SUMMER SCHOOL ZONE: Book review of "In the Wild Light"

GABRIEL GOMES

SUMMER SCHOOL ZONE WRITER

Sometimes, life comes at you with an unexpected blow. Occasionally, something bad happens, like having to move to a different place and leave people behind.

When that happens, you get hit hard, and it’s hard to get back up. Other times, it’s not the news itself that knocks you back, but the shock of it — and, it makes you wonder if you even want to get back up.

For Cash Pruitt, the blow is a difficult decision he needs to make; one that will affect the people he loves one way or another.

The choice he makes and what happens after, in Jeff Zentner’s “In the Wild Light,” is a lesson that is important for all of us learn.

“In the Wild Light” is a nonfiction book written by Zentner intended for ages 14 and up. In the story, a teenager named Cash Pruitt faces a tough decision when his “best friend since forever,” Delaney Doyle, earns a scholarship to a prestigious school, but only on the condition that Cash would also get to go with her. Cash eventually packs up his bags and follows Delaney to Middleford Academy, full of entitled students with wealthy parents, incredible teachers and a lot of competition.

Cash makes a couple of friends and manages to stay afloat in his classes but occasionally thinks he doesn’t belong there — and he starts to have a deep homesickness for his town, Sawyer, Tennessee, and his Papaw, who raised him when his parents were absent from his life and is now dying of emphysema.

As the years forge on, Cash goes through euphoria and heartbreak and must learn to lean on those he trusts during one of the most challenging times of his life.

“In the Wild Light” is a masterpiece by Zentner that should be read by anyone who is 14 or older. It teaches us how to deal with the tough parts of life, the uncertainty and unease of moving to an unfamiliar place, and the pain and grief of dealing with loss — while also showing us it’s OK to appreciate life through the hilarious and joyful moments with Cash’s friends; the heartwarming dinners with his family, companions and mentors; and his relationship with Delaney.

Sometimes, life comes at you with a blow unexpectedly, but this book reminds us that it’s OK to be hurt and it’s OK to get back up.