The Andre Reading Club: Scarface

[Irene]

This is the first Andre Norton book that I ever read. Back from the Childrens section of the Yonkers Public Library. This was probably from their current location, walking distance from my parents house, so that would make me about 10.

Unlike Paul G, I wasn't able to pick this exact edition up in a Library book sale. But wouldn't that have been great! I don't think that they still had you sign the inbook sheet back then, so I wouldn't see my own signature. [This was a modern library. They punched a card with the date, and put that in the pocket. The punched pieces of paper got into everything, as I found when I worked there 7 years later.]

This is an adventure of high order. Pirates, missing heirs, evil captains and life as the lowest crew member at sea. Imagine loosing your memory, and finding it, only to discover that you had a lawless history during the time you were "gone".

[Irene]

[I had built up a nice head of steam about this book - and then my computer decided to re-boot to install patches. !@#$!@#$% computer.]

This is still a good read.

It is one of Andre Norton's 'nature versus nuture' books, where a child of good parentage, can rise above the life he was raised to.
Here "Scareface" is raised by a pirate captain. Going to sea, as soon as he can be trusted not to fall overboard. Thou raised as the lowest of the low, never given a penny, he has managed to find someone to teach him to read, and to use a sword well.

This same theme is used in STAND AND DELIVER, about a young man raised in the stews of London. Still later this is a major theme of the young men raised in the "dimple" or the slums of her space communities.

Here, Scareface has tried to get the Governor of Tortula to free him, without success. He has tried to ask the woman who cares for the Captain's house to tell him of his past - only gleaning a name "Justin", and a mention of a "Lady Mother".

Unlike FOLLOW, there are no places were I want to stop our hero from going there alone [or telling those teenagers not to go into the forest, basement, haunted house.... Similar to telling Tonto not to go into town.] Our hero makes his choices, and then takes the results.

The ending is similar to the ending of REBEL SPURS - but that is several months away on our reading lists.

[Paul Goode]

One of my favorites. This one begs to be filmed, Can' t you just see Dominic West(from John Carter) as Captain Cheap? and maybe Taylor Lautner(Twilight) as Scarface. :bg:Later Kind folks--Paul

[Irene]

Taylor Lautner is exactly how I picture the young Justin... Except for the scar.

Thank you for pointing this out, and how much he looks like the illustrations.