One of the most beautiful, heartfelt books I’ve ever had the good fortune to read is, Heart of a Shepherd, by Rosanne Parry, published in 2009 by Random House. This is a first rate family book to share with your children, grandchildren, or students. There are many openings in this story for deep conversations with the children you love. It is an excellent exploration of the blurred line between child and adult.

Character and Setting

The narrator and main character is Brother, an eleven year old boy with four older brothers. The story covers just over a year in Brother’s life, and opens as his dad is called to go to Iraq with his National Guard unit for a fourteen month mission. All of Brother’s elder brothers have left home. So has his mother. Brother’s mission is to help his grandparents run the family ranch in Eastern Oregon at the same time that he is a full time sixth grader at the local, two room school.

It isn’t just Brother that is affected by the National Guard’s mission. Nearly every child in the school has one or more parents deployed. The small community of ranchers that rely on one another for help in time of need is stripped of able bodied adults.

Shouldering Responsibilities

This heartwarming story of honor and duty shows how a young boy shoulders a man’s responsibilities. He, the baby of the family, manages to show his elder brother’s that he is their equal. They accept him as a person capable of making wise decisions for the ranch and even call him the man of the house. His family and his entire community have a heritage of ranching and soldiering. Brother finds a way to his own unique yet complimentary calling by the end of the story.

Respect

The book shows respect for differing expressions of faith, differing generations, and differing cultures. It takes you into the world of a large family ranch far from the conveniences many people take for granted. Brother’s small world will enlarge your own. Have plenty of tissues handy. This story tugs at your heart and leaves you wanting to just sit quietly for a little while when it is over.

It is a short novel to accomplish so much–just 161 pages. Do yourself a favor and read it, even if you have no children near.