Book aids the call of learning

Josiah Rigsby, 12, would like to see “The Call of the Wild” as a video game.

After listening to Immanuel Lutheran School teacher Sue Sims’ presentation on the book by Jack London at the Seymour Library on Jan. 11, Rigsby and Josh Ruckel, 12, both students at the Seymour Middle School Sixth Grade Center, said they want to read the book — although for different reasons.

Rigsby said he wants to read the book for the dog fight scene and the scenes with the Yeehat Indians that Sims had described during her presentation. Ruckel wanted to read about the instincts that Buck, the dog at the center of the story, has while living in Alaska during the Klondike Gold Rush.

Sharon Barnett, a teaching assistant, said she told the boys about the program at the library at the very end of the school day.

“I was just tickled to death when they came in,” Barnett said of the boys.

“She (Barnett) is one of the nicest teachers and I trust her, so I figured it would be good,” Rigsby said.

Barnett first read the book, which is the Jackson County Public Library’s Big Read book, about 10 years ago when she was helping teach eighth-grade literature.

“I think kids need to read more literature,” she said.

During the presentation, “Exploring the Trail and Tale of a Great American Author,” Sims took the audience on a trip through the Klondike using passages from the book and pictures her husband, Keith, had taken during an August trip to the region with family members.

“He got to see it and I get to read about it,” Sims told her audience.

Sims said London was a self-taught man.

“He was a great reader and really excited about learning as well,” she said.

“The Call of the Wild” was first submitted to the “Saturday Evening Post” and had to be cut by 5,000 words.

London received 3 cents a word for his story of Buck, who lives in California and is kidnapped and taken to Alaska where he becomes part of a dog sledding team, all while hearing “The Call of the Wild” to return to the forest and live free of humans.

Sims said the book, which was published in 1903, was a work of realism during a time of fantasy writing.

“He gets down to the gritty with his stories,” Sims said of London.

The book has never been out of print in the last 100 years, she said.

London died at the age of 40 on Nov. 22, 1916.

Sims said she was surprised and pleased that the library had chosen “The Call of the Wild” as the Big Read book. She was surprised because the level of vocabulary might not appeal to the masses.

“I think in this community it’s always a good thing to present material that is a challenge to children and adults alike,” she said.

Becky Brewer said the Big Read is going pretty well and there has been a lot of enthusiasm for many of the events related to “The Call of the Wild”; however, they keep hoping for more people to read the book and to join in the book discussions. She said the book discussion is the purpose of the grant for the program.

“We would love to have people read the book and come to the discussion,” Brewer said the day after the presentation.

Copies of the book are free at the library when the reader signs up for a book discussion, while supplies last, Brewer said.

Sims said “The Call of the Wild” is not a book her students would usually choose.

“As a literature teacher, it’s my responsibility to expose them to things they normally wouldn’t choose,” Sims said. She said usually, after teaching from the book in her classroom, the students appreciate it and are challenging her with ideas. She has taught from the book for about 20 years.

Sims said she usually leaves her students thinking about this: “Was he writing a simple dog story or a human nature story?”

Allene Houghland of Uniontown was part of Sims’ audience during the discussion.

“I read the book when I was young and read it again last year,” Houghland said. “When I was younger, I was more intrigued with the action, but now I can relate more to Mercedes,” one of the characters in the book.

To learn more about the Big Read program, call the library at 522-3412, ext. 239.