Book Talk: Jennifer Ackerman

Bookshop Santa Cruz along with Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks presents award-winning science writer Jennifer Ackerman and her new book, The Genius of Birds. Combining a travelogue with a scientific investigation, a nature guide with a philosophical journey, The Genius of Birds offers readers a surprising and beautiful look at the extraordinary grace of birds, and a thought-provoking meditation on intelligence itself.

Birds are astonishingly intelligent creatures. In fact, according to revolutionary new research, some birds rival primates and even humans in their remarkable forms of intelligence. In The Genius of Birds, acclaimed author Jennifer Ackerman explores the newly discovered brilliance of birds and how it came about. As she travels around the world to the most cutting-edge frontiers of research, Ackerman not only tells the story of the recently uncovered genius of birds but also delves deeply into the latest findings about the bird brain itself that are revolutionizing our view of what it means to be intelligent.

Ackerman delivers an extraordinary story that will both give readers a new appreciation for the exceptional talents of birds and let them discover what birds can reveal about our changing world. Incredibly informative and beautifully written, The Genius of Birds richly celebrates the triumphs of these surprising and fiercely intelligent creatures.