"Sounder"
by William H. Armstrong, illustrations by James Barkley.
HarperCollins, New York, 1969, 116 pages, Grades 5-8.
The Newbery Medal is given each year to the children’s novel demonstrating the “most significant contribution to children’s literature that year.” Chosen by children’s literature specialists, the Newbery winners are an outstanding compilation of excellent writing.
The 1970 winner, “Sounder,” is based on a story William H. Armstrong heard from an African-American man when he was a child. The book is situated in the Deep South during the 1930s. This period in many southern states was a period of abject racial oppression. Racism created cruel laws and led to the suppression of rights for African-Americans. There is no way to sugarcoat this time. But in the midst of this suffering, Black families supported and loved each other. Hope could be sensed on the horizon in the midst of pain and poverty.
William Armstrong writes a compelling account of this time period in his classic novel, “Sounder.”
Sounder is the finest coon-hunting dog in the county. His owner lives in a cabin with his wife and four young children. At night, he takes Sounder coon hunting and the dog bellows each time a coon is treed. A coon skin sells for two dollars which can be the difference between buying a new coat and wearing a threadbare one.
But the hunting is falling off and there is little food or work to be found anywhere. The oldest son sometimes goes hunting with his father and bonds closely with Sounder. The situation continues to worsen and the father knows he must do something drastic to help his family. He goes out at night and comes home with a ham and a number of sausages.
When the boy wakes the next day, he smells his mother cooking this delicious breakfast. Life is good and Sounder gets a juicy ham bone. But the son notices his parents keep looking down the road for something. What are they looking for?
The boy soon finds out. The sheriff and his deputies come to the cabin and arrest the father for stealing the meat. As he is taken away, Sounder attacks the sheriff and is shot and wounded. Now the family is in terrible shape. The father is in jail and Sounder is badly injured. But the family keeps struggling and surviving.
The boy discovers books and has a kind man offer to teach him. As the boy thrives in his developing love of reading, he works hard to help his mother keep the family together. How does he do it?
How does this young boy do so much to help his mother? Does Sounder recover from his wounds? Why does Sounder mean so much to the boy? Why is the dog the boy’s rock of safety during the trouble swirling about? Why is his mother’s dignity so important? What finally happens to his father? To find out, go to the library and check out this painful but beautifully written story, “Sounder” by William H. Armstrong.
This book authentically tells the story of baleful effects of racism. This makes it a heartbreaking novel at times. But it also is a novel that demonstrates the endurance of love and the importance of family. The people are never named in the story which gives a certain universality to the novel.
Since the book is a retelling of a story Armstrong heard as a child from a Black man at his church, we can learn much about the time period discussed in the novel. It has been said that to refuse to remember or learn from the past mistakes will condemn people to making the same mistakes in the future. “Sounder” is a wake-up call to put love ahead of hate. As our society seems to be fracturing today, the novel may be as important now as when it was first published. Highly recommended.
