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Eli the Good

by Silas House

4.07 · rating details · 383 ratings · 112 reviews

In his timely YA debut, a best-selling novelist revisits a summer of tumult and truth for a young narrator and his war-torn family.

Bicentennial fireworks burn the sky. Bob Seger growls from a transistor radio. And down by the river, girls line up on lawn chairs in pursuit of the perfect tan. Yet for ten-year-old Eli Book, the summer of 1976 is the one that threatened to te...more

Hardcover, 304 pages

Published September 22nd 2009 by Candlewick Press (first published September 8th 2009)

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Sep 19, 2011

Thomas Holbrook rated it

Shelves: fiction

There is a moment when a child steps from a world of order, trust and ignorant bliss into an awareness that life is messy, confusing and occasionally chaotic. This awakening causes the world to tilt a bit, causing unsteadiness and a sense of fright at the sudden vertigo brought on by the intensity of the light in this new vantage point. For Eli Book, this moment occurred in 1976, the summer the nation turned 200 and Eli was 10.
Eli narrates this tale of family growing up in an era of tra...moreThere is a moment when a child steps from a world of order, trust and ignorant bliss into an awareness that life is messy, confusing and occasionally chaotic. This awakening causes the world to tilt a bit, causing unsteadiness and a sense of fright at the sudden vertigo brought on by the intensity of the light in this new vantage point. For Eli Book, this moment occurred in 1976, the summer the nation turned 200 and Eli was 10.
Eli narrates this tale of family growing up in an era of transition. The summer of 1976 was a time of remembrance and change in America in general and in Crow County, Kentucky where Eli resides. Many of the changes Eli does not understand but he moves through them. He has learned early that life continues, like the Refuge River that flows by his house, regardless of what is thrown into it. He wants to hear everything going on around him, even writing much of it in his ever present journal and it is from those observations that the story arises.
Eli is a typical child with a very atypical ability to pay attention to the world around him. He notices the depth of his parents love for each other and how he is jealous that his mother loves his dad more than him. He notices the ever present anger his 16-year-old sister has at the world but the tenderness she holds for him. He notices the pain his best friend, Edie, suffers when her parents split but finds out too late the cost of using that pain. He notices the commitment his Aunt Nell has to her brother (Eli’s dad), the pain his Dad suffers because of his experience in Vietnam and the wedge those things have caused between them. He notices the trees, the river, the sun - nature - and understands the sustaining strength offered there.

I connected with this tale, aside from being drawn by the powerful writing, because I (like Eli’s sister, Josie) was 16 the summer of 1976. The country was still trying to understand the Vietnam War, oil was becoming the currency that would eventually (as in NOW) push the global economy and politics but there was a far slower pace in that era. This was a time when telephones were attached to a wire, most televisions had three channels, neighbors knew each other, rivers were clean enough to swim in and drink directly from and Detroit still built engines that caused the ground to shake. This was a period when there was time enough to grow up slowly. This is an environment that was ending but was still very much the world of Eli Book and it gives his voice depth, color and place.
There is violence that is shocking in it suddenness and description within this tale. It fits into the story and magnifies both the confusion Eli is suffering and the reality that produced the chaos at the root of his confusion. There is not sex, but sex becomes a central issue in the tale. As is fitting of the era, sex was a topic that was still innocent in that time, as the largest threat of having sex, it seemed, was pregnancy. There is psychology abounding in this tale, seeing that Oedipus Complexes, Ophelia Complexes are thicker than a Southern July evening. Mythology is apparent with the returning Wounded Warriors, the Goddess of home and the Mercurial imp that stirs the world to action being house mates of Eli. Theology leaks from the life of Eli from the community in which he lives, the nature he seeks to become a part of and the wonder that surrounds his existence.
Family is central to this tale, expected from a book by Silas House. For Mr. House, the world centers around the family unit. Its stability, direction and definition create an atmosphere for an individual to develop a healthy Self. I hope such a milieu did not end in 1976.
It is doubtful that Eli Book will be revisited by Mr. House. That is a shame, as I will miss my new friend.
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Jul 05, 2011

