You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
This book was very interesting! Since reading Gary Paulsen's book 'Hatchet' in elementary school, I've thought about it constantly. The survival of that character left a lasting impact on me, the same way I think Gary Paulsen's memoir will.
Paulsen lived a rough and honestly, a crazy life. The amount of learning and self teaching he did is mind blowing and it was awesome to learn so much about his childhood and teenage years.
It took me a while to get used to the writing in this book, since it was written in third person. Once I did though, I flew through it in one sitting and now all I want to do is read the rest of the author's survival stories.
Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, and NetGalley for providing me with an eBook copy to review
Paulsen lived a rough and honestly, a crazy life. The amount of learning and self teaching he did is mind blowing and it was awesome to learn so much about his childhood and teenage years.
It took me a while to get used to the writing in this book, since it was written in third person. Once I did though, I flew through it in one sitting and now all I want to do is read the rest of the author's survival stories.
Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, and NetGalley for providing me with an eBook copy to review
Reviewing for School Library Journal. Reads very close to his fictional Hatchet series so a great way to introduce kids to biographies.
I’ve always loved the gritty survival stories that the author wrote. And now I understand that they are built on an early life of survival from neglect, and abuse. What a life he’s lived.
YA or adult, not middle grade. Tell your middle grade readers to read all his other books first.
That said, this is an amazing book; an amazing life. The part where he's saved by the library and the librarian and the early part where he lives with Edy and Sig are the only soft, sweet parts of the book. And that makes all the other hard parts so hard. So very hard to read, much less to have lived through.
Thank goodness for that librarian, who unlocked the writer we've known all these years. The writer who has given readers so much.
That said, this is an amazing book; an amazing life. The part where he's saved by the library and the librarian and the early part where he lives with Edy and Sig are the only soft, sweet parts of the book. And that makes all the other hard parts so hard. So very hard to read, much less to have lived through.
Thank goodness for that librarian, who unlocked the writer we've known all these years. The writer who has given readers so much.
2021 Expand Your Horizons: A book recommended by a friend
As I was reading this I was floored that as a 5 year old Gary/"the boy" travelled alone states away to live with family. Family that was a respite, far too short lived. Prevailing and enduring more than his fair share of bad luck, bad parenting, bad circumstances to become the much loved author we enjoy today. Drawing from a life full of experiences to build "word pictures" in the form of books for generations of readers to enjoy. #librariansdosavelives
As I was reading this I was floored that as a 5 year old Gary/"the boy" travelled alone states away to live with family. Family that was a respite, far too short lived. Prevailing and enduring more than his fair share of bad luck, bad parenting, bad circumstances to become the much loved author we enjoy today. Drawing from a life full of experiences to build "word pictures" in the form of books for generations of readers to enjoy. #librariansdosavelives
I had no idea how much Gary Paulsen drew upon his own experiences in the woods to write his books. This book is written in 3rd person and tells the story of when he goes to live with relatives (about age 5) until he joins the Army. The woods became a sanctuary and refuge from his home life. I was surprised and delighted to learn of the influence a public librarian had on his life in his becoming a reader, but also by encouraging him to write his own story down. This book was beautiful and heart wrenching all at once.
This is easily one of my favorite memoirs in the past few years of reading. Stories are such an integral part of our lives, and the power in those stories constantly humbles and amazes me.
Beloved American author Gary Paulsen writes his coming of age story with all the straightforward gruffness I was expecting, and it's beautiful. Gary writes the younger version of himself in a nostalgic third person, and recounts the tale of how he was cast into an unforgiving world at a scarily early age. He was a true Lost Boy, searching for a place to belong.
His love for nature and storytelling unfold throughout the pages, giving an intimate look into the time he spent with his aunt and uncle, the first people who truly gave him a home and a purpose in life, who taught him skills and showed him love.
Later on, his introduction to reading, facilitated by a compassionate librarian, opened his world even further and gave him an outlet to escape the stresses of being thrust into adulthood far too soon.
Having had the pleasure of meeting and teaching alongside Gary Paulsen years ago, I was eager to read this memoir and get a further glimpse into his life and his passion for nature and writing. I knew it would be impactful, and I was not disappointed in the least.
Beloved American author Gary Paulsen writes his coming of age story with all the straightforward gruffness I was expecting, and it's beautiful. Gary writes the younger version of himself in a nostalgic third person, and recounts the tale of how he was cast into an unforgiving world at a scarily early age. He was a true Lost Boy, searching for a place to belong.
His love for nature and storytelling unfold throughout the pages, giving an intimate look into the time he spent with his aunt and uncle, the first people who truly gave him a home and a purpose in life, who taught him skills and showed him love.
Later on, his introduction to reading, facilitated by a compassionate librarian, opened his world even further and gave him an outlet to escape the stresses of being thrust into adulthood far too soon.
Having had the pleasure of meeting and teaching alongside Gary Paulsen years ago, I was eager to read this memoir and get a further glimpse into his life and his passion for nature and writing. I knew it would be impactful, and I was not disappointed in the least.
This is such a wonderfully beautiful memoir that will appeal to the hearts and minds of so many who have "lost childhoods." Gary Paulsen is a national treasure.
I am not a fan of the choppy sentence structure that Paulsen uses, but I love the stories he tells.
It is hard to believe that people like Gary had to endure so many hardships as a young boy. He certainly lived a colorful life.