As I was writing about the Effigy Mounds National Monument, I remembered a young adult book I read some years ago. Do you know Gary Paulsen? He is a prolific author, mostly of children’s books, has participated in the Iditarod, writing both adult and children’s books about it, and has led a rather interesting life. His books often revolve around nature and how nature helps us grow and mature.
Paulsen’s book, The Monument, is about a small town in the midwest, sometime after the Vietnam war, whose residents want to build a monument to all the fallen war heroes that have lived there. They hire an artist to design the monument.
The artist starts drawing sketches of the people in the town as he talks to them, gets to know them, and attains a feel for what the town is like. Many of them, as I recall, are not comfortable with what he draws, seeing things in their character that they would rather not see.
A young girl, recently adopted, with a disability, befriends the artist. As he works, she starts to gain confidence in herself, becomes less self-conscious of her disfigurement, and grows in her own artistic abilities.
It is a short book, moving and interesting about art, especially for young readers, with a dog and assorted town characters, and it has a message about how we choose to honor people. It has been a long while since I read The Monument. I don’t remember the characters’ names and details, but, what I do remember is the monument that is finally erected. A grove of trees, thirty or so, one for each veteran who has died in the service of the country through the span of many years and wars.
The beauty of such a living memorial touched me when I read the book, and it has stayed with me for many years. It played with my thoughts as I wrote yesterday’s post and thought about the ancient mounds we viewed. Burial sites that had been there for a millennium and I thought of how all cultures and religions and people have in their time and place erected such monuments, not just to fallen war heroes, but, to their own people as well.
It is funny, isn’t it, how one thought leads to another and how our travels, whether in books, by car, or by plane, give us broadened understandings of this magnificent planet, our earth? Our earth. A monument that should be honored and respected. Ah, a short road trip and a children’s book; I never know where my thoughts will lead me.
Lifeonthecutoff's Blog 
What a great post Penny, to make a person think on a Saturday morning! I will definitely check out that book too.
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Thank you, Janet. Did Anton read any of Gary Paulsen’s books? I think you would appreciate this, but, you might like his book Nightjohn as well. It deals with the risks slaves took to learn to read. Okay. Enough thinking for a Saturday.
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It sounds profound, Penny, thanks for this post. I wonder if it’s kindlable yet?
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It really stayed with me, Kate, after many years. The book has been out for quite a few years. I’m sure it is kindable.
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My younger son was very into Paulsen and intrigued by his wilderness survival story especially. To plant a grove of tees as a memorial is a wonderful idea. I’ve been thinking that would be a better monument to the folks who went down in that plane in the field in Pennsylvania on 9-11. They’re short 10 million dollars to complete the monument. That would feed people, buy textbooks for school…. the list goes on, of course. A grove of trees is perfect – a living, growing monument to Life.
Thank you, Penny.
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That was probably “Brian’s Song”. Our Katy enjoyed it as well and then was thrilled when we met Paulsen at a book signing.
What a meaningful memorial that would be, Teresa.
There is a story in The Monument of a group of soldiers who have just been given bags of peaches. They are all killed in a surprise attack and their bodies are left in the field, where they decay. Years later, a peach orchard is found there with a tree for each soldier lost. I cried when I first read it.
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Teresa, Joyce’s comment below makes me think that the book your son read was probably “Hatchet”.
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What a beautiful story. Thank you for telling me about it. And yes, Hatchet. It was a gift from his dad as he was returning home to or from Alaska and the plane went down. The hatchet saved his life, I believe. It also became a good movie which I watched with my son many years ago now….
Thanks, Penny, and Joyce. 🙂
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I would like to visit the The Effigy Mounds Nationals Monument, it must have such a spiritual feeling to it.
I have enjoyed catching up on all your posts Penny. Loved being on the road with you and seeing your photos is always so interesting, to be able to see other places in this wonderful world of ours, And yes, I did click and click again to see the fisherman in is boat, How very small he looked surrounded by the grand expanse of countryside.
And Kezzie – how very gorgeous she is, walking and running around, how quickly she has grown, She certainly is a real doll.
I can relate to your book piles, as I look around me here now I see similar piles – oh, I do love reading!
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It truly does, Marilyn.
I’m so glad you have enjoyed them, Marilyn. We could barely see the fisherman from our lookout spot. I wondered if he knew he was being photographed.
Thank you. She is so much fun and growing so fast. It was a joy to spend time with her and her parents.
Me too! I took a few back to the library yesterday and came back with eight more. I’m hopeless.
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typo for my post way above: “makes” a person think
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Ha! Too much thinking on a Saturday morn, Janet.
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What an interesting story, and what a fitting monument it is, a grove of trees. Groves were sacred to the Druids of Celtic England, as they preferred to worship in nature, rather than build great edifices. I’ve enjoyed following your thread of thoughts.
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How interesting, Juliet. I’ll have to do some reading up on the Druids sometime. Thank you.
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I too love the Gary Paulsen book. I haven’t read it in years either. I am fuzzy on the details, but you reminded me of the main idea. Now I want to reread it. Thank you for a lovely reminder.
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You’re welcome, Janet. He is so prolific, he is hard to keep up with. Did you ever read his adult memoir? I think it is called “East of the Sun, West of the Moon”. He really had a difficult childhood and survived it and thrived as an author.
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My younger son (now 37) liked Gary Paulsen’s books. He had an autographed copy of Hatchet and read many others. Growing up I’d get upset when I went to read my library book and my dad was reading it. I have to admit I did the same thing to my son and read some of Paulsen’s books though I don’t remember this one. Just went to the library site and put it on hold. Ive recently read several children’s books you’ve mentioned as well.
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What a thrill for your son to have an autographed copy. Paulsen is such a good storyteller, especially for boys. As an adult, has he read any of Paulsen’s memoirs, especially his book about participating in the Iditarod? How good to hear you’ve read some of the books, Joyce. Thank you.
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