Rebecca Brothers rated it

The summer that I was ten--
Can it be there was only one
summer that I was ten? It must
have been a long long one then--

---May Swenson "The Centaur" (as qtd. in House's Eli The Good)

I loved this quotation from the get-go and have since re-read Swenson's poems with a new eye because of this book. Silas House gained famed through his book Clay's Quilt, a book I need to by God go back and read. But this book captured me on a deep...more

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May 27, 2011

Cathy rated it

Shelves: southern-fiction, historical-fiction, vietnam-war-fiction

Eli, a country boy in Kentucky, turns 10 over the summer of 1976, the summer of America’s bicentennial celebrations. Eli spends time riding bikes with his best friend Edie, reading The Diary of Ann Frank and writing in his journal. His aunt Nell (a war protester during the 1960s) has come to live with them bringing her large record collection and his 16-year-old sister Josie is always mad and fighting. Eli’s father is having nightmares about Vietnam and is a quiet shadow in the family when he...more

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Apr 02, 2011

Sue Morris rated it

Recommends it for: young adults, those who were pre-teen in 1970's

Eli Book is ten years old the year the United States turned 200; Bicentennial 1976. It was a time when most people were happy and proud to be in America. Vietnam had ended just over a year before, leaving Eli’s father in the trenches. His best friend, neighbor Edie, is a girl, (please don’t tell). They do most everything together, including sharing of secret hideaways, under porches and in large bushes. Then one day, showing off in front of the guys, Eli hurts Edie and their friendship disso...moreEli Book is ten years old the year the United States turned 200; Bicentennial 1976. It was a time when most people were happy and proud to be in America. Vietnam had ended just over a year before, leaving Eli’s father in the trenches. His best friend, neighbor Edie, is a girl, (please don’t tell). They do most everything together, including sharing of secret hideaways, under porches and in large bushes. Then one day, showing off in front of the guys, Eli hurts Edie and their friendship dissolves.

Eli lives in a house-of-cards with everyone holding onto his or her own secret, including Eli. The big Fourth of July parade and town celebration becomes the breaking point for the family when the fireworks of secrets threaten the family. One person nearly self-destructs.

Eli the Good is a good Southern flavored story about the costs of war to a family. Eli’s father was like any other until he voluntarily joined the army, thinking he will have an adventure, but then sent to Vietnam, where he saw and did unspeakable things. He brings the war home with him in the form of PTSD, a psychological disorder Vietnam vets are disproportionally affected. Eli’s mother is the only line of defense when the soldier returns to the war, which he does most nights and some days. Eli is a brat. He eavesdrops on every conversation he can, borrows the letters his father wrote to his mother from Vietnam, “to understand what happened over there,” then deeply hurts Edie simply to be a big shot in front of a group of boys he was not even friends with (not that this would have excused his behavior).

Reading this was not the usually experience. At times, it seemed mundane, just as life can be. At other times, the story popped with excitement. The entire time, the story took me back to a time when I was younger and did not understand war or the men who fought them. Eli’s quest that summer is to figure out his father and the war he never came back from. Mixed in are secrets each character holds that has influenced their actions. Eli tries to become privy to each with his snooping. In the end, Eli wants his father to return home and love him as he thinks a pre-Vietnam father would love his young son. Throughout the story Eli is loved by both of his parents; he simply cannot feel it because of a wall built by the war, that no one can transverse.

