Review

My little runaway Jim Harrison turns his considerable writing talents to children’s literature in an autobiographical tale due out later this month. The Boy Who Ran to the Woods tells in Harrison’s typically haunting, lyrical style the story of a “wild boy” who finds solace by escaping to the Michigan woods near his home. Like Harrison himself, the little Jimmy of the book is deeply affected when he loses the sight in one eye after a troubling childhood incident. He recoils from the rigidity and cruelty of the classroom and spends his days roaming the woods and getting into trouble. Older children (and their parents) will appreciate Harrison’s deft handling of the boy’s recovery and the gentle wisdom his parents bring to taming their child’s wild ways. For the fans of Harrison’s novels, poetry, and screenplays, The Boy Who Ran to the Woods provides a fascinating glimpse into how he developed the affinity for animals and the natural world that distinguishes much of his fiction.