"Raised in rural England before the internet era, Ben Crane grew up in the midst of wild things, with hawks and other predatory birds alive in his mind (and woods and fields) as symbols of a kind of self-possessed, solitary power. He spent time with them, knew them, and loved them. But as he grew into adulthood, situations that may seem to us natural, or even comforting, were for him challenging: he found it difficult to be around other people and to read social cues, sometimes retreating in fear or lashing out in misunderstanding. He was recognized as autistic. When Crane became a father, these challenges became unbearable, and he fled to isolation. Birds--specifically hawks--brought him back. In this artfully written memoir, we learn first about the history and practice of falconry, a beautiful and brutal partnership between humans and birds that goes back thousands of years. As the chapters unfold, the details of Crane's personal story are revealed, and we begin to understand how Crane found solace and insight via his relationships with these animals. "I saw that my feelings towards nature, and birds of prey in particular, ran in parallel with my feelings for my son," Crane writes. "I worked out that they were, in fact, two sides of the same coin--the deep love of one could, with gentle observation, inform and unlock the deep love for the other...Perhaps this then is the central theme of my story.""-- Provided by publisher.
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