It is odd how fragile, sad stories can lift you and renew your spirit. In this way, Eli the Good is an odd novel I am glad I read. It is now available in paperback.

note: received from publisher
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Sep 21, 2010

Kate rated it

ELI THE GOOD is one of those stories where setting -- place and especially time -- takes center stage. The year is 1976 -- a year I remember for our town's bicentennial parade and because I spent most of it angry that I wasn't allowed to ride my bike to the park alone. Eli remembers it as the year things fell apart in his family -- with a wild-spirited aunt who shows up with a secret, a mouthy, strong-willed sister who comes to blows with their mother, and a father who is trapped in his memorie...more

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Jul 15, 2010

Michele rated it

Shelves: pleasure-read

Eli the Good was recommended by my friend, Tenille. I really connected with Eli in this book mainly because I was about Eli's age in 1976...the time period when the story takes place. I had an uncle that was a POW of the Vietnam War. I do not recall how this affected his life when he returned...I know I was sheltered from this by my mother. She would have never wanted my sister and I to deal with pain and mental damage my uncle suffered.

This book reminded me of the book, Darby...both ...more

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Jun 25, 2010

Tenille Shade rated it

Shelves: reading-for-pleasure

It’s been a while since I read a book that was so well written I had to pause and reread on almost every page. As I let the words and sentences sink deep inside my soul, I was magically transported back to the late 1970’s when the world was full of turmoil due to the Vietnam War. The family dynamics felt all too familiar, and I could see how the conflict was both internal and external.

I think Nell was probably my favorite character. Her role as the peacekeeper gave me hope, and it w...more

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Oct 08, 2009

Bobbi Rightmyer rated it

Silas House is the bestselling Kentucky author of CLAY'S QUILT, PARCHMENT OF LEAVES and THE COAL TATTOO - all centering around several generations of the same family growing up in the hills of Eastern Kentucky. With this book, Silas tries his hand a writing for young adults and he has ended up with an endearing look at a slice of life from the summer of 1976.

Eli Book is a ten year old boy, living like most children of the 1970s - riding his bicycle all over town, splashing in the tow...moreSilas House is the bestselling Kentucky author of CLAY'S QUILT, PARCHMENT OF LEAVES and THE COAL TATTOO - all centering around several generations of the same family growing up in the hills of Eastern Kentucky. With this book, Silas tries his hand a writing for young adults and he has ended up with an endearing look at a slice of life from the summer of 1976.

Eli Book is a ten year old boy, living like most children of the 1970s - riding his bicycle all over town, splashing in the town creek and enjoying hot summer days with his best friend Edie. This is really the coming of age story of how Eli deals with the overwhelming situations of strife in his young life.

Eli has undying love for his parents, Loretta and Stanton Book, but his growing curiosity of the secrets they both carry is threatening to eat him alive. Eli feels jealousy of his mother's unconditional love for his father - he wants to be the number one love of her life. Eli is filled with uncertainty and longing to understand his father's past as a Vietnam veteran and the nightmares that consume his dreams.

There is also underlying tension from Eli's sister, Josie, as she comes to grips with the fact that her mother was pregnant with her before Loretta and Stanton were married - she is not Stanton's biological daughter, but he has raised her as such. Then there is Stanton's way-ward, wildflower of a sister, Nell, who comes to live with the family for the summer. Stanton has unresolved feelings for his little sister because he feels betrayed that she was a war protester.

And then there is Edie, the sweet little girl from next door who has been Eli's best friend and confidante. Their friendship is pure and an accurate portrayal of childhood innocence of past decades. But she has family problems of her own and leans on Eli's family as her support system.

This is a book full of emotion and House's stylized lyrical prose. The words drip off the page and you want to lap them up, savoring every last drop and flavor. He has successfully written a compelling story that will not only capture the hearts of the intended young adult audience, but will hold an equal place in the hearts of adults. This is a must-read for anyone who enjoys a great story and is destined to become a classic. (less)

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Jul 10, 2011

Sheryl rated it

Shelves: six-stars

I listened to the audiobook narrated by the author, with his soft, slow Appalachian drawl. The book is flawless, it is descriptive without being effusive, and carries the reader along it's narrative stream like a floating leaf on a lazy summer afternoon.

