Books
Charles Bergman
Every Penguin in the World: The Quest to See Them All
Every Penguin in the World combines narratives and photos to tell the story of the author and wife Susan on a quest to see all the world’s penguin species in the wild. The larger narrative is developed in three parts, each with its own stories: A journey of adventure, a quest for knowledge and conservation, a pilgrimage for something sacred and transformative. The penguins may need to be saved, and yet, unlike us, they do not need to be redeemed.
A Penguin Told me a Secret
A Penguin Told Me a Secret tells the true story of talking to a penguin. On a faraway island on the edge of Antarctica, the author and his wife have a face to-face encounter with a curious and talkative penguin. It is a King Penguin, which may be the most beautiful of all the penguins. The penguin walks up to the author and begins talking. He shares a secret that all penguins know but very few people know. Of course, when a penguin talks to you, you have to answer. What did the penguin say? What is said back to the penguin? Read this beautiful and simple story to learn the secret.
Orion's Legacy: A Cultural History of Man As Hunter
Orion stands as the emblematic heroic hunter whose prowess is celebrated in the constellation that bears his name. Using the mythic message of Orion as a central metaphor, Bergman examines the role of the hunter & the hunt to define the ways in which men understand & assert their identities. Drawing upon both scholarly erudition & intimate personal experience, he incisively probes how the hunt has permeated male sexuality, making the female both an object of desire & a target of domination. We travel through history to view man as hunter in a dazzling variety of mythological, anthropological, literary, & artistic forms.
Wild Echoes: Encounters with the Most Endangered Animals in North America
In "Wild Echoes", environmentalist and photographer Charles Bergman chronicles his experiences tracking down and interacting with the few remaining members of nine of North America's most endangered species. Bergman soars in the company of two of the last remaining California condors, swims with manatees, assists in the capture and release of a Florida panther, and comes face to face with the last remaining dusky seaside sparrow, a species now extinct. As he relates these and other poignant encounters, Bergman describes the factors, both manufactured and natural, that have led to the animals' endangerment. He also examines the efforts of those who hope to pull species back from the brink of extinction. "Wild Echoes" was originally published in 1990; this 2003 edition contains a new introduction and substantial updates on the good news and the bad concerning the current status of the species Bergman discusses.
Red Delta: Fighting for Life at the End of the Colorado River
Water rights are fiercely protected in the desert American Southwest. In cases such as the Colorado River, which drains into Mexico's Gulf of California, these battles can sometimes trigger international arguments. Since the Water Treaty of 1944, the United States has claimed rights to 90 percent of the Colorado's water, reducing the river to a comparative trickle by the time it reaches Mexican soil and as a result adversely affecting the lush delta region. Academic Bergman (Wild Echoes: Encounters with North America's Most Endangered Species) spent three years studying and photographing the endangered delta. His book, developed with the assistance of the activist group Defenders of Wildlife, creates vivid impressions of the species and habitats of the delta's past and its possibly hopeful future. In the second part, Bergman outlines the legal and political strategies for overturning the Treaty of 1944 and encouraging, instead, laws recognizing that nature is not contained within the artificial boundaries of nations. As he notes, there is scientific evidence that, if water rations were more equitably distributed, the delta would flourish once again. Although his prose is occasionally weighed down by dry facts and figures, the author's passion for the environment and his empathy for the people of the delta shine through the text. This issue is more than just a local squabble, and Bergman's book belongs in all strong in-depth and comprehensive environmental collections.