Ned Hayes holds an MFA in creative writing from the Rainier Writing Workshop at Pacific Lutheran University. His historical novel, Sinful Folk, was nominated for the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award. The Eagle Tree is based on his past experience working with children on the autistic spectrum and on family and friends he knows and loves. Hayes lives in Olympia, Washington, with his wife and children.
“Every human experience is unique, but The Eagle Tree provides
insight into one distinctive and uniquely important perspective.
The descriptions in climbing the Eagle Tree gets deep into the
mathematical pattern—based sensory world of a person with autism.
The experience of navigating a tree climb is described in detail
with mathematical and sensory detail that seems very authentic to
me.” —Temple Grandin, Ph.D., 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
fourteen-year-old Walt Whitman with autism, seeking communion with
the ancient magnificent beings that tower over the landscape around
Olympia, Washington. Ned Hayes plays with the conventions of the
unreliable narrator so that you end up feeling like March is a very
reliable narrator of glorious and terrifying aspects of the world
that neurotypicals can’t see. Credible, authentic, powerful. A
must-read.” —Steve Silberman, author of NeuroTribes: The Legacy of
Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity and winner of the Samuel
Johnson Prize for non-fiction.
“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 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 that 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. The Eagle Tree will leave
an indelible mark on your heart.” —Susan Senator, New York Times
featured author of Making Peace with Autism and Autism Adulthood
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