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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Miyax, a Yupik girl, runs away from home after being attacked. She has to survive in the Alaskan wilderness, using the skills her father has taught her and with assistance from a wolf pack.
I did enjoy some of the aspects of the story. The feel of the landscape and how the animals interacted was there, which is something I look for in survival stories. I liked the change between the names Julie and Miyax in the narration depending on her current situation. Some of the thoughts on animal behaviour were dated, but I'd hope no one would use this as a natural history guide anyway.
However, the descriptions of Miyax/Julie's culture and herself were often exoticised or laced with unfortunate implications. An example was the description of Miyax's looks. It's said she's an "Eskimo beauty", which comes with the implication of "pretty for an Eskimo". Not properly pretty, like a Northern European. Add in her thinking she looked more beautiful when she was starving, because her face was thin like a European. Even when she changes her attitudes towards Europeans, she doesn't start to think of herself as beautiful.
When Miyax decides to embrace Yupik traditions, she does so in a very black-and-white way. The real world isn't as simplistic as traditional is good and modern is bad. Someone can hunt in traditional ways and enjoy chocolate cake. They can travel on foot and carry a phone. I wasn't comfortable with the vibe that the only way to connect with her culture was to exist in the past, as it ignores the modern reality of Yupik people.
There's also the issue that Miyax's husband from an arranged marriage is non-neurotypical and ends up trying to rape her (the attack that leads her to run away). Non-neurotypical people are often portrayed as violent in books, but are more likely to be the victims of violence for real. It's not a good trope to be reinforcing.
I couldn't get away from how much like an outsider's view the story read. With the added helping of the attempted rape scene, I didn't enjoy it very much.
Review from: http://blog.polenthblake.com/2015/01/julie-of-the-wolves-jean-craighead-george/
I did enjoy some of the aspects of the story. The feel of the landscape and how the animals interacted was there, which is something I look for in survival stories. I liked the change between the names Julie and Miyax in the narration depending on her current situation. Some of the thoughts on animal behaviour were dated, but I'd hope no one would use this as a natural history guide anyway.
However, the descriptions of Miyax/Julie's culture and herself were often exoticised or laced with unfortunate implications. An example was the description of Miyax's looks. It's said she's an "Eskimo beauty", which comes with the implication of "pretty for an Eskimo". Not properly pretty, like a Northern European. Add in her thinking she looked more beautiful when she was starving, because her face was thin like a European. Even when she changes her attitudes towards Europeans, she doesn't start to think of herself as beautiful.
When Miyax decides to embrace Yupik traditions, she does so in a very black-and-white way. The real world isn't as simplistic as traditional is good and modern is bad. Someone can hunt in traditional ways and enjoy chocolate cake. They can travel on foot and carry a phone. I wasn't comfortable with the vibe that the only way to connect with her culture was to exist in the past, as it ignores the modern reality of Yupik people.
There's also the issue that Miyax's husband from an arranged marriage is non-neurotypical and ends up trying to rape her (the attack that leads her to run away). Non-neurotypical people are often portrayed as violent in books, but are more likely to be the victims of violence for real. It's not a good trope to be reinforcing.
I couldn't get away from how much like an outsider's view the story read. With the added helping of the attempted rape scene, I didn't enjoy it very much.
Review from: http://blog.polenthblake.com/2015/01/julie-of-the-wolves-jean-craighead-george/
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
When I was in grammar school, this is not a book I would EVER have chosen to read. I doubt I would have appreciated it as I do as an adult.
A tip of the hat to my son's fourth grade teacher for reading this to the class.
A tip of the hat to my son's fourth grade teacher for reading this to the class.
3 ⭐
tengo una relación de amor-odio con este libro: por una parte, me ha gustado la moraleja que tiene y las cosas sobre las que te hace pensar. pero también hay que decir que algunas partes se hacen un poco aburridas de leer, sobre todo el principio
tengo una relación de amor-odio con este libro: por una parte, me ha gustado la moraleja que tiene y las cosas sobre las que te hace pensar. pero también hay que decir que algunas partes se hacen un poco aburridas de leer, sobre todo el principio
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
Incredible read! It was great getting to revisit this book after years. I am eager to continue on with Julie’s story! This book really tugged at my heart strings. Very good and fast read!