Customer Reviews

No Promises in the Wind

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(32)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

The book No Promises in the Wind by Irene hunt was about a young boy's struggle to survive during the depression in the U.S. It takes place during the winter of 1932. Josh is the main character in the book. He and his father Stefan always get into arguments because his father has no job and can't provide for his family, so his father takes his frustration out on his on Josh, his oldest son. This causes Josh to leave home and embark on his adventure. His mother Mary is the one that gives Josh the OK to leave home. She feels bad for doing this, but she only sees the situation getting worse. So, Howie and Josh decide to run away together and make a life for themselves. Howie is Josh's best friend. Just before they leave, Josh's little brother wants come along. His name is Joey. Joey is ten years old and looks like an angel. There many problems that the main characters encounter during the book, the first one happens when the brothers lose their friend. Howie is run over by a train in the beginning of the book. After this, the main problem is to get money and food. Different people help Josh and Joey get food. One day while walking, they meet a truck driver named Lonnie. Lonnie is very helpful; he gives the boys meals and a long ride down south to warmer weather. He also helps Josh find a job at a carnival. At the carnival Josh and Joey meet Emily. She is an older lady. She is very kind to the boys. Josh falls in love with her, but it does not work out because of the age differences. The carnival burns down so the boys head back north to find their friend Lonnie. Along the way they have to beg to survive.
The one character that I could relate to was Josh. Because I have had similar conflicts with my father. Like Josh's father, my dad was going through hard times and most of the time took out his frustration on me. At times I wanted to leave, but I did not. My father and I worked out our problems like Josh and his father did.
I really enjoyed this book. It keeps the reader entertained the whole time. You always want to find out what is going to happen to the boys all the way to the end. My favorite part is when the boys are at the carnival. The author does a good job of describing the people and events that happen during their stay at the carnival. My least favorite part was when the man at the shoe store took the boy's money. Personally I would not change anything to this book. I think it was written well, and it gets its point across.
I would recommend this book to any one who is interested in how life was during the 1930s. Also anyone that grew up during that time period might enjoy it. This book is a fun read that keeps you entertained the whole time.

This was an excellent book written by Irene Hunt. It was truly entertaining and a real page turner. The characters are superb and the plot is dynamic. This is the first book that I have read by Mrs. Hunt. It is about a boy named Joey and his brother who have decided to move out of their house and live on their own. The setting of this well written novel is in the depressing 1930's were food is scarce and jobs are minimum. Harry, who is Joey's friend decide to journey along with them.They embark on a hunt to try to survive by playing music which they are good at.

Many suprising elements arise in the story as an result. The three find it hard to live, they are own the street begging for money and they are trying to survive.

Luck turns when they find a job, and Joey meets a beautiful lady who is 30 and he is 15. Her name is Emily and she works as a clown at the circus, which is Joey's new job.

All in all, the story turns out magnificent as the climax at the end of the story begins to unfold. Truly a magnificent and entertaining account of Irene Hunt's wonderful writing skill's...

This is a great book in which you learn the difficulty of life in the past and still enjoy a great book. When two brothers, Josh and Joey, are faced with hardships, such as death of a friend,and starvation, they are forced to fight not only for food but for survivial. They sink as low as to having to go door to door begging for food. When a kind trucker, Lonnie, helps them find a job the boys become close to the man. The book then changes atmosphere for a while but then becomes thick and heavy once again. I won't tell you the ending but it ends nicely. I read this book in seventh grade but I'm doing a review of it for eighth grade. It's a great book, don't believe those who contridict it and say that it lacks oriniality. This book is very copassionate and touching. GOOD readers who enjoy GOOD books will enjoy this masterpiece.

No Promises in the Wind
Irene Hunt
Book Review

If someone asked you to describe what happened during the depression, what would you say? I know if they asked me I would tell that person that it was a rough, dangerous, overwhelming and a really hard time. Most the people during this time were scared, but the person who was scared was also the person urging for adventure. This person was Josh Grondowski, a fictional character created by Irene Hunt in No Promises in the Wind.
Josh is a fifteen-year-old boy who lives with his rambunctious brother, strict father and his loving, caring mother. Josh's life seems pretty normal, but it is very complicated. As Josh is growing his appetite is growing tremendously. This is not surprising for a teenage boy, but when Josh asks for more food his father explodes as a volcano does after years of sleep, As Josh thinks about this problem an idea comes to mind. Josh decides to leave his family. While he is gone Josh and his brother encounters some really scary people. Josh gets dreadfully sick and falls in love.
" After all we have been through I think we can handle Chicago," Josh's brother says after Josh and Joey's terrifying, miserable journey. I can't give away what happens at the end, but I can tell you that this was a wonderful, touching book. I suggest this book to anyone ten and up that has a sense of adventure and loves reading about history.

This book is not your typical teenage pulp trash. It is the beautifully written story of two boys and their fight to survive during the Great Depression. The story will make you think and stay with you forever. I ought to know. I first read it 20 years ago, and I continue to reread it with great pleasure.

This book was exciting, sad, and romantic. It is about a boy struggling in the depression and facing death, love, povery, and survival. The ending was so good that my heart was ready to burst! I loved it! There should be a sequel. I reccomend this book and The Lottery Rose also by Irene Hunt.

