Zanna Bianca (1906)

Grades 5 - 12

I tried to read this book many times. I now wonder what took me so long! I really enjoyed this book, and the touching example of what a kind heart can do to a damaged soul. ( )

H1.1.4

White Fang by Jack London is the story of a wolf who is born in the wild to a half wolf/half dog mother and a full wolf father. He spends his first few formative months in the wild being raised by his mother and then the two of them are absorbed into an Indian village and White Fang learns about living with humans. There is always an aspect of wildness about White Fang and unfortunately as he is passed on to other humans this aspect is taken advantage of. He is tortured and mistreated and set to fight against other animals. Eventually he is rescued from the fighting ring but now must learn how to trust and care for a human again.

This book shows both the cruelty and kindness that an animal can face during it’s lifetime. It reminded me a lot of his Call of the Wild, although to my way of thinking White Fang should have been left in the wild where he truly belonged. Set in the Canadian Yukon at the time of the Klondike Gold Strike, I found this to be an absorbing read. I know that research into wolves has advanced since Jack London wrote about them, but the writing here is extremely descriptive and at times quite lyrical. I couldn’t totally buy into this story as the author’s descriptions of White Fang’s thought processes were a little too detailed and human-like, but I can certainly understand this author’s popularity as the book was a true adventure read. ( )

Yukon-territoriet, ca 1890.
Indeholder "Første del", "1. Forfulgt af ulve", "2. Hun-ulven", "3. Hunger-hylet", "Anden del", "1. De skarpe tænders opgør", "2. Ulvehulen", "3. Den grå ulveunge", "4. Verden udenfor", "5. Livets lov", "Tredje del", "1. I menneskenes vold", "2. Trældommen", "3. Udstødt", "4. Flugten", "5. Overenskomsten", "6. Hungersnøden", "Fjerde del", "1. Fjendskab blandt frænder", "2. Den gale gud", "3. Hadets herredømme", "4. På liv og død", "5. Den ukuelige", "Femte del", "1. Den lange rejse", "2. Landet i syd", "3. Gudernes enemærker", "4. Blodets røst", "5. Den slumrende ulv".

Et par slæderejsende, Henry og Bill, er ved at løbe tør for proviant og ammunition. Det er godt koldt og deres medpassager er en afdød mand, Lord Allan, i en kiste. En ulvekobbel følger dem og napper deres hunde enkeltvis. Først Tykke, så Frø. Så Hurtigkarl. En hunulv lokker hanhundene til at gnave sig fri af deres tøjr. Når de så er kommet lidt væk fra bålet, så overfalder koblet dem og spiser dem med hud og hår. Bill går ud for at forsøge at redde Enøre, men hverken hund eller mand bliver set igen. Henry bruger bålet som sidste forsvarsværk og ender faktisk med at blive reddet ved at nogle andre mennesker kommer til. Ulvene fortrækker modvilligt og ender med at finde rigere jagtmarker. Koblet splitter op og hunulven danner par med en gammel erfaren og arret hanulv, Enøje, som udmanøvrerer og dræber to yngre rivaler.
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Romanen følger en ulvehund fra fødslen. ( )