Title: News of the World
Author: Paulette Jiles
Genre: Historical Fiction, Western
Set after the Civil War, in the wild country of Texas, this story follows a war battled Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd as he journeys to deliver a young girl he names Johanna back to her family. Johanna, an orphan now ten years old, was captured when she was six by the Kiowa Indians, and has no knowledge of English nor any memories of being anyone other than a Kiowa. Captain Kidd is a news man: he reads newspaper articles of far away places to audiences for a dime a head to make his living. This unlikely pair forms a unique bond on their travels. Captain Kidd and Johanna both learn about each other and we get to understand them differently as they encounter all the many varied people, many of them not so pleasant, on the road. The writing transports you back to a time and a part of the country that feels very different from our own today, but also pulls you in with its beauty and the magic of the history. Enjoy!
- Elizabeth