The book that I read was No Promises in the Wind written by Irene Hunt. Liked the book because it was an adventure book. I know that many people like to read adventure books and if you didn't read this book yet you should. Now I know why they made the expression,"Don't judge a book by it's cover" because the cover of the book makes it look pretty bad but the book was actually pretty good. I think everybody that has read this book they would agree with me this is a tariffic book.
I love the quote "You want me to go with you Josh" said by Joey Joshes younger brother because it shows that Joey cares alot about his older brother(page 7). I this the theme of this book is if you have a problem fix it and I agree with it you shouldn't just lie back and pretend like it's not happening because after a while it's to late. This book this story doesnt really relate to my life because this story took place during the Great Depression and everyone was poor and I'm not about to run away from home.
I will recommend this book to others in fact I have already recommended this book to a couple of my friends that live in Colorado and in Florida. The reason I choose this book to read for this project is because I when to the libary and iremembered my friend recommeded it to me and he said alot of good things about it. Its kind of weird because he said it was pretty hard to read but to me it was relitivly easy I mean I finish it in four days cause I really got into it.

I picked up this novel without much in the way of expectations since I am not that big of fan of Irene Hunt's most famous novel for the younger set, 'Across Five Aprils'.

However, I am pleased to say that this is a much better book. 'No Promises In The Wind' is about two brothers who leave home during the Great Depression simply because there is not enough money at home to buy enough food to feed everyone. They head off from Chicago with no plan except to try to survive as best as they can.

As a teacher, what I like best about this book is its portrayal of the complete and utter economic collapse that the Great Depression entailed. Most students have no conception as to the breadth and depth of the Great Depression. By looking at this small family, readers gain an inkling as to what went on. Modern readers might question why this family didn't apply for welfare or food stamps, so it could lead to a great discussion about the beginnings of such programs. The book addresses, in passing, the inability of private charities to keep up with the massive need.

When I asked my grandmother about the Depression, her experience as a young woman in the country mirrored what these boys do in this book. My gramdmother spoke about young and old men alike coming up to their house and begging for food. Usually, they offered to do a bit of yard work in exchange for the food and the promise to keep moving on. This book echoed that experience wonderfully.

'No Promises In The Wind' would make a great introduction to the Great Depression as a topic in class. While, in the end, it is not nearly as powerful as more famous books, such as 'The Grapes of Wrath', it is much more accessible to young people and thus more useful.

Since the book ends just a few weeks after FDR takes office, follow up topics would naturally include the WPA and the CCC as well as Roosevelt's calculated strategies to appear as though he had things in hand in order to provide a bit of hope.

I give this book a grade of A-.

It is the height of the Depression, 1932, and times are hard all over. In the Grondowski family Stefan, the father, has seen his hours cut and cut again at his factory job until the factory closed and he was out of work. The comfortable life he had been able to provide for his wife and children was gone, his wife had to work long hours ironing shirts, his daugther struggled to find typing jobs and his 15 year old son, Josh, delivered newspapers in the early morning before going to school. Somehow Stefan has decided that Josh is responsible for the family's misery and takes his frustrations out on the boy.

One day Josh can take no more and decides to strike out on his own. When he tells his best friend, Howie, of his plan Howie decides to join him, then Josh's ten year old brother, Joey, insists on going as well. The three join the vast army of people, mostly men and boys, who roam the country seeking work during the dark days of the Depression.

This is an excellent novel that brings to life the magnitude to the Depression, the frustrations and hopelessness that gripped the country in the early 1930's. It also touches on family dynamics, the father not being able to understand why he was unable to provide for his family any longer, Josh's frustration and resentment at being blamed unfairly and the entire family's fear of having so little. NO PROMISES IN THE WIND provides much to discuss and think about in an interesting well written manner.

This novel is often assigned reading in the middle school and high school levels in both social studies and English classes. The reading level is about 7th or 8th grade making it quite accessible for these age groups. The content manages to convey the starkness of the time period and the problems the boys faced with delving into the overly violent or sensational.

Whether assigned reading or not this is an excellent coming of age novel for anyone 12 and over.

If you didn't have food and couldn't get along with your family, would you leave your home? I would, and that's just what Joey, Josh, and Howie do in Irene Hunt's book of epic proportions.
In this book, Joey, Howie, and Josh leave their homes for a place with food and jobs. But Howie gets into an accident, so Josh and Joey get food and shelter from kind people by themselves. Then, while on the road, they meet a nice man named Lonnie. He takes them to get a job at the fair. But then the fair burns down, so they go and find a shed. They get into a fight, and Josh slaps Joey. Joey leaves, so many more tragedies happen, and after all that, the boys reunite.
This book is all it's own, and it's by Irene Hunt. It's very exciting, emotional, and sad, but also happy. It takes place in 1932, is non-fiction, is an adventure book, and the theme is that you should never give up, for you will most likely be okay in the end. The boys in this book sure are brave, have had a very hard life, and this book explains what it was like to live in 1932.
I recommend this book for ages 10+, for girls and boys, and not for younger children. It is non-fiction, always keeps you on your seat, and is a great book.
As you can see, No Promises In the Wind is a very exciting, adventurous book, and it is for many age groups. It is a very emotional book, so it should be read with caution. Sometimes, it also seems kind of boring, but in fact isn't, so keep reading!