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There are currently 21 member reviews
for An Eagle Named Freedom
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Jerry P. (Santa Rosa, CA)
An Eagle Named Freedom
I admit I am biased about this book since I am a volunteer board member of a wildlife center having a similar mission as the wildlife center named in the book.
What an inspirational story! I found An Eagle Named Freedom to be a love story between a man and a bald eagle. It is clearly written and about 200 pages. I doubt if I will ever forget Jeff Guidry's metaphor, "...cold ball of fear in my belly..." when he was diagnosed as having stage 3 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. I was touched about many of the episodes in the book such as the first time Freedom, a mature eagle, embraced him with both wings when Guidry was undergoing the agonies of chemotherapy.
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Carol P. (Mendham, NJ)
Moving tribute
When I first received this book and read the preface I had tears in my eyes. A beautiful eagle saved by a wildlife enthusiast who then is diagnosed with non Hodgkin's lymphoma. I couldn't wait to open the book and in fact I finished in one evening. I was very interested in the Sarvey Wildlife Care Center where the author volunteered and especially the commitment made by these caring individuals to help so many displaced or injured creatures. Freedom the Eagle's successful recovery was a true testament of the success of these wildlife centers. The author's struggle with his disease and his bond with Freedom brought richness to the story. After reading the book I felt disappointed that it did not tug on my heart strings as I had initially expected. Good read however as there were many rescues with happy endings for both the author Jeff and our wildlife friends. If you are an animal lover this book is for you.
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Sharon A. (Gainesville, FL)
For Animal Lovers
Animal lovers will really enjoy getting a look at the inner workings of a wildlife center and the interesting and wonderful work they do that we do not hear about. The antics of the animals will make you laugh and cry. The author's true story of his volunteer work, his remarkable relationship with Freedom (an American bald eagle) and the impact of that work on his personal life was an enjoyable read. Those who like animal stories will find this to be an easy read.
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Andrea L. (Cottonwood Heights, UT)
Wonderful story of the healing potential of animals
This memoir is a plainly written account of a man and his relationship with a rescued eagle. The central message is one of mutual healing through the special relationships humans can forge with our animal brethren, combined with conservation of land and wildlife, and respect for the wild.
This book is well and simply written, but slightly disorienting as it flips back and forth from the author's illness, Freedom's struggles, and various volunteers and animals at the rescue center. It will be appreciated by animal lovers and nature enthusiasts, and there really are some interesting factoids regarding wild animals and how rescue centers help rehabilitate and care for them.
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Lauran L. (Orange, CA)
Mitakuye oyasin
The book ends with a Lakota prayer that means "I will live with all my relations" including the ones that fly, the creepy crawlies, our 2 and 4 legged friends, the ones that swim, the earth that we live on. This sums up the theme of "An Eagle named Freedom" well. This book will appeal to anyone who loves human/animal stories, such as "Wesley the Owl", "The Good Good Pig", "Homer's Odyssey", etc.
The book was very heartwarming, enjoyable, an easy read and I'm glad I read it. But it was a little light so not top on my list of books in this genre. I would've preferred better writing, more animal fact & lore and more of the animal/animal/human relationship. It seemed to gloss over all.
But I do want to research volunteering at a Wildlife Sanctuary in my area (if there is one) and for that reason I think the author would say the book is a huge success.
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Joan B. (Ellicott City, MD)
AN EAGLE NAMED FREEDOM
In this day, many families are far too close to battles with cancer. Jeff had more than his fair share of contact with this debilitating disease. For me, the pain of dealing with illness over rode the pleasure of helping rehabilitate wild animals.
That being said, the anecdotes of rehabilitating injured wildlife were interesting. I was interested in Sarvey Wildlife Center and its mission. The book pulled me in two different directions and made my read limp along rather that soar like an eagle.
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Kato G. (Asheville, NC)
An Eagle Named Freedom
You can learn a lot about non-Hodgkins lymphoma by reading this book but not much about eagles. At least half the book is devoted to the author's course of treatment for this disease. Throughout the book animals are anthropomorphized. An example: "I found myself screaming at my deer brother. "Why why why!!! Goddamn it, I told you to be careful!!" Animals aren't referred to as animals but are called"the wild ones". Overall I found the book to be poorly written and self centered.
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