As I write this I am forced to multi-task. My new found call of the wild has struck my heart and I'm currently packing so I can hitchhike my way to Alaska where I will walk into the wild.OK, that is a bit of a stretch. No, make that a lot of a stretch. Besides, I shouldn't poke fun at the story of Chris McCandless, who did just that. His story was written in Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer, which happens to be the reason I started reading Jack London's, The Call Of The Wild.
The story is written from the perspective of Buck, a St. Bernard/Scotch Shepherd dog who is the pet of a judge. Lazy and trusting of humans he is kidnapped by the gardner's assistant and sold as a work dog where he is forced to learn the laws of man by way of club and fist. Buck, An intelligent dog who learns how to play the system by avoiding conflict with man, creates conflict with other sled dogs as he works his way to the front of the dog sled team. The dog team is transferred among several owners before Buck is rescued by a kind man who truly cares for him. While Buck enjoys his new life with his new owner he can't help but feel a call of the wild. A call that he embraces when a pack of Indians kill his owner.
I must admit I loved this book. It was a short read (80 pages) with a fresh perspective and powerful storytelling. As soon as I finished this book I started Jack London's, White Fang. However, White Fang didn't grip me in the same manner as The Call Of The Wild and I've since put that book down in favor of a different book called Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer.
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