Baby Jack: A Novel

by Frank Schaeffer

Todd Ogden, an acclaimed painter with work in museums around the world and a seemingly successful thirty-year marriage to the Brahmin Sarah, is living and painting in his two-hundred-year-old Massachusetts farmhouse when his youngest child, Jack, chooses the Marines over college. Feeling puzzled and ultimately infuriated by his son’s incomprehensible switch to “the other side,” a situation only further aggravated by his disapproval of Jack’s girlfriend Jessica, Todd ultimately turns his back on his son. Not long after the start of Gulf War II, Jack is deployed to Iraq and killed a week later, trying to end off an ambush.
From this point on, Baby Jack tells the story of the family Jack leaves behind, of his parents trying to survive as their marriage shatters, of Todd’s own breakdown and after-the-fact attempt to understand his son’s life — and of Jessica’s perseverance and the baby to whom she gives birth after Jack’s death.
Baby Jack is a powerful and moving human story of sacrifice and redemption, which takes its readers into a territory way beyond the everyday.

Genres: Fiction

356 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Frank Schaeffer is a New York Times bestselling author of more than a dozen books. Frank is a survivor of both polio and an evangelical/fundamentalist childhood, an acclaimed writer who overcame severe dyslexia, a home-schooled and self-taught documentary movie director, a feature film director of four low budget Hollywood features Frank has described as “pretty terrible.” He is also an acclaimed author of both fiction and nonfiction and an artist with a loyal following of international collectors who own many of his oil paintings. Frank has been a frequent guest on the Rachel Maddow Show on NBC, has appeared on Oprah, been interviewed by Terri Gross on NPR’s Fresh Air and appeared on the Today Show, BBC News and many other media outlets. He is a much sought after speaker and has lectured at a wide range of venues from Harvard’s Kennedy School to the Hammer Museum/UCLA, Princeton University, Riverside Church Cathedral, DePaul University and the Kansas City Public Library.

Reviews

[Andrew Lubin · Rating 5 out of 5]

God as a drill instructor at Parris Island ?? Absolutely ! Schaeffer brings us the story of a young man who joins the Marine Corps against his father's wishes - and is promptly killed in Iraq. The subsiquent conversations between the young Marine, his dad, and God will bring tears to your eyes. Well done !

[Andrew Stout · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great story and a fascinating look at the way that military service acts as a model for the shaping effects of tradition and liturgy, as well as how self-sacrifice brings greater happiness and fulfillment than simple self-expression.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I now feel like I have a sense of the Marines "thing" where before I didn't really have a true sense there was a Marine thing.

[Pgricchi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This slender novel is not a book to "enjoy", it is one to asorb and reflect upon: Family, faith, love, country, all told with uninhibited intimacy. There were times when I had to stop reading and "walk it off".

The characters are complex - but commonplace. As types, we have known all of them, but they should not be judged on first impressions. The multiple narratives arc and intersect beautifully. And in his writing about the USMC culture and its basic training ( which I experienced in the mid-1960's, and my son 20 years later), Schaefer sounds not a single false note .

[Janeen Rawson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was with the story until Todd decides to follow in his son’s footsteps. Disappointed.

[Katie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't really enjoy reading the majority of this book. The characters were not deep or complex. The story was not looking overly original for the first 3/4. But I walked away with a better understanding of a Marine, and I think that was worth the read alone. And there was a great scene near the end of the book that had me rating this at three stars instead of two. It was cathartic and very needed to make the story complete.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It taught me more about patriotism, the sacrifices made by many young men and women in our country and my own self-conceived notions about people. The language is somewhat graphic (especially the drill instructor) so if that turns you off, you wouldn't like this book. It's also a great story about family relationships, particularly parent expectations.

[Sibylle · Rating 1 out of 5]

A book full of clichés and stereotypical people is one thing but what finally stopped me reading was when the dead son starts talking from the afterlive, omniscient and recalling his conversations with god. Eek.

[Nich · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this book. I would give it a 3 1/2 stars or 7/10 stars. I enjoyed it. It was different from what I normally read (European classics) but I was still able to connect to the characters and was moved by the story. I think my favorite part was that it gave a really unique perspective of what it's like as a modern day soldier. It's not something I would think about: why would a teenager with a bright future choose to join the army or the Marines? Also, the portrayal of God at the end of the book was pretty amusing and creative and was another unique perspective. It's interesting to see how other people think of God and what he would sound like. Altogether, a well written, interesting book. I recommended it to a friend with the warning that some parts were a bit crass but it was an interesting story.