Messenger Bird

by Dan McCall

A young surgeon struggles with the cruel legacy of persecution, substance abuse, and poverty afflicting his patients as he works through a two-year stint at an Apache reservation in New Mexico

Genres: Fiction

228 pages, Paperback

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.