Customer Reviews

A Supremely Bad Idea: Three Mad Birders and Their Quest to See It All

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I picked this book up because of the crazy-looking bird on the front cover -- I'm not a birder, nor did I think I had any interest in birding. But Dempsey's quick wit and hilarious anecdotes make the book not only a pleasure to read but also a really fascinating look into birdwatching, even for the uninitiated. The author is the antithesis of the geeky birdwatcher, relating his escapades with sharp, candid humor, and I found myself laughing out loud frequently -- beware of reading this in public places! It also made me much more curious about the birds I see every day, I even found myself wondering if I should buy a pair of binoculars and a bird book, just in case the brown bird with the reddish patch I keep seeing on the lawn really is a rare bird and not just some kind of sparrow.
I have been recommending this book to everyone I know -- birders or not. Anyone looking for a well-written, witty read would enjoy it, and it leaves you afterward with a new appreciation of the feathered beings in the backyard.

This was a delightful book - as a very modest birder I am now inspired (especially to go to Central Park) and to never travel without my binoculars. And as a reader, I found the book well written and very funny and the characters were terrific - especially Don. Great read, lots of information, lots of laughs - highly recommended.

I really and truly wanted to like this book, indeed I most certainly did. But alas, what could have been a wonderful tale; an informative an entertaining tale, just did not meet the elements that make up a good read in this particular genre. First, so that you will know where I am coming from, I have been active in birding for over 50 years now. Secondly, I have personally visited and birded each and ever area and spot mentioned in this book and have in fact lived very near several of them for extended periods. Thirdly, I am a fanatic conservationist and most certainly fall into the area of being labeled a "tree hugger." Fourth, I do have an acute and off beat sense of humor...just ask my friends. I can normally find something or the other to laugh at or at least come up with a smile, in just about any situation. Again, I mention this just so you will know from what angle I read and viewed this book from.

Now before I get started, I must note that there are strong points to this book. Some of it I did enjoy reading and some of the statements the author makes I found to be absolutely hilarious. I also note that the author does have a reasonable command of the language and is, if you look at it a certain way, a very skillful writer. I also was attracted to the subject matter, being somewhat obsessive as to my birding myself. I like travel books and I like books about birding and I like stories of quirky people. This book partially fulfilled those likes from my standpoint. But I fear to report that the book was so flawed that what should have been a great reading experience turned into a rather pointless read that left a sour taste in my mouth after completion. I feel one of the problems was that the author was trying to emulate Bill Bryson and sort of fell flat on his face in doing so. That is such a pity...all that potential just simply wasted!

Oh my, where to start? Well it must first be noted that the author and one other member of this birding threesome are both in this country as guest workers and holders of Green Cards. The author mentions several times in this story how much he loves this country and how much it has done for him. It should also be noted that there is little evidence of this "love" in any given page in this book. I would think that a better title for this book would have been "Three Clueless Urban Elitists go Birding and spend their time taking cheap shots at everything and everyone they observe." We are informed right at the beginning that the author is an Oxford Graduate and lives in the middle of New York City and has just gobs and gobs of highly sophisticated friends. Okay, no problem so far. The author is quick to point out that he and his ex-wife have bought a weekend house far from the city (this is where he becomes hooked on birding) which is all fine and dandy until we get to the various rants throughout the book on "Rich Texans and others who are ruining our environment by buying up places to place their summer homes." My goodness!

After the introduction we then have the story of three ultra sophisticated people taking quick jaunts into the interior of the country supposedly looking for birds. We are assured that all three are not crass "counters," yet we are kept up to date throughout the books as to the number of life birds they gather. Anyway, it would seem that these three have made several findings: First, all people who live in Arizona are gun toting sub-humans who want to shoot Mexicans as the come across the border or they are drug crazed Mexicans who are trying to smuggle drugs across the border. They do not serve salt with their eggs. Secondly we find that all the people living in East Texas are racist clan members and talk in sub-human grunts. Thirdly we find that people living in Michigan are hell bent on destroying their environment and that the State has entirely too many bugs. Fourth we find that these three absolutely hate fat people, which seemingly includes 99 percent of the American population (This trio has a pet name "pregnants" for all of them). The author is not fond of old people and makes it pretty plane that they should not interfere with his sophisticated birding, waiters and waitresses, fellow birders, birding guides, solders, all drivers...and the endless list goes on. Fifth: Despite the fact that the author notes he is grateful to all the dedicated birders who help them along the way, I was unable to find one instance in this book where this trio had anything but complete distain for their fellow birders.

