True Grit by Charles Portis

In 1880s Arkansas, 14 year-old Mattie Ross recruits Rooster Cogburn, a U.S. Marshal of dubious character, to help her track down her father’s killer. While this is partially a good old-fashioned Western, it as much character study as action tale. The relationship between Rooster and Mattie – two people drastically different in both age and background – makes for an excellent story in itself.

There are plenty of other colorful characters here, though - most notably LaBoeuf, a Texas Ranger. If you have seen either or both of the movies made from this book (the 1969 version with John Wayne or the 2010 version with Jeff Bridges), you might enjoy comparing the book to the movie(s). Read the book and decide for yourself which movie was better as compared to the book, or whether the book was better than either/both movies. There was much discussion after the 2010 version came out that it was more faithful to the book than the 1969 version, but I do not give it credence, as Mattie would say. There are parts of the John Wayne version that are more faithful to the book, and there are parts of the Jeff Bridges version that are more faithful. My recommendation is that you watch both movies and read the book. Then decide for yourself which movie is more faithful to the text of the book, and which is more faithful to the spirit of the book. Decide for yourself who is more like the Rooster Cogburn that author Charles Portis intended (John Wayne or Jeff Bridges?). Decide for yourself who is more like the Mattie Ross that narrates the book (Kim Darby or Hailee Steinfeld?). This is a quick read, but you will find interesting characters, excellent dialogue, well-written action, and an astonishing lack of contractions.

-Bill Kinyon