Vince VawterRezensionen
Autor von Paperboy
Rezensionen
Wow. Simply "wow".
An eleven-year-old boy in Memphis, 1959, takes over his friend's paper route for a month. He's looking forward to the deliveries, but as a boy with a stutter, he's nervous about collecting payment on Fridays and has to navigate that and other challenges that come his way.
The author's note declares that this is "more memoir than fiction", and I think ultimately I would have liked if the author had gone all one way or the other. As it was, I was uncomfortable with the way he portrayed the Black characters - one, Miss Nellie whom he called "Mam", was someone who looked after him and disposed wisdom and the other, Ara T, was a no-good, stealing junk man Mam wanted him to stay away from. They speak a sort-of AAVE, and I'm no expert, but the way she used "be" didn't follow the rules of its usage that I've heard, which made me wonder how accurate it was. But since I don't know how much was exactly the author's lived experience and how much was made up, I was just left with this unsettling feeling that he was unconsciously playing into common stereotypes. The story itself, about one month that was transformative in a boy's life, was episodic and occasionally threw in some elements out of left field, though the bones were good. I enjoyed the relationship he forges with Mr. Spiro on his route, in particular, and liked to see the boy's growing confidence in himself, though the stutter never goes away. The representation of the stutter was the best I've ever seen in a book, realistic and addressing some of the common difficult sounds and the techniques the character (and author) could use to work around it. The audiobook, read by Lincoln Hoppe, works especially well for getting the sense of the boy's speech patterns. A mixed bag, but worth the read.
children's/middlegrade summer job drama in 1959 Memphis/ fictionalized memoir. Vince is 11 years old, soon to be 12, has a great pitching arm, and stutters. Appreciate the "for more info on stuttering" sources guide at the back of the book, and the author's note about his own experiences. The ending is a little bit anticlimactic and remarkably easy for all the buildup, but is believable.
Paperboy is based on a young boy who has a speech impediment who ends up rescuing his housekeeper from a man who's intent was to kill her. Throughout this book, it talks about the struggles, insecurities and obstacles that he has to face with his speech impediment but then shows how he overcomes some of his obstacles and ends up saving a life due to his courage. I believe this book would be a great addition to any classroom library due to the courage and journey it shows for someone who might not believe in himself or have the confidence they would like to have due to something that they think is embarrassing.
A bit of Winn-Dixie, set in the early Civil Rights era. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, although the main character seemed very naive for a 12 year old, even in 1959.
This could be the first chapter book you ever read that doesn’t have a single comma.
It could also be one of the best books you read all year.
Eleven-year old Little Man (that’s what Mam calls him) can throw a blistering fastball and knock you out with the written word…but talking is a whole different story. A stutter keeps him from saying what he means and makes collecting money for his summer paper route extremely difficult.
Mam, the woman who works for his family to take care of him and the house, is one of the only people who seems to understand Little Man and take the time to listen to him. But as he perseveres on his paper route through the Memphis summer heat and the constant enemy of his stutter, Little Man encounters fascinating people and sticky situations that show him just how important it is for everyone to look out for each other, and that he has plenty of folks around him who are on his side.
This book is a historical novel about a teenage boy who has trouble talking. He stutters when he tries to talk. His friend "Rat" (the easiest way he can pronounce his name)has asked him to take over his newspaper route while he goes on a trip for the month of July. He agrees to but when it is time to collect the weekly money, he has a bit of trouble. Over the month of July, when he collects the money, he meets a few people who impact him throughout the story. Next something unexpected happens. His nanny/person who helps him to talk a bit better(who goes by Mam), gets beat up. He finds out who it is and him and Mam go and they get beat up but they win the fight. In the end everything turns out alright.
This is my new favorite book. It has everything a good book needs to interest me. There was a really good plot twist, and something about it made me want to keep reading it. It really grabs the readers attention. It has good humor but it is very realistic. It is nothing I have personally gone through but know that other people have. It was set up and written in a very well way. Overall I definitely would recommend this to my friends.
