Sons from Afar

Tillerman Cycle #6

by Cynthia Voigt

Six years after coming to live with their grandmother, James and Sammy Tillerman go in search of their long-lost father

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Middle Grade, Childrens, Teen, Realistic Fiction, Family

256 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Cynthia Voigt is an American author of books for young adults dealing with various topics such as adventure, mystery, racism and child abuse.


Awards:
Angus and Sadie: the Sequoyah Book Award (given by readers in Oklahoma), 2008
The Katahdin Award, for lifetime achievement, 2003
The Anne V. Zarrow Award, for lifetime achievement, 2003
The Margaret Edwards Award, for a body of work, 1995
Jackaroo: Rattenfanger-Literatur Preis (ratcatcher prize, awarded by the town of Hamlin in Germany), 1990
Izzy, Willy-Nilly: the Young Reader Award (California), 1990
The Runner: Deutscher Jungenliteraturpreis (German young people's literature prize), 1988
Zilverengriffel (Silver Pen, a Dutch prize), 1988
Come a Stranger: the Judy Lopez Medal (given by readers in California), 1987
A Solitary Blue: a Newbery Honor Book, 1984
The Callender Papers: The Edgar (given by the Mystery Writers of America), 1984
Dicey's Song: the Newbery Medal, 1983

Reviews

[Ratesjul · Rating 4 out of 5]

I reread this recently, as part of my reread of the entire Tillerman cycle. I don't think I've reread the entire cycle in the stated order in a long time. I've always liked some books of it more than others, and this is one of my lesser favourites, though I'm never entirely sure why. perhaps it's because I really like Dicey, and she barely features in this book. Perhaps it's because I don't entirely agree with the way Sammy and James act on one or two of their trips in search of information. Perhaps its because, at the end of it all, they end up knowing very little more, and I wish they came to know more, for all that they looked and searched and hoped.

But for all that, I really do like Voigt's writing, I like her turn of phrase and the way she covers the introspective moments. I like the way her characters become real people, and their hopes and dreams and wishes and hardships and work seem to eat away at you, turning you into their very own cheerleading section (only not in a brash way). The triumphs are the best part, and the understanding of those teachers worth writing about.

[Jenny Leiva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Focusing on James and Sammy Tillerman was an interesting change in this book. James had a lot more issues from growing up without a father than I had realized, but I enjoyed seeing the interaction between James and Sammy. Since the more recent books before this had focused on Jeff and Mina, I was a little disappointed that they and Dicey weren’t in it much.

[Cherie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just be comfortable with who you are. That is what I got out of it.

[Sarah King · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the 3 books in the Tillerman Cycle that I hadn't read as a kid, and once again I really wonder how it might have shaped my perspectives on things if I had read it then. Or maybe now was the right time to read it. What I really loved about this book (like in A Solitary Blue and The Runner) was how compassionately and descriptively Cynthia Voigt is able to describe masculinity and the coming of age for young men. That's not something I have much experience with and I don't think I had sufficient empathy or understanding of the emotional changes young men experience. This book tells the story of James and Sammy (Dicey's brothers) who set out to find their absentee father who left their family when both were small. Of course, the story isn't about their finding, or even about their father, but about the journey along the way, and their discovery of who they are as men and acceptance of their personalities. Both set out expecting to find answers for who they are and the ways they are and really end up accepting their strengths and flaws. It's a really beautiful coming-of-age story, but different to so many others I have read. Like in A Solitary Blue, the book also tackles mental illness, specifically depression, in young men and does a really kind and compassionate job of addressing it. I'm so glad I found and read these 3 "middle" books in the Tillerman Cycle, they add so much to the stories I've loved since childhood.

[Elsa K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another solid 4.5
I loved seeing more who these little boys grew up into. I loved seeing how Sammy was no longer consumed by anger, he seems to have blossomed into the man Dicey hoped he would. They always compare Sammy to his Uncle Bullet. Sammy still has anger he deals with at times, but it doesn't seem to control him the way Bullet was controlled by it, or even as young Sammy in "Homecoming" was.

I was sad to see the effect not having a father had on James. James was never as confident or headstrong as Dicey, but he seemed to better understand himself in the earlier books. I liked watching the boys grow more confident into who they were as individuals and learn to rely on each other in the process. I get so angry when I think about their dad and many countless real life fathers who abandon their children. I also like seeing glimpses of all the other old familiar characters.

