Call of the Wild

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Summary: The Awesome Buck by: La'Shantena
Review: This novel, even in 2004, can still be considered a major piece of literature that has infulenced American Literature since its first writing. Adventure, intrigue, hardships, friendships, and loyalty,even if it means death, are all found in this story. Aren't these the elements of a good example of literature. Isn't this what we educators still use to engage our students into reading? Dog lovers will adore this book, written in the perspective of our dog hero, Buck, an animal with human-like tendencies,intelligence, strength and dignity. A classic in every true sense is the best way to evaluate this novel. Jack London allows his readings to become a part of his stories; we begin to have empathy for Buck as he nearly dies, or when he risks it all to save his human friend, John Thornton. If you like this book, you might also want to read some of London's other classics White Fang, and Sea-Wolf.


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Summary: The Call of the Wild
Review: "The Call of the Wild" is a novel written by Jack London, the "most widely" read author in the world at the turn of the twentieth century. London lived a wild life, traveled the continent of North America, and committed suicide at the age of forty. London's story about Buck, a family pet stolen and sold to be a sled dog, is a realistic tail of the Alaska Gold Rush. Buck's new life is a hard one as he learns to adapt to the cruelty of people, animals, and the weather. Buck learns from his experiences that some people and animals are good and kind, and others are cruel and deadly. London, also, learns from his experiences in the Northwest, and the experiences make his novel seem to be true of that time and that place. London's life was not an easy one, and the life he created for Buck was not an easy one. When I read "The Call of the Wild", I was impressed by the way Buck survives the cruel treatment and the harsh land of Alaska. The realism in the story suggest the way life really is. Some people, like Hal, are cruel and show no mercy. Other people, like John Thornton, are kind as he saves Buck's life. I wish that Jack London could have had a friend like John Thornton in his life.

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Summary: Buck; Or the Forgetfulnes of Living
Review: "There is an ecstacy that marks the summit of life, and beyond which life cannot rise. And such is the paradox of living, this ecstacy comes when one is most alive, and it comes as a complete forgetfulness of living, comes to the artist, caught up and out of himself in a sheet of flame; it comes to the soldier, war-mad on a stricken field and refusing quarter; and it came to Buck, leading the pack, sounding the old wolf-cry, straining after the food that was alive and that fled swiftly before him through the moonlight. He was sounding the deeps of his nature, and of the parts of his nature that were deeper than he, going back into the womb of Time. He was mastered by the sheer surging of life, the tidal wave of being, the perfect joy of each separate muscle, joint and sinew and that it was everything that was not death, that it was aglow and rampant, expressing itself in movement, flying exultantly under the stars and over the face of dead matter that did not move."

That paragraph is my "review." The Call of the Wild is that paragraph. London's sweeping primordial prose on the experience of Buck, the alpha-alpha dog amidst harshest Alaska, gave me pause, to ponder the animal I am too. In such a short read I gather anyone can touch that "complete forgetfulness of living" and run with the wolves "into the womb of Time."

A no nonsense classic.

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Summary: Good Read,I recomend to most!
Review: **** The Call of the Wild by Jack London is an enticing tale of transformation and new beginnings. London starts out the novel by telling his readers the story of a half St. Bernard, half sheep dog, named Buck, whose living the good life on an estate in California's Santa Clara Valley, when all at once his life drastically changes forever, and he must learn how to fend for himself in the cold, harsh wilderness where the only morality is killed-or-be-killed. This is told through the eyes of the main character, Buck, who takes a long bumpy ride from the "good life" to something completely new to Buck. Along the way Buck loses some close friends, meets some people you'll grow to hate and finds himself the ideal caring master whom he grows quite fond of. But don't think the story ends there; Buck continues having wild adventures up until the very end of the book. I think this novel is good for most all ages. While the young may not understand the deeper meanings and themes of the book, they will be enthralled by the thrills and chills of the main character Buck, while the older more mature readers will surely be enticed by the deeper meanings London writes about. I personally enjoyed this book; though it did seem to drag on from time to time it is definitely a book worth reading!

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Summary: Amazing book
Review: A truly great story.

I'm not sure why other reviewers here keep referring to this as being a children's book. It's not. Just because your grade school teacher said so doesn't mean that it is. Neither the writing style nor the content are particularly suitable for children.

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Summary: One of the greatest stories ever written!
Review: Call of the Wild is up there with Tolkiens Hobbit/LOTR for me. I have read and then re-read it several times over the years since I was a kid and its greatly entertaining on one level and inspirational on another.

