Customer Reviews

Bringing the Boy Home

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Tirio comes from the Takunami tribe. They are hidden in the depths of the Amazon rainforest and live a totally secluded life. When Takunami boys reach the age of 13 they must perform their soche seche tente, a sixth sense test. When Tirio is just a young boy his parents know that he will never be able to complete this test because of his disabled foot, bringing dishonor to the family, and banish him from the tribe. They send him down the Amazon River, knowing he probably won't survive. Luck was on Tirio's side though when an American woman named Sara found him. Sara adopted Tirio and brought him home to the States with her where he received the best care for his foot.

Luka is determined to pass his soche seche tente; he has been preparing for it his entire life. It's so important that his family is depending on him in order for them to have a real future. His mother has even made it her life's purpose to help train him, neglecting and using her other children in order to prepare him for this perilous test. They both hope that nothing has been overlooked and are convinced that Luka will do just fine.
Almost thirteen years later Sara and Tirio head back to the Amazon where Sara found Tirio. As the trip draws nearer Tirio starts feeling more and more connections to the Takunami tribe. His senses are more alert and he just can't wait to get back to his homeland. Before he even steps foot in the country Tirio has decided he will find his way back to his tribe. Will Tirio make it back to the Takunami? Will Luka pass his soche seche tente? In a weird way fate brings these two together in an unimaginable way.

I think this was definitely the most unique and original coming-of-age story I have ever read! I really liked this book. The characters were well created and I loved the story. While this is classified as a middle grade novel, I think it is definitely a suitable read for young adults too. There is nothing that is really kiddish and the story is really good. There were a few surprises that really caught me off guard, which made the book that much better. This would definitely be a good book for reluctant readers as well as avid readers as it is progresses quickly and is full of adventure. I would also like to point out that N.A. Nelson is a fabulous member of The Class of 2k8. This group of authors seems to be putting out some of the best books this year. All in all this was a great book. I really give props to the author for her creativity in this book, as she did a great job encompassing some amazing culture and a great sense of nature!

The main characters in the book are 2 boys that are approaching their 13th birthday. They both lead very different lives but have a common thread that binds them together. The story switches from boy to boy as they face the challenges of coming of age. Tirio is a boy that lives in the USA with his adopted mother. He was pushed out of his tribe in the amazon and left for dead. His adopted mother finds him and brings him to the USA. As her think back on his tribe and the traditions he finds a way to fulfill the test of manhood. The other boy, Luka, lives in the amazon and the story takes us though his training for the test of manhood.

Fans of the Survivor show should enjoy this tale. The tribe and the characters are fictional but the author has done lots of research and makes it seem very real!

Yes, it's written for middle schoolers, especially boys, but it's a great story. It's a quick read (at least, for adults) and it pulls you in. It's about a boy named Tirio who is a member of a tribe in the Amazon. When he is six years old, he's floated out into the Amazon in a canoe, presumably because he has a disability in his leg. He's discovered by a white woman who is in the area doing anthropology research and is adopted by her. He grows up in Florida.

It's told in two voices; by him and by Luka, a member of his tribe.

If you need a book for a middle-schooler in your life, or just want to read a neat adventure story, check it out. :

Nina Nelson has done a wonderful job with this book.... And, it's not for children only. Her development of characters is splendid albeit with a surprise. Read it and enjoy the warm story of boys coming of age in the Amazon. It will definitely be under the tree this Christmas for my Grandsons.

I'd highly recommend this book for a variety of ages and interests. It's a coming-of-age tale with a twist, a glimpse into the culture of the Amazon (the author made up the tribe, but it READS true), and a top-notch adventure tale--particularly for those of us who wonder how we'd do on "Survivor"! The characters are real, the human drama intense, the writing evocative. It kept me up until 3 a.m.! (Thanks a lot...)

This is a great book. It can easily go beyond the recommended age of 9 to 12. N.A. Nelson does a great job at describing what is happening with each of the characters' needs and emotions. The setting, while mostly fictional, is completely realistic and it invites curiosity to learn more about what other tribes and rites may exist that we know little or nothing about. Children AND their parents will both enjoy this book.

Take a unique premise combined with a fascinating setting, strong and likable characters, and wonderful writing and you have one of the best books of 2008 - BRINGING THE BOY HOME.

I can't recommend this book enough. My 13 YO son will be reading it next and I know he's going to love it!! I don't think you can get much closer to the perfect boy book!!! Great job N.A. Nelson!

This interlocking tale of mystery, suspense, and adventure is split between America and the Amazon. Time is tracked through the ages of two boys heading toward their thirteenth birthday and their coming-of-age ceremonies.

This reminds me most of the book "A Single Shard" (set in Korea) -- another boy-becoming-man faces hardships and uncertainty story. Both books are uplifting and positive.

There is a wonderful backdrop of information about the Amazon rainforest setting to satisfy adventure-seeking kids, and there is plenty of wildlife and action.

Parent notes: abandonment of a handicapped child, running away, parent suicide, overcoming injury, hallucenogenic drugs.

Great story. Age 10 and up.

Tirio has had a typical American boyhood. About to turn 13, he loves spending time with his adoptive mother Sara and his best friend Joey, playing soccer and just hanging out. But it turns out that Tirio's background is not so typical. Sara, an anthropologist, found Tirio floating down the Amazon in a corpse canoe when he was just a little boy. He had been cast out from his people, the Takunami tribe, because he had one foot and leg that didn't work properly. In a culture that valued physical skills and masculinity above all else, Tirio's handicap was more than a liability --- it was a death sentence.

Since being brought back to the United States by Sara, Tirio has spent years in physical therapy strengthening his leg to the point that he can walk, climb and even play sports without his leg brace. But he has never stopped thinking about his tribe and the father who cast him out for being less than perfect. On the eve of his 13th birthday, as Sara plans a trip for the two of them back to the Amazon rainforest, does Tirio have the strength and courage to tackle the Takunami's traditional test of manhood --- the soche seche tente, or sixth sense test?

Deep in the Amazon jungle, another Takunami boy, Luka, is training night and day for his own soche seche tente. He must use all five senses plus the "sixth sense" of telepathic communication with his own, unknown father in order to pass the test and be declared a man, a Takunami warrior. His mother has invested all her energy into raising the ideal warrior son. But when something unexpected happens just days before Luka turns 13, is his chance of becoming a man lost forever?

BRINGING THE BOY HOME is N. A. Nelson's debut novel, but it demonstrates accomplished storytelling skills. Told in alternating chapters from the point of view of Luka and Tirio, the story gradually builds in suspense as readers grow to care about these two boys' very different journeys to manhood. The connection between them --- revealed only near the end of the book --- will take many by surprise, as will Tirio's ultimate decision about where his loyalty and responsibility lie. In the end, Tirio's and Luka's linked stories provide powerful explorations of the links between generations, and of the idea that even the most self-reliant person can rarely go it alone entirely.

Their story of adventure is clearly fictional --- an author's note explains that, although there are likely other undiscovered Amazon tribes, the Takunami and their customs are completely fabricated --- but is compelling nonetheless. Some may wish for fewer supernatural elements and more authentic "roughing it," but BRINGING THE BOY HOME nevertheless will resonate with readers who enjoy wilderness survival stories by authors like Gary Paulsen and Jean Craighead George.

This is an amazing tale that will have readers guessing until the end--a can't put down book!