2 plot aspects I found lacking- it seemed to hint that James would find out why he was named James and nothing materialized. Also what was with Sammy thinking he heard a voice call his name? He compared it to ESP or something calling to him. He had that weird experience, which I thought was foreshadowing something, but nothing came of it.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite of the Tillerman books, plot-wise, but definitely a good one in terms of insight into the Tillerman family dynamic. We get to hear things from the perspectives of James and Sammy in this book, who are more alike than they might seem at first glance. James has changed little from the iteration we meet in previous books, but Sammy has become a more thoughtful and empathetic person (which I suppose makes sense, considering that he's six when we first meet him in Homecoming).

I think it's an interesting commentary on Voigt's part that the only Tillerman sibling we never hear from directly is Maybeth (Seventeen Against the Dealer is told from Dicey's perspective). She remains enigmatic and slightly out of reach, just like her mother. For me, this book cemented the parallels Voigt has drawn between the previous generation and the current one: Dicey = Abigail, James = Johnny, Maybeth = Liza, and Sammy = Bullet.

[Misti · Rating 4 out of 5]

James and Sammy Tillerman couldn’t be more different: brainy James struggles to make friends and tends to overthink things, while athletic Sammy enjoys wide popularity but can be kind of thoughtless. One thing they do have in common is Francis Verriker, the father who abandoned their family before Sammy was even born. Sammy says the only reason he’d want to meet Francis would be to punch him in the face, but James has questions about why he is the way he is, and he wonders if meeting his father would give him some answers. He pulls unwilling Sammy into the quest, and when James’ interest flags, Sammy keeps the search on track. But can two teenagers with limited resources find a man who obviously doesn’t want to be found?

While this isn’t going to take a place among my favorites, it’s a solid entry in the series, recommended if you’ve gotten this far. The character development is top notch.

[Erica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not impressed. The first book had a compelling story, well-told. I didn't much care for the way this premise was handled. It just dragged, and the voices of the two main characters didn't ring true for me. I think the series wore out it's welcome.

[Ashlie aka The Cheerbrarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

In book six of The Tillerman Cycle, we spend time with James, the Tillerman family's deepest thinker, and in many respects, its most troubled family member. Sweet Maybeth, though clearly developmentally disabled, has her siblings to look out for her and though academically challenged, is a popular and beloved classmate. Both younger brother Sammy and older sister Dicey are unwilling to bend to social mores and remain fiercely independent despite the pressures of high school. Despite their gruff exteriors and nonchalance, friends seek them out.

And then there is James, so academically smart but so unable to understand his own value. This book is a deep look into the teenage psyche as James grapples with being profoundly uncomfortable as himself; he analytically understands the informal rules of high school, but since his interests don't align with what is mainstream, he subverts his own wants in order to try to fit in. Tale as old as time, or at least as old as American high schools, and trying to be cool.

Watching James join and subsequently play on the baseball team even though it makes him miserable broke my heart. As he wrestles with his feelings of inadequacy, he searches for a deeper understanding of who he is and tries to find the father who abandoned them. He pulls Sammy into this quest and together they learn more about themselves, and each other, as seek to uncover the truth of their parentage.

Seeing them together provides great contrast. James is thoughtful, cautious, and a dreamer, but remains pragmatic no matter the situation. Sammy is everything he is not, bold, impulsive, and willing to stand his ground, no matter the consequence. Over the course of this book, they learn so much from each other which for me emphasized the value of having deep conversations with someone whose brain doesn't work like yours.

This might be my favorite book of the series, its themes of belonging, and self-actualization are truly timeless and resonated with me just as much in my fourth decade of life (!!) as it did when I was the age of the characters.

[Hannah]

I've enjoyed this series. Usually by this point in the series, I feel continuing it is unnecessary. I have liked getting to hone in on so many different characters and their perspectives on events. Although this one was further into the future than any of the others, it referenced so much that was told throughout the previous books. This one was written slightly different from the others since it switched between two focus characters. I loved seeing how James and Sammy saw each other so differently than they saw themselves. I thought this book was so real and relatable. I did miss Dicey, Jeff, and Mina being more present in it, though. I was also surprised that the search for their father was so dead end for them.

[Sky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even from reading the title, I knew this book was going to be interesting, and I was right. The story really felt realistic. I mean, when you have never had a father figure in your life other than your younger sister's music tutor, of course you're going to want to know where your father is and what he was like, as well as why he left.

The character and relationship development in this book was also exceptional! James and his little brother Sammy can be as different as two brothers can be, but they need to stick together and defend each other when in danger, for that's what brothers do for each other.

