We Should All Be Birds

A Memoir

De: Brian Buckbee, Carol Ann Fitzgerald

Narrado por: Brian Buckbee

“A sparkling example of the best kind of first-person storytelling in that its specificity succeeds in revealing universal truths…An extraordinary story full of humanity and life lessons from a man whose disability has largely removed him from society.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

A charming and moving debut memoir about how a man with a mystery illness saves a pigeon, and how the pigeon saves the man.

On a spring evening in Montana, Brian Buckbee encounters an injured baby pigeon. Heartbroken after the loss of the love of his life and increasingly isolated by a mysterious illness that overtook him while trekking through Asia, Brian is unaware that this bird—who he names Two-Step—will change his life. Brian takes in Two-Step, and more injured birds, eventually transforming his home into a madcap bird rehabilitation and rescue center. As Brian and Two-Step grow closer, an unexpected kinship forms. But their paths won’t converge forever: as Two-Step heals and finds love, Brian’s condition worsens, and with his friend’s release back into the world looming closer, Brian must decide where this story leaves him.

We Should All Be Birds follows Brian, unable to read or write due to a never-ending headache, as he dictates the end of his old life—as an adventurer, an iconoclastic university instructor, and endurance athlete—through his relationship with a pigeon that comes to define his present. Limited to dictation, Brian teams up with Carol Ann Fitzgerald, an editor who channels the details of his personal history. Raw and perceptive, delirious and devastating, We Should All Be Birds is an unflinching exploration of chronic illness, grief, connection, and the spectacular beauty of the natural world—and the humble pigeon. The surprising, heartwarming relationship between man and bird provides insight into what it means to love, to suffer, and to “never forget, even for a second, how big it all is.”

©2025 Brian Buckbee (P)2025 Simon & Schuster Audio

Heartfelt and heartbreaking well at the same time, redemptive and uplifting

This is a heartfelt honest story of the human experience, all of us have had it on some level, but maybe not to this degree. The experience of heartbreak, of the uninvited guest of medical illness that takes our lives apart, when we least expected, and also the story of the unexpected rebuilding of something new, born of love, creativity, and openness. I loved hearing it and Brian’s own voice. I highly recommend going on this journey with him.

the most literary fun I've had in a decade

this is a story with incredible heart and empathy for wild creatures, wonderfully insightful and well-told in first-person style. the audio presentation was excellent: extremely "listenable." I loved it and look forward to discovering Buckbee's other works.

snapshot of compassion

the adventures of a creative soul who deeply cares about all creatures weaving a story of rescue that offers deeper understanding as tale of character and struggle.

I pick Brian over Chad !

We Should All Be Birds is a rare and remarkable work — a book that speaks with tenderness and clarity about the brutal realities of living with a life-altering chronic illness. Brian invites us into his world with honesty and vulnerability, showing not only the physical and emotional toll of his condition, but also the resilience, grace, and love that can grow in its shadow.

For anyone who has lived with ME/CFS or another debilitating illness, the themes will feel achingly familiar: the isolation that seeps into daily life, the quiet grief of mourning your old self while still trying to live your current one, the disbelief and dismissal from some physicians, and — perhaps most painfully — from people closest to you. Brian writes about these experiences with a steadiness that is both devastating and deeply affirming.

The narrative takes a beautiful turn when Brian discovers an injured pigeon, whom he names Two Step. Through the act of rehabilitating this fragile creature, we witness not only the bird’s healing but Brian’s own quiet reclaiming of hope and connection. Two Step becomes a symbol — of perseverance, of care, of life that is still worth nurturing. Alongside V, Two Step's mate, and their offspring, Brian finds himself within an uncurated sanctuary - one of which keeps us wondering, whom has done the rescuing. All this while Brian navigates the uncertainties of chronic illness and the possibility of building something new after loss.

This book does something extraordinary: it speaks so beautifully about something so horrific. It is unflinching in its honesty yet infused with compassion, love, and moments of joy. For those who live with chronic illness, We Should All Be Birds is a mirror — reflecting back the pain, the struggle, and the hard-won moments of grace. For those who don’t, it is an open door into understanding.

Spectacular, moving, and necessary — this is a book that will stay with you long after you turn the last page.

I speak from someone new to this world of the chronically ill; Thank you Brian Buckbee for giving us a voice..., Thank you !

chronic illness revelations!

For the chronic illness people, for the families of the chronic illness, people, especially for the doctors and nurses of chronically ill people with fibromyalgia et.Cetera! please read this book! Thank you to the author, for bringing forward these things. things I haven't even described to people!
No, this book is not up to par, like Stephen King or anything. And it isn't super well written, but it is good, and it does explain what we go through. Inside and outside of our minds, inside and outside of our bodies. The world becomes a different place when you're chronically ill, especially if nobody can see it.
To the author: I see you. I hear you.
I hold you in my heart. I pray for you.

An affecting personal journey!

You have to appreciate Buckbee’s love of pigeons (and birds and animals in general). He experienced a crazy collapse of his body’s functionality while visiting parts of Southeast Asia, and has never fully recovered. Part of his personal journey in the aftermath turns out to be attending to pigeons, beginning with one in particular who had been harmed in an accident. He ends up fostering it and other pigeons while struggling with his own medical issues. This is all very neatly, and affectionately, described in his book. The narrative is a mix of medical tragedy/mystery and deep appreciation of birds and nature in general. It serves to make you aware of the human animal that we are, along with the wonders of the natural world and the purposes to which we commit ourselves. Very affecting.

Together in our loneliness

this memoir, he beautifully captures the gains and losses, the quiet victories, and the search for meaning when the life you once imagined is no longer possible. His words speak for the millions who are missing — and for anyone who wants to understand what a loved one with ME/CFS or Long COVID might be going through.
Through his story (and one unforgettable pigeon), Brian has found a way to be immortal in words — and to help the rest of us feel less alone.

Pigeon lover extraordinaire

I rescued a small bird from my cat's mouth this morning. It flew to the top of a tree before I could identify it. I fully understand expletives associated with predators, including cats. Ironically, I rescued this tiny kitten next to a highway last spring, likely having been grazed by a passing car. He was appropriately named Dash by my husband after he spent two days under the dashboard of my car.

While your literary talents are indisputable, the passion and pain you share have held me captive as I have listened to your book. Audible had recommended it after I finished "Mozart's Starling" (another "hated" bird through no fault of its own).

I am also a rescuer and clandestine rehabilitator of suffering and injured unwanted creatures. I have also risked my life rescuing animals-though none so daring as at least one of your rescues of Two Step.

I pray that the evil monster (expletives seem warranted) that has you in its grips will soon be destroyed and you will find a life filled with unquenchable joy and love.

Wonderful story- though caught up on L

I really wanted to love this but the amount in which the author fixates on “a woman you once loved” draws away from the story I was fascinated by.

Magic in broken winged flight

What stood out the most? Everything. The story… the author…the pigeon … and the love of his life. I love them all. From one Montana bird lover to another. You shine Brian. I send love to you