To escape the tough streets of Southeast Washington, D.C. in the late 1980s, young Rodney Stotts would ride the metro to the Smithsonian National Zoo. There, the bald eagles and other birds of prey captured his imagination for the first time. In Bird Brother, Rodney shares his unlikely journey to becoming a conservationist and one of America's few Black master falconers.
Rodney grew up during the crack epidemic, with guns, drugs, and the threat of incarceration an accepted part of daily life for nearly everyone he knew. To rent his own apartment, he needed a paycheck-something the money from dealing drugs didn't provide. For that, he took a position in 1992 with a new nonprofit, the Earth Conservation Corps. Gradually, Rodney fell in love with the work to restore and conserve the polluted Anacostia River that flows through D.C. As conditions along the river improved, he helped to reintroduce bald eagles to the region and befriended an injured Eurasian Eagle Owl named Mr. Hoots, the first of many birds whose respect he would work hard to earn.
Bird Brother is a story about pursuing dreams against all odds, and the importance of second chances. Rodney's life was nearly upended when he was arrested on drug charges in 2002. The jail sentence sharpened his resolve to get out of the hustling life. With the fierceness of the raptors he had admired for so long, he began to train to become a master falconer and to develop his own raptor education program and sanctuary. Rodney's son Mike, a D.C. firefighter, has also begun his journey to being a master falconer, with his own kids cheering him along the way.
Eye-opening, witty, and moving, Bird Brother is a love letter to the raptors and humans who transformed what Rodney thought his life could be. It is an unflinching look at the uphill battle Black children face in pursuing stable, fulfilling lives, a testament to the healing power of nature, and a reminder that no matter how much heartbreak we've endured, we still have the capacity to give back to our communities and follow our wildest dreams. ""Stotts's gift for storytelling, as an educator and public speaker, is on full display in this remarkable memoir; it's thought-provoking, moving, and inspiring." starred review," ""The book is embellished with impressive photographs that capture the beautiful relationships between Stotts and his bird friends. The loving relationship that can be cultivated between humans and the amazing birds is shown through charming moments between the birds and Stotts's audience, too. Bird Brother is a memoir that is apt in its demonstration of nature's ability to transform people."" "A gripping memoir that will leave readers looking to the sky...A powerful Black voice in the predominantly white canon of nature writing,... His book is filled with hope, love, and the importance of second chances-for injured birds and humans alike." "Keeping birds of prey is never easy, as anyone who has read other falconry books knows. But Stotts dealt with a particularly tough road,shadowed by incarceration, the deaths of family and friends, and racism....Particularly inspirational is Stotts teaching his own son to be a falconer." "If you've loved H is for Hawk or any sort of memoir that intersects with nature, you'll like this one!" "It's amazing and inspiring to read about someone with such commitment to honoring the wild dreams of his childhood." "Stotts' journey of self-discovery is an astonishing and heart-warming account that will stay with you long after you have finished reading it." ""This was an inspiring read, not only as a fellow Black man with a love for helping others and caring for the environment, but also as someone who has dealt with obstacle after obstacle, yet still finds the hope to remain determined and joyful as I pursue my goal."" "This book is about so much more than birds. Rodney Stotts-one of the few Black master falconers in the country-recal
