Short Synopsis
A heart-stopping narrative of risk and courage, Bird Dream tells the story of the remarkable men and women who pioneered the latest advances in aerial exploration—from skydiving to BASE jumping to wingsuit flying—and made history with their daring.

Full Synopsis
Human flight is one of the last great challenges on Earth. Not like how the Wright brothers flew, but how we fly in our dreams. This is the goal of the Wingsuit Landing Project: to soar through the sky at speeds up to one hundred miles per hour and to land without the aid of a parachute. This project is the creation of thirty-seven-year-old Jeb Corliss, Jr., a Southern Californian who seeks to emulate a mode of flight more like a flying squirrel than bird or plane.

Journalist Matt Higgins gained intimate access to Corliss, who, after years of BASE jumping and skydiving, set out to be the first person to be dropped 2,400 feet and land solely with the aid of a wingsuit. But somewhere in the UK, forty-two-year-old Gary Connery was plotting to beat Corliss at his own game. Along with an international group of wingsuit devotees, Corliss and Connery race to leap into the unknown as the world's foremost wingsuit pilots. This race will nearly cost one of the competitors his life.

A riveting, adrenaline-fueled narrative about a group of unforgettable characters who risk everything to achieve man's age-old dream of flying, Bird Dream takes listeners to the cutting edge of this new frontier—as well as the strange science and fearless history that have led us to this remarkable point in the human experience.

"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." ---AudioFile

"An engrossing and exhaustively researched account of extremists who challenge failure and death on a regular basis." ---Library Journal Starred Review

A highflying, electrifying story of a treacherous sport in which every triumph is an eye blink away from becoming a disaster." ---Kirkus Starred Review

Library Journal Review

Kirkus Review