I am currently reading a fine book by Olivia Gentile called "Life
List," published in 2009. I'm not quite finished with the book, but
it is a great story of obsession, describing Phoebe Snetsinger's
quest to see (and "list") as many birds of the world as she could.
Snetsinger, the daughter of Ad Agency wizard Leo Burnett, inherited
enough money to spend up to eight months a year birding all over the
world, which eventually allowed her to see over 8,600 species of
birds--nearly 85% of the birds believed to be unique species at that
time. While birding, she was gang-raped, briefly held hostage,
involved in a dugout canoe flipping over, and eventually died in a
van crash during a trip.

It is also her personal story, in which she broke out of the confines
of a traditional home life, fueled by 1960s feminism, to pursue her
own passion. In the process, she also managed to alienate family
members, especially her husband, and often wrote letters to the
birding companies complaining about the trip leaders who took her to
exotic places. At the same time, she could be generous in helping
beginning birders and was a solid and excellent bird observer. She
was a woman of immense contradictions.

I am reading this following the reading of another book about bird
obsession: "To See Every Bird on Earth," by Dan Koeppel. It that
book, Koeppel describes his father's quest to see thousands of birds
and the family problems that resulted. It is also a good book, but
not as good as "Life List."

If you enjoy serious birding and have immense amounts of money, "Life
List" is a great cautionary tale--as well as a great tribute to a
remarkable, but flawed, woman.

Lee Rentz
lee at leerentz.com