I must have read this book six or seven times during my junior-high school years. I even have a picture of me with it! I so identified with the misfit, social outcast protagonist. I was so pleased to find a copy with the original library binding that I remembered. I don't know if Mary Anderson is still around, but I liked this book and "Step On A Crack" very much.

I couldn't help but picture Kathy Bates(the actress) in the main role of Johnnie when the movie version of this novel comes out. From the very first chapter to the end, it was very hard to put this book down. Thumbs up to the author!

From the reviews, I thought this might be a great book for
my 8th grade English class to read, discuss and critique.
Thank heavens I read it first! It is so riddled with grammatical errors, mis-used words and spelling errors that
for me, plowing through it was like listening to a fingernail scratch the blackboard. Both author and publisher should be
ashamed! Rather than having the class read the book, I'm
using it as the basis for a competition. Any student who
wishes to may read the book and make note of all the mistakes.
The one (or ones) who finds the highest number will receive a prize -- a book of course. So I suppose I didn't waste my
money after all.

Paula and I read this book and fell in love with it. It's a wonderful story of family togetherness vividly told by a an inspiring writer.

I read this book last night and just couldn't put it down. The rich family relationships are so visual and full that you really feel you know these people and are feeling with them and for them. If you love animals...and talk to them, as I do, you will really relate to Cappy's "heart to heart" with his herd -his children. I have horses and dogs and tell them my inner most thoughts...and you know, they listen and understand. Pass this book on to your friends. It's a keeper.

The book is a disappointment. It offers no general historical insights. I was expecting the author at least explained how and why an individual chose to be a eunuch, how the procedure was performed, how the society and families treated these people, how these people adjusted in the society, where did they come from, what is their daily lives... The author did NONE of these. The author simply wrote a narrative history of a few eunuchs. She wrote descriptive protraits of important eunuchs throughout history in chronological orders. The writing is detailed. For that, I gave a 3 point rating. But the reading is long, dry and boring. I only spent two hours on the book before I returned it.