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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism, Toxic relationship
I read this at Amy's suggestion for her summer reading list. I did not really know what I was starting but it was a fascinating story about moments from Gary Paulson's life. It was so interesting to see how his expirences have played so much into his stories. It was written from an interesting perspective that I think normally would bother me but for some reason, in this book it worked.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
This memoir of Gary's Paulsen's younger years was amazing and heartbreaking and hopeful. I've loved Gary Paulsen books since I first read Hatchet as a young adult. I had no clue at the time what a tumultuous childhood he had. Knowing now the hardships he faced and how utterly stacked against him the odds were that he would amount to anything, I am amazed with him. What a fabulous story of perseverance and how life changing one single person can be to a child's life - in this case, a librarian.
adventurous
informative
reflective
slow-paced
This newest memoir by Gary Paulsen is wonderfully written and brings the reader right into the difficult situations in which he grew up. It's promoted as middle grade, but I'm more inclined to consider it borderline young adult due to the often grim and sometimes mature content. It tells his story from age five when he spent a summer on a Minnesota farm with his aunt and uncle through mostly surviving on his own as a teen and ends shortly after he joined the army at age seventeen. I thoroughly enjoyed the descriptions of his daily life with his aunt and uncle and the time he spent alone in the wilderness. The descriptions of his time in Manila and any time spent with his mother were tougher. If you're a Paulsen fan, I think this will be well worth the read to see some of the real-life inspiration for many of his stories and characters.
*I received a free electronic copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review.
*I received a free electronic copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review.
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Paulsen is a great writer, no doubt about that, but I don't think this is his best work. It feels very nostalgic and a little disjointed- slightly more structure than stream of consciousness. In talking with a friend who had listened to the audio book- we both agreed that there was also lots of repetition- both in phrases that the author would use over and over as well as in stories or parts of stories that would get repeated throughout the book usually as memories the boy is having. I still enjoyed the book, it just wasn't what I was expecting. Because of some of the intense content, I would give this to middle school kids and up.
Gone to the Woods: Surviving a Lost Childhood is a memoir about author Gary Paulsen and different periods of his life. The beginning is a dark and neglectful time where his alcoholic mother brings him to bars to sing for his meals and act as an attraction to draw men to her. When extended family intervenes, Gary goes to spend time with his aunt and uncle in the woods, where readers familiar with Paulsen's work will see where many of his stories are derived and a time of happiness. Happiness is short-lived when Paulsen and his mother to Manilla are off to Manilla when summoned by his soldier father based there. Here, Gary witnesses the horrors of a war-torn country and the toxic alcoholic relationship between his parents, leaving him to fend for himself. Despite the horrific environment, it is here where he finds hope in the library and a librarian who sets him off on a path of reading and writing until he eventually realizes the army is his way out of despair and poverty.
Gone to the Woods: Surviving a Lost Childhood is appropriately named considering the neglect and abuse Gray Paulsen suffered growing up. For fans of the Hatchet series, readers will discover a deeper insight into those survivor stories, but at the cost of the details of neglect and dysfunctional relationships shared. Some readers may not be emotionally ready to experience some of these details, and for others, it may act as a trigger. Once again, the library provides a safe space, and the librarian acts as a mentor and a caregiver. It often is the most vulnerable that are the most affected by the loss of these places and roles.
Dan Bittner has the tough task of sharing the harrowing lows without making the story too depressing and does a remarkable job. Another narrator to add to my growing list.
Gone to the Woods: Surviving a Lost Childhood is appropriately named considering the neglect and abuse Gray Paulsen suffered growing up. For fans of the Hatchet series, readers will discover a deeper insight into those survivor stories, but at the cost of the details of neglect and dysfunctional relationships shared. Some readers may not be emotionally ready to experience some of these details, and for others, it may act as a trigger. Once again, the library provides a safe space, and the librarian acts as a mentor and a caregiver. It often is the most vulnerable that are the most affected by the loss of these places and roles.
Dan Bittner has the tough task of sharing the harrowing lows without making the story too depressing and does a remarkable job. Another narrator to add to my growing list.
This felt a little disjointed to me, but Paulsen’s memoir shows some of the turning points in his extremely difficult childhood. It is heart wrenching to think about what he experienced and what shaped him into the man he became.