I spent seven years researching and writing this biography of housewife, cancer survivor, and adventurer Phoebe Snetsinger. It was published by Bloomsbury in hardcover in 2009 and in paperback and Kindle in 2010.
“Except for one thing, this book would rate as a great adventure novel and fictional psychological portrait about a woman’s obsession with birdwatching, its effect on her relationships with her husband her children, and the horrifying mishaps that she survived on each continent—until the last mishap. But the book isn’t that great novel; instead, it’s a great true story: the biography of Phoebe Snetsinger, who set the world record for bird species seen after growing up in an era when American women weren’t supposed to be competitive or have careers. Whether or not you pretend that it’s a novel, you’ll enjoy this powerful, moving story.”
—Jared Diamond, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Guns, Germs, and Steel
“Gentile tells Snetsinger’s staggering story with clarity and verve. She reflects incisively on the shadow side of Snetsinger’s quest—the perverse metamorphosis that turned a liberating passion into a devouring addiction—and perceptively elucidates and celebrates her accomplishments. A remarkable woman of tenacity, courage, and transcendence, Snetsinger leaves a profound legacy, which will now be more fully appreciated and treasured thanks to Gentile’s enthralling, provocative, and inspiring biography.”
—Chicago Tribune
“Gentile spent eight years pursuing Snetsinger as earnestly as Snetsinger pursued birds. The result is a wonderful book … Snetsinger’s story is an adventure story, a psychological drama, a tragedy—and a triumph.”
—Minneapolis Star Tribune
“Gentile’s tale of a desperate but determined housewife with a passion for birds and adventure is engrossing, sharp, and affecting—a touching portrait and a great read.”
—Susan Orlean, author of The Library Book
“Snetsinger’s very ordinariness is part of the charm of Life List, Olivia Gentile’s provocative biography of an amateur ornithologist … That Snetsinger flew the coop was both a point of pride and a point of friction for her family, and Gentile does not cast judgment but simply describes what she sees. By documenting the tension between the obligation to others and the obligation to oneself, Gentile has written a book as much about the life of women as about a woman’s life.”
—Christian Science Monitor