It should also be noted that as this personality filled trio venture out into the land of the commoner; the unwashed masses, they are enraged and completely disdainful of any one that is driving a SUV...good grief. I suppose jetting there and there and renting rent-a-cars in each place is much more environmentally correct than driving a SUV. And eating establishments ...oh my, the food these poor urbanites had to put up with on their travels! The only place they seemed to enjoy was a wonderful little Bed and Breakfast on Padre Island (yup, it had a French Chief or cook). These are also the kind of folks you would certainly like to have visited your home. After their visit to the Patron's home in Arizona and seeing the wonderful hummingbirds there, the author was kind enough to toss some nickels in the bucket as he left to help run the place. Hey Dempsey! Most people leave anywhere from five to twenties in the pot, you cheap......

I suppose the quality that ruined this work the most for me though was the author's whiney and cheap political remarks about the current (Bush) administration. I personally am completely apolitical but I get the fact that the author is extremely cocktail party left wing...no problem here, I have many friends in this category...love all of them, but this certainly will cause this book be become dated rather quickly and to be frank, I read and listen to enough of this whining stuff from both wings that I read to escape it, and don't need a dose of it in a bird book. I suppose the point in the book where I started to shut down was on page 52 as our elitist birders were entering a military installation in Arizona and:

"As we drive past a bunch of soldiers shooting guns at distant target, he said as much - but with the windows firmly up: `Good for you, boys, learning how to kill. Very nice. Lovely way to spend a morning.' He waved sarcastically, and one of the grunts gave a friendly wave back."

I hate to be the one to point it out, but had it not been for those "grunts," the author and his sophisticated friend would probably be speaking German as a first language today.

I could go on and on but I think you get the point, although I will point out, as other reviewers have done, that there were quite a number of geographical and birding errors in this work. No problem here, but it sort of distracted from the work as a whole. Again, the book did have many strong points but the bad far outweighed the good. A wonderful and amusing tale was wasted here.

I would recommend you check this one from the library rather than buy. You will particularly enjoy it if you enjoy scatological jokes of the Jr. High variety; the "F" word used rather freely (in an oh so sophisticated way), and a sense of humor that relies mainly on putting others down and in their place. There were some very nice sequences of finding new birds and the author was somewhat funny at times. For the most part though, this was a rather heavy read and a study of complete intolerance and misplaced sarcasm. Hopefully the author will mature enough to be able to write to the level he is obviously able to write.

Just a note to the author: If we should ever find ourselves birding the same location, do quietly come over to me or my family, friends and fellow birders and inform us that we are in the presence of our betters and that we should move along and not disturb you. We will be more than happy to do so. We are a peaceful group but I fear that if you come at us with one of your effete shrieking hissy fits (sounds like road rage in a parking lot to me and you probably need to work on that aspect of your life), as you did with that poor family if Florida (You remember, The Dunces...the fat family) informing us that we are disturbing you and the wild life and waving your cell phone, it is quite likely that you will spend the next couple of days trying to extract said cell phone from an orifice it was never meant to enter. I am old so you probably won't like me, but that is okay too.

I am giving this book three stars, which is probably two more than it deservers, as I did enjoy aspects of it and it is the type of read that many will enjoy. I cannot say that it stands anywhere near the many other works I have read in this genre but am willing to give the author the benefit of a doubt.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

When a friend recently gave me a copy of "A Supremely Bad Idea", I would have ranked my interest in bird watching as #3, directly behind elective groin surgery and spending quality time with my Mother in Law. (#4, BTW, is front row seating at a Celine Dione covers Barry Manilow concert.)

But author Luke Dempsey has made me an enthusiast - very much of his work, and even of ornithology (well, at least to some extent). In the tradition of writers like Bill Bryson and Tony Horowitz, Dempsey gives us a glimpse inside a micro-culture we'd likely not otherwise explore. Wrapping important lessons in biology and ecology in an irresistible travelogue, Dempsey shares with readers his passion for birding and his observations about life here in his adopted homeland.

