Book Review - The Nature of Small Birds

The synopsis for The Nature of Small Birds by Susie Finkbeiner caught my attention and I knew right away that I had to read it. Operation Babylift was a humanitarian effort at the end of the Vietnam War to evacuate thousands of children from South Vietnam and led to their adoption by families around the world. Mindy is one of those children, blessed to grow up with a loving and supportive adoptive family, and searching for the sense of identity that comes with learning about her birth family. I snatched up this book and settled in to read all about the complexities of Mindy’s growth, to feel that love and longing and the satisfaction of finally meeting her birth mother, of her return to the country of her birth.

The Nature of Small Birds is not at all what I had preconceived. Instead of the expected viewpoint, Finkbeiner chose to tell a different kind of story through the eyes of Mindy’s father, mother, and older sister. For a few minutes, I was genuinely disappointed, but Finkbeiner did a beautiful thing with the method she chose. Little Minh would not have been able to convey her parents’ conflicted feelings about choosing to say yes to this little wonder who desperately needed to be nurtured, while recognizing that their siblings had very different experiences in Vietnam. Little Minh would not have been able to express the simple thrill of having a grandparent recognize that their sweet girl might appreciate a baby doll with dark hair and eyes, when the only ones to be found are blond with blue eyes. And sweet little Minh could not have known all the ways she changed her big sister’s life. It would be interesting to see Mindy’s point of view, but Finkbeiner delivered an unexpected kind of turmoil, grace, and beauty in the method she chose. She also accomplished the task of sending her reader to learn more about Operation Babylift and efforts to care for the children of war-torn South Vietnam in the mid-70’s. I highly recommend a good cup of tea and The Nature of Small Birds.

The Nature of Small Birds by Susie Finkbeiner comes out August 20 and is available for pre-order now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

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Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions expressed here are my own and are completely genuine.