Jack London - The Man!!!. Review on Call of the Wild - Jack London

Being one for toughness, nature and adventure, have always been fascinated by Jack London's writing and the characters that he creates. The first book by this great author that I read was Sea Wolf. The tale was just gripping, and for a Long time, I wanted to grow up and become Wolf Larsen, or at least his brother, Death Larsen. Second one was that phenomenol story called The Call Of The Wild, describing the tales of the canine, Buck, and his master John Thornton.

But then, much later, I came across a fantastic book. It wasnt written by London, but was about him. Cant recall the title, but it contained a story even more fascinating than any Jack had written - His own story.

It describes a summer in the life of Jack London, when he was a strapping 16 year old, just back after a voyage, with some money in hand. Just your normal young man with all dreams and aspirations, tremendous love for his family, self belief that he would be able to get them out of their poverty. Wants to have some fun on the side, but then feels guilty about any money he spends for the same.

The odds Jack faced were just enormous. The hardships that he endures...Those were the hardships. Jack works his heart out at a factory, hauling coal to the point he almost collapses. Reaches home so fatigued every day, that he has time only to drop into bed. Then he falls in love with an upper class girl. And the girl loves him too, in spite of her fathers best efforts to turn her back. He stays up every night, after the day's backbreaking work, to write a novel, which a local agent has said would get published. London knows that he would be able to stand up to the girl's father once the book gets published, and he gets famous.

Finally, the girl's dad calls him over. In front of the girl and her folks, Jack comes to know from the girl's father, that his own father, the person he loves most, is in reality not his father at all. He was born to his unwed mom, and this was a fact kept from him till then, by his well meaning parents. He leaves the girl's place shell shocked and numb.

And then comes the second blow. He comes to know that the local agent he was interacting with was an ally of his local rival. And in front of his eyes, the whole manuscript, which he wrote through months of staying up whole nights after backbreaking work during the days, gets thrown into the sea. And nothing he can do about it.

The last scene has London going on a ship, onto the ocean to explore the world, after the double whammy that he gets. He makes peace with his family, advises the girl to find a life elsewhere, and goes sailing into the vastness, which is where he wrote his masterpieces. You can clearly make out the maturing of a normal 16 year old into a tough man, whom we now know as one of the greatest authors ever.

Fantastic story, especially when you know it concerns a real person. In front of his adversities, the problems that many of us face and get daunted by are trivial. A must read, for all Jack London fans, in fact for all book fans!!!