News of the World

By Paulette Jiles

Book Overview

Now a Major Motion Picture

National Book Award Finalist--Fiction

In the aftermath of the Civil War, an aging itinerant news reader agrees to transport a young captive of the Kiowa back to her people in this exquisitely rendered, morally complex, multilayered novel of historical fiction from the author of Enemy Women that explores the boundaries of family, responsibility, honor, and trust.

In the wake of the Civil War, Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd travels through northern Texas, giving live readings from newspapers to paying audiences hungry for news of the world. An elderly widower who has lived through three wars and fought in two of them, the captain enjoys his rootless, solitary existence.

In Wichita Falls, he is offered a $50 gold piece to deliver a young orphan to her relatives in San Antonio. Four years earlier, a band of Kiowa raiders killed Johanna's parents and sister; sparing the little girl, they raised her as one of their own. Recently rescued by the U.S. army, the ten-year-old has once again been torn away from the only home she knows.

Their 400-mile journey south through unsettled territory and unforgiving terrain proves difficult and at times dangerous. Johanna has forgotten the English language, tries to escape at every opportunity, throws away her shoes, and refuses to act "civilized." Yet as the miles pass, the two lonely survivors tentatively begin to trust each other, forming a bond that marks the difference between life and death in this treacherous land.

Arriving in San Antonio, the reunion is neither happy nor welcome. The captain must hand Johanna over to an aunt and uncle she does not remember--strangers who regard her as an unwanted burden. A respectable man, Captain Kidd is faced with a terrible choice: abandon the girl to her fate or become--in the eyes of the law--a kidnapper himself.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0062409212
• ISBN13: 9780062409218
• Release Date: June 2017
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.58 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 7.4"

Customer Reviews

A sweet but tough tale of the West

Such a rich and detailed story of the old West. You see the Captain’s devotion to keeping things a certain way, and you slowly learn where that came from. You learn his background, his childhood, his Civil War service, his marriage, his early Texas life, his family, his business. All of which informs his decision to help the girl. And that’s the real story the book tells. Everything I said before that was scattered throughout the book, inserted so adroitly that the book remains short and focused. It’s a beautifully drawn tale.

Beautiful writing, vivid story

My review cannot do justice to Paulette Giles' writing. She truly writes with a unique sound and her story is captivating. Great characters that you will want to follow across the Southwest of 1870's.

An engaging story

An easy read which was a selection for my small book club, we all rated it a 5. I enjoy stories about children and the world in their perspective. I couldn't put it down.