Though the title of Monroe musician Jeff Guidrys memoir sounds like something from The Colbert Report, its quite serious, and sometimes even touching. An Eagle Named Freedom (Morrow, $21.99) is a love story between man and bird. The man is guitarist who moved to the Northwest in the late 80s, became an avid eagle spotter in the Skagit Valley, then a volunteer at the Sarvey Wildlife Center near Granite Falls. He worked his way up through snarling basement raccoons to lost bear cubs and car-struck deer, but always had a thing for eagles. Then, in 1998, he found his birda female with two broken wings that he named, yes, Freedom. With photos by SW contributor Annie Marie Musselman, the book contains many other cute critters and animal rescue operations, but its also a chronicle of Guidrys battle with lymphoma. Even as Freedom was mended and domesticated, grew large and powerful, Guidry was making the rounds to all our famous cancer-treatment centers, losing his hair, and experiencing all the nasty side effects of chemotherapy. Meanwhile, Freedom became a fixture at schools and tribal ceremonies, where she and her handler, now cancer-free, continue to make regular appearances. BRIAN MILLER
Mon., May 24, 7 p.m., 2010
