Book Review: Saving Jemima

Although I am not as much a bird-lover as my husband, I do enjoy watching the blue-jays, cardinals, orioles, and goldfinches that congregate outside the window where I write at my computer. My mother-in-law teases that my husband spends more money feeding his birds and critters than he does feeding his sons, however that is not true, as my boys are always in the kitchen ferreting out snacks. I think my favorite sighting this summer was an indigo bunting. I favor blue birds. Thus, my interest in this book about a woman's effort to rescue an abandoned blue-jay.

Julie Zickefoose must be a common name in birding books because as soon as my husband saw the cover he recognized her name. This tale was touching. In Saving Jemima: Life and Love with a Hard-Luck Jay, Zickefoose chronicles the journey from discovery, release, migration, and return. Alongside the bird's growth, she reveals her own passage through the difficult path of divorce. She may have saved the bird, but the bird also saved her.

Hard won wisdom emerges: mother birds often have logical reasons for abandoning their offspring. In this case, an infection Jemima caught from the egg-stage hindered her ability to fly. Still, with Zickefoose's help and application of antibiotics, the bird's chance of survival increased. I enjoyed reading about the process. The book is full of photos and sketches (both gifts I envy). If you love birds, you will enjoy this tale. I feel sorry for the author's losses and grateful for the distraction offered in her attention to Jemima. She writes well and shares her love for nature and birds.