Book I

2. When is Jim's birthday?
Jim's 10th birthday is June 16, 1934.
I don't think his mother being about 19 when he was born is that unusual for that time (or unfortunately in today's society as it seems that there are lots of teen pregnancies; there are also lots more people who wait to start their families when the mother is in her late 20's and 30's). My grandmother on my Dad's side married at age 15 while my other grandmother married at age 25. I was 29 when I had my first child.
I remember that one of my brothers and my oldest son found turning 13 to be an extra special day although the same son was also pleased about turning 10 as he got a kick out of becoming two digits old.

3. What birthday stands out for you?
I can't think of a birthday that was outstanding. Old age must be setting in. I'll turn 60 this year. It sounds so old when I say it, but except for my body reminding me otherwise, I really don't feel as old as I'd always thought that 60 was. Over time the ages that had seemed old have shifted upwards.

4. What birthday presents did Jim get? Overall, what did you think about Jim's tenth birthday?
I thought that the baseball, glove, and bat were each very special gifts that were given with love during a time when money was scarce. Each of the gifts were both useful and helped enrich Jim's life.
Jim's decision that at age 10 he was old enough to work with his uncles was interesting as it showed his developed work ethic that he had internalized rather than being told to do. The way that the uncles handled Jim's attempt to take the best hoe was also done in a manner which showed their respect for their workers.
I thought that the way the family kept their planned celebration of his birthday a secret was interesting--poor Jim thought his birthday had been forgotten when they had planned an extra special celebration for him.

5. What did you make of the scene about baptizing the chicks?
I thought the chick baptism story gave fascinating insight into the past generation. The baptizing uncles showed typical childhood reenactments of portions of adult life while also showing the closeness of the brothers and the value that was placed on honesty.

And what do the uncles mean by this exchange (p. 39)?

Uncle Zeno: "Allie turned out to be a pretty good farmer, when you consider how he started out."

Uncle Coran: "At least we can be thankful he didn't try to become a preacher."

Uncle Al: "That's for sure ... I would've had to be a Methodist to keep from drowning people."

Even though Al's early venture in farming involved the disastrous drowning of the chicks, he still wound up being a good farmer. Perhaps Methodists are like Lutherans and baptize by sprinkling instead of the immersion used by Baptists so Al would have had to have been Methodist if he preached to avoid drowning people when baptizing them.

JTB-DQ ~ Book I ~ Birthday Boy

2. When is Jim's birthday? Check Zeno's letter in the opening pages. So what day is Jim's tenth birthday? If Jim's mother is "not yet thirty" (p. 7) now, she must have been 19 when he was born ten years ago. Would that have been unusual in 1924?

Growing an extra digit in his age seemed a miracle to Jim, now 1-0 instead of merely 9. Do you know anyone who grew a third digit and became 1-0-0? Saturday (tomorrow) will be my oldest granddaughter's 21st birthday, a milestone. For some the special birthday is Sweet Sixteen. For others the darkest one is the half-century mark, celebrated by friends wearing black. 3. What birthday stands out for you?

4. What birthday presents did Jim get? Overall, what did you think about Jim's tenth birthday?

5. What did you make of the scene about baptizing the chicks? And what do the uncles mean by this exchange (p. 39)?

Uncle Zeno: "Allie turned out to be a pretty good farmer, when you consider how he started out."

Uncle Coran: "At least we can be thankful he didn't try to become a preacher."

Uncle Al: "That's for sure ... I would've had to be a Methodist to keep from drowning people."

Happy Independance Day

As my Fourth of July comes to an end here in Korea most of you are just beginning yours. So Happy Fourth of July to you!

Windy City ~ let's tour the Fair!

Marylyn and I arrived at Essencia Island and discovered nobuddy else is here for the party. We've gone to take a tour of the Fair while we're waiting for you. If you take the tour, look for us. I want to ride the Ferris Wheel, for sure. Oops! Which way did she go? Marylyn, wait for me! Oh, look, there's Daniel Burnham!







I hope you Book Buddies plan to party on the island with us, even if you have started reading Jim the Boy. Marylyn brought Chicago-style hot dogs for us to eat.

JTB-DQ ~ Prologue

Read these lines from a review of Jim the Boy, and tell me what you think.

"Jim is 10. His mother is a widow. They live in the small town of Aliceville with Jim's three uncles, Zeno, Coran and Al. And they're content."

1. Does it make you want to read the book? If you like thrillers, it could be a turn-off. Did reading the prologue change your mind?

Jim the Boy (JTB) ~ our book for July

Who? A boy named Jim. What? The fatherless boy is being raised by his mother and three uncles. When? During the Depression, starting on Jim's tenth birthday. Where? Aliceville, North Carolina. What else? Jim has never traveled more than 30 miles from Aliceville. The book will take us through a year in the life of this young fellow.

Getting started
What we said about the book 
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Prologue
Book I ~ Birthday Boy
Book II ~ Jim Leaves Home
Book III ~ Town Boys and Mountain Boys
Book IV ~ Cold Nights
Book V ~ Quiet Days
Book VI ~ The View from Up Here

Jim the Boy Comments

I received this book from the library a couple of weeks ago so was able for a change to get a head start on our read.

The easy to read and less intense read is perfect at this time of my life. My 30-year-old neice just died unexpectedly a little over a week ago bringing back many emotions of the death of my 29-year-old son who also died unexpectedly last August. Although both deaths were undiagnosed heart conditions, supposedly the conditions are not related. In addition to the stress of this, we are in the midst of year end closing, my first as supervisor of our team, so having an easy read is well timed. I have had such problems even focusing that I returned my books on CD to the library as I couldn't concentrate enough to listen to them.

Jim's problems and life as a 10-year-old during the Depression have proved a pleasant diversion. The author has presented several characters that I like--Jim's mother and uncles are quite the role models in parenting as they show their love yet give Jim the freedom he needs to be himself.