Featherhood : a memoir of birds and fathers and a magpie /
Gilmour, Charlie Samson,
Featherhood : a memoir of birds and fathers and a magpie / Charlie Gilmour. - First Scribner hardcover edition. - 294 pages ; 22 cm
"One spring day, a baby magpie falls out of its nest and into Charlie Gilmour's hands. Magpies, he soon discovers, are as clever and mischievous as monkeys. They are also notorious thieves, and this one quickly steals his heart. By the time the creature develops shiny black feathers that inspire the name Benzene, Charlie and the bird have forged an unbreakable bond. While caring for Benzene, Charlie learns his biological father, an eccentric British poet named Heathcote Williams who vanished when Charlie was six months old, is ill. As he grapples with Heathcote's abandonment, Charlie comes across one of his poems, in which Heathcote describes how an impish young jackdaw fell from its nest and captured his affection. Over time, Benzene helps Charlie unravel his fears about repeating the past--and embrace the role of father himself. A bird falls, a father dies, a child is born. Featherhood is the unforgettable story of a love affair between a man and a bird. It is also a beautiful and affecting memoir about childhood and parenthood, captivity and freedom, grief and love"--from publisher's website. "A beautiful, moving, and wildly original memoir of grief, healing, and fatherhood through the story of a young man who adopts a baby magpie"--
9781501198502 1501198505 9781501198519 1501198513
2020012156
Gilmour, Charlie Samson.
Birds--Anecdotes.
Magpies--Anecdotes.
Human-animal relationships.
Fathers and sons--Biography.
Autobiographies.
Anecdotes.
Featherhood : a memoir of birds and fathers and a magpie / Charlie Gilmour. - First Scribner hardcover edition. - 294 pages ; 22 cm
"One spring day, a baby magpie falls out of its nest and into Charlie Gilmour's hands. Magpies, he soon discovers, are as clever and mischievous as monkeys. They are also notorious thieves, and this one quickly steals his heart. By the time the creature develops shiny black feathers that inspire the name Benzene, Charlie and the bird have forged an unbreakable bond. While caring for Benzene, Charlie learns his biological father, an eccentric British poet named Heathcote Williams who vanished when Charlie was six months old, is ill. As he grapples with Heathcote's abandonment, Charlie comes across one of his poems, in which Heathcote describes how an impish young jackdaw fell from its nest and captured his affection. Over time, Benzene helps Charlie unravel his fears about repeating the past--and embrace the role of father himself. A bird falls, a father dies, a child is born. Featherhood is the unforgettable story of a love affair between a man and a bird. It is also a beautiful and affecting memoir about childhood and parenthood, captivity and freedom, grief and love"--from publisher's website. "A beautiful, moving, and wildly original memoir of grief, healing, and fatherhood through the story of a young man who adopts a baby magpie"--
9781501198502 1501198505 9781501198519 1501198513
2020012156
Gilmour, Charlie Samson.
Birds--Anecdotes.
Magpies--Anecdotes.
Human-animal relationships.
Fathers and sons--Biography.
Autobiographies.
Anecdotes.