Who else cried in the middle of English class after because of Where the Red Fern Grows?

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Specialist-Leek8645@reddit

My entire memory of Where the Red Fern Grows is wrapped in a sadness that I'm afraid to open. Maybe I could handle it now but I couldn't then! I've forgotten everything except the sadness.

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Pretty sure my 2nd grade teacher hated us. We qatched two movies that year. Old Yeller and Where The Red Fern Grows. I was so traumatized and upset, cried the rest of the day. Seriously, why did they do this to us at that age . . .

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No-Dig-4408@reddit

"Seriously, why did they do this to us at that age"

If I had to guess, to start preparing us real early for the stuff we're going through right about now. ;_;

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btg1911@reddit

Absolutely scarring book. Sobbing.

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minmocatfood@reddit

I never cried at Where the Red Fern Grows or Old Yeller. Now Jurassic Bark…

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originalbrowncoat@reddit (OP)

If it takes a thousand summers…

Yeah that episode made me cry too when I first saw it

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Hipcatjack@reddit

I thought on and off about Where the red fern grows for 30+ years.

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Inside-Project942@reddit

Not only was I a hot mess reading Where the Red Fern Grows, but also teaching this book tore me up!! Let me tell you, it's not easy wiping tears and blowing your nose while communicating through ASL🤟🏻 It probably took us twice as long to get through the book!! One of my students chose, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, by Kate DiCamillo, for us to do as our read aloud. We would take turns, every other day, reading aloud to one another for 30 minutes. That book made us ugly cry!!😭 Highly recommended ❤🐰

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athird78@reddit

I read Where the Red Fern Grows when I was ten. First book to make me cry. Makes me cry on every re-read

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Logical-Cherry9395@reddit

Damn. Maybe I should give it a go at 49? Something tells me I'll still love it, but it'll hit even harder now.

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mndza@reddit

Is it a good read at our age now? I haven’t read it in decades.

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athird78@reddit

Yes, this story definitely holds up

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Logical-Cherry9395@reddit

I loved Island of the Blue Dolphins and read it until it was falling apart. I still haven't recovered from Where the Red Fern Grows and it's been nearly 40 years since we read it in fifth grade.

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tangerine426783@reddit

I sobbed under my bed covers holding a flashlight while finishing that book.

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Traditional_Ad_1547@reddit

I read island of the blue dolphin.

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BoliverSlingnasty@reddit

These are some of the reasons I quit reading when I became an adult.

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YcemeteryTreeY@reddit

Where the red fern grows, I'll never forget the line about the axe- that it sank in his belly. Sank.

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flamingknifepenis@reddit

English class? We read Where the Red Fern Grows in the fourth grade.

I’m pretty sure if I had a super villain origin story, that would be a part of it.

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loglady17@reddit

We read it in third grade! Developed a lifelong uneasiness of axes from that book.

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Objective-Plum1201@reddit

Yup. I remember it from fourth grade. I read it first and then recommended it to my teacher to read to the class and she did.

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Stunning_Honeydew201@reddit

I remember the snot bubble popping as he died.

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originalbrowncoat@reddit (OP)

It’s funny how the dogs dying make everyone cry but boy died from an axe to the stomach

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lol_coo@reddit

But that boy was a bully and Jeremy. That dog was EVERYTHING.

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hipkat13@reddit

Two of my most favorite books ever!

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Edlo9596@reddit

I remember my 4th grade teacher read this book to us out loud. I can still remember everyone crying 😭 Then we watched the movie 😭😭😭

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stealthyliz@reddit

I remember island of the blue dolphins

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Aquatichive@reddit

I was so enthralled with island of the blue dolphins I read it 3x before I returned to the class library. I still read it again every few years. Same with The Good Earth and anything Steinbeck

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GoddessRespectre@reddit

I'm pretty sure still I have both of those books in the post still. Island of the Blue Dolphins has been read many times. I remember her skirt made of feathers and her home she built. It's kinda a girl version of My Side of the Mountain, where he lived in a hollowed out tree. I liked that one too. Can I mention The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle? Awesome books, all of them 💜 but Where the Red Fern Grows inspired many many tears!

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peggysue_82@reddit

Except Island of the Blue Dolphins was based on a true story! The book fails to tell you that she died almost immediately after her “rescue”.

