Messenger Bird

by Dan McCall

"Suicide was common among the Apaches of Southern New Mexico." So begins Dan McCall's stunning recreation of two years in the life of an inexperienced young surgeon at a small hospital on a Native American reservation. Among courageous, stoic people burdened by a cruel history and beleaguered by poverty and alcoholism, Jim, fresh out of medical school, learns the healing power of compassion from a beautiful, talented Sioux-Lakota nurse and schoolteacher - Annie Messenger Bird. A searing portrait of the grim realities of the reservation, Messenger Bird is peopled by characters so full of life that even the dailiness of tragedy cannot quite defeat Barnabas Lester, the Dartmouth-educated Apache chief who, working within the system for his people's benefit, is accused of being the white man's pawn; Max Rubenstein, a brilliant gay surgeon with a welcome flair for comedy; Silas Lester, a teenage rebel whose love of his people and passion for change lead him into the radical American Indian Movement; and, of course, Silas's mother, Annie Messenger Bird, whose singular grace endures even when her own body turns against her. Messenger Bird is a story of quiet, practical heroism in the midst of senseless violence and despair; of how doctoring triumphs and how it fails, especially faced with the larger ills of society; and of the courage and love that transcend both politics and race. In McCall's unsentimental telling, one young doctor's experience becomes a window onto a troubled, hybrid American culture in which the humane practice of medicine - however flawed - can still provide a glimpse of the fragility and beauty of life.

Genres: Fiction

Hardcover

First published April 1, 1993

About the author

Dan received his Bachelor of Arts from Stanford University, later attending Columbia University for his PhD. Upon graduation in 1966, he came to Cornell University where he taught American literature and creative writing to generations of Cornell students over the next 40 years. He is the author of several novels, including Jack the Bear (1974), Beecher (1979), Bluebird Canyon (1983), Triphammer (1990), and Messenger Bird (1993). Jack the Bear was translated into over a dozen languages, and was released as a 20th Century Fox film in 1993, starring Gary Sinise, Reese Witherspoon, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, among others. His critical and scholarly books include The Example of Richard Wright (1969), The Silence of Bartleby (1989), Citizens of Somewhere Else (1999) and the Norton Critical Edition of Melville's Short Novels (2002).

Reviews

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everything is sad in Mescalero, New Mexico, and it seems like there's nothing but pain (physical and emotional) all around.

Jim is a doctor currently serving at a hospital on Apache land in New Mexico. His immediate circle of co-workers and friends are Annie Messenger Bird, a Lakota/Sioux nurse and high school teacher; Max Rubenstein, another doctor at the hospital; and Silas, Annie's teenage son. The hospital workers see many patients, some with easy problems or happy endings, but most with tragic stories -- raped children, victims of alcohol-induced arguments, suicide attempts... Even happiness and love turn into heartbreak. Nothing is easy in Mescalero.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed McCall's effortless storytelling skills in this haunting book about love, politics, and the human body.

Gripping from the first moment to the last sentence, my only regret is that I did not discover this author sooner (he passed away this year). It would have been wonderful to have met the man behind the words.

A must read for anyone who enjoys fine literature in the style of Melanie Rae Thon.

[Lauralee Woodruff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read, sparse writing style. Kept me interested, knowing of the times and issues written about. A sad and spirited story.