White Bars

by David Dagley

White Bars is the comical tale of two myna birds trapped in neighboring cages in a pet shop, and their plot to escape. Soren, a young myna plucked from his nest as an egg, has never known what it means to be free. But Fife, an older, worldly bird does, and he longs to fly home to the tropical forests across the Pacific Ocean. Every evening after the pet shop closes, the store becomes a stock market where the caged animals trade what they have for what they seed, sand, plants and bugs. Will Soren and Fife be able to barter for their freedom? Or will their wings stay clipped? About the David Dagley has been working in the Bering Sea for the last 10 years and traveling through South East Asia in his off time. He resides in Seward, Alaska. He is currently working on his next book, Cale Dixon and the Women of Cho, a sequel project to Cale Dixon and the Moguk Murders, which was recently released in paperback by Strategic Book Publishing. Publisher's //www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/titl...

100 pages, Paperback

First published November 17, 2010

About the author

I was born in San Francisco and grew up in the small Redwood town of Mill Valley, California until I went to college at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, California. My father received his masters in History from Cal Berkeley and forged his path to being one of the most respected travel agents in San Francisco. He, solely, is responsible for my appetite for travel and change which grew and blossomed around the world. My mother and father sent my brother and I to Europe with some friends and later enrolled me in a London Exchange program before I graduated college. I studied Political Science, International Affairs, China trade, and revolutions. Most of my extra credit classes were in literature which I read voraciously and still do. My travels have taken me through many places for no less than a month and up to a few years at some individual spots; Tahiti, Cook Islands, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, Indonesian Island chain, Malaysian Peninsula, Thailand, Burma, South Korea, Europe, and Central America. I have climbed to the summit of Denali (Mt. McKinley). I have mountain biked from Valdez , Alaska to San Francisco, Ca., Upper Peninsula of Michigan to San Francisco, and every state in between. I left the Pacific Coast Stock Exchange soon after ‘Black Tuesday’ where I worked in the pits as an assistant broker to bike Australia, Indonesia, and Malaysia for a year or so. I reside in Seward, Alaska and have been working in the Bering Sea on fishing boats and Tug boats since 1994. My job allows me to still feel like I’m traveling and in my down time on the various ships I write. I'm just about finished with the sequel to 'Cale Dixon and the Moguk Murders'. It's titled, 'Cale Dixon and the Women of Cho'. I have a website and a couple blogs. The addresses are listed here, www.davidcdagley.com. and www.davidcdagley.blogspot.com.

Reviews

[Steph's Book Ramblings · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting idea and concept but wasn't for me. See my full review here: http://stephsbookramblings.blogspot.c...

[David Dagley]

White Bars is both funny and painful, melancholy and inspiring; it takes a comical, imaginary situation— full of humor and charm— that lets honest truths (about freedom, friendship, and independence) come through the cracks of this heartwarming, thoughtful novel. The line, between the sentimental and the meaningful, is walked exquisitely by author David Dagley; he allows for emotions without manipulating the reader and tempers the more tender passages with hijinks and witty banter.
Soren and Fife— though birds— are well drawn characters, expressing unique personalities and voices. One often expects, in such a setting, that a cast of animals will be more cartoonish than literary, but Mr. Dagley artfully constructs anthropomorphic figures who an audience can relate with, laugh with, and cheer for— which is not an easy task, I’m sure.
There is a lot of originality to White Bars, a definite style and tone wholly the author’s own, and it is sure to leave an indelible mark on the reader. We are drawn into a creative space unlike any we’ve ever known, and I found it difficult to leave this little world with all its compelling animal characters— most of whom seemed more human than many literary characters I’ve come across. This is a wonderful book from start to finish. Five stars without a doubt.