The Ravenmaster

Christopher Skaife is “a born storyteller” with a one-of-a-kind job, said Helen Macdonald in The Atlantic.

A guard at the Tower of London, he has long been in charge of looking after the 11th-century landmark’s resident ravens, and his “beguiling, fascinating, and highly amusing” account of his work wisely gives the birds center stage. With their penchant for games, trickery, and social jockeying, “ravens help remind us that sometimes we’re merely walk-ons in someone else’s story.”