Hello again, Jared.
After what happened with Tracker, I was a little wary about reading more by Mr. Paulsen, but this book has done a lot to alleviate that.
Title: Dogsong
Author: Gary Paulsen
Genre: Fiction
Audience: Teen
ROTS Setting: CU, the Arctic, Survival
Synopsis: Something is bothering Russel Susskit. He hates waking up to the sound of his father’s coughing, the smell of diesel oil, the noise of snow machines starting up. Only Oogruk, the shaman who owns the last team of dogs in the village, understands Russel’s longing for the old ways and the songs that celebrated them. But Oogruk cannot give Russel the answers he seeks; the old man can only prepare him for what he must do alone. Driven by a strange, powerful dream of a long-ago self and by a burning desire to find his own song, Russel takes Oogruk’s dogs on an epic journey of self-discovery that will change his life forever.
Recommendation: This book is recommended for teens.
The story focuses on a young Inuit boy, 14 yrs old, trying to reconcile his feelings about the increasingly modern life of his people. He seeks the help and wisdom of one of the eldest people in his village and sets out to understand what is an all but lost way of life.
I loved the whole thing. Yep, everything. loved it all……Ok, maybe the ending was a bit abrupt but that was entirely intentional. I loved this glimpse at a life and culture so very different from what I’ve seen or experience. Just the basic tools of survival caught my attention.
For me, the moral of the story was that a simpler life isn’t an inferior life. There can be profound meaning in simple things.
Not much else to say.
Robert
LINKS
Reading Over The Shoulder 