True Grit

     I picked up True Grit by Charles Portis on a whim from the library. My dad enjoys the movie adaptation starring John Wayne. After hearing that the 2010 adaptation starring Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and Hailee Steinfeld was truer to the book, I was interested in finding out for myself. (You will discover my findings in a later 'Book VS. Movie' post).

     True Grit follows the story of Mattie Ross as she enlists the help of US Marshal Rooster Cogburn and Texas Ranger Laboeuf (pronounced La-beef) to track and capture Tom Chaney, who, intoxicated, murdered Mattie's father. Laboeuf is tracking Chaney for a crime done in Texas. The trio sets off into Indian territory where Chaney fled, hot on the fugitive's trail.

     The book is written in the style of a memoir from Mattie Ross's point of view. She wrote it to tell about her experience with Cogburn and what happened afterwards to both him and her.

     I found Mattie Ross's character intriguing. I wouldn't be afraid to say that Mattie has some grit herself. She is a very determined girl who doesn't like to be treated like a weak girl. She doesn't like Cogburn calling her 'little sister', feeling like that means he believes her a weak girl needing protection. She abhors LeBoeuf insisting she not join them on the hunt. She believes she should be respected by all being a property owner, and she knows what she wants and will, under any circumstances, get it.
     Cogburn is a drunk and a marshal who would rather shoot first, ask questions later. He has killed around 27 fugitives in his duty as a marshal, but who knows how many more come from his time serving during the Civil War (on the confederate side). He doesn't enjoy talking about his past, although in one scene later in the book he tells Mattie a lot as they wait to ambush some fugitives. He develops a paternal/fraternal relationship to Mattie (although I don't think neither he or Mattie would admit it at the time). Her safety and survival is his main goal (besides capturing Chaney) near the end of the book.
     Laboeuf is that 'side character' you grow to love by the end of the book, although he didn't seem near as developed as Mattie and Cogburn. He does seem to develop fraternal feelings for Mattie near the end of the book, whereas in the beginning he whipped her in attempts to get her to go back home, abhorring the idea of a girl, not to mention a child, joining the men as they worked. He doesn't take instruction well and is a bit cocky and proud about his abilities.


     One of the goals for this blog is to provide information for parents and readers alike to find 'clean' reads suitable for their children or themselves. In all my reviews I will mention general themes from the book, language, sexual/romantic interaction, and violence.

     Themes:
 Wild-west, murder, fugitives

      Language:
 Mild cursing (SOB a couple of times)

      Sexual/Romantic Interaction
 None pertinent to the story

      Violence
 Talk of killing, Mattie's father is killed. Mattie totes around a revolver. Mattie is whipped by Laboeuf. There is a shoot out resulting in injury and the death of multiple fugitives. Fight scenes at the end resulting in death, injury, and loss of an arm.

     I would give 'True Grit' a rating of light to mild PG-13

     On a scale of 1 to 5 (1 = horrible, 2 = OK, 3 = I liked it, 4 = I really liked it, 5 = I loved it), I would give True Grit a 3.