Littlejim — Gloria Houston

In this award winning coming of age novel for all readers, set in WWI in the southern Appalachian Mountains, focusing on the father-son conflict, scholarly, artistic eleven year old Littlejim seeks his stern, cold semi-literate logger father's approval through entry in an essay contest on What it means to be an American, sponsored by the Kansas City Star. A sub theme is the population of immigrants who live in The Creek community. A sawyer's comment that we all come from sommers else, is the catalyst for Littlejim's essay, which confirms that, here, if we fail, we can start all over and achieve our goals.Second in the Littlejim series, the book has been praised for its accurate portrayal of the time, the place, the culture and the language of the setting and is included in social studies curricula for several states. Adapted as a musical by the winner of both the Jonathan Larson and Richard Rogers Awards for Musicals, the adaptation was a part of the winning portfolio, giving the novel new life on the stage.