The Jacob Ladder [Hardcover]

Gerald Hausman (Author), Uton Hinds (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2001 | Age Level: 10 and up

After his father leaves their family, twelve-year-old Uton Hinds, known as Tall T, tries to earn extra money in his Jamaican village and tries to further his education as he ponders how he feels about his father's behavior.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 4-7-An autobiographical slice of Jamaican village life in the 1960s, based on co-author Hinds's boyhood experiences. Tall T watches his father, who has a weakness for alcohol and bone dice, pick up his suitcase and leave the family one day to go live next door in the home of the obeah (voodoo woman) and her flirtatious daughter. When Tall T's mother gathers the children to tell them, "Brothers and sisters stick together. They don't wash away like gully water," the theme and tone for this excellent book are established. Tall T is given the honor of marching with his father and the other Jonkonnu men on Christmas Day, yet his father ignores him. Lacking the money for proper school clothes, the boy escapes to the library, where he is befriended and tutored by a librarian. The book ends with Tall T making a literal and symbolic climb up the "Jacob Ladder" used by the banana workers to ascend from the boats in the sea, where he reaches a new level of understanding about love, family, human frailty, and his own resources. The characters are complex and real people; there are no good guys/bad guys here-not even the boy's father, whose behavior Tall T ultimately is able to put in perspective. Readers will be quickly drawn in by the protagonist's honest and questioning preadolescent voice. A compelling and vibrant book that will give young readers a real look into the Jamaica behind the postcard and cruise-ship images.-Ellen Vevier, Round Rock Independent School District, TX

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 5-8. Based on the childhood of Jamaican coauthor, Uton Hinds, this is a harsh story of poverty and betrayal. It's also about family love and faith. When his charismatic father, Brother John, abandons the family and moves in with the woman next door, Tall T (Uton) can't afford clothes for school, but the librarian teaches him to read fluently and the boy helps his mother keep the family going. Then at Christmas, Brother John offers Tall T the chance to be part of the exciting traditional Jonkonnu musical procession. He's thrilled; should he trust his dad? There's a contrived metaphor connecting Jacob's ladder in the Bible with the steep scary cliff that Tall T climbs to find his manhood, but the story's strength is in the boy's immediate first-person, present-tense account of the village, place and people, music, magic, and food. What's most moving is Tall T's relationship with his father. Brother John's a village leader, even though he's an adulterer and a compulsive gambler. He's a scary stranger, but his son loves him. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic; 1St Edition edition (April 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0531303314
• ISBN-13: 978-0531303313
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,296,931 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I am an inveterate storyteller, which is to say: I love to do it, am helpless not to do it, and I do it all the time, even when I am by myself there is an inner monologue going on in my head. This habit of privately roving around in the land of legends is something I've done for as long as I can remember. My mom worried about me when she saw that I spent too much time by myself. I would creep into a closet and close the door and in the silence of the darkness I would spin tales of all kinds. I was never lonely as a kid because I had the imagination of a wild thing, and I was content to play in the fields and valleys and secret caves of that imaginary world.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Different Places, Same Issues, July 28, 2011

By 

wendyful (Miami, FL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Jacob Ladder (Paperback)

This book is a wonderful for adolescents and teens. There is a lot of Jamaican Patois in it but it comes with a dialect glossary (clever). Having read this book a few times with groups of students, I want to point out that although the locale of the story is not in America, the issues that Tall T faces hit close to home for many of them. They could easily identify with this character.

It's quite enchanting.

5.0 out of 5 stars The Power of Positivity, April 17, 2011

By 

ital art (Miami, Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Jacob Ladder (Paperback)

The Jacob Ladder is a touching story about real life challenges, resilience and hope. It shows how optimism, love and honest truth can conquer every challenge you face in life, whether small or large. Tall T is a heartwarming character, one that anyone can be inspired by. This is a great message for young ones and adults alike. The book takes place in the Jamaican countryside, a magical, exotic and mysterious setting that exposes kids to another culture, while simultaneously showing that some things, like families, are similar no matter where you go.

3.0 out of 5 stars Jacob Ladder, June 12, 2007

By 

purple "pioneers" (A small town) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Jacob Ladder (Paperback)

The Jacob Ladder is a very good book; the book has feelings, with some happiness to it. This book is very amazing because it would amaze any body that reads the book. You could feel what's going on and what's going to happen in the book.

This book is about a kid name Jacob, he feels scared some of the times, he doesn't know why, but he does what he is suppose to do for himself. Jacob has very strong feelings for himself and for others too. He has a religious where he goes and sings and play instruments, he likes music and a very good boy. Jacob is scared to break the holy - spirit because he doesn't know what's going to happen to him.

One favorite part about The Jacob Ladder, is when Jacob goes up a rock mountain and almost falls down to the ground. But he didn't give up for himself because he knew someone was going to come. Then his friend came to help him up, that was real friendship, because they were best friends they had to help each other.

The Jacob Ladder, is a really good book because it's really about his religious, he cares about himself and family. Jacob is a good boy and likes helping people, he likes hearing music and playing instruments and he works very hard to get what he wants.

I liked this book because I liked the way they made Jacob to be very strong and very thoughtful of what he was doing. I wouldn't change much but it would be better if they would add a little of more adventure. The people that would want to read this book would be the people that would be that don't have strong feelings or any other kind of people.