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IceManYurt@reddit

According to Wikipedia: 'Just as the other Nicoleño Natives, who had previously been brought to the mainland, the Lone Woman died of dysentery after seven weeks'

That's a big oof, especially considering there's a sequel to Island of the Blue dolphins

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GoddessRespectre@reddit

Oh NOOOOOO I did not know this. I'm going to try to forget it again. This conversation never happened! Didn't she have a wild dog that was like a bro? It feels like she had her own sort of family and a life on that island. She deserved so much better 😭. Yeah this didn't happen, I strongly object to this!! BOOOO and I'm throwing 🍅🍅🍅 at Fate right now.

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IceManYurt@reddit

I think to look at this, and keep in mind I have not read Island of the Blue dolphins in years.

I remember it being a good adventure, and one of the few that had a woman as the main character.

In that regard, it's a pretty impactful piece of literature, you can almost see it as the mirror for Hatchet or White fang, or the other boy survives in the wilderness genre.

And I think for the sake of representation this book holds a pretty significant place on the shelf.

It hits so many good qualities of a female lead, because it wasn't just gender swapped or girl against society.

And that makes it a very valid story.

However, the historical events the stories based on, also tell a very important story.

I am not sure why the missionaries thought it was paramount to transport the native people to the mainland, and I have very deep questions about the tribe itself that I can't remember 30 years later.

Like were they basically sea nomads part of a bigger culture?

Or was it just a small tribe just making an existence on a small island?

The major takeaway to me was that transporting these people wipe them out in a matter of weeks and regardless of the intent of the people that did that, there are lessons to be learned.

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GoddessRespectre@reddit

These are great points, thank you for basically talking me down from my panic ☺️

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Aquatichive@reddit

Sand I don’t remember that dogs name but yea, I think she also took the dogs son after he died

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arnpjb@reddit

I was obsessed with True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, I read it so many times. I haven’t thought about in years, I should read it again. Island of the Blue Dolphin as well.

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This_hoe_dumb@reddit

That was one of my favorite books. Omg

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trashpanda6798@reddit

Same, grew up in CA and had school field trips to a few of the remaining Spanish missions. This one stuck with me. Maybe like a year ago I remember looking at San Nicolas on google earth after randomly thinking about this book. It’s so desolate. I imagine maybe it was a tad greener 200 years ago though.

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Prestigious_Yak_3887@reddit

Loved that book so much!

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NewsgramLady@reddit

When I was in 4th grade, we had to read a book and dress up like one of its characters for Halloween. I picked the girl from Island if the Blue Dolphins. I don't even remember what I wore. Maybe tattered sheet? Lol

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boristheblade223@reddit

My kid and I are about halfway through Where the Red Fern Grows as we speak, as her bedtime story. It’s amazing that we have this story as an experience we can share across generations.

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SnowAutumnVoyager@reddit

I read that book in Elementary School and thought it was awful. I'm not a dog person and I don't like hunting. That book dragged for me and I'm a reader. As an adult, I moved to Oklahoma; where the book was set. Karma, I guess.

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boristheblade223@reddit

My kid and I are about halfway through Where the Red Fern Grows as we speak, as her bedtime story.

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AshDogBucket@reddit

Should have known i was autistic back then... books never made me cry like they were supposed to and I always felt like I must be missing something.

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belushi99@reddit

At the end of the year (grade 3?) my teacher let me pick a book out of a pile of extras she had. I chose Island of the Blue Dolphins and it’s still one of my favourites.

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mcdubbx@reddit

I read Where the Red Fern Grows so many times I went through more than one copy. Between this and showing my 8 year old Goonies yesterday for the first time, I realize we were raised on a lot of dark content.

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Mother_Echo4502@reddit

Where the Red Fern Grows, The Cay, BFG, Hatchet.

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Munchkin531@reddit

My Granny had me and my sister watching Where the Red Fern Grows and Old Yeller when we were like 8. I cried every time we watched it.

We read WTRFG in 6th grade. I knew what was going to happen but I still cried! Then we had to watch the movie which made it even worse.

My son read the book when he was 8. I kept telling him he wasn't ready yet but he didn't believe me. He was distraught for days worrying about our dogs dying. Great times.

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polygonalopportunist@reddit

Shit, i made a 6’6” Teacher Asssociate cry once with that one. Whole class was in tears that year.

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nobearable@reddit

Me! The first book that had me sobbing as a kid. I recently bought myself a copy to add to my childhood books re-collection.

💛😭

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FoppyRETURNS@reddit

I can confess this now, other than non fiction I only pretended to read these books until college. I have no clue how I got honors English.

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Tigerzombie@reddit

I bought my own copy of Where the Red Fern Grows after reading it in English class. I would reread it occasionally but I always stop after the tournament. That’s how the book ends to me, there is no need to keep going.

