In his riveting first novel, If I Were an Eagle, David Hale takes us on a journey through the life of a young girl coming of age in the mountains of Tennessee. In Southern Appalachia Karen Quincy, daughter of devout, Southern Baptist parents, was a beautiful young girl, well endowed for her age, and she attracted the attention of the most popular guy in school. Her boyfriend headed off for college, leaving her behind to bear the burden of her condition all alone. Hale spins a tale of woe, for not since the Perils of Pauline has so much misfortune befallen a young damsel, in so short a time. But it was 1948, and the good folk of Karen's rural community, were either piously unyielding in their adherence to what they understood about the teachings of the Good Book, or they were too hypocritical and haughty to let on that they'd ever been anything but perfect. The plight of Karen Quincy was not unlike that of many young women in the rural south-- betrayed as much by their own carnal awakening as by the young studs and dirty old men who seduced and abused them. Worse than a scarlet letter, Karen had to endure the knowledge that she would bring shame and embarrassment to her family. David Hale skillfully weaves the details of Karen's bleak existence in this story with a foreshadowing of events to come that leaves the reader anxiously anticipating what might happen next, And that makes for a good read every time. *Book Review by Jacquelyn Brown Community Services Manager for the Knoxville News-Sentinel, where she formerly served as reporter and columnist - August 2001