TRUE GRIT by Charles Portis
Many people told me the book True Grit by Charles Portis was at least as awesome as either of the films, maybe even better.
Many people were right.
True Grit is a gem. It’s a whole book narrated by 14-year-old Mattie Ross, and Mattie is a joy and a wonder to spend time with. She’s smart, sassy, and tough.
People do not give it credence that a fourteen-year-old girl could leave home and go off in the wintertime to avenge her father’s blood but it did not seem so strange then, although I will say it did not happen every day. I was just fourteen years of age when a coward going by the name Tom Chaney shot my father down in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and robbed him of his life and his horse and $150 in cash money plus two California gold pieces that he carried in his trouser band.
Mattie hires Rooster Cogburn because she hears he has “true grit” but it’s Mattie that astonished me with her endless reserves of awesomeness as she goes up against all the many things (and men) she does.
Mattie is a heroine for the ages, and a terrific role model for everyone, not just girls.
May 31st, 2015 at 10:02 am
I have to correct you, sorry. The book is narrated by 40ish Mattie Ross, who is describing events that happened when she was 14.