Mr. Lowey, Captain’s Courageous, and The Great American Read

 

A few years ago, PBS presented an outstanding series called “The Great American Read” which culminated with viewers voting for what they considered the greatest works of fiction by American authors. As the series concluded I couldn’t help but think of all the memorable books that were not included in the program. Among them were books written for young readers. Here is an anecdote about one that I think deserved recognition even though its author was English and not American.

            It happened when I was a student in sixth grade. Once a week my class would visit the school library located at the end of the hallway and adjacent to the gymnasium. Its unusual placement a few feet below floor level gave it a cozy inviting feel much like a baseball dugout. On this occasion I couldn’t make up my mind about what to read and was without a book as we lined up in the hallway to return to class. Seeing this, my teacher Mr. Lowey declared “No book? We can’t have this. I have just the book for you. Come with me!” With his duck-like walk, the six foot plus Mr. Lowey marched me right back into the library. He scanned the shelves like a sailor standing lookout until finally pulling out Rudyard Kipling’s Captain’s Courageous.

            Captain’s Courageous is the story of a privileged boy aboard an ocean liner who accidently falls overboard. He is rescued by the crew of a New England fishing boat and expects to be taken ashore to be reunited with his father. Instead, the crew puts him to work as they continue their months long fishing voyage. Along the way the boy grows in maturity and learns all sorts of fishing and seamanship skills. He also develops a close friendship with one crew member who takes him under his wing while the rest of the crew go about their business showing less patience for the spoiled upper crust youth.

Captain’s Courageous was a big leap for me. The author’s use of fisherman’s lingo and Gloucester dialect posed a challenge, but I managed. It was a perfect book for me at the time. You see, I was rather sensitive and lacking in confidence, and this book encouraged me to be stronger and more assertive. Perhaps that’s what Mr. Lowey had in mind. I am grateful to him for making this selection on my behalf. Plus, I finished the school year slightly above grade level in reading after starting the year slightly below! I am sure Mr. Lowey’s SRA program and books like Captain’s Courageous had a hand in that.

I am a retired school teacher. Captain’s Courageous was and always will be one of my favorite books.

Steven L. Thomaschek