Customer Reviews

Stanley James

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Stanley James

An enthralling novel mixed with Catholicism, doubt, abuse and coming of age. Mr. Henry offers an intimate view of a group of not-so-perfect children in one of Minnesota's growing mid-1950s communities and Catholic parishes.

The main character, Stanley James embodies the bright and bold perceptions of all the children, especially for Stanley's cousin and best friend, our narrator. Even without sharing the Catholic legacy of Latin phrases and the omniscient eye of the nuns and God, the reader will identify with the persistent influence of guilt, responsibility and loyalty that Mr. Henry examines through the children.

Their adventures are like the learning of so many children and the narrator's credible voice and feelings lead us along. We are with them as these boys discover more than they can put into words; where the adults provide little help to their direct questions; and where those in authority shape these small lives "because that's the way it has always been."

Tom May

Wow, what can I say? I just finished reading Stanley James. I started it this morning and I couldn't put it down. Few books have impacted me so profoundly. It is just so well written, so stirring, and so thought provoking. If you're only going to read ten books in your life this should be one of them.

Loved Stanley Jamess, the novel by Clyde Henry. The story is gripping and well written. I couldn't put it down. It didn't disappoint me at all. The middle class life centering around a Catholic community in Minnesota is very different from Garrison Keilor's Lake Wobegon. The contrast is frightening. This is not a fluffy story. It builds to a climax that will gnaw at you for weeks.

I fortunately did not heed the author's advice which gave me the chance "to close the cover and walk away . . ." It is a story that the reader can't turn away from, even when the innocent tale slowly evolves into the disturbingly unexpected. We return to the pages and continue because, like the narrator, we cannot forget Stanley James.

This is a warm, heartfelt, classic tale that can be read on numerous levels. Any product of catholic schools during the late 50's or early 60's will definately relate. A daring first venture of a story that deals with boyhood friendship, discovery, and personal revelations. It's entertaining from start to finish, thanks to the insight and conversation of the characters coupled with themes of friendship, family, and the building of character and self-esteem in a less than perfect world.

This is an astounding novel on many levels. This story needed to be told, and I'm thankful that the author had the courage to tell it. His insight is amazing. The reader is captured from the first page to the startling ending. I hope to read more by this author.

It is one of the best books I've read in a long time. Clyde Henry is a master story teller. He weaves a not-so-innocent story set in a small town in the 50's. The back cover says it is a cross between Huckleberry Finn and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. I'd toss in a little Garrison Keillor for the Minnesota setting and you have a sense of what Stanley James is all about.

A sensational novel, while telling the story one life, Clyde Henry tells the story of our time. The author's voice is original, entertaining, and rings true.

This is an astounding book that teaches much, preaches little, and yet captures the essence of a small town during the 50s and 60's. Stanly James explores the hard topic of how those labeled mentally disadvantaged and one individual can set into motion a myriad of events that have a profound impact on a community. Author Clyde Henry has offered the reader a stark reminder of how religion, chance and circumstance can shape those who touch them for an eternity. As many before me have noted, I could not put this book down. Kudos Mr. Henry.

Stanley James by Clyde Henry is a powerful, amazing book--the story of two cousins growing up in the 1950s and 60s, who are incorrectly placed in the class for 'retards' (because of undiagnosed learning disabilities) in a Catholic school in small-town Minnesota. While set in Minnesota, the book is so clearly evocative of small midwestern town life that I felt like the book was describing my childhood in small-town Illinois. The story is so authentic. My childhood Catholic friends told me similar characterizations of both the brutality and the love of the nuns in their parochial school. The novel poignantly describes the little noticed caste system that develops within schools. When I hear about what goes on in schools today, I have often muttered about the 'good old days' in school when if one got in trouble at school there was worse trouble waiting at home for disrespecting a teacher. Never again. This book in vivid detail reveals the plight of children (through their eyes) who live under the absolute authority of adults. I had a sadistic, cruel teacher in my public school too, so while there are elements of this story that are distinctly Catholic, it describes an all too common experience in the public schools of the time. Within the pages of this marvelous book, I experienced belly laughs and tears. I was able to savor the writing as this remarkable author was able to honestly and genuinely capture the point of view of elementary school age children. This is a point of view that many authors have attempted and few have succeeded as well as Henry. This book simultaneously captures the unique and the universal. I hope we will see more form Clyde Henry. I highly recommend this book.