num_pages: 295
description: In this moving critically acclaimed memoir a young man saves a baby magpie as his estranged father is dying only to find that caring for the mischievous bird saves him.One spring day a baby magpie falls out of its nest and into Charlie Gilmours 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 Heathcotes 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 pastand 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.
language: English
title: Featherhood: A Memoir of Two Fathers and a Magpie
publisher: Scribner