Montana 1948[MONTANA 1948][Paperback]

by LarryWatson

Montana 1948 <> Paperback <> LarryWatson <> MilkweedEditions

Paperback

Published May 31, 2007

Reviews

[Caeden Downey · Rating 4 out of 5]

There have only been a few times where I have finished a whole book. From reading books there's not many that keep me interested and want to keep going. However every time I was done reading a section of Montana 1948 I couldn’t wait for the next section. I read this book because it was assigned to me in English class and I am very glad I read it. Montana 1948 was written by Larry Watson who is a very respected author. According to the back cover of the book he has written a bunch of books, some of his most famous ones are In a Dark Time, White Crosses, and Orchard. He has received many awards and prizes including the Milkweed National fiction prize. Montana 1948 is a realistic fiction about a boy who is disappointed in his father but has to solve a bunch of problems in his family.

This story is all about a family that faces different problems that is trying to split the family apart. The whole book is from the point of view of a 12 year old boy named David who matures overtime. The book is broken up into 3 sections which are all about the same issue but with a little different meaning. Overall the book has great suspense and a lot of tension that is going to make you want to keep reading until the end. “Imagine instead of a movie screen divided into boxes and panels, each with its own scene, so that one moment can occur simultaneously with another.”(Watson # xvi). There is also a reason why the author picked the setting. Montana in 1948 was very different from the rest of the country and a lot less modernized. Montana had a lot of small towns and not much out there. The book took place in a fictional town called Bentrock which was very underdeveloped and not much out there. I really enjoyed this book because of all the suspense it had and the different plot twists that came up throughout the book.

I believe that this book is for all readers who love tension and suspense and who want to know what is going to happen next. I would recommend this book to a little bit higher level readers as there are some tough parts to read and talk about. Readers will really enjoy the different drama this book has in the family and how they are known throughout the town. The family goes through a bunch of different challenges in the book that really affect all of their lives. This book has real problems that occur throughout the world and can help people learn from them.

[Lenni Pieksema · Rating 4 out of 5]

Montana 1948, Larry Watson

I read the book Montana 1948 written by Larry Watson. Larry Watson is the best selling author from the States known for novels. He was born in North Dakota, in 1947, and has won a Milkweed National Fiction Prize. Montana 1948 is one of his biggest and most known ones. The book tells a story from a 12 year old boy's David’s perspective which was a new kind of perspective for me. He lives in Montana with his sister Marie, mom Gail and dad Wes. Also other characters in this book are Uncle Frank who is the doctor, war hero of Montana and Wes' brother, his wife, David’s neighbor Len and Len's wife. Marie gets ill at the start of the book and after that the story's plot really starts and the book starts to get interesting.

The genre of the book is fiction and it has a couple themes that I recognized. One of them is racism, the book shows life at that time, and unfortunately there was racism. Uncle Frank and David’s grandpa talk a lot of bad stuff about Native Americans. “You’ve got to go easy on that, pop. They want kids they’re trying” (Wes p.62). “We want the kids white” (grandpa p.62). Also one of the main themes is the difference of using family loyalty to make decisions or the law. The author’s trying to say with these themes that there was a lot of evil that time and that the time was really different than nowadays.

The author makes me really feel like I could be in this story and the characters are great. One of my favourite characters is Len. It's great how he gives specific information about every character. It helped me to get into the book faster. The book is written to talk about deep themes like family loyalty versus justice, the devastating impact of racism and sexism, and the loss of childhood. He talks about these things from a child's perspective which is really cool. Also the things that happen in the book like when a couple guys attack David’s family's house is great to see from David’s perspective and how he reacts to those traumatizing things. I would recommend this book for people that are interested in fiction books and who are ready to read about really tough but important things.

[Roan Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story centers on David's family as they confront serious crimes committed by his uncle Frank against Native American women. David's father, the town sheriff, struggles with his duty, leading his mother, Gail, to state that "Sins—crimes—are not supposed to go unpunished" (Watson 76). This dramatic tension builds to a thrilling climax. The simple language keeps the pace moving, although I felt the ending was slightly rushed after the strong build-up. Similarly, The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger also follows a young narrator going back and forth with what he thinks is right or wrong, as Holden (the young narrator) struggles to make sense of the dishonesty and injustice he sees in the adult world. Both novels show how teenagers are forced to face troubling truths about the people they once trusted.

