An Armsfull of Birds

“I opened it up to read the first few pages and then spent five hours reading the rest. Beautifully done. Poignant, human, authentic.” 
—Jenny Lawson, The Bloggess and #1 New York Times bestselling author of How To Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay 
"This is a book about many profound things, but one of them is healing, and in particular the healing possibilities of the physical world around us. Of course, as Benson recognizes, healing needs to—and can—go both ways. A valuable book!" 
—Bill McKibben, author of Here Comes the Sun
“Cara Benson feels everything so deeply and tells her stories so honestly. Part recovery story, part eco-travelogue, part grief memoir, An Armsfull of Birds is a nuanced, thoughtful book about what it means to live fully, even when that means surviving your most beloved people. A memoir that will break your heart and put it back together again.” 
—Amy Shearn, award-winning author of Animal Instinct and Unseen City 
“A powerful memoir of addiction and recovery, love and loss, and embracing life. An Armsful of Birds is written with grace, poetry, and wit. It’s also a page turner. Full of insight about mental health issues and many other things, the story is compelling and moving. Raw at times, at times heartbreaking, there is also joy and love. A beautiful book.” 
—Jennifer Michael Hecht, author of Stay: A History of Suicide and the Philosophies Against It 
 
 
“This is a memoir as it should be: ruggedly brutal, unflinchingly honest, and emotionally intense. It is a journey both tumultuous and cathartic, an embrace of hard realities and whispers of hope. Read this book and you will be changed. Guaranteed!” 
—Anthony D. Fredericks, best-selling author of The Healing Wisdom of the Forest: Timeless Lessons of Renewal, Tranquility, and Joy 
"In the wake of her partner's suicide, Cara Benson performs a compelling close examination of their relationship, their individual and joined dynamics, and the nature of love and loss. In gorgeous, arresting prose, she seamlessly weaves in elements of their passions and commitments—birds, hiking, animal love, environmental stewardship, and sobriety. An Armsfull of Birds: A Personal Field Guide to Love, Loss, and Commitment is required reading for anyone who has ever been confronted by the gaping questions surrounding a loved one's passing, or really anyone who has loved and lost."  
—Sari Botton, author of And You May Find Yourself...Confessions of a Late-Blooming Gen-X Weirdo, and the editor-in-chief of Oldster Magazine 
“Gorgeously written, with every page full of heart, Cara Benson's story perfectly captures what it is to be human in an often unforgiving world. Through the brutal years of addiction, the hard work of recovery, and profound love and loss, I couldn't put this book down. If you're looking for inspiration or comfort, it is here.”  
—Lisa Smith, author of the award-winning memoir Girl Walks Out of a Bar 
“Like any true field guide, Cara Benson’s An Armsfull of Birds is about wanting to know—how to care for the natural world and its myriad creatures, how to live an engaged and ethical life, and, at heart, how to survive (and learn from) indelible loss. ‘Loss,’ Benson writes, ‘has everything to do with loving.’ This keenly observed, honest, and emotionally resonant memoir opens a way for us all.”  
—Steve Edwards, author of Rare Good: Essays on Art, Autism, and Astonishment 
“An Armsfull of Birds is a powerful book about a woman coming into herself by stepping more fully into the world around her. It’s an important story about connections—romantic, familial, and platonic—and the difficult process of caring for ourselves and others. This book could only have been written by someone with a poet’s heart, and Benson’s is full.” 
—Tove Danovich, author of Under the Henfluence 
“As a poet, a lover, a close observer of nature, and a warts-and-all fighter, Cara Benson delivers an elegant and gimlet-eyed tale of disaster, recovery, and vulnerability.”  
—Neal Allen, co-author of Good Writing: 36 Ways to Improve Your Sentences