sky is a remarkable book that contains a detailed description of an event so unbelievable that it is difficult to comprehend how it could have happened. Although many people are familiar with the passenger pigeon's demise, most have no idea why this species is no longer with us. And even fewer people have knowledge of the bird's habits and how it lived its daily life. I didn't prior to reading the book.

Allen Ecker has described the events and bird in a precise and personal way as to make the reader part of the narrative. I cannot express the powerful overwhelming emotions that I felt as I completed reading this book. It is truly an unforgettable exerience.

I doubt I have ever read a story so sad as Eckert's story about the extinction of the passenger pigeon. Allan Eckert, perhaps the best nature writer living today, does a splendid job in documenting the demise of this North American bird that once numbered in the billions. The senseless slaughtering by Nineteenth Century Americans is told with such finesse that one cannot be moved to tears. Even young readers will be touched, for it is one of those rare books that can be read by young and old alike, by girls and boys, by both men and women, (indeed, anyone with an environmental conscience) and ask deep meaningful questions about what we as a species are doing to the other species with whom we share this planet.

I can only compare Eckert to John McPhee, another nature writer I greatly admire. This book, The Silent Sky, should be read by everyone. It is truly unforgettable. Hopefully this book will acquaint more readers to the amazing talent of Allan Eckert.

The Silent Sky is a tale of the horrible and total slaughter of an entire species. I was captivated by the novel. In fact, I couldn't stop talking about it, and my friends all wondered what could be so interesting about a story about birds. Believe me, it is facinating... just read it.

I bought this book to satisfy my curiosity to learn just how man made this wonderful creature extinct. Believe me in reading this book I found out. There were beautiful and heartwarming parts to this book and there was also many sad, cruel, heartless parts. Man was heartless and greedy. The inhumane ways this bird was slaughtered are unbelievable. When I got to the last chapter the tears rolled down my face. Also, if you want to know what a "stool pigeon" is you'll find it out in this book. Believe me, it will leave you saddened for a very long time. I highly recommend this book.

Linda Diglio

This book was compelling to read and impossible to forget. The way that the author writes the story from the bird's perspective gives the reader an unforgettable vision into one of North America's greatest environmental tragedies.

As a long-time fan of Allen Eckert, I was very pleased with The Silent Sky. My career history includes working as an educator at a conservancy, where I told the ill-fated story of the passenger pigeon many times over. It is one of my favorite stories, because it contains a warning for all time. Eckert manages to tie history and fiction together in a story that hits the heart and gives us pause to think about our own mortality, as well as the many unthinking moments carried out by our anscestors! This is a must read.

What can i say about this book, it was beyond captivating it was the best story i have ever read. Anyone who cares about nature or wildlife or both need to read this book. The way Eckert puts the plight of the passenger pigeon into words is wonderfull. He makes you believe you are one of the now extinct birds flying among one billion soaring a thousand feet in the air looking for your next meal, feeling your strong wings glide through the air and most of all feel the pain of being alone. In an extremely short period of time man wiped the passenger pigeon off the face of the earth. It gave me a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach to realize that man is capable of destroying such a beautiful bird....hundreds of millions of them...untill they were gone forever. GET THIS BOOK EVEN IF YOU DONT LIKE STORIES ABOUT NATURE..IT WILL TOUCH YOUR SOUL

What can i say about this book, it was beyond captivating it was the best story i have ever read. Anyone who cares about nature or wildlife or both need to read this book. The way Eckert puts the plight of the passenger pigeon into words is wonderfull. He makes you believe you are one of the now extinct birds flying among one billion soaring a thousand feet in the air looking for your next meal, feeling your strong wings glide through the air and most of all feel the pain of being alone. In an extremely short period of time man wiped the passenger pigeon off the face of the earth. It gave me a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach to realize that man is capable of destroying such a beautiful bird....hundreds of millions of them...untill they were gone forever. GET THIS BOOK EVEN IF YOU DONT LIKE STORIES ABOUT NATURE..IT WILL TOUCH YOUR SOUL

What can i say about this book, it was beyond captivating it was the best story i have ever read. Anyone who cares about nature or wildlife or both need to read this book. The way Eckert puts the plight of the passenger pigeon into words is wonderfull. He makes you believe you are one of the now extinct birds flying among one billion soaring a thousand feet in the air looking for your next meal, feeling your strong wings glide through the air and most of all feel the pain of being alone. In an extremely short period of time man wiped the passenger pigeon off the face of the earth. It gave me a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach to realize that man is capable of destroying such a beautiful bird....hundreds of millions of them...untill they were gone forever. GET THIS BOOK EVEN IF YOU DONT LIKE STORIES ABOUT NATURE..IT WILL TOUCH YOUR SOUL