The protagonist, ten year old Eli Book, has an old soul. He observes his family, friends, and nature with full awareness, and has understanding beyond his years. The story takes place during the summer of the bicentennial, when Eli's A...more

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Jun 14, 2010

Thomas rated it

Eli the Good details the story of Eli, a ten-year-old boy living in the summer of 1976. He is observant, curious, and often times ponders his surroundings regardless of his young age. He notices that his family appears to be torn asunder by the consequences of the Vietnam war - his dad suffers from terrifying dreams and hallucinations, his sister discovers an unsettling fact about herself, and his estranged aunt suddenly returns to live with them. The story shows Eli overcome the obstacles he fa...more

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Jan 23, 2012

Diane rated it

I am reading this one because a local discussion group held at the public library is reading it for discussion on February 4, 2012.

This was a departure from my usual thriller, action fare. I liked it very much and am grateful to the local library and their book group for calling my attention to it. On the book's cover one of the critics describe this story as having a "slow burn." I'd say that was a good description. It moves slowly, the entire story covers just one summer a...more

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Apr 14, 2011

Lisa rated it

Shelves: adultfictionmalewriters, teenfiction

A sweet nostalgic novel set in Kentucky (but pretty much could be anywhere in the Midwest/South where summers are steamy and humid).

Eli is 10 year old boy who spends a summer finding out what happened to father during the Vietnam War and how not be the best friend in the world to another kid. Characters are rich and real, I'm usually not a fan of nostalgic writing or "looking back" books...but Silas House has written this story so fine, I didn't mind the non-present day loo...more

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Nov 16, 2010

Beth Dailey Kenneth rated it

Shelves: j-fic, vsba2010, ya-fic

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 12, 2010

Jennifer Wardrip rated it

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by Kira M for TeensReadToo.com

It's 1976 and 10-year-old Eli has a lot on his plate to deal with.

His father suffers from post-traumatic stress syndrome and frequently wakes up with nightmares, his sister's turning into a wild child, his Aunt Noel comes to live with them and is diagnosed with cancer, and his best friend, Edie, doesn't seem to want to be friends with him anymore.

When war hits close to home, Eli struggles against all hope to keep his life...more

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Nov 14, 2011

Kaya Hubbard rated it

It’s June, 1976, and Eli’s whole town is already starting to prepare for the bicentennial 4th of July celebration. It’s a time for joy, a break from the lull of everyday routine. But for the Books, it’s a time when secrets come out. Eli’s enchanting, beautiful mother attempts to make peace between her husband – a Vietnam war veteran – and his sister – a war protester. Eli’s wonderful, but wild, 16-year-old sister is growing up and discovering some things that change her life… and her relationsh...more

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Feb 24, 2011

Wendy Watts Scalfaro rated it

The summer of 1976 was memorable for Eli Book. Not only was it the country's bicentennial, but it was also the summer that his world exploded with secrets. Eli's dad is a Vietnam veteran and suffers from nightmares, hallucinations, and lack of respect from his fellow countrymen. To make matters worse, his sister is a famous anti-war protester, although she says she did it for him. Now she's come to live with them. Eli's sister, Josie is on the verge of rebellion against her family. Long adored b...more

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Oct 17, 2009

Laura DeVault rated it

Eli the Good is a simple story about a 10 year-old boy's summer. It is also a treatise on friendship, family, war & peace, eavesdropping, and love. Eli is surrounded by people who are also good, in their ways, and not always so good, as we humans can be. Scenes of war and weather fairly crackle with intensity, then we are released into the exuberance of dancing with abandon to the music of the 1970s. And sometimes, we get to just sit on the porch in the gloaming, listening to the sweet sounds...more

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May 30, 2010

The Reading Countess rated it

Shelves: ya, read-alouds, historical-fiction

Silas House is now one of only a select few authors whom I want to read ALL of his books. After finishing his first foray into YA lit, I am sold. A fellow Southerner, House captures perfectly what it is to grow up in the South in the 70's as a child of a Vietnam vet. I should know, I was a child just like his main character, Eli.

