Before pigeons were condemned by modern sensibilities as “rats with wings,” they were the unsung foot soldiers of human communication and warfare. Julius Caesar conquered Gaul using pigeons as his emissaries during invasions. Mongol emperor Genghis Khan established pigeon posts across the empire to bridge the vast distances between Asia and eastern Europe.
Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey (Penguin Books), Rooney’s fourth novel, soars as a fictionalized account of a major WWI battle, the Meuse-Argonne offensive, in which American forces were trapped behind enemy lines in France and suffered friendly fire. It’s not your typical war novel—half the story is narrated by the real-life British-born homing pigeon, Cher Ami, whose message saved the lives of 194 American soldiers, known as the Lost Battalion.
Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey isn’t Rooney’s first work inspired by real people and places. Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk‘s octogenarian protagonist was inspired by the story of 1930s advertising copywriter Margaret Fishback, O, Democracy! draws from Rooney’s experiences working for Senator Dick Durbin, and The Listening Room is a novel about artist René Magritte told from the perspective of his wife and Pomeranian dogs.
