| Julie of the Wolves | |
|---|---|
First edition cover |
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| Author(s) | Jean Craighead George |
| Original title | JULIE OF THE VOLKS |
| Illustrator | John Schoenherr |
| Cover artist | John Schoenherr |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | "Julie" (3 books) |
| Genre(s) | Children's novel |
| Publisher | Harper & Row |
| Publication date | 1972 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 155 (184 Large Print Version) |
| ISBN | 0-06-021943-2 |
| OCLC Number | 578045 |
| LC Classification | PZ7.G2933 Ju |
| Followed by | Julie |
Julie of the Wolves is a children's novel by Jean Craighead George, published in 1972, about a young Yupik girl experiencing the changes forced upon her culture from outside. There are two sequels, Julie (1994) and Julie's Wolf Pack (1997).
Contents |
In 1970, Jean Craighead George and her son, Luke went on a trip to Barrow, Alaska to do research on wolves for an article for Reader's Digest.[1] As they flew into the Barrow airport, she and her son spotted a young Eskimo girl on the tundra, whom her son said "looked awfully little to be out there by herself."[1][2] At the Barrow Arctic Research Lab, George observed scientists who were studying wolves and attempting to break their communication code.[2][3] She allegedly witnessed a man bite the wolf on the top of its nose and communicate with it in soft whimpers, and "the incident stayed with George".[4] George herself successfully communicated with a female wolf, and upon remembering the Eskimo girl walking by herself on the tundra that she and her son Luke saw on their way to Barrow, she decided to write a book about a young girl surviving on her own in the tundra by communicating with wolves.[2][3] The character of Miyax/Julie is based on an Eskimo woman named Julia Sebevan, who taught George "about the old ways of the Eskimos."[1]
In the process of writing the novel, George went through three drafts, and the title had been changed numerous times; the first versions of the titles included "The Voice of the Wolf," "Wolf! Wolf?," "Wolf Girl," "The Cry of the Wolf," and "Wolf Song."[4]
Readers and students communicated to George their desire to read more about Julie "several years ago", but George felt that she "did not know enough about the Eskimo culture." It was only after her son, Craig, moved to Alaska that George "felt ready" to write the sequel titled Julie.[1][3] Julie's Wolf Pack was written only after George had learned more about the relationships of wolves in a pack.[1].
The story has three parts, from her present situation (Amaroq, the Wolf), then a flashback (Miyax, the Girl), and finally back to the present (Kapugen, the Hunter).
The story opens with Miyax alone in the wilderness studying the wolves. She has been alone for some time, having run away from home to get to San Francisco (the details of which are elaborated upon in the flashback). This first part of the book shows how Miyax seeks help from the wolf pack and how she is gradually accepted into the pack. She studies the gestures and "language" of the wolves and learns to mimic them. By adjusting to their living patterns, Miyax makes herself less threatening to the alpha male, whom she has named Amaroq. At first their interaction takes place at a distance, but by watching Amaroq's pup Kapu retrieve regurgitated food, she is able to approach another wolf and induce him to regurgitate a portion of pre-digested food. In this way she gains acceptance as a part of the pack and is able to eat and stay alive.
The second part of the book is a flashback of Miyax's past. It is revealed that her mother died, leaving her with her father, Kapugen, whom she adores. Her father teaches her many things, including how to survive in her Arctic surroundings. One day, her Aunt Martha comes and tells of a law that Miyax must go to school and that Kapugen must go to war. Kapugen tells her that if anything happens to him or if she is unhappy, she can marry his business partner Naka's son, Daniel. Miyax lives in Martha's home in the town of Mekoryuk while she attends school under her American name, Julie. Martha soon reveals to Julie that her father is thought to be dead. Julie gradually accepts her father's absence, and adjusts to her life among the Americanized Eskimos. She eventually agrees to be pen pals with Amy Pollock, who lives in San Francisco. Soon Julie is offered to marry Daniel, since she was of age. She accepts and is transported to Daniel's village. Julie realizes that Daniel has problems, but is comforted by his mother. However, when Daniel attempts to rape her, she runs away for San Francisco to live with Amy, and changes her name back to Miyax.
In the third part of the book, which returns to the present, Miyax follows the wolves, who help her in times of need, but realizes that the wolves are in danger as it is hunting season for the humans. She strikes out on her own and begins to live off the tundra with greater ease as she travels south, continuing her friendship with Amaroq's son Kapu. Soon after, Miyax witnesses hunters in a plane shooting at her beloved pack, killing Amaroq and wounding Kapu. Grief-stricken, Miyax nurses Kapu back to health until he can become the alpha male, then Miyax forces her pack to abandon her for their sake. Miyax builds a life for herself, but soon discovers that Kapugen is still alive and hurries to meet him. Initially overjoyed to be reunited, Miyax is shocked to find Kapugen remarried to a white woman and to have forsaken the ways of the Eskimos, including owning a plane for hunting. She departs from her father's house with the intent to live alone on the tundra but decides to return to her father, as "the hour of the wolf and Eskimo is over."
The book was awarded the Newbery Medal in 1973,[5] and was a nominee under the Children's Books category in the 1973 National Book Awards.[6] Mary Ellen Halvorson describes the book as "uniquely sensitive" and "wonderfully educational" in a review for The Courier.[7] The book also won the 1975 Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis.[8]
The inclusion of Julie of the Wolves in elementary school reading lists has been challenged several times due to parental concerns regarding the attempted rape of the main character.[9] One of these incidents occurred in March 1996, when the book was removed from the sixth grade reading list in Pulaski Township, Pennsylvania at the behest of parents who "complained of a graphic marital rape scene in the book".[9] It is number 32 on the American Library Association list of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-1999.[10]
Since its first publication, Julie of the Wolves has also been published in at least thirteen other languages, including Spanish, French, Arabic, Turkish, Chinese, and Japanese.[11]
Julie of the Wolves has been adapted into a musical play, directed by Peter Dalto and written by Barbara Dana, with music by Chris Kubie and choreography by Fay Simpson.[12][13] The musical stars Briana Sakamoto as Julie, and a workshop production was held on May 16, 2004 at The Northern Westchester Center for the Arts' Kaufman Theater.[12] As of November 2005, Kubie notes on his website that "the journey of Julie Of The Wolves (the musical) continues as the writer Barbara Dana, prepares yet another rewrite."[13]
Jean Craighead George announced in November 2007 that the book is being adapted into a film by Robert and Andy Young Productions Inc.[14] Andy Young traveled to Nunavut in 2008 with the intention of finding a young Inuk or Inupiat to play the role of Julie, but stated in April 2008 that he was in discussion with a non-Inuk to play the role because they "didn't find the person that we felt was going to breathe the right kind of feeling into the story," and because they had resistance from would-be investors to using a first-time actress for the film. Young had also intended to shoot the film in Nunavut, but is considering shooting in Alaska because of the lack of roads joining Nunavut to Southern Canada as well as the area's "the limited and the financial incentives and for the filmmakers from the outside the territory."[15]
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH |
Newbery Medal recipient 1973 |
Succeeded by The Slave Dancer |