Eli is a bright, observant, and sensitive boy surrounded by women the summer of 1976. His older sister (six years his senior) is close to him, but Josie's ...moreSilas House is now one of only a select few authors whom I want to read ALL of his books. After finishing his first foray into YA lit, I am sold. A fellow Southerner, House captures perfectly what it is to grow up in the South in the 70's as a child of a Vietnam vet. I should know, I was a child just like his main character, Eli.

Eli is a bright, observant, and sensitive boy surrounded by women the summer of 1976. His older sister (six years his senior) is close to him, but Josie's sixteen years prove difficult to maneuver around his mother. His mom, the town's beloved science teacher, adores his father. While that is admirable, Eli has always felt on the outskirts and never fully felt his mother's love. She holds a secret in the family that once revealed to Josie, threatens to destroy their relationship. Eli's aunt comes back for the summer, suffering from cancer. He worries about her health and frets over her tumultuous relationship with his dad. Being a war demonstrator has not won her brownie points with his Vietnam War veteran father. Lastly, his best friend Edie is living in turmoil since her mom's abrupt departure.

However, it is Eli's father whose very real struggle with the past threatens to tear his family apart. Suffering from what we now term "post-traumatic syndrome," his moods are volatile and confusing to young Eli. He can change at the drop of a hat: kind, loving, quiet, violent, angry...Eli quietly watches as the memories of the war come flooding back to him at indiscriminant moments. Thankfully, his mom is a stalward supporter of his father, but for how long?

House has managed to throw strong characters with heartbreaking histories together, and his readers are allowed to breathlessly watch as they struggle to navigate their stormy paths, all the while crashing into each other along the way. I found myself weeping at the conclusion of the book, and then searching for all the other works by Silas House to add to my list to read. He has an indescribable way of writing that allows a sneak peek into the minds of each and every unique character. For this reason, I would recommend Eli the Good to be used as a mentor text in the reading/writing middle grade or young adult classroom.

As the bright, observant, and sensitive child of a Vietnam vet who grew up in the 1970's, I understood too well Eli's emotions. Remembering my own father's distance when he returned from the war, I snuck peeks at his pictures while he was in Vietnam, too. The distance in my dad's eyes and the almost savage way he stared blankly at the camera still haunts me today. I, like Eli, saw my father's frightened reaction to loud noises when we heard cannons firing at a historic site. When I was only 12, seeing him literally hit the ground in terror solidified the longterm effects of a brutal war on a person's soul for me.

The war was always an invisible guest in my home as a child and it taught me invaluable lessons I still reflect upon now as an adult. Eli the Good spoke to me directly. I know my students, and even my own son, now 12, would greatly benefit from hearing this amazing tale. (less)

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Oct 18, 2009

Linda Parks rated it

Shelves: absolute-favorites

Knowing this book was a YA title, I was comletely taken by surprise by how much I enjoyed it. Silas House has written this story in such a way that anyone - young and old alike - will become absorbed and fall in love with all the characters. With his usual southern charm, he puts you there beside Eli and lets you live his life with him, gently and lovingly carrying you through an innocent yet somewhat troubled summer ~ weaving in family issues we most likely can all relate to. I found it to be a...more

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Jan 04, 2012

Karen rated it

I love Silas House and I love this book. Though it is supposedly a YA book, I agree with other readers that it is full of complex and hard issues that are more appropriate for older young adults (perhaps high school) than grades 5-8. I cried last night when I read the ending. Silas House is one of my all time favorite authors. Such beautiful writing. I especially love how his characters have strong relationships with the natural world and with each other, without either being forced. I realized ...more

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Mar 07, 2010

Annie Oosterwyk rated it

Shelves: coming-of-age

This was a lovely book. The writing is superb and it was no effort to fall into the pages. I predict we will be seeing a lot more historical fiction from the Vietnam War as we gain more distance and perspective on that time.
The great thing about this book is how the author allows us to see everyone's perspective on the war and the defensiveness and the miscommunication that occurs with an event so controversial and personal. Despite this one big elephant in the room, this is a family t...more

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Jul 07, 2009

Kari rated it

Generally, it seems pretty easy to determine if a book fits into the YA genre, but Silas House's new novel, Eli the Good, threw me for a loop. His writing is carefully crafted to set the tone of any given scene, and the main character, Eli, seems to think in prose. I had no idea that this novel was, in fact, House's YA debut until I did a bit of research about the author.

