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When my father wrote A Land Remembered, he spent two years reading books and articles about old Florida, plus interviewing countless
“Florida Crackers”. Then he spent a year writing it.
My dad was a writer. He wasn’t a book promoter. He wasn’t thinking of who would read it, who his audience would be or any of those marketing concerns, he just wrote it the way he wanted to.
Asked years later if he would change anything in it he said, “Absolutely not.”
Check out these other books on Old Florida.
A Land Remembered for Students
Early in the book’s life, some school Florida school teachers picked it up, read it, loved it, and saw its teaching potential. These savvy teachers recognized a great story when they read it.
They shared it with their classes. They quickly discovered that their students were mesmerized by the story!
And why wouldn’t they be? The story bursts with bears, wolves, dogs, oxen, cattle drives, cowboys and Indians, cattle rustling, alligators, hurricanes, horse races, bad guys and loveable characters. There is life, love, and death portrayed in a Florida that no longer exists. What’s not to love?
The 4th-grade teachers were particularly interested in exposing it to their students since that grade is when students are learning about Florida history. Dad weaved true historical moments into the lives of the book’s characters. He delved into the details of the flora and fauna and language of the day. He included all the ethnicities who lived in Florida during that time and described their daily life and culture.
A win-win for the students and the teachers; while the students loved the story, they were also being exposed to Florida history in an incredibly engaging way.
They expressed how they would like to use the book as a textbook for not only teaching history and social studies but also reading.
However, there was a bit of a problem.
Volume 1 & 2 Softbound – $17.00
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Overcoming an Obstacle
Dad didn’t write A Land Remembered for young readers specifically, he just wrote it. At over 400 pages, it is long. There are some swear words in there; some mature subjects; some pretty harsh scenes. Many of the teachers would skip over those parts when reading the book in class. But they couldn’t really do that if all the students had their own copy.
However, that didn’t stop a few enthusiastic 4th-grade teachers who took on the task of editing the original book’s 403 pages down to a more manageable size for classroom use. They shortened it a bit, removed or softened some of the harsher scenes and language, split it into two volumes, and basically made it “kid-friendly.”
Since the student version has been released, it has seen a huge success and has been used and loved by tens of thousands of students across Florida. This version also spawned three Teacher guides.
What Was Changed?
When asked what the difference is, Dad answered the question this way: “three cuss words.” There is actually more to it than that, but realistically kids are going to hear much worse language on tv today or on the playground.
The student version is divided into two volumes. This makes the book less daunting to younger readers.
The print is larger and there are some illustrations.
Also, the student version editors moved the first chapter of the book wherein 1968, you meet the third generation of the MacIvey’s and moved it to the end of the second volume. It starts Volume One in 1858 when the patriarch, Tobias, moves to Florida.
Some schools don’t have time to go through the two-volume set so they opt for just Volume One. Others read both. A good number of teachers I talk to use the regular version.
Because of Dad’s writing style, the teachers minimally edited a few of the words and sentences. Nothing substantial was left out. The book wasn’t “dumbed” down by any means. Many adults happily read the two-volume set enjoying the entire saga from beginning to end.
Students DO Love A Land Remembered
I personally have met scores of parents and teachers with glowing stories about how this book has profoundly affected young readers.
I can’t begin to name how many times I’ve heard that this was the first book a student has read cover to cover, and in fact, didn’t want to put it down. Parents say they have a hard time getting their kids to go to sleep at night because they just want to read more!
Teachers have told me how their students begged them to read just one more chapter or to stay late if they were reading it in class. One high-school teacher told me how the bell rang to dismiss school and she was near the end of an exciting chapter. The students pleaded with her to finish it so she went with the students, most of them senior football players, to the waiting school bus, reading to them as they walked.
I’ve heard more than once how a student with a learning disorder was so enthralled by the story that it helped them improve both the disorder and their reading ability.
A Land Remembered Inspires School Projects
It not only inspires reading, but it also influences other creative outlets of learning.
Some schools have the students dress up in the style of the times portrayed in the book and act out scenes. At least one school that I know of made their own movie of it.
I’ve been invited to schools hosting “A Land Remembered Day” where the students dress up and have period food like swamp cabbage and fry bread, and try their hand at whip cracking and pretend cattle roping.
Check out this huge quilt that students made and gifted to Dad. His office is filled with student art projects based on the book.
They make beautiful dioramas of scenes from the book and they present plays based on the book. You can see a sample of that in this video.
I also can’t tell you how many boxes AND BOXES of student letters and art that students have sent dad throughout the years!
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Cabin Burning Scene |
All of these classroom projects encouraged us to publish an entire website, TeachALandRemembered.com, for teachers and homeschooling parents who teach with A Land Remembered. You can find other classroom ideas and resources on that site.
Beyond the Classroom
A lot of adult fans of A Land Remembered got their start on the novel by helping their children with it. Parents have said to me they read it in school when they were students and wanted to pass it on to their children. Kids as young as seven years old have come to my A Land Remembered shows clutching beloved, worn copies of the book, asking me to autograph it for them.
One elderly gentleman called me early one morning and ordered three sets of the student version. They were for his great-grandkids, who were too young at that time to read. He wanted to make sure they each had a copy when they could read. That really touched me.
Still Going Strong
A Land Remembered was first published in 1984 as a paperback and it shortly came out in the hardbound version you see today. Most books have a shelf life of two years or less but due to its popularity, A Land Remembered book sales are growing stronger every year, 35 years later!
I believe that is in large part because it truly is a book for all ages and I might add, not only for people born, raised, or now living in Florida. It’s an intriguing look at the history of one of the most unique states in the United States.
If you don’t believe me, believe the kids!
Rick, I have been reading A Land Remembered to fourth graders for four years. We spend the entire year reading twice weekly. The Florida history curriculum for the class is built around the story. The students receive a binder into which they put extra reading notes throughout the year. They will have about 120 pages by the time the year ends. These notes cover things mentioned in the story, such as Florida’s Seminole Indians, the Cow Cavalry, Bullwhips, Spanish Doubloons, Hurricanes, the Everglades, etc.
The students are always excited when the reading begins, and moan at the end – asking if we can continue! Even when they are preparing to go home at the end of the day! They beg for more; they ask if they can stay late to hear more!
We recently changed teachers, and the new teacher has let us continue to read the story.
The fifth graders hear Forever Island. They like that it is somewhat of a sequel to the earlier book.
Thank you for sharing that. I loved to hear how this novel touches readers of all ages.