The picture of John Cotton and the Judas truck is such a powerful image, isn’t it?
Of course, I can’t suppose you know of “Bless the Beasts and Children” by Glendon Swarthout. It is a Western-ish, coming-of-age prison break story that cannot settle on whether it advocates for personal freedom or animal rights. 'Prison break' is misleading, too. Let me explain.
There are six boys who just cannot fit in at summer camp, and obviously, they have no interest in being there. The boys are assigned into cabins, as were the other campers, and they would compete to be the best cabin. All of the cabins are named after Native American tribes except for these boys’. They are beneath the bottom of the barrel, deep into the ground even. Appropriately, their cabin houses “The Bedwetters.” The Bedwetters are perfectly capable; they are just unpopular.
As a testament to their combined capability, they stand up against their counselor and blackmail him. Then, they force him to take them to a ranch to see bison. Once there, they do not get to peacefully observe the beasts, as if anything in their life could be tranquil. They witness hunters, a lot of them inexperienced, shooting the bison for sport. Here, they find their group mission: free the bison.
Returning to the camp, the six waste no time. They escape from the grounds, stealing vehicles and gun-slinging. Somehow, they do manage to return to the ranch and try with all their efforts to free the bison. I leave you on that cliffhanger because I could not say whether what they do is successful, and you should make that judgment yourself.
However, I can say that “Bless the Beasts and Children” can manage to make even the most gentrified urbanite even a slight naturephile. I can also say it makes people think about liberty and one’s ability to achieve self-determination. The book is especially strong for those who feel stuck in a particular physical place. If you feel that the distance you experience is less than preferable, please feel welcome to ride with some unsavory boys, and go the distance.