The year is 1976, and Eli Book is ten years old. With the book told entirely from his perspective, the reader lear...moreGenerally, it seems pretty easy to determine if a book fits into the YA genre, but Silas House's new novel, Eli the Good, threw me for a loop. His writing is carefully crafted to set the tone of any given scene, and the main character, Eli, seems to think in prose. I had no idea that this novel was, in fact, House's YA debut until I did a bit of research about the author.

The year is 1976, and Eli Book is ten years old. With the book told entirely from his perspective, the reader learns first hand why this summer is different than all the others. The story starts at the beginning of the summer, when a ten year old's world is suddenly graced with freedom and responsibility is out the window. Days consist of bike rides, swims in the lake, and not much more.

When we meet the other characters, we discover the conflict present in Eli's seemingly paradisaical world. His beautiful mother seems distant, preoccupied with smoothing ties between his Vietnam traumatized father and his sister, a former Vietnam protester that has taken up residence in the Book house. Eli's older sister Josie is in a spree of rebellion, questioning all she was taught to believe and clashing with her parents who just doesn't understand her way of thinking. Edie is the girl next door and Eli's best friend, but she turns inward when her parents decide to split up.

Eli is stuck in the middle of it all, as he watches the people he loves tear at each other. But he always remains on the perimeter, usually eavesdropping.

This book was much more than I expected at first glance. It is incredibly heartfelt, and Eli is one of the most likeable characters I have encountered in a while. He possesses a deep understanding of what is happening around him, much more than anyone would guess. The narrative is a nice mix of what's going on both inside and outside his head. I was reminded of how much thought goes through a ten-year-old's mind--observing, analyzing, pondering life's events. House gives us the full story by using the adult Eli to recount the summer from his ten-year-old perspective. The situations beyond a child's understanding are explained by this older voice.
Eli the Good had me crying at the end. Not out of sadness; but it just seemed so poetic. I remembered the complexity of being a child--figuring out the world and how it all worked, and holding on to little moments and feelings that you want to last a lifetime. Eli has profound little one-liners that are sprinkled throughout the book, but the most telling of his story is this:

"Whole scenes of your life can slip away forever if you don't put them down in ink."

This instantly became an all-time favorite, and I highly recommend it.(less)

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Oct 05, 2010

Becky rated it

Shelves: 5th-only, ya

Silas House again impresses me with his writing, both beautiful and powerful! I love emotional realism, and his are among the best! All his characters are memorable and the emotions that run through this book touch and stay with the reader. I loved this book! That being said, is this book appropriate for 5th graders, even distinguished readers? I don't think so. Themes deal with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (Daddy--VietNam Vet), anti-war protests (Josie), suicide and attempts at suicide, a chi...more

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Mar 06, 2010

Elizabeth rated it

Wonderful! A coming of age story about Eli who is in his teens in the 1970s. His father fought in Vietnam and is coping with flashbacks. His father's sister moves in with the family and she protested against Vietnam. As if that were not enough tension, she is battling cancer. Eli's sister is also navigating dating and the teenage years. And mom is holding it all together. Eli's best friend is a girl who is coping with divorce at her house. So we have a rich story. But best of all is the setting....more

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Feb 01, 2012

Carolyn rated it

This was an excellent book, I did not know until later that it was a book for children. Silas House is my second favorite author. I read his book Parchment of Leaves several years ago and was astounded by his voice. He is an author from Kentucky and has only published a few books, that is what makes them great he doesn't fill the market with just anything but waits until there is something worth saying.

