6/27/2023 0 Comments The feather thiefRist’s theft was an extremely serious crime, in part because of the immense loss to the scientific record, and yet it’s also an extremely strange one. Can you draw any parallels with trends today, in fashion or otherwise, that are destructive to our environment?ġ0. “Before the Hermès bag or Louboutin heel,” Johnson tells us, “the ultimate status indicator was a dead bird” (page 43). Johnson tells us that bird populations in twenty-six states dropped by nearly half from 1883 to 1898 as a result of a “feather fever” taking over fashion. How did you feel about Nguyen’s actions, before and after the theft? Did you sympathize with him? How would you have acted differently?ĩ. Johnson experiences a range of emotions when interviewing Long Nguyen, from concern to frustration to annoyance to sympathy. Were you surprised to hear that Edwin Rist finally agreed to speak with Johnson, after multiple refusals? Why, in your opinion, might he have chosen to do so?Ĩ. Do you think his case should have been handled differently? If so, how?ħ. The Feather Thief is a compelling blend of mystery, quirky salmon flytiers, and dogged natural-history enthusiasts, and it highlights the obsessive lengths that people will go to destroyand protectsome of the world’s most valuable treasures. Although Rist was eventually caught, he was subsequently released without ever having to spend a night behind bars, thanks in large part to a diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome. Would you agree with the characterization of his theft as amateurish? Do you think he planned his infiltration of the museum well, or did he just get lucky?Ħ. Rist’s lawyer described the theft of the bird skins as “a very amateur burglary” (page 133), and yet Rist wasn’t caught for more than a year and a half. In 'The Feather Thief,' Kirk Wallace Johnson descends into this ‘feather underground,’ tracking down the missing birds across the world in a madcap quest for some kind of justice. Why do you think Johnson chose to include the story of his own investigation, as well as the historical and scientific context for the feather craze, in the book? What do you think the mix of genres accomplishes that a straightforward true-crime narrative might not?ĥ. How does Johnson maintain suspense and keep readers hooked? What was the most suspenseful part for you?Ĥ. The story of the actual crime is recounted in just a few chapters, but the tension remains high throughout the book. In what ways do you think the Internet enables these types of obsessions? Do you think Rist would have pulled off his heist-or even attempted it in the first place-without the resources of the Internet?ģ. Many of the fly-tying community’s conversations and transactions take place online, from discussion forums to eBay to Facebook. Why do you think fly-tiers are so obsessed with rare bird feathers?Ģ. The Feather Thief shines a spotlight on the dark, illegal underbelly of a seemingly innocent hobby: fly-tying. The giant red feather in question belonged to Harry’s aunt Princess Anne, who was seated in front of him at the coronation and decked out in a military uniform (including a hat adorned with an impressively enormous red feather).1. And if you thought the drama surrounding Harry’s seat assignment at the coronation would be limited to things like where the actual seat was and exactly how far away it placed him from Prince William and Kate Middleton, you would be so, so very wrong.Īs it turns out, the award for Most Controversial Thing About Prince Harry’s Coronation Seat Assignment goes to a giant red feather, which may or may not have been strategically placed (or at least strategically aligned with some of the cameras documenting the big event). Welp, just as expected, Prince Harry’s appearance at King Charles’s coronation was thoroughly scrutinized.
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