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Searching... Monmouth Public Library | CD J Fic London, J. | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Newberg Public Library | J CD-BOOK LONDON | Searching... Unknown |
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Searching... Salem Main Library | J CD London, J. | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
Jack London'sThe Call of the Wildwas written in 1903, but Buck's gripping adventure makes for a thrilling listen on audio more than 100 years after it was first published. This gripping story follows the adventures of the loyal dog Buck, who is stolen from his comfortable family home and forced into the harsh life of an Alaskan sled dog. Passed from master to master, Buck embarks on an extraordinary journey that ends with his becoming the legendary leader of a wolf pack. "To this day Jack London is the most widely read American writer in the world," E. L. Doctorow wrote inThe New York Times Book Review. Generally considered to be London's greatest achievement,The Call of the Wildbrought him international acclaim when it was published. His story of the dog Buck, who learns to survive in the bleak Yukon wilderness, is viewed by many as his symbolic autobiography. "No other popular writer of his time did any better writing than you will find inThe Call of the Wild," said H. L. Mencken.
Author Notes
One of the pioneers of 20th century American literature, Jack London specialized in tales of adventure inspired by his own experiences.
London was born in San Francisco in 1876. At 14, he quit school and became an "oyster pirate," robbing oyster beds to sell his booty to the bars and restaurants in Oakland. Later, he turned on his pirate associates and joined the local Fish Patrol, resulting in some hair-raising waterfront battles. Other youthful activities included sailing on a seal-hunting ship, traveling the United States as a railroad tramp, a jail term for vagrancy and a hazardous winter in the Klondike during the 1897 gold rush. Those experiences converted him to socialism, as he educated himself through prolific reading and began to write fiction.
After a struggling apprenticeship, London hit literary paydirt by combining memories of his adventures with Darwinian and Spencerian evolutionary theory, the Nietzchean concept of the "superman" and a Kipling-influenced narrative style. "The Son of the Wolf"(1900) was his first popular success, followed by 'The Call of the Wild" (1903), "The Sea-Wolf" (1904) and "White Fang" (1906). He also wrote nonfiction, including reportage of the Russo-Japanese War and Mexican revolution, as well as "The Cruise of the Snark" (1911), an account of an eventful South Pacific sea voyage with his wife, Charmian, and a rather motley crew.
London's body broke down prematurely from his rugged lifestyle and hard drinking, and he died of uremic poisoning - possibly helped along by a morphine overdose - at his California ranch in 1916. Though his massive output is uneven, his best works - particularly "The Call of the Wild" and "White Fang" - have endured because of their rich subject matter and vigorous prose.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 7 Up-In this new audiobook edition, London's classic adventure story (originally pubished in 1903) presents a vivid exploration of a world that will not be too familiar to the average young reader. The plot revolves around Buck, a St. Bernard-Scotch Collie mix, who was the personal pet of Judge Miller in California's Santa Clara Valley. While strolling around the ranch as he was wont to do, Buck is taken by Manuel, the judge's gardener, and then sold to pay off some of Manuel's gambling debts. Crated and shipped off to Seattle, Buck's life is forever changed, as he finds himself in the hands of French-Canadians who take him, along with several other dogs, to the Klondike. There he is trained to be a sled dog, and Buck quickly learns the meaning of survival of the fittest. A fierce rivalry develops between Buck and the lead dog, Spitz, and, eventually, it is a fight to the death. Matthew Steward does an excellent job of bringing the bitterly cold and brutal world of Buck and the other sled dogs to life. Steward's enactment of the various human characters, their abuse and ruthless treatment of the dogs, will keep listeners captivated to the very end. Whether or not listeners are familiar with London's original, this audiobook will undoubtedly bring a better understanding of what it takes to live in a world that is wild and threatening, and through London's use of human emotions and traits that Buck reveals in this bitter, cold, wild adventure, it is one not easily forgotten.-Sheila Acosta, Cody Library, San Antonio, TX (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
London's classic novel of a stolen dog learning to survive in the Yukon is presented with its text unabridged and accompanied by engravings that evoke the snow and cold of northern Canada. In a foreword, Jean Craighead George describes how her childhood appreciation for London's novel led her to travel to the Arctic and write [cf2]Julie of the Wolves[cf1]. From HORN BOOK Spring 2003, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Gr. 6-8. Transported from California to the subarctic climate of the Yukon, Buck is transformed from a domestic pet dog into a creature that reacts instinctively.
Library Journal Review
London's classic tale of survival, about a gentle California dog's gradual transformation into a fierce arctic predator, calls for a robust, masculine reading. Because it is told from the dog's point of view, it also demands a narrator who can communicate the nuances of both animal and human emotion. Actor/narrator William Roberts's (The Fall of the House of Usher) performance amply meets those standards and ranks with the late Frank Muller's reading of this title for Recorded Books as among the best around. Highly recommended. [Audio clip available through www.naxosaudiobooks.com; an alternate abridged edition, read by Garrick Hagon, is also available from Naxos AudioBooks.-Ed.]-R. Kent Rasmussen, Thousand Oaks, CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.