• H is for Hawk

    by Helen Macdonald
    Price $26.00
    Hardcover
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    H is for Hawk

Helen MacDonald

discuses

H is for Hawk

with an introduction by VICKI CONSTANTINE CROKE

This event includes a book signing

Date

Apr
7
Tuesday
April 7, 2015
7:00 PM ET

Location

Harvard Book Store
1256 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02138

Tickets

This event is free; no tickets are required.

Harvard Book Store welcomes multitalented writer, poet, and naturalist HELEN MACDONALD for a discussion of her memoir H is for Hawk, featuring an introduction by NPR correspondent covering animal issues and author of Elephant Company VICKI CONSTANTINE CROKE

When Helen Macdonald's father died suddenly on a London street, she was devastated. An experienced falconer—Helen had been captivated by hawks since childhood—she'd never before been tempted to train one of the most vicious predators, the goshawk. But in her grief, she saw that the goshawk's fierce and feral temperament mirrored her own. Resolving to purchase and raise the deadly creature as a means to cope with her loss, she adopted Mabel, and turned to the guidance of The Once and Future King author T.H. White's chronicle The Goshawk to begin her challenging endeavor. Projecting herself "in the hawk's wild mind to tame her" tested the limits of Macdonald's humanity and changed her life.

Heart-wrenching and humorous, this book is an unflinching account of bereavement and a unique look at the magnetism of an extraordinary beast, with a parallel examination of a legendary writer's eccentric falconry. Obsession, madness, memory, myth, and history combine to achieve a distinctive blend of nature writing and memoir from an outstanding literary innovator.

Helen MacDonald
Helen MacDonald

Helen MacDonald

Helen Macdonald is a writer, poet, illustrator, historian, and naturalist, and an affiliated research scholar at the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses. She also worked as a Research Fellow at Jesus College, Cambridge. She is the author of a cultural history of falcons, titled Falcon, and three collections of poetry. As a professional falconer, she assisted with the management of raptor research and conservation projects across Eurasia. 

Vicki Constantine Croke
Vicki Constantine Croke

Vicki Constantine Croke

Vicki Constantine Croke has been exploring animal life for more than two decades. She now covers creatures great and small for WBUR-FM. Her work there earned a 2013 regional Edward R. Murrow award. Her books include Elephant Company: The Inspiring Story of an Unlikely Hero and the Animals Who Helped Him Save Lives in World War IIThe Lady and the Panda, and The Modern Ark: The Story of Zoos—Past, Present and Future. She also wrote The Boston Globe's “Animal Beat” column for thirteen years, and has contributed to The New York Times, The Washington Post, The London Sunday Telegraph, Time magazine, Popular Science, O, The Oprah Magazine, Gourmet, National Wildlife, and Discover magazine among others. She lives in the Boston area.

Photo Credit: Christen Goguen

Harvard Book Store
1256 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02138

Walking from the Harvard Square T station: 2 minutes

As you exit the station, reverse your direction and walk east along Mass. Ave. in front of the Cambridge Savings Bank. Cross Dunster St. and proceed along Mass. Ave for three more blocks. You will pass Au Bon Pain, JP Licks, and TD Bank. Harvard Book Store is located at the corner of Mass. Ave. and Plympton St.

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