Rating: 
Summary: Only one flaw: too short!
Review: The only flaw I could find in this wonderful novel of Tony Earley's is that it was too short! Or rather, to phrase it in a way that doesn't sound critical of the author, I liked the place that this novel took me and, especially, the people I met there so much that not only could I not put it down, i didn't want it to end. This is a wonderful story about a young boy growing up among people who, while not perfect, are fundamentally decent and kind. this is a nice change from so many other products of our modern culture, from novels to Hollywood films, which explore all the various permutations of dysfunction. while exploring what is wrong with human nature is certainly a valid literary exercise, Tony Earley has done something wonderful in bringing to life characters whom we like and even admire. Jim's mother and uncles are simple people who work hard, sometimes play hard, and exercise compassion when confronted by the misfortune of others. These are the values they teach to young Jim, who is just beginning to realize that there is a wider world full of things he has yet to experience. Part of me wanted the author to continue Jim's story, but another part of me hopes he never Hollywood-izes his wonderful novel by writing a sequel. At a time when our nation is in the throes of grief about the events of September 11 and anxiety about the future, and in an age where despite recent examples of heroism the worst of human behavior is vividly on display, "Jim the Boy" was good medicine for this reader and I suspect it will be for others as well. I read this as an audiobook, so I must close by praising narrator L. J. Ganser for doing such a great job. To me, this book was just about perfect; I just wish there had been more of it.
Rating: 
Summary: Kinda simple....
Review: "Jim the Boy" was an alright read however I think that I was expecting something written more for adults and I felt this book was geared towards adolescents over adult readers. It is a really good story-line, however, didn't really make my brain work too much while reading it. What I really liked about the book was the simplistic lifestyle that was described, somewhat similar to that of my late grandfather. So, that was a nice little fictional peak into what it was like for my grandfather growing up in that time period.
Rating:
Summary: A rare book that is suitable for the whole family.
Review: Jim the character and the "Jim the Boy" the story are both a delight. Earley's writing is a deft combination of simple and lyrical. If, like me, you've got children, this is a book you can share with them and both enjoy.The story follows a year in the life of 10 year old in Depression-era North Carolina. Jim's father died before he was born but his three single uncles serve as wonderful surrogate fathers. There's also a wise old African-American farmhand, (appropriately named Abraham) to give Jim all the father figures he needs. The older men and Jim's mother are are all well-drawn characters. In fact, part of the book's strength is the strong supporting cast for Jim, including a best friend from the mountains. There isn't a single strong enough thread to serve as the book's plot (other than Jim, himself). Though you could argue that point with several fellow readers, with each of you arguing a different aspect of the book as it's primary theme. "Jim the Boy" is a fast read and can serve as a day or two's pleasant distraction, or can be mulled over and examined. I can easily imagine it being adopted by English classes of various age levels. Buy the book and share it with the family.
Rating: 
Summary: BOYS WILL BE BOYS
Review: The year is 1934. A new school is under construction in Aliceville in order to consolidate five disparate one and two room school houses. Convict crews are manually digging post holes along a state route in advance of electricity coming to this North Carolina community. Polio is still an uncontrolled blight upon the national landscape. The story opens on Jim Glass's tenth birthday and chronicles a full year of Jim's life experiences: those mostly small, ordinary, and subtle developments typical of growing-up. Herein lies the value of Tony Earley's first novel.
Most readers of this book will not relate to the Depression-era world of young Jim. New Carpenter, North Carolina is an hour away - 30 miles distant - at the average truck's normal speed. Television is far enough in the future that it's absence does not even register on the reader's consciousness. At the same time, however, Jim Glass shares the same psychological changes and the full range of emotional expression and trauma that children do today. This book reminds us that healthy growth and development depend more on a loving environment than it does on a sophisticated, technologically advantaged one; that boys and girls are not as different in their needs and thoughts as parents and youngsters might imagine if they judged decades by their differences in clothes, hair-styles, cultures, and socio-economic circumstances.
Tony Earley's effort is not plot driven, nor is it fueled by literary pyrotechnics. It is episodic; evidencing an understated, yet unambiguous moral sensitivity; and characterized by clear, precise, and concise prose. Readers will find it, curiously enough, a "page-turner." Such quiet, pastoral works often find themselves, at the end of the day, listed among a reader's all-time favorite books. JIM THE BOY was the "cover story" in a June 2000 edition of THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW. There it was reviewed very favorably in the most adult terms for an adult reading public. The author deliberately aimed this book though at a younger audience: the wide-ranging young-adult market. At the end of his novel, Earley references and recommends a few classic children's works of great import to him. For example, he highlights MY ANTONIA, and THE YEARLING to name just a couple. I think JIM THE BOY is an excellent candidate for many high-school required reading lists and is an ideal choice for many adult reading groups. Whether yesterday, today, or tomorrow: boys will always be boys.
Rating: 
Summary: Horrible book...
Review: I had to read "Jim the Boy" for my freshman english course summer reading and thought that it was a horrible choice. It had no substance and was too easy to read. Although some apparently disagree, not a good choice for anyone over four years old.
Rating:
Summary: This is as good as it gets.
Review: I can't begin to figure out how Mr. Early could understand what it was like to live on a farm in the mid-south in the early 1/3 of the Twentieth Century. But, not only did he understand - he understood well enough to tell this compelling story from the point of view of a young boy. Buy this book. You won't reget it. Make sure you put your name on it, because you will want four or five people to read it and it will get passed around. My only comment is that the black characters in this book come off as benevolent and kind and slightly less than real: Almost ghostly. However, that is how a sheltered ten year old might see those who weren't part of his everyday life. The sunny life of this young boy is always edged by the harsh reality of adult life. Illness, death, violence towards people and animals and the reality of winning often isn't really winning in life. I hope Mr. Early continues with his novella output. I found his book of short stories to be disappointing and thus was glad to read "Jim" - It's nice when literary and popular opinion merges like a jetstream over one good book.
Rating:
Summary: A Complex Story Simply Told
Review: The style used in this book goes back to a simpler time when books seemed to be more about the story than the language used. The very style lends itself particularly well in this case as it helps in developing the imagery of the characters and their situation
Rating:
Summary: "Simple Pictures Are Best" said Tomie DiPaolo
Review: and this book fits that description to a "T". Jim may have lost his father, but his uncles' love and devotion to him more than fill the gap. A splendid story depicting the value of family and the love that can only be found in a home.
Rating:
Summary: brilliant
Review: The readers who call this 'children's fiction' are missing the point. this novel is an homage to books (like 'the yearling') that remind us why life is good. it counters the trend of life-as-angst. remember reading novels that made you feel GOOD? probably its been since grade school, right? This book isn't for kids; they'd miss all its symbolism and subtlety. it will remond you why you loved reading in the first place. even its cover art made me smile.
Rating:
Summary: I just couldn't finish this book!
Review: Okay, At school I got this book order and the first book that popped in my mind was some book "Jim the Boy" Based on it's discription I said, wow, I'm going to read that. 2 weeks later I start on it and the real I bogger is the Prolude. MAN! That was probably the best prolude I read. Then I started this book. I read it to the point (2 chapters) that I thought HEY! Some one pressed the stop button. Why in the heck is this book so slow, if it's even moving. I tried finishing it but I just couldn't. Jim the boy is not the type for me, and I'm just and avarage ... year old. Maybe it could be great to you, so don't let my opinion disapoint you. Hey, My little brother loves it. What I'm trying to say is I didn't like it, (geez, what a waste of money)
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