[Cindy Dyson Eitelman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Must be read if you've read the first five books in the series and have become enamored of all things Tillerman. It doesn't stand on its own, which was okay by me. It doesn't really start and it doesn't really end, which, also, was okay by me. It's like reading a diary of a good friend who is still alive--you don't want or expect an ending. It's a...how did you get that way? novel.

Cynthia Voigt demonstrates amazing skill at portraying the adolescent mind. You absolutely know these kids and, because you know them, you love them. Love them the same way you do Frodo Baggins or Sam Gamgee--you've been with them to Mordor and back--you've been in their heads as they fight orcs, cower in the shadows, shiver in the cold under the stars.

I have one small quibble--with all Ms. Voigt's skill and understanding, why does she totally skip sexuality? I'm told that the adolescent male spends a lot of time and energy on it--when I once suggested to a friend that the primary thoughts in a young man's mind concerned, "girls, sports, school," in that order, his correction was: "girls, girls, girls..." with sports maybe on the list at number 39 and school totally absent.

Don't get me wrong--I'm not wanting Cynthia Voigt to change her writing. I'm just a little puzzled that she leaves out such a huge slice of the adolescent psyche.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sixth book in the Tillerma Cycle focusess on brothers James and Sammy. It looks at family and fathers, and the awkwardness of adolescence, trying to find where you fit and how much of yourself you might owe to absent parental figures. Clevery, it starts with older brother James struggling and coming to terms with it as younger brother Sammy starts struggling with her own version of it, showing their differences in ages, experiences, and characters. As always, Voigt grants young people the respect of their own decisions, in character and thought out by those characters, even when they're wrong

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Tillerman saga is great on the whole, but I didn't care for this one as well. The boys just weren't that interesting, neither was their quest to find their father or their struggle to relate to each other.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I liked about this book is how it juxtaposed the inner thoughts of people with what those around them are thinking, showing how generally what people think others think of them is not what others actually think of them (for example, James is convinced everyone dislikes him, but they don’t). It also focused on how tough it can be to be a teenager, when you are figuring out so much about yourself and your body is flooded with hormones and your place in the world changes. I also think that the author has a real gift for writing the Tillerman family and their world: the fictional world she has created in this series is populated by believable people and written in a manner I find captivating.

As someone who had a rotten father who abandoned us when I was a teenager, I understood Sammy’s conclusion that his no-good abandoning father wasn’t someone worth knowing. What I couldn’t understand is why he then took them on a dangerous wild-goose chase to find out about this father, almost getting both boys killed in the process. Maybe he did it to put an end to the quest for James once and for all? Maybe I’ve already forgotten some explanation from the book.

And if you think the author exaggerated how violent people in Baltimore can be, consider this: when I lived in Baltimore 2007-2010 a woman a few blocks from my house was out walking her baby in a stroller and was hit over the head and robbed in the middle of the day.

What I didn’t like about this book was the fat-shaming. All we ever get to know about their friend Mr. Lingerle in any of the books is that he’s a music teacher and he’s fat. Other side characters get bits of additional information added about them from time to time, but not Mr. Lingerle. What I can say is that this type of fat-shaming was in fact standard in the 1980s when this book was written, and is still pretty much the standard in 2025 when I read the book.

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked that this book focused back on the Tillerman family instead of their acquaintances etc like the last few books in the series. It was mainly centered on James and Sammy neither of whom was I the most interested in knowing in-depth initially, but as the book went on I got to appreciate their individual personalities, insecurities and all. I thought the relationship between the two of them was very realistic, especially for adolescent boys. They both admire, envy, recognize, and respect each other to varying degrees despite their inability to necessarily understand each other's thought processes and motivations, but ultimately the most important thing is that they're family, they love each other and they can always count on each other when it matters. Sammy did some stupid stuff and seemed somewhat childlike even though he's twelve, but I suppose that was intended to show that he's in the process of maturing and figuring out who he is. Overall I liked the book and I thought it had some good messages for young adults, but it wasn't my favorite of the series.

[Rosie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed Homecoming and Dicey's Song very much growing up, but I've only recently come to acquire the remaining books in the Tillerman Cycle. This book focuses on James and Sammy, two brothers were opposite personalities and interests. James is bookish and feels like a misfit at school while Sammy enjoys sports and isn't afraid to stand up for himself. Both boys grew up without a father involved in their lives, but lately this seems to be bothering James. Looking for some answers, the brothers head to the city in search of some information on the father they've only heard about.

It was interesting to hear a story about the Tillerman's told from the perspective of James and Sammy. Voigt has a great way of describing the introspective thoughts of characters and displaying the family dynamic between the Tillerman's. While James and Sammy don't necessarily get the information on their father they wanted, it was interesting to see how their relationship has grown and changed over the years.

