Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

It’s certainly no secret that I manage way more audio than print books these days; up until now, however, I’ve been holding out on Newberys, feeling like I should read them the ‘old fashioned way.’ A week or so ago, however, I faced the realization that I’m not going to get through them that way. I haven’t given up on my Newbery goal, but there are so many other books that I want to read–and so many other books that my KIDS want to read and I want to therefore familiarize myself with–that if I don’t utilize audio where I can, I’m never going to make it. This week, therefore, I listened to my first Newbery–William O. Steele’s The Perilous Road. It’s a Honor book from 1959, which is encouraging–it means that at least some of the older Honor books will be available in audio. (Medal books tend to stay fairly available, but the older Honor books are hit and miss. Of course, the really old ones are from the 20s and 30s, and I have my doubts about what I’ll find there…)

Anyway. The Perilous Road isn’t long, and there’s a decent chance that I would have gotten to it already if it weren’t about the Civil War. (Have I mentioned lately how much I DON’T enjoy reading about the Civil War? Because it’s pretty much my least favorite time period in American history.) It was available to borrow right away, however, and so I jumped right in–and I actually quite enjoyed it. I mean, yes, Chris witnesses a battle, and that’s awful in the way such things usually are, but third person–especially the third person style from the 1950s and 60s–gives you a bit more distance (more of a buffer, really) than first person, and I really liked how Steele showed Chris’s mental and emotional journey. We’re often very black and white in our thinking when we’re young, and Chris’s hatred for the ‘Yanks,’ his attempts to prove his southern loyalty, and his harsh introduction into greater emotional maturity and a more adult mentality all ring true. This is a story that makes you think, and I had more empathy for Chris than I expected to, being a Yankee myself. It’s also a story with lilting dialect and enough action to engage today’s readers, especially the boys. I’m pondering purchasing this one.