Cry of the Wolf

by Zane Spencer

How can young Jim Tyler forget that awful night? After all, he was the one driving the truck the rainy night when his dad was killed.Once out of the hospital and back at the Tyler J-Bar-J Ranch, Jim mopes and feels blue. Confined to a wheelchair, he has lost interest in the farm and his friends. His mom, Aunt Martha, and ranch hand Monty all pitch in and try to cheer Jim. Classmates from school visit. But Jim doesn't want to get better or to help himself walk again. Not even the threatened loss of the farm forces him to make an effort.Then the cry of the wolf echoes through the night and terror stalks the invalid!

148 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Zane Spencer, a full time free-lance writer, earned a B.A. and an M.A. degree at Eastern Michigan University and teaches creative writing classes at Mott Community College in Flint, Michigan.

Reviews

[Karen GoatKeeper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jim is driving his father home from town in a storm. He is nervous as always when doing something with his father and feels every comment is a criticism. He gets upset, speeds up. A deer comes into the road and the truck is upside down. Jim is hurt. His father is dead.
Jim comes home in a wheel chair bitter, blaming himself, denigrating himself. And the ranch, his father's ranch, his home is in jeopardy from one problem into another. He is helpless to do anything, but sit and watch.
This book explores guilt, relationships with parents and friends, responsibility to self and others. It is fast, easy to read with a big climax at the end.

[Chanté · Rating 4 out of 5]

While driving back home one stormy night, 16 year old Jim Tyler gets into a car accident that kills his father and leaves him paralyzed from the waste down and confined to a wheelchair. After being released from the hospital with the knowledge that his doctor says he will be able to walk again with time and practice, Jim returns to his family's cattle ranch where he succumbs to a deep depression over the guilt and grief of losing his father and not being able to help out on the ranch anymore, giving up on walking again. Unfortunately the ranch is struggling financially and Jim has to learn to come to terms with his guilt and believe in himself and his capabilities wheelchair or not if he is to help the ranch and his family survive.

I always tend to find it ironic how books tend more so to choose you than you choose them, especially in timing. I started this book after having surgery on my Achilles tendon for the third time, and related with the main character on wanting to give up and not help myself get better. It's quite a learning curve when you cant do things that you're used to doing every day. This isn't a book I'd normally read (honestly I bought it cause I thought it would be more about wolves or a thriller) but I enjoyed it and I learned a little about ranching and cattle rearing, which I know nothing about and previously had no interest in. I think this book would make for a good middle or high school read as it is a quick, simple read with the lesson that you can't give up on yourself no matter how tough things can be. Whatever hardships you may face, life goes on and you must be willing to overcome and adapt.