I Don't Like It?

My mother had a student in one of her classes who would always say, "I don't like it?"  And it was always a question.  She never meant it as a question, we all knew she didn't like it, but you always hesitated for a second because it sounded like a question.  That's kinda how I felt about Will James' Smoky.  I knew I didn't love it, and I'm pretty sure I didn't like it, but there's still that little bit of a question. I think I felt guilty for not liking it, as if I'm supposed to like every book I read.  But some stories aren't for everyone and this wasn't great for me.

My first concern came in the preface, "I've wrote this book on only one horse and when I first started it I was afraid i'd run out of something to write, but I wasn't half thru when I begin to realize I had to do some squeezing to get the things in I wanted."  The book reads that way too.  It's as if James spent a lot of time writing the beginning and pouring in detail after extraneous detail only to cram in a lot of events at the end.  Like I said, it wasn't for me.

There was one quote that really stuck out to me.  Smoky had all kinds of adventures when he was young and out on the range and it was through these encounters that he learned a little bit about life.  "Taking in all, Smoky was getting mighty wise along with being mighty lucky in getting that wisdom."  I think we all learn from experience, but not all experiences are the easiest to learn from, some really hurt.  Looking back I think I was mighty lucky in getting my wisdom (though many would say I still don't have that much).

Just because I didn't like this book doesn't mean you won't.  I don't particularly love horses so a book centered around this animal wouldn't be my first choices. But if you enjoy horses and cowboy culture then this is probably a great book for you.

Learning a bit about life...that's kids stuff.