William Wharton "Birdman"

Author: William Wharton Title: Birdy Original title: Birdy Genre: Novel Medical theme: Mental illness Year of first publication: 1978 Description: Wharton’s *Birdy* is a novel about friendship and madness, told through two parallel narratives. Two childhood friends—an extraordinary boy nicknamed Birdy and Al, the son of Italian immigrants in the U.S.—meet again after several years apart. The first is a patient in a psychiatric hospital; the second, a young World War II veteran, comes to visit him in the secure ward to find out what has become of him. He discovers that there is no logical way to communicate with his friend, so he tries to find a way into his mind and memories by recounting their shared childhood adventures. The title character’s passion and fascination with canaries leads to an obsession with becoming a bird. Ptasiek blurs the line between reality and his imagination, while the reader, thanks to the opportunity to delve into the young man’s mind, discovers the world of his wild fantasy. The book showcases the beauty of childhood friendship in a small American town; it is a celebration of the imagination, which can protect against the evils of the world, warns against the inhuman cruelty of war, and poses difficult questions about the boundaries of normality and madness. I highly recommend it to lovers of psychology and canaries.