From Publishers Weekly
The 'alala, a member of the raven family, is for native Hawaiians a sacred bird, revered as a guardian spirit for the soul on its way to the afterlife. These birds, indigenous to the island of Hawaii, were once plentiful, but disease, predation and loss of habitat have brought them to the brink of extinction. Walters (A Shadow and a Song) offers a devastating chronicle of what happens to attempts to save an endangered species when the interests of landowners, biologists, government agencies and conservation organizations clash: for the 'alala, everything ended in heartbreak in 2002, the last time one of these birds was observed in the wild. Now, Walters says, only 50 'alala remain, in captivity, and they may not survive if they are released, for in spite of all the hard work and sacrifice expended on saving them, little has been accomplished, especially regarding the conservation or renewal of their natural habitat. Walters's poignant book is a trenchant reminder of what can happen when politics and self-interest get in the way of preservation. Illus. not seen by PW. (June 29)
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Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Booklist
In the rarefied atmosphere of mystical cloud-shrouded forests blanketing the slopes of Hawaii's Mauna Loa volcano, a sacred bird called the 'alala once thrived in unimaginable numbers. By the time Walters arrived in the spring of 1996, however, only about a dozen of these crowlike birds remained in the wild. For Walters, the bird's dwindling population raised more than the usual troubling biological questions that arise when a species hovers on the brink of extinction. In native Hawaiian culture, the 'alala is regarded as a spirit guide entrusted to safely accompany souls into the afterlife; metaphorically, the loss of the 'alala was indicative of the decline of Hawaiian cultural identity itself. Predictably, the bird's plight attracted well-intentioned but woefully inept conservationists, bureaucrats, and local landowners eager to intervene on the bird's behalf. Combining journalistic objectivity with poetic sensitivity, Walters explicitly and eloquently documents the tragic political realities that ultimately threatened the 'alala more than all the destruction from habitat loss, disease, and predators combined. Carol Haggas
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Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
