“I Am Not Wolf” by Roger Terry
Review by Natalie Smith, regular contributor
I was intrigued first because of this title, and second because of the picture on the front. It’s true that generally you can’t judge a book by its cover, but this one was really interesting to me, and I borrowed it from the library.
Because “I Am Not Wolf” was in the LDS section of our library, I was expecting to read a story about conversion to the LDS Church, and instead I came away with a very different idea of what West Germany was like during the 1970s. This book barely mentions the LDS Church, except to state how the missionaries look from the eyes of an outsider with a very different lifestyle.
“I Am Not Wolf” follows a young American, David, who goes to West Germany and meets his best friend, Wolf. They have some adventures, and while the book is somewhat formulaic in places, it’s also such an interesting study in culture and personality that it keeps the attention. I recommend this one to adults because of their comprehension of repercussions of the Berlin Wall, although it would be appropriate for young adults, as well, especially if they have studied this time period.
I had to stop and comment on the phrase "LDS section of the library". Do they really have a section with just LDS books? Is this section for LDS fiction or for LDS nonfiction or for both? That is just the weirdest thing I've ever heard! (LDS in Chicago)
ReplyDeleteHaha. Rebecca, I'm not the one that wrote this review, but being LDS in UT, I can answer that, yes, there is an LDS fiction section AND an LDS non-fiction section in my local library. :)
ReplyDeleteMust be nice to be able to check out LDS fiction/non fiction from the library.
ReplyDeleteI didn't even stop to think about that phrase -- I guess I've lived in UT long enough, eh? So, in Provo I know there's both sections, but here in little old Springville there's just a general LDS fiction section. It has books by LDS authors, regardless of content; in other words, not just books published by Deseret Book and Covenant. I have mixed feelings about this, as there is one LDS author in general that I feel can be a little too loose on his morals that's included in this section, but I really enjoy checking out what the library's gotten in that's new. I asked the librarians about why they arranged things this way, and they said that the most books checked out from our library are the ones by LDS authors.
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