Sounder
William H. Armstrong (J Fiction)
Sounder was well named. When he treed a coon or possum in a persimmon tree or on a wild-grape vine, his voice would roll across the flatlands.
His mother wasn’t educated, but she knew the stories of the Bible and would retell them around the stove. How the boy yearned to be able to read those exciting stories for himself, but school was far away, and his family were poor sharecroppers. What use would he ever have for reading or writing? Then, as a testament to his mother’s unwavering belief, a miracle happens when his father brings home pork sausages and a ham. And it wasn’t even Christmas yet. But a late-night knock on the door suddenly turns the boy’s world upside down and soon he’ll need to rely on his mother’s faith and his own determination to get his family through the most difficult time of their lives.
Winner of the 1970 Newbery Medal, Sounder is a classic story of faith, family, and rising above your circumstances with dignity and honor. Armstrong assigned only one character a name in this book and that was to a loyal coon dog named Sounder. He also provided scant descriptions of his main characters other than saying that the father was a “tall man”. In an interview for Writer’s Digest, Armstrong explained this choice by saying that he wanted the reader to place themselves in the story: “…without names [the characters] became universal—representing all people who suffer privation and injustice, but through love, self-respect, devotion, and desire for improvement, make it in the world.”
In the beginning of his book, Armstrong explains that Sounder was inspired by a story told by an elderly black teacher around his family’s kitchen table. The story was about Argus, the dog of Odysseus, who remained loyal to his master and even recognized him upon his return home after being away for 20 years. After the teacher told this story, he told the story of Sounder. In this day and age, where loyalty can be won or lost based on 280 characters, it’s hard to imagine that kind of faithfulness shown by a coon dog to his master. Love and dedication on that level is rare and probably why Armstrong honored this loyal companion with a name.
Sounder is much more than a book about the atrocities of slavery and the ugliness of racial injustice. It’s a story of devotion: Sounder to his master, the boy to his father, and the mother to her Lord and Savior. References from the Bible are stitched throughout this story much like the mother’s stitches used to mend a torn pocket or strengthen a ripped seam. Faith is the thread that ties and holds these characters together and makes them strong and resilient. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “If you lose faith, you lose all.” I think that sums up this extraordinary book perfectly. Thank you, Mrs. Roosevelt, for doing it with just 32 characters.
Rating: 5/5
NEW!! Want to share this book with your homeschooler or classroom? Download our study guide: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Study-Guide-Sounder-by-William-H-Armstrong-12035619
The Dusty Jacket 