Book 77: Borden Deal: The Least One

Previously, I found "The Other Room" by Borden Deal, but I haven't bought it yet, as it was too expensive. Now, I've bought "The Least One", which is the prequel novel with a 12 yo boy as main character instead of 15 yo.

336 pages written in 1967, also set during the Great Depression (white sharecroppers). I think (partial) autobiographically. The main character (The Least One) has no name ("Boy") and has an older brother. Some parts remind of Deal's short story "Antaeus" which has been made into a CBS movie. "Robbers, Rooftops and Witches" is one of my favourite movies, rating 10, TOP #3.

I'm still reading it (now page 250) and there are ~2 scenes of interest, yet.

-Both brothers had to wear clean overalls, jumpers and brogans for the one-room schoolhouse, no winter underwear (p. 54)

-The smell of the "poor" in the school is described (chalk, dirty bodies and clothes, food). p. 58

-Dad in overalls (briefly) p. 95, 116, 117

-pulled by the slack of the overalls, fight boys 12+18 yo, p 190+196

-knife in bib pocktes , p 193

-Dad undressing after bitten by spider, p 210

-boy shucked into overalls and shirt, p 221

-boy putting on clean overalls on Sunday, p 248

-boy cousing wears Dad's bibs, short and tight at crotch, p 257

-night thirsty put on bibs, p 275

-undress in the dark, p 281

-barefooted in the morning, without shirt, p 317

-overall jumper, later pistol in overalls pocket, near end

As announced, there are some good farm and overalls decription near the end and some dramatic plots and some feelings of farm series like The Waltons, but somehow very brief bibs description and mainly of the dad. I expected much more. Also the plot about receiving the name is rather poor. Most parts of the book are boring. I don't like it. In fact only one very good description of the school. It's obvious that they all wore overalls even on Sundays.

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