The Call of the Wild

I first read this book in 5th grade...my teacher gave it to me at the end of the school year as a present, saying he thought I would really like it. He gave the other girls the fancy ribbon barrettes that were in style at the time, and I was pretty PO'd that I got a BOOK instead of barrettes. But I read it over the summer and I loved it, a haunting story that really pulls you right into the thoughts and actions of Buck. When you think "this is a story from a dog's point of view", it sounds weird, but you have to read the book to see that it comes across so naturally, it kinda transcends species! Timeless, too...even though this book is a century old, it still reads easily and beautifully and pulls you into the harsh weather and desperation of the Alaska gold rush. I haven't read this book in 30 years, but I have always had a soft spot for it due to the circumstances that I first received it, and I found that I still enjoyed it quite a bit, and stayed up late reading it as I forgot how it ended. It also made me give my doggie a hug! Thanks, Mr. Beer, for giving me the life long gift of appreciation of a good book rather than some silly old hair barrettes!

I can't believe I've gone this long without reading this. It's a book that transports you into a past where fortunes are made and lost in the wilderness. I think the book reveals more about the time period than it would have had the protagonist been human. That said, the work is colored by the author's view of the world which can be somewhat offensive by today's standards especially concerning matters of race.

I hadn't read this since I was 8. I read and reread it back then, obsessed with the tale of the indomitable Buck, and his love of John Thortin,and the wild instincts that overtook him. Nature,in all its brutality,is still a beautiful mystery,and I found a love for this story tonight that touched me on an even deeper level, a more inherently masculine level ,than I found as a boy. Elemental. Gutteral.