I liked how Larry Watson wrote Montana 1948 to look at important ideas like justice, family loyalty, and racial issues during a certain time in history. The author wanted to show how a quiet summer in Montana in 1948 could show a time in American history when people often ignored the abuse of power and racism, especially towards Native Americans. Watson does a great job of showing this by having characters talk about these problems. For instance, when police officer Len is talking to David’s father, he says, “You know what your granddad said it means to be a peace officer in Montana? He said it means knowing when to look and when to look away.” (Watson 84), which shows the deep corruption and tough moral choices of that time. In the end, the author makes the reader think about how justice is delivered, even when the community prefers to look away.

[Robby Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

In my English class, I got assigned a book called Montana 1948. The author did a great job writing this book. Larry Watson, the author, had a great plot throughout the book, leading to big events. Throughout the book, David, the narrator, learns a ton of great information, which causes him to learn new things, which causes him to grow up. his parents, his dad, Wesley, the sheriff, and Gail Hayden, his Mother. I thought it was a great book. I would definitely recommend this book to other readers. There was a bunch of awesome cliffhangers, and I just constantly wanted to read more.

In the book, there were many important events, for example, when Marie struggled throughout the book. As long as Marie was in the Haydens' house, she would be taken care of, and Uncle Frank, the doctor, could help her out when she was struggling. David and his parents have a great relationship in the book. David, throughout the book, was listening in on important conversations throught the book. When his parents were talking about activities with other people who were doing bad things, David listened in and heard things he had never heard before and words he had probably never heard before.

In conclusion, I would definitely recommend this book. Montana 1948 is definitely a page turner, it makes you want to keep reading. The book is easy to read and keeps you waiting to read. It makes you think about what's right and wrong when people you know and trust do terrible things. You will see how the Hayden family deals with big problems that change the story. This story that makes you think and feel, this book is a great choice. I really think you would enjoy reading about David growing up in this great story.

[Brayden Gearin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before reading Montana 1948 by Larry Watson, I hadn’t read many books, just one other, but this book quickly became my favorite. The story follows David Hayden, a young boy in a small Montana town, as he witnesses his family confront secrets and dilemmas surrounding his uncle Frank. Watson keeps the writing clear and engaging throughout the reading. One of the book's main strengths is its suspense and emotional intensity, which allow the reader to be fully immersed in the story. Of course, some parts deal with heavy situations or are intense, which some readers may not handle well, but for me, it added to the strength of the story.
The story focuses on expressing the characters by emphasizing their strengths and weaknesses. For example, Wes, David's dad, struggles to protect his brother and uphold the law at the same time, while David slowly understands the harsh realities of justice at the young age of twelve. Len, the deputy, also shows how conflict and obligation affect the book when telling David, “You know what your granddad said it means to be a peace officer in Montana? He said it means knowing when to look and when to look away.” He then says, “Your dad hasn't quite learned this yet.”(Watson Montana 1948 Page 84) Suspenseful scenes give the book a remarkable moral challenge involving loyalty, brotherhood and legal responsibility.
This book is great. Overall, the book’s exploration of family and justice makes it an entertaining read because it is so emotional. People can face extraordinary moral challenges; this book invites readers to reflect upon these challenges and realize the consequences of the choices they make. I would recommend this book to my friends and family, and hope they enjoy the book as much as I did.

[Alejo B]

Montana 1948 Larry Watson

In "Montana 1948" is about David and his dad (Wes) he is a sheriff. They live in a small town ,are a powerful family in the town,especially Grandpa (Julian). David had an Uncle (Uncle Frank)
and everyone thinks he is a good guy but he is not really a good guy. David knows that he is not a good guy.

And through the book you are watching that David at the first he though that everything was either good or bad but through the book David is changing. David learns that not everything was good or bad.

A strength of the book is how David grew and changed. He thinks that everything is good or bad but at the end of the book you see that David sees something between good and bad. Something of the book that made me think was that at the end of the book you see that it is not a perfect, happy ending. It is not like most stories that the end is happy. David's father just says, "Don't blame Montana".

Also I usually I don't like to read books like they are so boring for me and they have to many words and like that but this book i like it because the is something that hooks you to the book and you want to read more to know what happened next.