Customer Reviews

Follow My Leader

5 star:		(77)
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I'm James Garfield's granddaughter. He dedicated the book to my mother, Carolyn Lazarus, who is now 81 years old. My granddad lived to be 102 years old, living half of his life blind. He had a seeing eye dog, Coral, a golden retriever who was the sweetest animal I've ever met and she was so very attentive to him. He would have been very flattered to read these reviews so I thank all of you who have taken the time to write about Follow My Leader.

Eleven-year-old Jimmy Carter doesn't know what to do with himself when he is blinded by a firecracker in a freak accident. The usually energetic boy, who loved playing baseball, and going camping is quickly taken out of commission, and left to live the rest of his life in the dark. All alone. But that notion is quickly swept out of Jimmy's head when he begins working with Miss Thompson, a therapist who opens up a whole new world for Jimmy, one where he can walk by using a cane, and read by using the method of braille. But when Jimmy is given the chance to have his very own guide dog, he's ecstatic. He quickly packs up his belongings, and heads to the School for the Blind where he will learn to get around without his cane, cut food by himself, and, best of all, get his very own guide dog! But getting used to working with Leader - his dog - isn't as easy as Jimmy originally thought it would be. In fact, sometimes it can even be a bit complicated at times. But Jimmy knows that if he wants to make it in this cruel world he'll have to try as hard as he can to make things work with his eyes, Leader.

I have been interested in seeing eye dogs for as long as I can remember, and have dreams of training a seeing eye dog for someone in the future, which is why I couldn't have been happier to find James B. Garfield's FOLLOW MY LEADER at a used bookstore, sitting all by it's lonesome on a shelf, just waiting to be picked up and read. I purchased the book, and when I got home, quickly began reading it, finding it hard to put down. Jimmy is a wonderful character, whose adjustment to living life blind was a heartwarming tale. While he goes through the seven stages of feeling grief, depression, and more, Jimmy comes out on top, and overcomes the challenges that his blindness has caused him to face, making him a wonderful literary character for readers of all ages. This is a must read book for readers young and old who are looking for a triumphant story to delve into.

Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

My 6th grade teacher read this book to my class back in 1963. It was a class favorite back then also!

I recently had lunch at a mall food court and by chance wound up sitting next to a blind woman and her guide dog. During a very interesting conversation with this lovely lady, I discovered the training she went thru for her dog was very much like the training "Jimmy" received in "Follow My Leader". This a wonderful book for all and like many, I too read this book as a youth over 40 years ago. I'm very pleased to see it still in print.

AND,

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James Garfield has entertained and enlightened generations of schoolchildren with this classic tale of perseverance.

Jimmy Carter is an All-American eleven year old dreaming of playing in the big leagues when he is accidentally blinded in a playground accident.

Although Jimmy first sinks into self-pity, his fortune changes when he meets Social Worker Miss Thompson, who teaches him how to use a white cane and read braille. Miss Thompson also arranges for Jimmy to receive a guide dog, Leader, who becomes Jimmy's "four-legged eyes." With Leader's help, Jimmy reclaims a life he thought was closed to him forever.

FOLLOW MY LEADER is a good old-fashioned story of how determination helps to overcome all obstacles. Jimmy's story shows young readers how even a simple task like crossing a room can be fraught with risks, but it also encourages children to develop a sense of self-reliance, as Jimmy travels alone cross-country to the school where he meets and learns to work with Leader, and learns to adapt to the world around him.

And lastly, it is a tale of forgiveness, as Jimmy comes to terms with the boy responsible for his accident, and ultimately, his own circumstances.

A careful reading of the Dedication makes it clear that FOLLOW MY LEADER is semiautobiographical.

And just as trivia: I have always found it oddly fascinating that author James Garfield, who shares a name with a President named his protagonist Jimmy Carter, the name of another President who served decades after the original publication of this book.

Highly readable, enjoyable, informative, and recommended for both children and adults.

My 6th grade teacher read this book to my class back in 1973. It was a class favorite!
What stands out most vividly all these years later is a complete lack of a whiny, self-pitying tone, while still dealing honestly with the anger and bitterness that Jimmy at first feels upon going blind. The book also honestly captures the tension between Jimmy and Mike, the boy who threw the firecraker at Jimmy (not on purpose), and how the strain between them is eventually resolved.

The book is also a fascinating look at the world of the blind, and of guide dogs. I've never forgotten the scenes of Jimmy at the school for the blind before he gets his dog. Even eating can be tricky; the teachers use clock face references so the blind students know where the food is (e.g. meat is at 3:00, the peas are at 6:00, and the glass of water is at 10:00).

I am glad to see this book is still in print.

I am using this book as a read-aloud in a three week intervention class every month. My students listen to a chapter a day, and then write a one page summary of each chapter to put in their "Follow My Leader" book. I also show the 30 minute video, which is probably vintage 70s, on the last day of class. My students feel/read a Braille book from our learning center library; discover the characteristics of coins (sizes and ridges); and learn another application of the face of a clock (where are the mashed potatoes and the carrots?!!).

My thanks to Mrs. Gray, my second grade teacher, for reading this book to my class. It is the first book I ever remember hearing in school. I own my second German Shepherd dog now and I am a faithful supporter of Guide Dogs for the Blind, Inc. in San Ramon, California. This book touched me like no other, and I am happy to be sharing it with my students.

That is how I remember rating this book in 1973 for a fifth grade book report. And although I've read many more great books in the subsequent thirty two years, this book stills holds a special place among my favorites. I have purchased this book two times since "growing up", and lent them both out with enthusiastic recommendations. Perhaps I sold it too well, as neither of the books made it back to me. Now my eleven year old daughter asked to read it, so I am buying it again.

As for this book being a bit dated or old fashioned - I only wish the "old fashioned" manners and respect exhibited by the young people in this book were fashionable enough to be portrayed in today's media.

I also read "Where the Red Fern Grows" that year and it has always been a favorite as well.

I just saw this book here and HAD to review it. Just so you know, it has been probably 15 years since I have even SEEN this book. But I remember having read it over and over and over when I was in grade school. I think I read it because I had to the first time. Then I just picked it up and read it a few more times. It's that good.

This is a book about a kid named Jimmy Carter, who loses his vision when his friend lights a firecracker and it explodes in his face.

The book chronicles Jimmy's schooling at a school for the blind, and his relationship with Leader, his seeing eye dog. The book will also teach your children the value of forgiveness. It will also teach them that, while some things come easy to them, others have to struggle. What this book WON'T teach people is to pity blind poeple. Jimmy is by NO means a weak kid. When you finish reading "Follow My Leader" you will have a new respect for him.

Buy it. It is one memorable book.

This book was really good. I think all kids my age should read it,(I'm 11). This book gives you an idea of what it would be like to be blind. If you read it, you will think the dog is pretty cool.

My 6th grade teacher read this book to my class 25 years ago. It was a class favorite!

What stands out most vividly is a complete lack of a whiny, self-pitying tone, while still dealing honestly with the anger and bitterness that Jimmy at first feels upon going blind. The book also honestly captures the tension between Jimmy and Mike, the boy who threw the firecraker at Jimmy (not on purpose), and how the strain between them is eventually resolved.

The book is also a fascinating look at the world of the blind, and of guide dogs. I've never forgotten the scenes of Jimmy at the school for the blind before he gets his dog. Even eating can be tricky; the teachers use clock face references so the blind students know where the food is (e.g. meat is at 3:00, the peas are at 6:00, and the glass of water is at 10:00).