I heard about the book Hatchet by Gary Paulsen from two reliable sources. First, Nancy Pearl recommended it in her book of book recommendations, Book Lust, in the Adventure Stories – Fiction section. The second source was the list of manly adventure books from the website The Art of Manliness (http://artofmanliness.com/). I had already read about 20 books from that list. They also had a list of manly books in general from which I had read around 10 books. Pearl described Hatchet as a book for teenagers and young adults but that all adults would enjoy it. I took her word and the manly list compilers’ word and they were both right. It’s a book for young adults but I still enjoyed it.
The book is about a boy, Brian, who lives alone for a while in the Canadian wilderness after crashing en route by plane to visit his father. With his parents’ recent divorce, his life is already complicated. He flies in a small bush plane with just enough room for himself and the pilot. There’s no security check before boarding and that’s a good thing because on his belt Brian is wearing a hatchet that his mother gave him. This hatchet turns out of be crucial for his survival.
Though it is fiction, this tale of survival seems very realistic. As the reader I felt like I was learning to survive right along with Brian. First he has to recover from his injuries from the crash, then find water, then food and shelter, fire, the basics. He has to figure out the best the way to do things through trial and error. Sometimes his errors lead to setbacks and almost prove fatal in at least one instance. There’s also the beauty and quiet of the forest. Brian eventually develops instincts that tell him when things might be dangerous or when things may yield a reward such as food. There’s also the isolation and hope of being rescued that he eventually learns not to depend on. Instead he develops a “tough hope” of survival. He does go through many changes in outlook. Most of the story takes place during the summer months and the book concedes that he probably would have had a much harder time in the winter.
I could tell right away that the book was primarily for teens and young adults. The sentences are shorter and there’s some repetition to emphasize main points and Brian’s important thoughts. The book is less than 200 pages long and has fairly large type, though I don’t think it’s a “blind edition”. Paulsen does a good job writing from Brian’s 13-year-old point of view. There are a few intense moments and sometimes I wondered how someone so young could figure out so much about survival and put in all the work: getting food, building a shelter, etc. But maybe I underestimate the young. The book won a Newberry Honor award that’s only given to books for children and youth. It does touch on some complicated themes: divorce of parents, hope, self-reliance. But I believe it explores them in a way that young people can understand.
Incidentally, when I opened the book I found it had a bookmark already in it: a pink and orange bookmark with an ad for the Nintendo DS video game Super Tuff Pink Puff with a picture of the character Kirby Super Star Ultra. That’s kind of ironic for video game to make bookmarks, almost contradictory.
I wish I had read the book 22-23 years ago when it first came out but I guess it took a book of recommendations and a manly top 100 list to bring it to my attention. I think back then I was more interested in reading books to get ahead in schoolwork rather than reading for pleasure and insight. Too bad, but I think I have the insight to appreciate it more now. Paulsen went on the write a series of books about Brian. Maybe I’ll check them out sometime. I could relate to the book because I used to live in Juneau, Alaska, though I was in town and not surviving on my own. I don’t think I’d want to find myself in a situation like Brian. But at least I know if I do, it could survivable with the right attitude and tools. Too bad we can’t bring hatchets on planes as carry on.
The book is about a boy, Brian, who lives alone for a while in the Canadian wilderness after crashing en route by plane to visit his father. With his parents’ recent divorce, his life is already complicated. He flies in a small bush plane with just enough room for himself and the pilot. There’s no security check before boarding and that’s a good thing because on his belt Brian is wearing a hatchet that his mother gave him. This hatchet turns out of be crucial for his survival.
Though it is fiction, this tale of survival seems very realistic. As the reader I felt like I was learning to survive right along with Brian. First he has to recover from his injuries from the crash, then find water, then food and shelter, fire, the basics. He has to figure out the best the way to do things through trial and error. Sometimes his errors lead to setbacks and almost prove fatal in at least one instance. There’s also the beauty and quiet of the forest. Brian eventually develops instincts that tell him when things might be dangerous or when things may yield a reward such as food. There’s also the isolation and hope of being rescued that he eventually learns not to depend on. Instead he develops a “tough hope” of survival. He does go through many changes in outlook. Most of the story takes place during the summer months and the book concedes that he probably would have had a much harder time in the winter.
I could tell right away that the book was primarily for teens and young adults. The sentences are shorter and there’s some repetition to emphasize main points and Brian’s important thoughts. The book is less than 200 pages long and has fairly large type, though I don’t think it’s a “blind edition”. Paulsen does a good job writing from Brian’s 13-year-old point of view. There are a few intense moments and sometimes I wondered how someone so young could figure out so much about survival and put in all the work: getting food, building a shelter, etc. But maybe I underestimate the young. The book won a Newberry Honor award that’s only given to books for children and youth. It does touch on some complicated themes: divorce of parents, hope, self-reliance. But I believe it explores them in a way that young people can understand.
Incidentally, when I opened the book I found it had a bookmark already in it: a pink and orange bookmark with an ad for the Nintendo DS video game Super Tuff Pink Puff with a picture of the character Kirby Super Star Ultra. That’s kind of ironic for video game to make bookmarks, almost contradictory.
I wish I had read the book 22-23 years ago when it first came out but I guess it took a book of recommendations and a manly top 100 list to bring it to my attention. I think back then I was more interested in reading books to get ahead in schoolwork rather than reading for pleasure and insight. Too bad, but I think I have the insight to appreciate it more now. Paulsen went on the write a series of books about Brian. Maybe I’ll check them out sometime. I could relate to the book because I used to live in Juneau, Alaska, though I was in town and not surviving on my own. I don’t think I’d want to find myself in a situation like Brian. But at least I know if I do, it could survivable with the right attitude and tools. Too bad we can’t bring hatchets on planes as carry on.
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