COTW is great on many levels. First as a heartwrenching dog/wilderness/adventure story it can't be beat.

On another this is one of the most primal, pagan, back to nature, might is right stories ever written.

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Summary: Buck realizes his potential
Review: Gold was found in Alaska, the rush to obtain it required a strong constitution and many dogs to do the work that horses usually did in the states. The environment bread harsh attitudes. Also in the testing of ones mettle one finds their true potential.
Buck (a dog that is half St Bernard and half Shepherd) goes through many lives, trials, and tribulations finally realizing his potential. On the way he learns many concepts from surprise, to deceit, and cunning; he also learns loyalty, devotion, and love. As he is growing he feels the call of the wild.
This book is well written. There is not a wasted word or thought and the story while building on its self has purpose and direction. The descriptions may be a tad graphic for the squeamish and a tad sentimental for the romantic. You see the world through Buck's eyes and understand it through his perspective until you also feel the call of the wild.


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Summary: It was an okay book.
Review: Jack London's The Call of the Wild portrayed the Gold rush in the early 1900's. I especially loved how much the dog characters were personified. London described the human characters as if they were animals and the animals as if they were humans. John Thorton is my favorite element in the story. The love between Buck and Thornton gave the book a positive essence after perceiving ideas of all the brutality. On the other hand this story was drawn out, awkwarkly worded, and used exceptional vocabulary. All these concepts made the book boring and incapable of being read to the degree that it was meant to be. Over all I would recomend this book to somebody who enjoys nature, has a high vocabulary and likes to read a book more than once.

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Summary: Simply Great Writing
Review: Many of the reviewers focus on the wonderful story of Buck and his life as a sled dog with the imaginative plot and story. Those aspects are all great.

But I think that misses one the point of the book. What is (also) great is the writing of Jack London. In fact it is fabulous. I have never read a book where the sentences and paragraphs and descriptions just flowed together with such spellbinding effectiveness. The pages seem turn turn automatically as you are drawn into the story.

No wonder Jack London became so famous in his day and was an inspiration to Hemingway and many other writers who followed. I was simply amazed to read the book. The story is so well done and the writing so crisp and smooth. It is just an inspiration to read - and it is a fascinating story - but the writing is both smooth as silk and very compelling.

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Summary: The Call Of The Wild
Review: Rooted in a dramatic phase in history, the 1897 Klondike Gold Rush, The Call Of The Wild is a spectacular novel filled with adventure and suspense. It is a captivating classic, a thrilling tale of a hero who faces numerous unknown risks and damages. Buck, part Scotch Shepherd and part St. Bernard, leads a sheltered life of a ranch dog, who is loved by everyone. Then, kidnapped from his home in California, he is thrown into a world of turmoil. Buck is sold and shipped to Alaska to fulfill the need for sled dogs during the Klondike Gold Rush. Although not ready for the world of the harsh Arctic North, Buck fights to adapt and live. To survive, Buck had to accept and learn the lessons of the arctic. Buck triumphs over all the obstacles and odds. The Call Of The Wild is a fascinating novel because Jack London allows us to see life through the eyes of Buck. You are able to know what Buck feels and thinks. Buck has the talent to see human emotion, weakness, behavior, and thought. Throughout the novel, Buck expresses the qualities of strength, loyalty, and intelligence. Another interesting aspect of this novel is that London makes each of the dogs an individual, he gives them each their own personality. London also makes this novel exciting by telling it "like it was" To survive in the harsh klondike was a struggle. In Buck's fight to survive in the north, we understand London's personal beliefs. London believed that " all life was a struggle in which the weak fell by the way and only the best, the super beings, could hope to rise. This idea influenced London very much, and appears strongly throughout The Call Of The Wild. Selling more than two million hard bound copies in just the United States, The Call Of The Wild has succeeded tremendously. Filled with adventure, this novel could be compared to to other novels by Jack London, such as White Fang and The Sea - Wolf. Another author whose books are written similar to Jack London's is Gary Paulsen. Author of The Hatchet, The River, Dogsong,and The Haymeadow, Gary Paulsen is the " distinguished author of many critically acclaimed books for young people, including three Newbery Honor Books." Both Jack London and Gary Paulsen's books are filled with realism which satisfies adventure - hungry readers. Jack London had great determination and was a very astonishing man. London knew the positives and negatives of life. Poverty, suffering, trouble, and pain were something London was forced to endure. However, he never let his misfortunes defeat him. Instead, he turned his zest for life into stories which could be a reminder to all people that you can achieve anything, as long as you put your heart and soul into it.