The Birds of Concho

"The Birds of Concho," is a trilogy about a small town in Apache County, Arizona, where Kareena Maxwell finds stories in the unseen worlds of humans and nature. "The Birds of Concho," begins with "Finding Juanito," and ends with, "The Year of the Shaman." The in-between book, "Meth Moon: To Hell & Back," is where the use of meth is explored by people who would have otherwise led good lives. In the trilogy, loss of family and the good nature of a shaman, who sacrifices herself so others may heal, is pervasive. Maxwell's other novels have included the struggles of homeless women, an American anthropologist, a broken marriage from drugs, and dementia. Maxwell is a journalist with a poet's heart; she gets the facts then finds the characters. She moved to Arizona from New York City with her husband where they live in a World War II style Quonset-hut.