Eli the good is about a ten year old boy growing up with sisters that get all the ...more

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Mar 02, 2010

Erin Sterling rated it

Shelves: character, psc, read-in-2010, youth-fiction, youth-historical

The book was pretty well-written, but I couldn't get over the fact that it did not sound like the voice of a ten-year old. At all. Which maybe could be explained by the epilogue in which the boy is all grown up, but still. Yes, the boy is curious, but he is all too thoughtful, observant, precocious, and reflective. Set around 1976, Eli seems to be the only one that pulls his family together--between his rebellious 16-year-old sister (who still loves him), his dad the Vietnam vet who is experienc...more

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Mar 10, 2011

Nicole rated it

I can honestly say that I don't really know what this book was about (and I guess I don't understand the high reviews). Maybe I just didn't get it. It was, at once, both too much and not enough. Lots of poetic writing (that bordered too much on the flowery-while-not-saying-very-much kind of style), while not putting forth much in the way of an actual story - more like an outline (with various storylines introduced but not going anywhere). I just didn't really love it - didn't have a feel for the...more

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Sep 01, 2011

Candy Wood added it

Shelves: children-s-ya

Not much about Eli the Good qualifies it as a Young Adult book. Eli, the narrator, is remembering the summer when he was ten, when his best friend is Edie and he likes hanging out with his sixteen-year-old sister's boyfriend, wearing an Uncle Sam hat he made in school, riding his bicycle, and eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. As in many children's books, the main problems facing him are family ones: Vietnam veteran father, rebellious sister, aunt with cancer. And unlike the famous Harri...more

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Jun 06, 2011

Lisa Gibson rated it

This book tells a bittersweet tale of a family trying desperately to hold on to their beliefs and one another. Set in 1976, it’s absolutely relatable for me. Eli Book is looking back remembering the summer everything changed for him.
We all reach a point in life when we realize our parents are people too. They are fragile and scarred from life’s tribulations. Oftentimes we don’t reach these conclusions until near or well into adulthood. This particular summer Eli discovered the adults...more

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Dec 04, 2011

Cassi aka Snow White Haggard rated it

Shelves: read-in-2011

Somewhere around 4/5 stars (I'll explain)

I feel a little guilty for the way I treated this book. I've wanted to read it for ages. But I keep putting it off, all while hearing great things from people about it. Then I read it when I'm really in the mood to read something else, distracted and stressed from work. I'm sorry Eli the Good. I did not give you the attention you deserved. It took me about halfway through before I pushed through my distractions and really into the story. But I...moreSomewhere around 4/5 stars (I'll explain)

I feel a little guilty for the way I treated this book. I've wanted to read it for ages. But I keep putting it off, all while hearing great things from people about it. Then I read it when I'm really in the mood to read something else, distracted and stressed from work. I'm sorry Eli the Good. I did not give you the attention you deserved. It took me about halfway through before I pushed through my distractions and really into the story. But I honestly don't think the book is to blame.

I've heard this called a YA book but I'm still not convinced. The main character is 10, more of a middle-grade age, and it's told from the all-seeing older self perspective. So even though most people call it YA I'm going to disagree. Call it middle grade, call it adult with a child protagonist, but I don't see how you can call it YA.

Ten-year-old Eli reminds me of my childhood (even though the book takes place about 10 years before I was born). He's an innocent but intelligent child, the type of boy who rides his bicycle everywhere and believes that trees have something to say. He's endearing. In many ways I feel like childhood me was a mix of Eli & his best friend Edie (a tomboy of a girl).

"Country people sure do have more stars than anybody else," she said. "We ain't got much but we got the stars."

The fact that the author is from Lily Kentucky (I drive past this community daily) only reinforced the resemblances to my childhood. I kept distracting myself by trying to figure out if this book took place in a real local town (ultimate conclusion: It takes many familiar elements of surrounding towns without specifically being London, Lily, Corbin or Barbourville).

