Travis Martinek

   
Dear Irene Hunt,

I have recently read your wonderful book The Everlasting Hills, and learned that it is equally similar to my life when I was young. With the milking of the cows on the early morning farm life, and to the alone time up in the cabin, we have more than a few things in common along with our disabilities. This letter is not about our disabilities though because I've heard enough about them. This is about the fun that Jeremy and I have in common.

This book tells about the early mornings on the farm that are hard work, and the anger of Breck that Jeremy had to put up with. I didn't have to work as hard, thanks to technology, but I still got up and worked through it. By it I mean the troubles of reading and my lack of vocabulary along with a splint on my arm when milking in the morning at 5:00 A.M. and also 6:00 P.M. at night.

Being the lone person in my uncle's cabin sometimes when my family went outside was peaceful. Jeremy, being alone in the cabin after Ishmael's death, might have been hard, but peaceful and kind of neat knowing you can think and say whatever you felt like at the time. For once you could finally be alone, saying what you want, and not having anyone to correct you or tell you a better word to use.

The one thing I do think that kids should learn from this problem is the task of speech is not so easy. If you were in someone else's shoes would you like it if you got all that criticism that Jeremy and I got when we were little. So next time think before you call some kid handicapped or dumb.

This book was a wonderful book for me to relate to. Now on 11/24/08 I am proud to announce that I no longer have any speech and vocabulary problems. I also hope that some day that all the Jeremy's in the world can be as lucky as me.

Sincerely,
Travis Martinek