Bird Dream: Adventures at the Extremes of Human Flight Audiobook

Quotes

• “[Higgins’] action-packed book introduces a global coterie of remarkable characters who have dared life and limb. He describes escapades from sixties stunt parachuting to more contemporary BASE jumping, in which one takes flight off of selected worldwide buildings and geographical points to the experience of wingsuit flying—the maximum challenge. The author recounts the huge preparations, financial investments, psychological motivations, personal setbacks, and extraordinary aerial accomplishments that have gone into these extreme sports…An engrossing and exhaustively researched account of extremists who challenge failure and death on a regular basis. Highly recommended for ultimate jumpers in particular, sports enthusiasts in general, and all public libraries.”

  — Library Journal (starred review)

• An engrossing and exhaustively researched account of extremists who challenge failure and death on a regular basis.

  — Library Journal Starred Review

• “A new tribe of aerial daredevils write their deeds in blood and glory…Journalist Higgins sings the exploits and charisma of “wing-suit” pilots…The book is mainly a chronicle of death-defying stunts: mishaps are plenty grisly when wing suiters traveling at 100 mph encounter anything denser than air, and the body count is high…[a] tribute to the exaltation of defying death; one extreme parachutist ‘felt somehow reborn into the world’ on his first outing, ‘as if scales had been stripped from his eyes.’ These effusions won’t move everyone to a conversion experience, but Higgins’s account is hair-raising enough to hold the reader’s interest.”

  — Publishers Weekly

• “An ominous undercurrent runs through this account of the first parachute-free wingsuit landing. The listener is constantly aware that the fledgling extreme sport has seen deaths. In a soft-spoken voice, Adam Verner ticks off the dangers and relays the thoughts of the men who are vying for the ultimate jump. He also brings listeners the thrill of a nocturnal jump with no witnesses, reveling in the emotional highs that keeps the wingsuit jumpers going. Listeners unfamiliar with the sport will get an extra dose of nail-biting tension. Those already familiar with the quest to be first to land without a chute will gain insight into these wingmen and the history behind their adventure.”

  — AudioFile

• “Most of us dream of flying, but it is the exceptional person who actually tries it. Matt Higgins takes readers deep into the extreme and fascinating world of BASE jumpers and wingsuit pilots, those rare birds who risk their lives for a few exhilarating, gravity-defying seconds. Bird Dream is a beautifully crafted narrative, equal parts adrenaline rush and soulful meditation. From its first sentence, this book soars.”

  — Susan Casey, author of The Wave and The Devil’s Teeth

• “Wingsuit fliers like Jeb Corliss and Gary Connery change the definition of ‘impossible,’ often at the expense of life and limb. Capturing the essence of such entrepreneurs of the extreme is like trying to grab sparks. In Bird Dream, Matt Higgins does just that with writing that is crisp, exhilarating, and exhaustively researched. A must-read about ultimate quests—and their costs.”

  — James M Tabor, author of Blind Descent