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A review by kmcneil
The Cay by Theodore Taylor
4.0
I had read this book in 5th or 6th grade and remembered loving it. I read it again a month or so ago and just finished reading it with my 10 year old, who also really enjoyed it. This is the story of a young American boy, Phillip, living on the island of Curacao during WWII. As he and his mother flee the island to go back to the safety of America, their boat is torpedoed and he ends up on a raft with Timothy, a large black West Indian man and a cat named Stew Cat. Phillip is blinded and must rely on Timothy for everything. They miraculously reach a small cay in the Devil's Mouth of the Caribbean and must figure out a way to survive. Timothy teaches Phillip to become self reliant, despite his blindness. A hurricane hits the tiny cay and the results are disastrous.
On the surface, this is somewhat of an adventure story. Underneath is the story of a young boy learning about humanity, black vs. white, and about growing up. My son could not believe how poorly Phillip spoke about Timothy at the start of the book, until I reminded him that this story took place well before Martin Luther King, Jr. Race had to have been a theme for the author as this book was published in the late 1960s.
I loved this story again as an adult. I held my breath, I cried, I rejoiced. And I loved it because it is still relevant and still a great story for today's youth - or at least for my son.
On the surface, this is somewhat of an adventure story. Underneath is the story of a young boy learning about humanity, black vs. white, and about growing up. My son could not believe how poorly Phillip spoke about Timothy at the start of the book, until I reminded him that this story took place well before Martin Luther King, Jr. Race had to have been a theme for the author as this book was published in the late 1960s.
I loved this story again as an adult. I held my breath, I cried, I rejoiced. And I loved it because it is still relevant and still a great story for today's youth - or at least for my son.