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Voigt is talking about toxic masculinity before the term was really in use or possibly even invented (book was published in 1987), with intellectual James trying to think about whether he's ever seen a man cry or be encouraged to cry, and rough-and-tumble Sammy trying to decide if the stories about their gambler father mean he's clever and cunning or someone who only ever looks for the easy road. And it's not just the growing specter of Francis Verricker, it's Abigail's memories of John Tillerman, who used his knowledge to make other people feel small rather than build them up, and it's the quiet ghost of Sammy's namesake, Samuel "Bullet" Tillerman, whom Sammy is pretty nearly the reincarnation of.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Parts of this book were okay. Most of it was just not as enjoyable as the other books in the cycle. James struggles with self-esteem and wants to find his father. In the process, he embraces relative truth… nothing really matters. He gives up on the search, but then his brother Sammy wants to find his father. Finally, some hope is restored near the end of the book as James realizes that relative truth doesn’t adequately explain human experience and the brothers learn to accept the way they were made. I’m not sure this book is necessarily intending to argue against relative truth, but it certainly reveals why we need absolute truth.

[Rebecca Waring-Crane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Growing up in a traditional nuclear family I seldom tried to imagine any other reality. Voigt's Tillerman Cycle was published after my middle- and high-school tenure, when exposure to different family structures would have stretched me, to say the least, in positive ways.

With attention to the details of each character's speech, mannerisms, and interior dialog, Voigt breathes vibrant life into these memorable protagonists. The development of adolescent identity without a parent, or without both, unspools with confident pacing that kept me turning the pages.

I will miss the Tillermans.

[Megan Uy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m pretty sure I’ve never read this installment of the Tillerman Cycle before. I just don’t think I was all that interested in James and Sammy as characters when I was a preteen girl. As it was, reading it now, I missed Dicey—and Gram, actually—throughout this story. But I was also impressed again with Cynthia Voigt’s grasp of character and adolescent development. I’m glad I took the time to read it now.

[Anastasia Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great coming of age novel in the Tillerman series. James and Sammy are on a quest to learn more about the father who abandoned them and learn much more about themselves in the process. I especially liked the progression of James character in the story. While the Tillerman children have a lovely community of adults that care for them now, the author shows insight into the ways they have been shaped by the care or lack thereof of their parents and what it means for them to move forward.

[Ciel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a satisfying view into the two boys of the younger Tillermans, Samuel and James. Somehow the two boys get into a violent fight with a gang of bar brawlers which seems completely preposterous because neither one is even in high school yet. Still, taken with a grain of salt It’s a good story.

I could’ve stood to hear more about the piano teacher and the young boy that helps Sammy, crabbing.

There’s one more book in this series though.

[Cdubbub · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is a three and a half star. I wanted to like it more than I actually did. Maybe it was the switching narratives, or the minimal amount of time spent with the Tillermans as a whole family. It was still a good read, but just didn't hold my interest to the extent the previous books in the series did. Still very very excited for the final book in the series though!

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars—super uneven, the stuff where Sammy wants Maybeth, who is FOURTEEN to marry the music teacher is GROSS AND WEIRD and why no one tells him to stop saying that is WEIRD. I enjoyed James and Sammy’s relationship and their separate growth curves, I’m glad they sorted out the stuff with their father, and of course Sammy taking about their mother made me cry.

[Kathryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. None of the books in this series have been as good as the first two. I wish this wasn’t set up as a quest novel (back cover summary) because the lack of resolution is annoying and made me feel like I wasted my time. Yes, the characters grew as people, but the father plot just tapered off with no conclusion.

[Cyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm pretty sure the only book by Voigt I had previously read is Izzy, Willy-Nilly, which I liked a lot and parts of which have stuck with me for years. This one will do the same, I suspect. And parts of it really called to my lost boyhood. I will read more of Voigt's work.

[Alyson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I continue to be impressed by Voigt’s ability to develop complex characters. In this 6th book of the Tillerman cycle, the Tillerman sons try to find their long absent father, but in the process learn more about themselves and each other through unflinching eyes.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have loved Dicey's Song and Homecoming since childhood. I've read them many times. I am finally making my way through the rest of the series. This was my least favorite. I probably would have even gone two stars if I hadn't already had some investment in the characters.

[Johanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really engaging. I especially liked the shifting perspectives, while at the same time not always of the same things.
Reread in 2024. I know I read this too in the early 90s, but my memories are only of the first book and the geographical setting.