A Land Remembered (Student Ed. Vol. 1) by Patrick D. Smith

A Land Remembered (Student Ed. Vol. 1) 

Patrick D. Smith
Young Adult Historical Fiction
Published 1984

The Gentle Challenge: (Home-Sweet-Home)
⭐⭐⭐

For this category, Home-Sweet-Home, the author must be from your hometown, where you live currently, or where you are from. I chose to read A Land Remembered because the author lived in Florida, which is where I live now. 

Unfortunately, I unknowingly ordered a student edition, volume one, from the library, which was a bummer because I would have preferred to read the adult version all in one piece. But apparently, most books via the library are eBooks, and I would have preferred a hard copy, which is how I ended up with the YA edition. Nonetheless, I figured it would be a quick and easy read, and if I agreed with it, I would choose to read the adult version in the future. 

In a nutshell, yes, I would read the adult edition of A Land Remembered. I gave it three stars because I agreed with it, which means I liked it, but again, it was written for a younger audience; thus, it probably would have been four-stars. 

ABOUT THE STORY

The story followed the migration of the young MacIvey family (Tobias, Emma, and their adolescent son, Zech) from the war-torn state of Georgia, 1863, into the untamed wild lands of La Florida. For the next seventeen years, the family traveled all over the state, battling the wildlife, climate, and natural habitation to stay alive and make a living. They had nothing to start with, but with ingenuity, ambition, and determination, they worked to build a successful lifestyle capturing wild cattle, herding them across the land, getting them nice and fat, and then selling them for a profit. 

The work was strenuous and exhausting, and oftentimes they were met with disappointment, defeat, and tragedy. In fact, some tragedies turned graphic. (In the adult edition, they were probably extremely graphic.) They faced wild animals, swarms of insects, hurricanes, humidity, floods, freezing temperatures, rustlers, illness, and more. 

Some scenarios were hard to wrap my head around, like swarms of mosquitoes choking cattle and humans to death. (I mean, I once was bit 35 times in the course of a few hours by a mosquito while I was supposed to be asleep; but I have never had thousands of mosquitos in my mouth, nose, and throat. I do hope that's a thing of the past.) 

There were also successes. Tobias was doing so well for himself and was able to find extra willing men to work for him. He made so much money that he stored the coins in sacks and forgot about them. His son, Zech, decided to use the money to purchase the land they were sitting on, which happened to be twenty thousand acres at twenty cents an acre. By then, Zech was an able-bodied young man, and he found himself an educated young lady and married her. 

That was a happy ending, but it is only part one. Part two continues the life of Zech and his wife and their family, which I will have to catch up with later, when I hopefully read the adult version. 

The quiet land seemed awesome, too vast for any man to ever conquer. Animals could survive its hazards, but Tobias wondered if he could. 

Map of La Florida 

ON A PERSONAL NOT ABOUT FLORIDA

While I was reading this book, I thought, "Man, Florida is dangerous!" Then I said, "What am I talking about?! I know it is!" This place is still wild. 

My family has been in Florida almost three years, and we have experienced four hurricanes, including the worst one to hit Tampa in over 100 years. Our property was struck by lightning, costing $3,000 to repair the driveway gate. I can't open my mailbox without being accosted by a family of amphibians; or walking in my yard without playing obstacle course with fire ants, which is why I wear rain boots even in summer. We get blinding downpours -- meaning you cannot see while driving and windshield wipers are useless. It rains so hard and often that if it weren't for all the crisscrossing roots underfoot, I am certain the ground would open up and swallow us. I told you about the mosquitoes: do not step outdoors between June and October. And don't get me started on how the human beings drive down here. 

Last November, after Hurricane Milton, I thought to myself: I don't think I can do this every year. Maybe Florida isn't our forever home. Unlike Tobias MacIvey: I don't want to conquer Florida. I just want to live. 

The Gentle Challenge