Memories

You cannot truly listen to anyone and do anything else at the same time.”
– Scott M. Peck, American psychiatrist and writer

Paulsen, Gary.  Fishbone’s SongNew York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2016.
There is a deep ache in all of Paulsen’s stories. But there is also an expansive love. The kind of love that recognizes we are all part of each other.  Even when we think we are alone, we are not truly alone.  This Side of Life, an autobiographical account of some of the author’s relationships with animals, expands on this theme.
Fishbone’s Song, however, is Paulsen’s most lyrically profound novel. A young boy, a foundling, grows up deep in the woods, raised by an an old man, a veteran of the Korean war, who teaches him much more than how to survive. He teaches him how to live with wisdom and honour.  And he teaches him the power of memories and stories. And that is the power of Gary Paulsen. He shows us that your story and my story are connected. And that we will only truly have lived when we see that we are all part of a larger story.  [Country life; Foundlings; Hunting; Nature stories; Old age; Self-reliance; Storytelling]

Read more about Paulsen’s books HERE

Find stories about the power of reading HERE

“After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.” – Philip Pullman, British author