Welcome to Shelf Control — an original feature created and hosted by Bookshelf Fantasies.
Shelf Control is a weekly celebration of the unread books on our shelves. Pick a book you own but haven’t read, write a post about it (suggestions: include what it’s about, why you want to read it, and when you got it), and link up! For more info on what Shelf Control is all about, check out my introductory post, here.
Want to join in? Shelf Control posts go up every Wednesday. See the guidelines at the bottom of the post, and jump on board!
Title: News of the World
Author: Paulette Jiles
Published: 2016
Length: 209 pages
What it’s about (synopsis via Goodreads):
In the aftermath of the Civil War, an aging itinerant news reader agrees to transport a young captive of the Kiowa back to her people in this exquisitely rendered, morally complex, multilayered novel of historical fiction from the author of Enemy Women that explores the boundaries of family, responsibility, honor, and trust.
In the wake of the Civil War, Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd travels through northern Texas, giving live readings from newspapers to paying audiences hungry for news of the world. An elderly widower who has lived through three wars and fought in two of them, the captain enjoys his rootless, solitary existence.
In Wichita Falls, he is offered a $50 gold piece to deliver a young orphan to her relatives in San Antonio. Four years earlier, a band of Kiowa raiders killed Johanna’s parents and sister; sparing the little girl, they raised her as one of their own. Recently rescued by the U.S. army, the ten-year-old has once again been torn away from the only home she knows.
Their 400-mile journey south through unsettled territory and unforgiving terrain proves difficult and at times dangerous. Johanna has forgotten the English language, tries to escape at every opportunity, throws away her shoes, and refuses to act “civilized.” Yet as the miles pass, the two lonely survivors tentatively begin to trust each other, forming a bond that marks the difference between life and death in this treacherous land.
Arriving in San Antonio, the reunion is neither happy nor welcome. The captain must hand Johanna over to an aunt and uncle she does not remember—strangers who regard her as an unwanted burden. A respectable man, Captain Kidd is faced with a terrible choice: abandon the girl to her fate or become—in the eyes of the law—a kidnapper himself.
How and when I got it:
I bought a copy last year at the used book store.
Why I want to read it:
I love the plot description. It sounds like a great set-up with unique characters and conflicts. Plus, not a terribly long book, which lately is a real plus for me!
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Want to participate in Shelf Control? Here’s how:
- Write a blog post about a book that you own that you haven’t read yet.
- Add your link in the comments!
- If you’d be so kind, I’d appreciate a link back from your own post.
- Check out other posts, and…
Have fun!
Ooo this sounds really interesting! I haven’t been reading much historical fiction at all this year but this is definitely one I’d like to check out at some point.
https://jessticulates.com/2018/09/12/shelf-control-2-this-week-in-books-12-08-18/
I really liked the sound of it when I first heard about it — and I’ll be honest, the length is a definite plus! 🙂
I have this one to read, too, Lisa! It sounds so good!
It’s so hard to fit everything in! I have one other book by this author on my shelf too. If only I could do nothing but read all day!
This is on my to-read Shelf too!
Ha, maybe we should make a commitment to all read it by the end of the year!
This book sounds right up my alley. I love this time period and the description draws me right in.
http://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2018/09/shelf-control-sep-12.html
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your link!
This sounds like an interesting and probably thought-provoking read!
https://adventurouswriting.wordpress.com/2018/09/12/shelf-control/
Thanks! I’m glad I rediscovered it on my shelf — I’m going to try to make time for it. 🙂
I would read this, definitely! I enjoy learning about the side stories associated with the Civil War and the years after it – things you never learned in history class.
That’s really what I love about historical fiction – getting to see beyond the official narrative of history books and into people’s lives.