Paterson, Katherine. 2001. Preacher's boy. Narrated by Johnny Heller. Recorded Books. Cassette.
Preacher's Boy is a wonderfully charming story set at the turn of the century. In a small village in Vermont, Robbie Hewitt, the son of a preacher, gets in and out of trouble throughout the summer of 1899. It all begins, as Robbie says, when he and his best friend decide to flag a neighbor's bloomers from a flagpole. The boys don't get caught�which leads to an ever-increasing sense of immorality in the town. Soon the town folks are calling for a revival in which a preacher would have the nerve to preach hell and damnation to the crowds and scare some morality back into the town. However, all the preaching of hell only convinces Robbie to turn his back on God and become an atheist. It's not easy learning to become an atheist as Robbie finds out. No matter how much he says he's decided to not follow God or the Ten Commandments�he still finds himself praying to God just in case. The preacher also taught that the world would soon be coming to an end�with the coming of the year 1900. Robbie becomes convinced of two things: he doesn't believe in God or trying to be good and follow the Ten Commandments�and that just in case the world was going to come to an end�he was going to make the most of his time left on earth. He decides to cram lots of adventures into the last six months of his life (June-December). He has several goals most of which he realizes would never happen�but his biggest dream is to ride in a motorcar. At the time he made his dream known to his best friend, Robbie had never seen a motorcar. He had just read about them in the paper.
There are many layers to this story. Robbie has an older sister who's too bossy and too perfect, an older brother who's mentally impaired, and a younger sister who is too little to be much use to him. Throughout the book, Robbie struggles with his family�his father and mother and his siblings�trying to discover where he fits into the picture. He is frustrated with his brother Elliott. He keeps getting into fights to protect his brother's honor. But while he loves him to a certain extent�he also has very real feelings of jealousy and resentment. He sees everyone giving love, attention, and praise to his brother. He wants some of that attention. In one particularly vivid part of the book, Elliott becomes lost. It is the fourth of July, and the family is at the fireworks show. Elliott wonders off sometime during the show. When his father realizes that his son is missing � and in danger�Robbie sees a new side of his dad. He sees that he is scared, vulnerable, and not in control. Elliott is eventually found much to everyone's relief�but Robbie just becomes more convinced that he is unloved and that Elliott will always be the favorite. Paterson also presents a very tender portrait of brotherly love when Elliott and Robbie team up later in the book.
The ultimate excitement in the novel is when Robbie discovers that a homeless father and daughter have taken up residence in his abandoned cabin in the woods. At first he is angry, but later feels compassion for these people. He brings them some food and tells them that if only they would come into the town and ask for help, they wouldn't be turned away. But Violet and Zeb are stubborn. When Robbie runs away (long story of how that came about), he joins Violet and Zeb in the cabin. He quickly realizes that Violet's life is anything but easy. Her father is an alcoholic who becomes very abusive when he's drunk. When her father attacks her in the cabin, Robbie steps between them and seeks to protect her. The two manage to run away from his wrath. Zeb's father proceeds to get into even more trouble�he breaks into the town's drugstore. When the two kids try to help him he attacks them again. This time Robbie is injured quite badly. The law steps in and believes the worst about Zeb�that he kidnapped Robbie. It is up to Robbie to save Zeb, but first he has to realize how important the commandment Thou shall not bear false witness is. The novel concludes tidily with Robbie saving Zeb from punishment, Robbie getting to ride in a motorcar, and Robbie resolving all of his issues with both his family and God.
The strength of Preacher's Boyis the characterization. Paterson creates believable characters of Robbie, his family, his friends, and his enemies. I believe that many children could relate to some of Robbie's family problems. Jealousy, love, resentment, and anger are normal emotions experienced by siblings. Paterson makes Robbie human by giving him such flaws. The reader gets the sense that Robbie may be prone to trouble but he remains lovable throughout. His family and friends are also well developed. His father, for example, is shown through a variety of circumstances. He is shown as being both weak and strong. In a moving scene, he is shown crying�weeping�helpless as a child held by his wife. He is very human. He is admired by the town and his son alike�but he doesn't always have all the answers to life's problems.
The setting of the book is a small town in Vermont. Paterson creates a picture of a loving, caring community. There may be internal squabbling, but it is overall a happy, serene place. The time is the summer and fall of 1899. Evolution and Charles Darwin are discussed in the novel. Robbie is quite shocked to find his father reading such a horribly immoral book. The neighbor kids call Elliott a monkey boy. Robbie, of course, has to defend his family's honor. How could he allow anyone to say that his family was descended from apes? It is this big fight�which takes place in a pond the kids all swim at�that leads to Robbie running away. He almost drowns one of the little boys. It is the fear of what will happen to him�how his father will react�that leads him to runaway. Motorcars fill the novel as well�mostly in Robbie's imagination�although a motorcar does appear miraculouslyto deliver Robbie from his troubles and save the day.
The novel is humorous, lighthearted, and thoroughly enjoyable. Johnny Heller does a wonderful job narrating the book. His narration brings life and humor to the story.