This is the story about 11-year-old Victor Vollmer who takes over his friend Art's paper route while he is on summer vacation. The setting is Memphis in 1959. Victor has no fears about delivering the papers but he is worried about collecting the money from the customers for their paper delivery because he stutters. He fears that he won't be able to talk to the customers who don't automatically leave payment for him. During the month that he takes over the route, Victor has some interesting experiences with several of his customers. By the end of the month he has grown and matured.
Many issues surface in this book in addition to stuttering including the place of the Black population in 1959 Memphis, homeless people, unhappy marriages, and violence. Since the author himself has suffered from stuttering, he really focused well on the problems faced by one who has this disability. I appreciate being able to better understand this problem, but I felt that some of the other issues and how they were addressed in the book were not age appropriate for what I would see as the intended audience.
This is a hard book laced with tenderness. The paperboy will pull at your heartstrings as he tries desperately to do the thing that everyone takes for granted. Talk. When his friend Arthur takes a vacation during the summer, he agrees to cover his paper route. That’s what good friends do for one another. The only problem is that he has an awkward stutter, and he is dreading money collection day. In a reversal of fortune, he ends up becoming more than an acquaintance with several of the people on his route. Professorial Mr. Spiro, treats him with respect and encourages him to own his disability. Lonely Mrs. Worthington just wants someone to listen. Something he’s good at.
Standing alongside the main story, is that of Mam, the black housekeeper who takes care of the paperboy like he is her own son. The author beautifully captures the setting and voice of late 1950’s Memphis. He peppers the story with examples of racism and gives the paperboy one more philosophical issue to ponder. It all comes down to people being judged for things that have nothing to do with their character or abilities.
One of the things I especially liked was the description of the mechanics of stuttering. He explains what makes certain letters easy or hard and how he is always thinking of synonyms that are easier to say. S is his favorite letter. His name starts with the letter which is hardest for him to say. The author keeps the reader in suspense and doesn’t reveal his name until the end. I find it so sad that he hates his name. Interestingly, the author’s name begins with the same letter.
The plot is as tight as an overwound guitar string. The author keeps the story simple and focused which allows him to pack in the details. The characters are three dimensional. The pre-civil rights setting is described to a tee, exactly as I imagine it. The paperboy has the respectful nature that I imagine southern boys of that time having. It makes me long for those days. I love his innocence, kindness, strength, morality and refusal to be victimized. This boy is a model for boys everywhere.
Librarian’s note: There are two uses of the word “bitch.” One is early on when Mrs. Worthington is drunk and thinks he called her a bitch, when he didn’t. This is followed by an excellent example of character when he writes her a sweet letter apologizing for the misunderstanding. The second is when Mam goes after the neighborhood thief who stole the paperboy’s money and he calls her a bitch. This shows the harshness of the thief’s character and I find it acceptable.
Highly recommended book to promote historical fiction and disability awareness.
COPYBOY - Six years have passed, Victor is seventeen, still stuttering, still playing baseball and planning to attend college in the fall. He has taken a summer job as a copyboy for the Memphis Press-Scimitar. Mr. Spiro has passed on and entrusted Victor with the task of spreading his ashes at the mouth of the Mississippi River. Before leaving for college Victor is determined to complete the special promise he made to his friend.
The characters in this book are so relatable. The story flows well, full of interesting information about Acadian/Cajun heritage, great descriptions of the Mississippi River, believable dialog – a great continuation of Victor’s story.
Thank you Netgalley and Capstone for a copy.
