ONION JOHN

by Joseph Krumgold ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 15, 1959

In the genre of Huckleberry Finn comes this story of Andrew Rusch, Jr., a boy from Serenity U.S.A. Andrew's rapport with Onion John, a derelict, springs from his childish ability to ""suspend disbelief"" and from his identification with the man as an outcast of adult society. Half-mad, Onion John's delusions are full of simple beneficence, a beneficence which, when implemented, somehow has disastrous effects. Torn between his sympathy for his friend and the impulses of an approaching maturity, Andrew struggles between boyhood and adolescence. His painful but poignant ""putting away childish things"" is treated here with remarkable sensitivity and scope. Joseph Krumgold, author of And Now, Miguel, brings to the dimensions of childhood an understanding born of a truly mature and rich understanding. Here is sentiment without sentimentality, invention without deception.

Pub Date: Oct. 15, 1959

ISBN: 0064401448

Page Count: -

Publisher: Crowell

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1959

Categories: FICTION