Eli's the child of a Vietnam Vet struggling with memories from the war. The book follows the summer when his father starts losing himself in the memories of the war. It's heartbreaking how the Vietnam Vets weren't honored, appreciated or even taken care of. Sometimes this book feels like a cautionary tale for the current war we find ourselves in. Not about the outcome or politics, but about what might happen when veterans return.

"That's what it was like to be the child of a Vietnam vet, though: we're always caught between defending our fathers and not understanding them."

This is a sentimental book about a more innocent time when children rode bicycles, talked to trees and went swimming in creek. It's the type of book that should be read in the dog-days of summer somewhere with the scent of honeysuckle hanging in the air.

The book wasn't as Southern as I expected. My attempts to read with a Southern accent in my head just muddled things. Occasionally I feel like the adult voiceover interjects a little too much, but overall it works. It's a nice story, different from a lot of the other stories currently being told. The style is different and might take some mental adjustments. But I think it's worth reading.(less)

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Silas House reads from ELI THE GOOD accompanied by Ben Sollee

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About Silas House

Silas House is an American writer best known for his novels. He is also a music journalist, environmental activist, and columnist. He lives in Eastern Kentucky, where he was born and raised.

House's fiction is known for its attention to the natural world, working class characters, and the plight of the rural place and rural people. He is also a music journalist, environmental activist a...moreSilas House is an American writer best known for his novels. He is also a music journalist, environmental activist, and columnist. He lives in Eastern Kentucky, where he was born and raised.

House's fiction is known for its attention to the natural world, working class characters, and the plight of the rural place and rural people. He is also a music journalist, environmental activist and columnist. House has written features or press kits on such artists as Kris Kristofferson, LeAnn Womack, Lucinda Williams, Nickel Creek, Kelly Willis, Buddy Miller, Darrell Scott, Delbert McClinton, Tim O'Brien, Scott Miller, and many more.

In 2000, House was chosen, along with since-published authors Pamela Duncan, Jeanne Braselton and Jack Riggs, as one of the ten emerging talents in the south by the Millennial Gathering of Writers at Vanderbilt University. House served as a writer in residence at Eastern Kentucky University from 2004-2005 and at Lincoln Memorial University from 2005-2010. At LMU he also directed the Mountain Heritage Literary Festival. In 2010 House became the National Endowment for Humanities Chair in Appalachian Studies at Berea College in Berea, Kentucky. He has served on the fiction faculty at Spalding University's MFA in Creative Writing since 2005. In 2010 House was selected as the focus of the Silas House Literary Festival at Emory and Henry College in Emory, Virginia. The same year he was chosen as Appalachian Writer of the Year by Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.

Since 2005 House has been increasingly visible in the fight against mountaintop removal mining, an environmentally devastating form of coal mining that blasts the entire top off a mountain and fills the valley below with the debris. House wrote the original draft of the 2005 Kentucky authors' statement against the practice; since the draft more than three dozen authors have signed it. House has published many articles about mountaintop removal and has performed at various concerts as a member of Public Outcry, an acoustic band formed for the purpose of raising awareness of mountaintop removal mining. The other members of the group are authors George Ella Lyon and Anne Shelby, with musicians Jason Howard, Jessie Lynne Keltner and Kate Larken. Public Outcry tours college campuses to educate students about mountaintop removal. House and Howard also perform together as The Doolittles. (less)

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Books by Silas House

Clay's Quilt (Ballantine Reader's Circle)

A Parchment of Leaves (Ballantine Reader's Circle)

Something's Rising: Appalachians Fighting Mountaintop Removal

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Quotes from Eli the Good

“Sometimes just being still is the best thing you can do for yourself.” — 12 people liked it

“I've never understood why people run to get out of the rain in the summertime... People will drive miles and miles to go jump in a cool swimming hole, but when it rains, they scatter.” — 9 people liked it

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