I’m trying to look at books the way a librarian might, in order to help get me better at thinking from a reader’s point of view. Here are the other posts in the series.
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True Grit is a Western adventure story first published in 1968. Readers who are looking for a tale of the good guys versus the bad guys should look elsewhere–this is a story about the quality of stubbornness, and its benefits and drawbacks.
I would highly recommend the story for reluctant teen readers and reluctant adult readers. The writing is plain and direct. The characters aren’t symbols or themes so much as they are flaws with legs. Not much is romanticized or idealized: it is what it is, and what happens, happens. You don’t have to question the text much; not much is implied at a subtextual level.
On a more sophisticated level, the book works as a satire of other, more idealistic books in the Western genre and in fiction in general. “Don’t try to tell the reader what to think,” this books seems to say. “Don’t tell them that the past was anything other than dirty, deadly, and full of snakes.” This level of the storytelling isn’t intrusive, and if a read misses it completely, they’ll still enjoy the book–but this aspect of the book would also make it a refreshing choice for someone who reads literary fiction as well. And the two main characters are both examples of the best characters in fiction.
Not quite a sly wink at the reader, and not quite the most straightforward novel of all time, it’s the kind of book that can be enjoyed by readers across a broad spectrum. I would not recommend the book for readers who don’t like gritty details that they’ll remember long after putting the book down. There is some violence, but more importantly, there are a few scenes that might give a few readers some nightmares (especially regarding snakes).
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