This book is about a boy living in Memphis, TN in the late 1950s who has a stutter so severe it makes even the smallest conversation possible. When he tries to work through this stutter, he either gets dizzy or people assume he’s a simpleton. The only person who seems to understand him is his black nanny, Mam. When his friend goes away for a month, he agrees to take up his paper route even though it means talking directly to the customers to pick up their subscription fees. There he meets a colorful cast of characters and learns to work through his disability. Even though it’s considered fiction, the story is autobiographical and came from the author Vince Vawter’s experience as a child. My recommendation for this book is a personal one. Just like the main character, I too had a stutter as a kid that made me embarrassed to talk. From experience I can tell you there is nothing more frustrating than feeling like you can’t communicate your thoughts and feelings, so I could empathize with the narrator’s struggle. I would recommend this book for anyone who has a speech impediment, know someone who is affected by one or has any other communicative disorder. Vawter mentions in his author’s note that stuttering usually manifests itself in childhood, so this book would be perfect for middle grade students.
Such a sweet book! An unforgettable boy!
s-s-s-s And my soul doesn't s-s-s-s stutter. A short insightful story about growing up and coming to terms with a speech impediment. But there is so much more to be learned and taken away from reading this book about one short summer in Memphis in 1959.
This is an entrancing story about a young boy, twelve years old, with a stuttering problem. The narrator, Vince, has a true and realistic voice and point of view. The story takes place in Memphis one summer when Vince takes over his friend's paper route for a month. Vince has many learning experiences this summer including puzzling over adult relationships, the barriers that segregation impose, the wisdom of the sailor with whom he speaks and from whom he learns.
This book would be a good fit for a unit on growing up. It would be a good addition to a unit on civil rights and the differences between communities, and their ways of coping. I would recommend this to a young adult reader who likes realistic fiction and historical accuracy. This book would also be good for a unit on overcoming challenges, whether physical or emotional.
Personal Response: I enjoyed this book. It dealt with fairly heavy themes and ideas, but I found it interesting to experience a child’s stutter through their own thoughts and feelings. Although the story had some exciting and engaging scenes, I found the more thoughtful, quiet scenes are this book's strengthens. I felt the author effectively conveys a young boy’s coming of age and overcoming a disability with sensitivity and clarity.
Curriculum connections: This book would be excellent when teaching personal narratives. The boy in the book chooses to write down his story because he stutters and cannot speak the things he’d like to say. This gives the book a realistic and interesting perspective. I would use this in a lesson and encourage students to do the same. Write their internal dialogue as opposed to external.
I would use this book for a 5th grade class as a class novel. I would use this chapter book for 5th grade because at 5th grade students because the boy is eleven and most 5th graders are eleven or around that age so students will be able to connect to the main character. I would use this book as a class novel to teach students the theme of perseverance and students can learn about character by making connections with with him and I could use this book teach about point of view since the book is told from the the paperboy.
In the novel, “Paperboy” by Vince Vawter, the main character Lil’ Man takes over his friends paper route while he is on vacation. Lil’ Man doesn’t worry about throwing the paper, since he knows he throws the meanest fastball in town, but does worry when he realizes that through his stutter, he must ask people for money. The central message of this book is to remind all of its readers that we can all over come our biggest fears. Through his journey as the paperboy, Lil’ Man gains confidence to speak up when he is needed to the most. Lil’ Man learns more about the adult world and himself when he pushes past his comfort zone and fights his insecurities head on.
Newbery honor winner for copyright 2013.
It took a bit to figure out the setting. As the story unfolds where the paperboy collects 95 cents for a weeks delivery of paper, I realize this is not modern day. It's set in Memphis in 1959. Mam takes care of a boy whom we find out is named Victor. Mam is his black nanny and they are very tight. When Victor asks Mam why the rules are different for her, she says they just are even if you don't like it. Victors stuttering is the underlying theme of the book and I found myself agonizing with him as he attempts to communicate.
The narrator of Paperboy suffers from a severe stuttering problem. He has found many ways to cope, but it still becomes a difficulty with every human interaction he has, apart from a couple of beloved people. The book is set in Memphis, Tenn., in 1959. When his best friend, who has a paper route, goes away for a month and the narrator takes over the job for him in his absence, he is forced to deal with much more than he intended.
