Fans of
Chris Crutcher, and even those who have never read his novels, will enjoy this entertaining, creative, funny (at times) and difficult (at other times) autobiography. Writing about growing up in Cascade, Idaho, Crutcher populates this straightforward, unapologetic book with a well-described cast of characters who were instrumental in honing his powers of observation. This is not an autobiography where the author merely describes others; what makes this work compelling is that Crutcher illustrates how his interactions with people and events gave him new insights into himself and life and spurred him to become not only an author but also a better or different human being.Readers get the sense that he almost had no choice of career besides that of a writer and storyteller. Every chapter is a story, and, in nearly every chapter, Crutcher learns something about himself and communicates that learning honestly to his audience. From his older brother John, he learns that no matter what, he will always be gullible, an easy target for whatever scheme John concocts. When Crutcher relates the stories about the BB gun, “Esus,” urinating in the heating grate, and stealing his brother’s book reports for English class, he seems to have two aims. The first is to show (hilariously, most of the time) the sibling relationship and how the younger brother keeps coming back for more, even if he always gets in trouble. The second is a deeper theme that runs throughout this work, demonstrating that naïve or innocent people are always at the mercy of others.
His chapter “Why Things Happen” takes up this concept and brings it to the center. Here, Crutcher is at his best when he discusses how death has shaped his life and how it has entered his novels. Discussing the death of a student at the school where he taught and the loss of his father and mother, he reflects on the words of a reverend, the “rhetorical question” of “Why do bad things happen to good people?” (163) He does not provide a final answer. Instead, he uses it as a means of showing his viewpoint as an author: “the best lessons about death come from the best lessons of life” and “Just because” (166-167). As an author, and as he has done in this piece, he will write about what he has seen and experienced, without having to ask for permission from anyone.
He returns to this simple idea later, in the chapter entitled “Becoming a Storyteller.” The chapter begins benignly and innocently: a high school-aged Crutcher has decided he wants to get As in English by doing very little, rather than settling for his usual C grades (for doing nothing). He hits upon a scheme to steal his brother’s collected book reports and relates how close he comes to getting caught. He could have stopped right there, and readers would have learned more about the author as a young man and maybe snickered at how ridiculous it all was.
However, true to Crutcher and the way his chapters unfold in this book, he adds more critical events. First, he meets a real writer and begins to understand and appreciate the act of writing, and he eventually publishes his first novel. Second, while discussing his first book, he describes a conversation with his literary agent about his use of profanity. Though these two events would be enough for others’ autobiographies, they are not sufficient here. Crutcher uses the final few pages of the chapter to help his audience understand why he chooses to use the language he does, relating an anecdote from his time as a therapist. Keeping with the theme of things happening to people, he uses the anecdote to show something important about his work: his “respect” makes his characters real and his storytelling is a “spot where language and circumstance and character merge to tell some tough truth” (226). Getting readers to understand his use of rough language took awhile, but, like his other stories in the book, was well worth the trip.
The title understates the intensity of this work and shows the humility that marks his writing, as he “portrays himself as a young crybaby, academic misfit, and athletic klutz, utterly without self-aggrandizement” (Shoemaker). His views of his town, his family, his friends, the pretty girls always beyond his reach, his participation in sports, and his brilliant ideas gone awry will increase reader understanding of who he is, how he approaches the world, and why he writes the way he does. If honesty and sincerity are “ill-advised,” then Crutcher seems to be saying the world needs more of it.
Reference List
Shoemaker, Joel. 2003. Review of King of the Mild Frontier by Chris Crutcher. School Library Journal 49(4): 176. Library, Information Science & Technology (LISTA) database through TWU Library. Accessed 16 November 2011.
Highly Recommended (Grades 8 & older)
Some of the material may be too difficult for some 8th graders, but it’s a wonderful read for those who can handle its content.
Review Excerpts
This is a good read and a deeply moral and philosophical work with important messages about life, death, relativity, heroism, and why bad things sometimes happen to good people. (Kirkus Reviews)
Tough and tender reminiscences focus primarily on family, social, and school conflicts, but lessons derived from his career as a teacher, therapist, and writer are also described… the narrative holds undeniable appeal for the author's fans and demonstrates the power of writing to help both reader and writer heal emotional/psychic wounds. (School Library Journal, April 1, 2003)
Nothing tops his misadventures in small-town sports ("If you didn't show up for football practice on the first day of your freshman year, they simply came and got you"), including his days as a terrified 123-pound freshman ("with all the muscle definition of a chalk outline") and his initiation as a letterman (involving oysters, an olive and a large dose of humiliation). (Publishers Weekly, March 3, 2003)
Through a series of vignettes, Crutcher lays bare many painful memories of his childhood, and readers see the source of some of his best stories and characters…In telling his own story, Crutcher entertains readers, challenges them, and touches their hearts. This is a biography that will be read--not skimmed--and loved. (Voice of Youth Advocates, June 1, 2003)
This honest, insightful, revealing autobiography is a joy to read. Crutcher's fans will relish this intimate glimpse of the author, and the book may win some new readers for his fiction. (Booklist, April 15, 2003)
Review excerpts from Books in Print database, TWU Libraries.
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