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| News of the World |
By Paulette Jiles
Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd has lived through the
American Civil War. At 72 years old, he
deserves a break. He now makes his
living traveling throughout 1870s Texas reading the news to small audiences. Small town residents love to hear about
European wars, the politics of the American east coast, or about the new
telegraph wires in Britain, an almost unimaginable piece of technology.
But the Captain’s life changes when he is hired to drive
10-year-old Johanna Leonberger, a recently released Kiowa captive, back to her
family in the south of Texas. It’s a
long drive through dangerous territory and Johanna does not want to go. Raised by the Kiowa from age 6 to 10, Johanna
is a Kiowa now and cannot return to
the lifestyle of the white European.
The Captain, whose daughters are grown, takes her under
his wing. He addresses her unusual behaviour
and manners with the patience of a loving parent. Kontah,
she eventually calls him – grandfather.
As the pair cross the Texas landscape, vividly and
beautifully described by author Paulette Jiles, they encounter all manner of hazards: from housewives who berate Johanna for her
lack of delicacy to debased criminals who would re-capture Johanna for the most
depraved purposes. Lawlessness and
corruption prevail.
But Johanna is no shrinking violet and despite her youth
proves invaluable in a gunfight. She is
rightfully suspicious of all whom they encounter. She is shoeless and eats with her hands. She has forgotten both English and
German. She is a warrior.
News
of the World is steeped in American history and feels
meticulously researched. Jiles describes
the various immigrant populations in Texas as the time – Irish, British,
German, Mexican – and seamlessly blends their cultural differences into the
narrative. Freed slaves are now part of
the fabric of Texas. The Native American
tribes in the area, the Comanche and the Kiowa, are ever-present threats on the
frontier. Johanna’s reluctance to return to the non-native world is striking
and utterly believable.
But the real magic of this book is the evolving
relationship between Captain Kidd and Johanna.
Their shared journey and their endurance of many hardships bring them
ever closer, until they become like family.
Much to his surprise, the Captain grows to care for Johanna. At 72, he is “still in one piece, alive and
unaccountably happy.” (p.163)