We accompany the freshly divorced author and his quirky birding friends, Don and Donna Graffiti, on bird watching excursions across the U.S., learning at least as much about them and the colorful folks they meet along the way as the colorful birds they hope to see. Dempsey's voice is distinctive and his style - sometimes irreverent, occasionally endearing, and always entertaining - is a delight. Short ante-chapters work well to add dimension to the primary story line and help it keep pace.

Discovering an author like Luke Dempsey gives me some appreciation for the adrenaline jolt a birder must feel when he spies a life bird for the first time. I hope we'll be seeing more of this author in the future.

-Jeff Yeager
Author, The Ultimate Cheapskate's Road Map to True Riches

I heard Luke Dempsey being interviewed on NPR promoting this book. It was a terrific interview that had me ordering a copy immediately after arriving home that day. The book however was not so good. I wasn't bothered by the interactions with other people, or the foul language as other reviewers were (i did get annoyed with the constantly repeated tomato topic as someone else said though), but his writing just never grabbed me and pulled me in as a good book would.

There are some good moments in the book and I wouldn't say don't waste your time reading it, but I would recommend that you try and find a used copy or borrow a copy to read.

If you are not put off by reading the "f-word" repeated ad nauseum in all its forms, you might be able to concentrate on the journey of these three weirdos as they look for birds. I am a longtime birder and have been to about half of the places mentioned in the book, but the foul language ruined it for me.

A SUPREMELY BAD IDEA: THREE MAD BIRDERS AND THEIR QUEST TO SEE IT ALL tells of the author's mad involvement in the world of birding, and an ensuing journey around America in search of the rarest, most beautiful birds in the country. His sidekicks join him in a hilarious and bird-filled road trip providing an inviting, lively first-person travelogue perfect for general libraries with patrons interested in either travel or birding.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

I picked this up based on the cover photo, not of the bird, but of the sprawled body on the back road. A picture is worth a thousand words. While mesmerized by birds, I've never had the urge to track them this way, however Mr. Dempsey made me understand why people do. The adventures are great fun, the reverence for birds compelling and the characters entertaining. These are great friendships, with tolerance for uniqueness and differences. I loved this book, the humor, and the writing. A great read!

First, the text certainly does not capture much of the spirit implied by the title and subtitle. If you are interested on how obsessed some "Mad Birders" really are, I highly suggest "The Big Year" by Mark Obmascik, or "To See Every Bird on Earth" by Dan Koppel, in lieu of this title. Also, "Birding on Borrowed Time" by Phoebe Snetsinger", although a dry and lifeless book, illustrates how much of one's life can be given over to a true obsession with birding, and how much of a Supremely Bad Idea it can be (i.e. she skipped her daughter's wedding for a bird trip).

There are spots in the book that do grab the essence of enjoying the beauty of the natural world, and the thrill of the chase of finding new birds. However these are far too often interrupted by poor attempts at being witty and humorous. The portrayals of the inside humor of his group usually fall flat (believe me, you will get tired of Don asking the author about whether or not he likes tomatoes). In addition, this Brit expat and his New York pals obviously have poor regard for the non-urban inhabitants of middle and western America. So much for open minds in this group.

Also irritating were the factual errors. I came across 2-3 in my relatively quick read. For instance he describes the Elegant Trogon as skittish, and that it spends hardly any time at all perched. Utter rubbish. Compared to other passerines, (perching birds like sparrows and warblers vs. ducks and herons) Trogons aren't very active. In fact, when the author's trio find one, they observe it sit in one spot for half an hour, contradicting his own earlier "skittish" assertion.

I wish I hadn't wasted my money on this new hardcover version. If you still think you want to buy this book at least get a used copy,. or wait until a paperback version is available.

I am simply amazed that anyone could be stuffy or stuck up enough to not appreciate this book. If you are a birder you will love this book and most likely recognize yourself in the pure unadulterated birdy-geekiness within it's pages. I see myself in every page. I loved it. Even if you are not a birder I think most people can appreciate a quest like this. Terrific book and if you are a birder you will enjoy it even more. I highly recommend this book to bird lovers and others who live in the real world and put their pants on, one leg at a time-) (where I come from that last part just means I don't think I'm above anyone else)
Chris