The Review
Whenever I am given the opportunity to get books for free, I usually help myself. Several months ago, a colleague of mine was downsizing his stock of books that he used to teach literacy to his students. I took home with me three boxes full of books - many of which I never heard of before. When I opened these boxes at home and began to rummage through them I was excited to see that I only had a handful of titles to choose from, but multiple copies of each (this would come in handy when I want to use these in my own classroom). After sneezing my way through the dust accumulated in these boxes, I finally grabbed two books and brought them upstairs to read: The Black Pearl by Scott O'Dell and Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George.
I chose these two books, in particular, for two reasons. They had both received the Newberry Medal: an annual honor bestowed upon an author, by the American Library Association, who has distinguished themselves in American literature for children. Also, they were both children's books. Not the young children's kind, mind you: although I do enjoy those too, rather, the young adult variety. The Black Pearl was a quick and satisfying read, as it took me a few hours to complete. Then I set my focus on Julie of the Wolves.This book grabbed my attention from the very start. The character and setting, were revealed immediately, which allowed me to focus on the plot.
What facilitated my interest was the girl vs. nature conflict which the main character was experiencing as we joined her story. A girl in her early teens lost and alone on the North Slope of Alaska somewhere between Barrow and Point Hope; without food and desperate to survive: her only hope was in learning to communicate with the wolf pack she built her shelter near. Right away my mind generated a seemingly endless list of questions: What brought her to this place? Why is she alone? Why is she without food? How will she survive? etc...
Jean Craighead George did not disappoint this reader at all. This book told me so much in the span of 170 pages, more than I would have guessed. I learned much about the struggle to survive and the rhythms of life on the Arctic tundra; gained valuable insight into the customs of the Yupik Eskimos; was reminded how humans respond to the stress related to loss of identity. There were many conflicts that were brought to light in this book: individual vs. society, individual vs. themselves, culture vs. culture, person vs person, etc...
What George did well, was tell a story of a young girl who was running from something to something and got lost in the process. However, during this process she discovered something beautiful and rewarding - she learned how to communicate with nature. This not only saved her life, but broadened her understanding of the world around while reminding her of the precious quality the natural world holds.
I was very satisfied with this book; so much so that I had to write about it. I certainly do not want to tell you everything about it, as it is my hope that you will spend some time reading this classic. It deserves the honors bestowed upon it and even after 40 years it still speaks a message relevant to all of us.
-Brian
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