He deals with a drunken abused housewife, an eccentric and erudite book-lover, a neighborhood bully, and a junk man who is far more dangerous than he seems at the outset.
His guiding hand through all of life's tribulations is Mam, a devoted black housekeeper who works for his family. While the narrator is the protagonist, Mam is the heroine.
Summary:
A young boy from Memphis dreads taking over his friend's paper route. He has a severe stutter and finds out about the cruel world around him. During the 1950's many things were a battle, including speech disorders.
Personal Reaction:
It is a great story about self awareness and perseverance.
Classroom Extensions:
1. The students should write what they would have done in his situation.
2. Students should tell five things they love about themselves.
Narrated by Lincoln Hoppe. We don't know his name until the end, but the family's maid Mam calls him Little Man. He copes with a stutter using a variety of techniques to speak to others as smoothly as possible. During a personally evenful two weeks subbing on his best friend's paper route he meets a random assortment of Memphis neighbors who each impact him strongly in one way or another. I always enjoy listening to Lincoln Hoppe's warm tones and deliberate pacing and this is no different, although he seemed to eventually lose the southern accent he started reading with. An afterword about stuttering is read by the author who himself grew up with a stutter and which appears occasionally in his reading. A gentle, personal story although I felt the boy's change in attitude about himself and his stuttering was rather quick and not convincing.
I'd really probably go with more of a 2.5 rating. I tend to love historical fiction, but found it a little hard to get through this one. It was interesting to read about a main character who stutters, though.
The overall message of this book is to try to get out of your comfort zone because it might just change your life.
I really enjoyed this book because of the writing style and the point of view. The writing style of this chapter book is very interesting because the author did not include any commas or quotation marks. At first it was quite difficult to distinct the differences between individuals talking but after a little while it became quite natural and easy to read. I also enjoyed how the author decided to include the different techniques that Victor used when he was having trouble with certain words. It was quite interesting and it added to his authenticity, making him easier to connect to.
I believe that the point of view for this chapter book was essential to its success. I loved how the view of the story was through such a young boy, resulting in the lightheartedness of the story. Victor goes through traumatic events: watching adults fighting, his maam getting choked, and being made fun of because of his stutter. It was fascinating to see how he handled those situations despite his age.
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This story is set in 1959 in Memphis, Tennessee. The paperboy is temporarily covering paperboy duties for his friend Rat, who's spending the summer out on the farm. Being the paperboy means having to to talk to strangers, which is daunting when you have a stutter. So the paperboy practices using "Gentle Air" to get his words out. He also finds many opportunities to test his courage and confidence. There's being swindled by the junk man, Ara T. There's the beautiful and troubled red-headed woman named Mrs. Worthington. And there's a mysterious, philosophical customer named Mr. Spiro who gives the paperboy interesting tips and conversation.
Readers will learn a little about what it might've been like to be a white boy raised by a black housekeeper before the Civil Rights Movement. They will learn a tremendous amount about living with a stutter. This is really where the book shines. If you read the afterword, you find that this book is really more a memoir than a work of fiction. The author writes with such passion about growing up with a stutter because he actually grew up with a stutter.
I really enjoyed the the paperboy's voice and his challenges, so I'd recommend this book. The weak points are the plot, which definitely drags in the middle, and the length. I think you could easily cut this book down have something more digestible for your average middle grade reader. But for kids who love to empathize with characters who have dramatic struggles (as in, for instance, [b:Wonder|11387515|Wonder|R.J. Palacio|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1366213431s/11387515.jpg|16319487], [b:Out of My Mind|6609765|Out of My Mind|Sharon M. Draper|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1347602096s/6609765.jpg|6803732], and [b:Rules|222458|Rules|Cynthia Lord|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1328868621s/222458.jpg|1139031]), this will satisfy. Very impressive for a first work of fiction (and a first work of fiction for children at that).