Buck

Call of the Wild by Jack London
reviewed by Olubusayo

This book is one of my favorite books, one that I have read in middle school. The main
characters are Buck, John Thornton, Dub, a poor blundering thief who
always gets caught in his nonsense act, Hal, Charles. The setting is
Alaska and California.

This book is mainly about how a dog named Buck survived through hard times during the
California Gold Rush. Buck is a strong dog who pulls a sled through hard cold weather
conditions, the snow and rain in Alaska. Buck was trained to do this
so he understands how to survive such difficult conditions.

Back then, people were talking about the California Gold Rush, and everyone was
trying to get there to try to get rich quickly. But Buck
wasn't used to extremely hot conditions like those in California. Also,
Buck and the other dogs were treated unfairly and fed only small
amounts of food. The dogs were forced to travel from Alaska to
California, and it was a terrible journey. Some of the dogs died.

This book is mainly for people ages 12 and above because of the harsh
treatment of dogs, such as the fact that they weren't given enough
food and many subsequently died. The best thing about this book —
why I loved it — is how it teaches you the ways animals were
used as transportation. Another interesting thing is that even
though the conditions were terrible, Buck still managed
to survive. One thing I learned from the book is that you shouldn't
quit if you are facing hard times — just keep trying.