Sounder by William H. Armstrong

1970 Newbery Winner
Finished 11-27-06

The boy's family is hungry. Even though they own the most special hunting dog around, named Sounder, game has been scarce this Winter. But one morning, the boy wakes up to the smell of sausages frying. And later that day, the boy's father is arrested for stealing a pig. When Sounder tries to protect him, he is shot, and the boy's mother says he might die. Sounder is really the story of how the boy learns to cope with the possibility of death and the absence of his father.

This was the first book I read for my project, and I'm halfway surprised that I didn't throw in the towel right then and there. Sounder is written in a very different style. None of the characters have names except the dog, Sounder. The other characters are simply called "the boy", "the boy's father", etc. Additionally, the dialogue is pretty sparse, so the pace of the book is not very fast.

I think what really bothered me about Sounder was the lack of direction. It didn't seem like there was any climax, or any point where everything culminates. Everything just sort of happens, and I was left with a feeling of "That's it?"

I certainly did not dislike the book, but it didn't do much for me. However, if you are a fan of "coming of age" stories, you might just enjoy Sounder.