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Adventurous_Ad1922@reddit

I read island of the blue dolphins over and over again

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sipporah7@reddit

oh my gosh yes. Childhood memory unlocked. I remember really liking "Island of the blue dolphins" even though I can't remember what it was about. An island? Dolphins that are blue? lol

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lumberj73@reddit

Where the Red Fern Grows and Old Yeller. Brutal.

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ajrpcv@reddit

I loved Where the Red Fern Grows. Read it over and over, and cried every single time.

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Ok_Box_8844@reddit

Bridge to Terabithia and A Day No Pigs Would Die were the two books that made me cry at school

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exitcode137@reddit

Not only that, I bought Where the Red Fern Grows for my daughter’s summer reading and recommended Island of the Blue Dolphin when her English teacher asked parents for recommendations for books of kids going through adversity.

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Kitchen-Fisherman280@reddit

I finished every book ahead of the class at home, but yes I cried too. This is the first book that elicited that kind of response from me.

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smoothAsH20@reddit

Yes, I still cannot believe they let us read a book like

“Where The Red Fern Grows”.

Were they trying to make little kids cry. 😢 🤧😢🤧😢🤧

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SubstanceNo1544@reddit

The bridge to terebethia was the one that really got me.

That and my side of the mountain.

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CSWorldChamp@reddit

Motherfucking BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA.

Man, our generation got hammered with this stuff. First Littlefoot's mom dies, and it's clearly his fault, and then this.

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Dr-McLuvin@reddit

I read both in second grade. Where the red fern grows was the first legit chapter book I ever read.

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StaceyPfan@reddit

I only saw the movie in a 3rd grade movie day.

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badteach248@reddit

I read island of the blue dolphins every year for fun till 11th grade. I really liked that book. I think...I read both of these books in 4th grade though.

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Psychological-Bee702@reddit

The entire class was just wrecked the day we read that.

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stevieblackstar@reddit

Island of the Blue Dolphins was my favorite book when I was 12.

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BraveLittleToaster8@reddit

It was pretty gory for 10 year olds.

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YcemeteryTreeY@reddit

Fun fact: Island of the Blue Dolphins is based on the true story of Juana Maria (nicknamed "The Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island"), a Native American woman who lived alone for 18 years on San Nicolas Island off California from 1835 to 1853. She was left behind when her tribe was relocated to the mainland.

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Mammoth-Cod6951@reddit

If you are ever in Santa Barbara, her final resting place is somewhere on the grounds of Mission Santa Barbara, although they don't really like talking about her there, with the Church's history of decimating California Indians and all. The Natural History museum has a lovely exhibit on her on her tribe.

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paloma_delmar@reddit

Loved Island of the Blue Dolphins, loved the game ECCO too

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ex_gratia_@reddit

We read it waaaaay before "english class." I think it was 5th grade or so. It was just called school, back then.

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raerae1991@reddit

My daughter read the island of the blue dolphin, so that one is still being read in school

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ZeroLithium576@reddit

I did. My entire class did. My teacher was crying while reading it.

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FootballKind@reddit

Like a little bitch lol

gif

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serpentarienne@reddit

I wish I’d never learned what entrails were that way!

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SteveEcks@reddit

I remember reading Where The Red Fern Grows. It was definitely required reading.

When it got to where I was at the last few chapters, I kind of realized of where it was all heading. I built a blanket fort in the family room (no one ever hung out in there), finished the book, and just sobbed alone for quite a while.

I feel like it was my first man-cry. At 13.

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saltnshadow@reddit

Oh man, this brings back memories. We were read "Where the Red Fern Grows", "Danger in Quicksand Swamp", "Summer of the Monkeys", and "The Whipping Boy." Loved them all.
I had a habit of picking all of the books that had the Newbery and Scott O'Dell award emblems. "Island of the Blue Dolphins" wasn't read to us, but I picked it out myself at the library - great book.
I guess part of growing up in a rural area during the early 90's without cable TV as a latch-key kid who tried to escape reality was by fully immersing myself with every book I could get my hands on, encyclepedias, my mother's nursing school books, and eventually, a mail-in card to become a member of the Baby-Sitter's Club monthly book subscription.

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octopusgardeb@reddit

I remember being so affected I cried and fell so hard asleep I was woken up for dinner and had no idea what time it was or what day- I was super out of it like it shifted my world. I kept feeling like I had to get ready for school and something terrible and heartbreaking had happened in my life. Teacher should she given us a warning - or at least a “brace yo self”

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