Song of the River

by Billy C. Clark

Having grown old living in his shantyboat on the Big Sandy River in eastern Kentucky, John engages in a final battle with Scrapiron Jack, the huge catfish he has been trying to catch for years.

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1957

About the author

Billy C. Clark was an American author of 11 books and many poems and short stories, heavily influenced by his childhood growing up in poverty in Kentucky.

Reviews

[Kenneth Clayton]

This was my first Billy C Clark book. I am always interested in Kentucky authors. After reading this I am convinced he is one more folks should know about. I read it aloud to my 9 year old daughter who really enjoyed it although it took a little discussion for her to be content with the ending. The book stands on its own but when I learned the author was only 14years old when he wrote it and grew up in poverty as one of 8 children to parents who didn’t make it past the 2nd grade it is truly an amazing story. The edition I read was published by Jesse Stuart foundation and illustrates by Ezra Jack Keats who may be best known for his “ the snowy day”.

An excellent interview of the author can be heard here. He discusses the book in the interview. https://nunncenter.net/ohms-spokedb/r...

[Angie]

Great story! Shows the desire for human relationships even for those who appear to distant themselves from society. Determination, patience, grief, grace, unfairness in life, reward, love, unselfishness, redemption, etc...are all here. Those who are not so familiar with this type of fishing will get at least a visual understanding of it, and will appreciate the tale. Good read for the young, young at heart, adventurous, and anyone who appreciates a timeless treasure!