The unique story of March Wong, Pacific Northwest tree climber, became an acclaimed bestseller in 2016. This special commemorative hardcover edition includes both the author's preferred text of The Eagle Tree as well as the follow-up novella Holy Trinity.
THE EAGLE TREE
The remarkable story of a boy and a tree
Fourteen-year-old March Wong knows everything there is to know about trees. They are his passion and his obsession even after his recent fall-and despite social services' threat to take him away from his mother if she doesn't keep him out of their branches. But the young autistic boy just cannot resist the captivating pull of the Pacific Northwest's lush forests just outside his backdoor. Intertwining themes of humanity and ecology The Eagle Tree eloquently explores what it means to be a part of a family a society and the natural world that surrounds and connects us.
HOLY TRINITY
An Eagle Tree Story
Holy Trinity continues the story of March Wong the unusual protagonist of The Eagle Tree. In this short novella March Wong explores the world of Pacific Northwest lichens and finds himself making unique discoveries. This new story takes place a year after the events of The Eagle Tree.
Ned Hayes is the author of the novels The Eagle Tree Sinful Folk and Coeur d'Alene Waters. His novels have been nominated for the Washington State Book Award and the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award. His novel The Eagle Tree was recommended by Temple Grandin and became a national bestseller. Feature film rights to this novel have been acquired by Mariposa Pictures. He was educated at Stanford University and the Rainier Writing Workshop. He holds MA and MFA degrees. His work has appeared in national magazines literary journals and anthologies. He lives with his family in Olympia Washington.
"Every human experience is unique but
The Eagle Tree provides insight into one distinctive and uniquely important perspective. The descriptions of climbing in
The Eagle Tree get deep into the mathematical pattern-based sensory world of a person with autism. The experience of navigating a tree climb is described with mathematical and sensory detail that seems very authentic to me." -TEMPLE GRANDIN PHD author of
Thinking in Pictures and
Emergence: Labeled Autistic
"The Eagle Tree is a gorgeously written novel that features one of the most accurate finely drawn and memorable autistic protagonists in literature. The hero of the book is like a 14-year-old Walt Whitman with autism. Credible authentic powerful. A must-read." -STEVE SILBERMAN author of NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity winner of the Samuel Johnson Prize
"A wonderful read! To say that the narrator's mind is unusual would not be correct. His mind is simply and marvelously unique like yours and mine. Or rather like yours and mine could be if we lifted the eyes of our hope to the crowns of trees and listened to the voice of our neglected spirit. The Eagle Tree will remind you of the beauty and truth you may have forgotten." - Francisco X. Stork award-winning author of Marcelo in the Real World
"The Eagle Tree portrays a teenager who is believable and lovable. March the main character is a living breathing person with significant challenges who is so realistic I feel I know him. I have not enjoyed an autistic novel as much since The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. The Eagle Tree's beautifully written narrator is a real joy-March Wong is an unexpected leader who remains true to himself and prevails. This novel will leave an indelible mark on your heart." - Susan Senator New York Times featured author of Making Peace with Autism and Autism Adulthood
"To see the world through the eyes of someone else is one of reading's greatest powers. The Eagle Tree carried me with sensitivity and grace into the mind of an autistic teenage boy-one who would rather climb tall trees than meet his mother's gaze.
"In this unconventional and uplifting story the young narrator learns that a beloved ponderosa pine near his Olympia Washington home will be cut down. Panicked he gathers an unlikely group of allies to save it from destruction. He must overcome numerous barriers to convince his mother his uncle a grumpy neighbor and reluctant politicians to help him with his fight. I found myself moved by the boy's determination and awed by his resourcefulness.
"I can't recall a story that pulled me so deeply into the inner workings of its protagonist's extraordinary mind. But the novel does more than capture perfectly the unexpected and powerful voice of autism. The Eagle Tree also explores what it means to be part of a family and connected through our hearts and minds to the natural world that surrounds us." &ndash Carmen Johnson Editor Little A
