October 31, 2008
William Wharton, author of Birdy, dies at 82. Not thinking of myself as a writer, he once said, gives me the freedom to be one.
You might want to subscribe to my free Substack newsletter, Ancestor Trouble, if the name makes intuitive sense to you.
![I’m grateful for this nice review in @publisherswkly, my first ever trade review. Link in bio!
[Screenshot image shows the cover of ANCESTOR TROUBLE above the beginning of the Publishers Weekly review: “Newton debuts with a masterful mix of memoir and cultural criticism that wrestles with America’s ancestry through her family’s complex past.”]](https://maudnewton.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)