I chose Call of the Wild because I was on an airplane with my e-reader and realized that I had forgotten to download the book I had purchased for the trip onto my reader. Oops. I could have connected to the wi-fi to do that, but because it was an airplane and they have a monopoly on the in-flight wifi market, it was way more than I was willing to pay just to download my book.
Thankfully my reader came stocked with 100 classics- very helpful to my project! So I looked through the list and chose Call of the Wild.
I had read this one already, but not since sixth grade or so, so this is another 're-reading with an adult perspective' choice like The Scarlett Letter and Black Beauty.
Its a great book. Although, like Black Beauty, the main character is an animal, I would not consider it a kids book. It's a really interesting account of conditions- both for dogs and men- during the Klondike Gold Rush. The brutality of life in the Yukon at this time is portrayed through the experiences of Buck, a dog stolen from his plush home in California, shipped to the Yukon, and sold to those looking for a strong sled dog.
I really enjoyed it. Also like Black Beauty, it's a quick read, but does deal with subject matter related to the 'kill and be killed' reality of the time and place, so it's also decidedly not a warm and fuzzy kind book.
Call of the Wild was written in 1903, so I have that decade checked off my list!
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