Captives
The News of the World by Paulette Jiles is a terrific story. I won’t call it a fine novel, as I did not like the prose and it is yet another work that eschews quotation marks. Set in Texas post Civil War, it’s the tale of a 71-year-old man who takes the job of returning a ten-year-old girl kidnapped by Indians to her kin. Her mom, dad and baby sister were slaughtered in the raid by Kiowas. Problem is, after four years of captivity she considers herself Indian, despite the fact that she was sold back to an agent by her Indian parents. She has forgotten or buried her roots and loves the nomadic life she lived. She has the great fortunate of being in the company of a wise, benevolent caretaker who will go to any length to honor his commitment and protect her. They begin a perilous journey across the Lone Star State, where the political situation is chaotic. Along the way, the man, a combat veteran well versed in the ways of the world, including the savagery of which man is capable, continues his main job, reading articles from newspapers at welcoming venues, charging ten cents a head. Gradually a bond builds between elder and child. Suspense builds as to whether a man of his age will survive an arduous and dangerous journey. The narrative crackles with authenticity, at least it did to me, whose knowledge of the history of the area is minimal, miniscule. Highly descriptive and detailed, it seems well researched and contains unpretentious existential touches. More than ten thousand users at Amazon have rated News…, forging to a consensus of 4.6 on a scale of five. I’ll go with three. Several years after its publication, it’s still selling well. Although it’s a difficult read, it’s only 287 pages, and the paperback version I read features larger than usual print. Born in 1943, Jiles earned a degree in Romance Languages at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She lived in Canada for a while, working for the CBC. She helped set up indigenous language FM stations for local Indians. She eventually moved to San Antonio. Her Wiki profile lists 17 titles, several of them volumes of poetry. News of the World was a finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction in 2016. The author includes a note at the end of the novel. Here’s a snippet: “… They… rarely readjusted when returned to their native families. They always wished to return to their adoptive families, even when they had been with their Indian families for less than a year…” News… was adapted to film in 2020. I’ve added it to my Netflix list.
It’s never surprising when politicians sink to a new low. Trump created Operation Warp Speed and Biden is taking credit for the vaccines. Biden, or his handlers, have incited the crisis at the southern border, and they’re blaming Trump. Business as usual at the swamp.
Given the complete lack of sunshine, I knew today’s session of the floating book shop would be difficult. It was a lot tougher than expected, as there was more wind than forecast. I spent almost the entire time in the car waving to acquaintances as they passed. Fortunately, two of my regulars made the effort worthwhile. My thanks to Ira, who bought the CIA Lock Picking Manual by Central Intelligence Agency, and to young Gareth, who purchased First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently by Gallup Press and Jim Harter; The One Minute Manager by Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson; a Bible in Hebrew; How to Win at Horseracing by Robert Rowe; a Physics textbook; and two novels by John Jakes — The Bastard and The Lawless.
My Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Vic-Fortezza/e/B002M4NLJE
FB: https://www.facebook.com/Vic-Fortezza-Author-118397641564801/?fref=ts
Read Vic’s Stories, free: http://fictionaut.com/users/vic-fortezza
