Featherhood

The Duke of Deception meets H Is for Hawk in this wry, moving story of a young man who, as his estranged father is dying, saves a baby magpie only to find that caring for the mischievous bird has, in fact, saved him. One spring day, a baby magpie falls out of its nest and into Charlie Gilmour's hands. Magpies, he and his girlfriend soon discover, 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 the shiny black feathers whose iridescent sheen inspires the name Benzene, Charlie and the bird have forged an unbreakable bond. As a young boy, Charlie was adopted by his stepfather--David Gilmour of Pink Floyd--whom he considered to be his true father. But while caring for Benzene, Charlie comes across a poem written by his biological father, an eccentric British poet named Heathcote Williams who vanished when Charlie was six months old. As he grapples with Heathcote's abandonment, Charlie is drawn to the poem, in which Heathcote describes how an impish young jackdaw--like magpies, also a member of the crow family--fell from its nest and captured his affection, just as Benzene had captured his son's. According to myth, magpies and jackdaws are heralds of birth and death. As it happens, Benzene's arrival preceded a deathbed reunion between Charlie, his dying father, and his long-lost sisters. And the bird 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.