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A review by jennifermreads
Roughing It by Mark Twain
4.0
Over a period of a few weeks, my husband and I listened to the audiobook narrated by Grover Gardner. Why I had not read this sooner I do not know. Having grown up in South Lake Tahoe and Gardnerville, and, thus, near Virginia City, Mark Twain is a local icon. This writing, in particular, is one I had been urged to read for years. Well, Mom, I finally did it!
I’m first going to address and call attention to the racism and sexism. Yes, both are present and blatant. Are they excusable? Absolutely not. I went into reading Roughing It fully aware of a few things: the book was written in 1870-1871, racism and sexism would be part of the writing, and it is a reflection of Mark Twain’s life, living, and time. This is not to excuse the racism and sexism. It is meant to remind folks: we have come far—and have much further to go. If you are alarmed by the racism and sexism, to me, that is an excellent sign that you have educated yourself to be more aware and cognizant of language usage and equality. The book, at the very least, reflects the times and can be used as a tool to show and teach (a) what not to say and do, (b) the thinking and views of the late 1800s, and (c) how far we have come.
Outside of the blatant racism and sexism, the stories are pure-Twain: witty, humorous, and entertaining. Again, having lived and vacationed in several of the locations he writes about here, I was especially drawn to the stories. I could vividly picture many of the sites—and visualizing exactly what Twain’s Tahoe settlement must have looked like when it was aflame!
I would encourage readers to take their time in reading this tome. Many complain that it is long and winded. However, as we listened over weeks, we found that the stories were quite entertaining given that we were consuming them, at most, in one- or two-hour increments. If readers approach this with the mind-set that they are a series of short stories, I imagine it would help many find it more enjoyable.
I will continue to work my way through Twain’s extensive bibliography. I continue to be fascinated by him—and having just watched Ken Burns’ documentary, I am touched by what a loving husband and father he was. He treasured and deeply loved the women in his life and I took that to heart as I read the sexist bits of Roughing It.
I’m first going to address and call attention to the racism and sexism. Yes, both are present and blatant. Are they excusable? Absolutely not. I went into reading Roughing It fully aware of a few things: the book was written in 1870-1871, racism and sexism would be part of the writing, and it is a reflection of Mark Twain’s life, living, and time. This is not to excuse the racism and sexism. It is meant to remind folks: we have come far—and have much further to go. If you are alarmed by the racism and sexism, to me, that is an excellent sign that you have educated yourself to be more aware and cognizant of language usage and equality. The book, at the very least, reflects the times and can be used as a tool to show and teach (a) what not to say and do, (b) the thinking and views of the late 1800s, and (c) how far we have come.
Outside of the blatant racism and sexism, the stories are pure-Twain: witty, humorous, and entertaining. Again, having lived and vacationed in several of the locations he writes about here, I was especially drawn to the stories. I could vividly picture many of the sites—and visualizing exactly what Twain’s Tahoe settlement must have looked like when it was aflame!
I would encourage readers to take their time in reading this tome. Many complain that it is long and winded. However, as we listened over weeks, we found that the stories were quite entertaining given that we were consuming them, at most, in one- or two-hour increments. If readers approach this with the mind-set that they are a series of short stories, I imagine it would help many find it more enjoyable.
I will continue to work my way through Twain’s extensive bibliography. I continue to be fascinated by him—and having just watched Ken Burns’ documentary, I am touched by what a loving husband and father he was. He treasured and deeply loved the women in his life and I took that to heart as I read the sexist bits of Roughing It.