Customer Reviews

Call It Courage

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(18)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

This short book by Sperry (1897-1976) won the 1941 Newbery Medal for best contribution to American children's literature. Mafatu, a Polynesian boy of 15 years old, has an intense fear of the ocean. At the age of three he was nearly killed when his mother drowned. Now he must conquer his fears. He goes off on his own and finds the courage within him. The story (probably for ages 9 to 13) starts off on the island of Hikueru in the Tuamotu Archipelago east of Tahiti at a time before European ships and missionaries had arrived. Apparently, Sperry, who had traveled throughout the South Pacific, based his story on an old and true Polynesian tale.

Robert Heinlein once wrote that "Courage is not the absence of fear--it is the conquest of fear. The man who is truly fearless is not courageous. He is also a fool." Young Mafatu, a Polynesian islander, fears the ocean. This is something akin to a cowboy fearing cattle. His fear causes him a great deal of discomfiture and makes him an object of scorn and ridicule.

Sperry tells the story of how Mafatu (which means "Stout Heart") faced and conquered his fear. I read the story some 40 years ago as a young child. Although I wasn't really searching for anything other than the subject matter for a book report, I came away from "Call it Courage" with something far more important than a long-forgotten grade.

Simply, elegantly, Sperry explores the nature of courage and helps the young reader to come to a better understanding of that most misunderstood quality.

The story of Mafatu's adventure on the isle of the eaters of men is unforgettable. Some 30 years ago I first encountered this book in my elementary school library and it remains vivid in my memory. It is the story of a young boy, Mafatu, who lives on an island yet fears the sea that killed his mother years ago. Mafatu decides to face his greatest and deepest fear--the sea--and sets off on an adventure, ending up not only conquering his fear of the sea but successfully confronting such life-threatening challenges as a hammerhead shark, a sharp-tusked wild boar and, finally, angry man-eating islanders. It is the kind of story where just when you think things can't get worse, they do. But Mafatu finds out that he is able to overcome every challenge and returns to his home island in triumph.

Mafatu's story should be required reading for children preparing to face a world every bit as dangerous as the open ocean and filled with hazards no less serious than sharks and cannibals.

I read this one when I was a kid, probably around fourth or fifth grade, and I loved it.

This is really an incredible story, predating Castaway and Life of Pi by sixty-some years, and still remaining a solid story for today's readers. Mafatu is a boy of about twelve living on the Polynesian island of Hikueru, who has lost his mother to the sea and is deathly afraid of it. One day, to conquer his fear, he sets out himself and winds up a castaway on a volcanic island.

The thing that fascinated me as a child reading this was Mafatu's ingenuity -- the construction of the outrigger canoe, the making of his clothing and food, teaching himself to hunt and build and survive. While I wouldn't have wanted to be so far from home, in some ways I wanted to be him, experiencing that world half a planet away. TV shows like Survivor have nothing on this.

The ambiguous ending (I prefer to think it's a happy one, but that is by no means clear) is a satisfying, if bittersweet, wrapup to one of the greatest, most intense, most incredible adventure stories that any child could ever enjoy. This is highly recommended, both to children who want something a little different to read and to adults who want to remember what it was like when that treefort in the backyard was a gateway to an entirely different world.

call it courage is one of the best books for any person who likes a good short book.The book is about a young boy named Mafatu his name maens stout heart. Everyone in the village he lives in thinks he is scaredbut he fces his fears and proves his courage in the end. When he battles feirce storms and wild man eating people on a strange island.If you are interested in this book you will have to read it yourself.

Call It Courage is about a boy named Mafatu that lives on an island called Hikueru. Mafatu's father is the cheif of Hikueru. All of the boys on the island went on fishing trips out in the sea, but Mafatu never went fishing. He was afraid of the water. When he was three years old his mother took him out to sea to look for sea urchins. While they were out on the water a hurricane hit and his mother drowned. Mafatu overhears some boy's talking about him, so, accompanied by his dog, Uri, goes out to sea to try and prove himself.
I liked this book because it was descriptive, so I could easily picture in my mind what was going on. I liked it also because of the intensity in the storms. There are many adventurous parts to this story. I hope you like it as much as I did!

Mafatu is the name of the main character, these means Stout Heart. He is a 12-year-old Polynesian boy living on the rocky Island of Hikueru. As a child he watched his mother drown and ever since he has feared the sea. The God of the sea is named Moana, Which Mafatu believes will get him someday for escaping his grasps. Mafatu is the son of the great Chief of Hikueru, his father looks down at him for being a coward and not fishing like the other young tribe boys. Tired of being called a coward, being laughed at by the girls and the boys not letting him play there games, Mafatu, along with his faithful dog begin an a jouney across the sea in the search of courage...

At least in me. I read this book in 3rd grade or so, and loved it. Its more or less a Robinson Curose for very young readers. It follows a young boy as he leaves home to prove himself in the Islands, and how he uses his skills and brains to prevail against all odds. This was one of my favorite books growing up, and encouraged me to learn as much in the way of practiacl skills as possible, even if it wasn't cool, or was somehting that boys arent supposed to learn. Hey, cooking, laundry, and sewing come in handy when you go to college.

And I'm not really 12, I just didn't want the review to be in my name.

If that violates the amazon terms of service, please just remove this review, I do not wish my name published. Thank you.

CALL IT COURAGE BY ARMSTRONG SPEERY

THIS STORY WAS REALLY GOOD AND I ENCOUGE PEOPLE TO READ IT. SOME BOOKS PEOPLE PICK UP, READ A CHAPTER THEN THEY JUST PUT IT DOWN AND NEVER SEE IN IT AGAIN. BUT WHEN YOU READ THIS BOOK YOU NEVER PUT IT DOWN UNTIL YOU FINISH IT. IF YOU HAVE NEVER READ A NEWBERY AWARD BOOK BEFORE, THEN THIS IS YOUR PEFECT TIME TO READ ONE. AND YOU CAN SEE OTHER NEWBERY AWARD BOOKS ON WWW.NEWBERYAWARADS.COM. THAT WILL SHOW ALL OF THE NEWBERY AWARDS FROM 1922 TILL 2000. CALL IT COURAGE IS EASY TO FIND IN YOUR LIBRAIRY, TOO. THIS BOOK IS A 4-5 READING LEVEL AND 6-8 CAN STILL READ IT. YOU CAN READ IT IN SCHOOL IN FIFTH OR FORTH GRADE. IT IS A REALLY GOOD BOOK. EVERYONE WILL KNOW THAT YOU ARE GOOD READER BECAUSE YOU READ THIS BOOK.

this is one of the most WONDERFUL books I've ever read.its about a boy who had lost his mom one day on the sea. Now this boy is scared that Mona the sea god will surly claim him too. His name means stout heart but most people call him a coward. he is mad because of all this. he has to prove them wrong about all this;so he goes out in a canoe and trys to sail to another island. He gets there safely and does not know if this is the island of the man eaters or the good island.READ THIS BOOK,ITS FANTASTIC!!!!