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Summary: An outstanding tale of growing up
Review: "Anybody who reads this book is bound to realize that I had a real fine time as a child." That's the theme of "The Old Man and the Boy." A boy learns to hunt and fish with his grandfather in coastal North Carolina in the 1920s. The Old Man imparts salty wisdom and a respect for quail, guns, turtle eggs, whiskey, poor whites, and rural negroes while the two of them roam the woods, swamps and sounds.
I encountered "The Old Man and the Boy" as a monthly column in "Field and Stream" Magazine in the mid-1950s and it's been with me since. The book is a collection of 28 of those columns. I pick the book up every couple of years and reread one or two of the stories. It reminds me of my own rural boyhood in Oklahoma when a gun and a fishing pole were constant companions. I had a real fine time too.
The most delicious descriptions of the book are of country cooking. I can't read Robert Ruark's tales of frying ham and eggs without heading for the kitchen to rustle up a "mess" of my own. The smell of campfire coffee, swamp water, and salty brine permeates "The Old Man and the Boy."
Much is made of books like "Catcher in the Rye" which are considered "literature" because they convey the angst of growing up. I don't perceive angst as any more typical of childhood than is the euphoria of first experiencing the wonders of the outdoors. Maybe "The Old Man and the Boy" should be on the reading list of our schools.
Smallchief
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Summary: A Respect For Wisdom That Can Come From Age
Review: A craftsman, once he truly masters his craft, becomes an artist. Rauk's grandfather, his outdoor guide and teacher, was such an artist. His understanding of game, conservation, wilderness and young boys on the brink of manhood transcends a mere outdoorsman.Great for young men and boys who love the outdoors or old men who did once.
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Summary: Not Just For Hunters
Review: A craftsman, once he truly masters his craft, becomes an artist. Rauk's grandfather, his outdoor guide and teacher, was such an artist. His understanding of game, conservation, wilderness and young boys on the brink of manhood transcends a mere outdoorsman. Great for young men and boys who love the outdoors or old men who did once.
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Summary: A book about timeless values - your sons will cherish it!
Review: A story told from the heart and memory of Robert Ruark - You'll smile at the accuracy and humor of the "Old Man's" perceptions - cheer his values - laugh at his sometimes cantankerous nature - feel the warmth of his love for his grandson. I purchased a copy for each of my sons - they treasure them. The "Old Man" is my lifelong hero; He'll be your's too!
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Summary: This is a book about right and wrong when you're alone.
Review: As a youth I read Field and Stream magazine. I relished the monthly installment of Old Man and the Boy. I can't describe the level of influence this book had over a 14 year old boy who lived on a farm and roamed the hills with a .22 rifle as his primary source of company.
These stories brought to me a reverence and level of conscience to the sport of hunting and in the process I developed a standard of sportsman conduct that has stuck by me for over 40 years.
This is a book about what is right and wrong when you are alone. Like the boy in the book, my father didn't have the time nor inclination to teach me about sportsmanship.The boy had an grumpy grandfather for a mentor. A perfect foil for the exuberant acts and mistakes of a willful youngster wanting to join the world of men. Mr. Ruark allowed me to come along too and I shall always be thankful for that
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Summary: A Classic American Masterpiece with a message for today!
Review: I first read The Old Man and the Boy when I was a youngster growing up in downstate Illinois. My Paternal Grandfather and my Father were in the sporting goods business, and were devout hunters and fishermen. Everything of value that I have retained to this day I learned at the feet of my two "Old Men". While sitting by a lake with a cane pole, waiting for a bluegill to come along, or freezing in a duck blind on the Mississippi River in the cold of winter, I was passed down the rules of sportsmanship and fair play. The kind of lessons that are taught in the Old Man and the Boy are for every generation to learn and cherish; "Clean up your own mess, consider the feelings of others, have respect for the land, water, and the other creatures who share it with us, practice conservation, know when to speak, and how to listen" Robert Ruark has spun a tale of wonder and delight, I highly recommend this book to anyone who would enjoy reading a great series of outdoor adventures, in a format that never talks down to the reader, insults your intellegence, or becomes stuffy. An outstanding book!!!
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Summary: READ THIS ONE YEARS AGO AND AM STILL DOING IT
Review: I first read this book around 1962 or 1963 and must admit to still reading it every so often even to this day. It is the type of book one should have their children and grandchildren read. Mr Ruark's child hood was good. He has the ability, through his writing, to bring this goodness forward, to us. This is a wonderful read, very entertaining and thought provoking. I recommend it to anyone.
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Summary: The Old Man and the Boy by Robert Ruark
Review: I first read this book many years ago as a youngster growing up in the near suburbs of Manhattan. I longed for the simplicity smell and life of the outdoors, but more importantly,I took many of the life messages in each chapter to heart. I would have liked very much to have been that boy. Now that I have re-read this wonderful work at at age where I am closer in age to the old man rather than the boy, I still would like to be that barefoot boy.
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Summary: Revisiting a Favorite With Different Eyes
Review: I had passed this book to a friend who later commented on how politically incorrect it appears by today's standards. I think what he missed understanding was how very connected the people felt in that area. What we would dismiss as genteel racism without knowing the people, the Old Man would see as an approach to being a decent human being, day in and day out. For me, the deeper message of the book was the enjoyment of life, fully, whilst you still have time.
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Summary: Fantastic!!!!
Review: I have grown up spending summers and weeks at a time with mygrandfather. My grandfather taught me how to walk, swim, drive a car,drive a boat, fish, shrimp, crab, taught me how to be a man. I have loved it all. I am 26 years old now. This past February, he died of lung cancer. My grandmother wanted me to have his copy of the book. This book is awesome. Since I have been given the book, I have read it twice. I love it. I hope you will get the chance to read it. And they are right, do not read the last chapter...save it!!!
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