Where the Red Fern Grows

[Swamp_Yankee]

Who remembers reading this book in school?  My oldest daughter is nine and an avid reader who consumes books the way other kids consume food-I'm pretty sure our family's picture is hanging in the Hunterdon County Library Clinton Branch with "WANTED" stamped across it because she takes out so many books at a time that its hard to keep track and some always get returned late.  She reads at a high school level at this point so her repertoire is pretty wide, but I had been reminded of Where the Red Fern Grows for some reason recently (even though I hadn't read it since middle school) and I suggested it to her.  I only remembered bits and pieces of it and we enjoyed talking about it as she got into it, so I decided to read it again in its entirety.  If you haven't heard of this book, or have and haven't read it, you need to. 

It's a story that when I was 12 or 13 years old and reading it, I wished that I could have lived it-roaming the Ozarks as a young boy around the turn of the 20th century, hunting racoons with a pair of hounds, and having plenty of adventures along the way that couldn't happen in today's world.  Like how Billy walks 20 miles to town, camping overnight on the way, to pick up his dogs from the train depot, without telling his parents where he was going!  To a middle school boy like myself at the time, who loved hunting and the outdoors, every aspect of the story was pure excitement.  Another neat aspect of the book is the fact that Wilson Rawls, the author, based much of it on his own boyhood growing up in the Ozark Mountains in the nineteen-teens and twenties.  He was not a professional author and having never attended formal school, his first manuscript was rife with spelling and punctuation errors, but the story was solid.  He nearly destroyed it, but his wife, who was formally educated encouraged and helped him rewrite it and it became an instant classic.  He only ever wrote one other book, "Summer of the Monkeys" about a troupe of Monkeys that escape from a wrecked circus train and a young boy's efforts to catch them.  

 

 

*SPOILER ALERT*

 

 

Of course when she was less than halfway through the book she begged me to tell her whether Old Dan or Little Ann would die at the end, but I told her she would just need to find out for herself.  One night when my wife and I were watching the news she came bounding downstairs, devastated and bawling.  My heart broke for her but she seemed to get the hopeful message at the end.  I'll freely admit that upon re-reading the book and finishing it last night, I cried as much as I did in middle school when Old Dan's friendly grey eyes closed forever, and when Little Ann, with the last ounce of strength in her body, dragged herself to the grave of Old Dan and died.  

Edited October 18, 2020 by Swamp_Yankee

[Kype]

@Kype’sWife

 

[Septicdude]

I have this on DVD and both my.kids (6 and 3 yrs old) love this movie.  Great movie, havent read the book but I might have to now.  If you havent seen the movie it's a good watch. 

[Integracingsr]

I remember how much I loved this book as a young boy and now that I have two young boys, you’ve encouraged me to add this one to my book shelf for me to give another read and for them to read someday. Absolute classic!

[Swamp_Yankee]

5 minutes ago, Septicdude said:

I have this on DVD and both my.kids (6 and 3 yrs old) love this movie.  Great movie, havent read the book but I might have to now.  If you havent seen the movie it's a good watch. 

Definitely read it-its quick, less than 300 pages-the coon hunt scenes are fast paced and very exciting.  I read that there was a movie-definitely going to have to watch it soon.  I think Kris Kristofferson is in it?

1 minute ago, Integracingsr said:

I remember how much I loved this book as a young boy and now that I have two young boys, you’ve encouraged me to add this one to my book shelf for me to give another read and for them to read someday. Absolute classic!

It's almost like I forgot about it for the last 23 years or so.  I honestly don't know what made me think of it recently but I'm glad I did.  

[Woodsman416]

My three favorite books as a kid:

-Where the Red Fern Grows

-My Side of the Mountain

-The Pond

[Sharpdogs]

Great book.  My son is 10 and read it last summer.

[Hanky]

Can’t count how many times I read that book as a boy, Little Ann and Big Dan. 

[FLDBRED-BDC]

All time favorite, that and Call of The Wild.