A young adult Classic

Citation:

Hamilton, Virginia. M. C. Higgins, the Great. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1974.

Awards:

This is the only book to win all three of the following awards;

Newberry Award Winner 1975

National Book Award

Boston Globe-Horn Book Award

Annotation:

M. C. is a teenager in the hills of the rural south with some adult responsibilities. Through his family relationships, a friend, encounters with outsiders, and his greatest possession, we follow M. C. as he comes of age.

Review:

Although this book was first published in 1974, it is written with a timeless quality. The story remains just as applicable to life today, as it was in the mid ‘70s. Readers will gain a sense of themselves by getting to know M. C. and the issues he faces as a young adult. I was surprised by the depth of character development and the sober maturity M. C. relies on to face his reality. I highly recommend this book to any reader interested in a triumphant story of an isolated existence in the poverty stricken rural south.

Genre: Classics

(Image credit: www.virginiahamilton.com)