It is so rare to find perfection, but this book is practically perfect. Shane by Jack Schaefer is the quintessential Western. As tauntly written as its protoganist, this book delivers a vibrant story brought to visual life through the eyes of young Robert MacPherson Starrett. Shane, the character, has come to be an iconic Western hero. Some may think the story romanticizes the west and men weren’t really like that, but they should be. A story with symbols and layers, it is a must read for any age.
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: 3 religious exclamations; 19 mild obscenities; 1 religious profanity; 1 anatomical term.
Note: The review of this book was on the original 1949 edition. A subsequent edition was edited for school use removing the majority of the language. That edition is still commonly available.
Violene/Gore: A fight scene in a salon between characters involving hitting and breaking an arm (~1 page); an extended fist fight in a salon involving hitting, kicking, broken bottles, cuts, some bleeding, etc. (~ 9 pages, some description); a report of a shoot out resulting in a death; a gunfight resulting in the death of two characters and the injury of another (brief, little description).
Sex/Nudity: A married couple kiss, hold hands.
Mature Subject Matter:
Death, murder, civil and social conflicts, marriage, loyalty, duty.
Alcohol / Drug Use:
Adult characters drink in salon. Adult characters smoke.
