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Black Duck Review
User Submitted Black Duck ReviewsOctober 25, 2008 Masterful Storytelling Ten years after the enactment of the Prohibition law, there occurred in the Narragansett Bay an incident that contributed to its repeal. The attack by a Coast Guard cutter of a legendary rum-running fishing boat called the Black Duck, which killed most of its crew. No one knows the details of that attack, but Janet Taylor Lisle draws upon the legend to present a gripping and plausible speculation. The story is told in the present day to a young student journalist by an old man who was himself a boy when the events took place in the Summer of 1929, and who was intimately involved with the event. It is a story of betrayal, broken friendships, dangerous loyalties and ethical dilemmas. As one of the characters, the beautiful and adventurous daughter of the Chief of Police, says, "Sometimes I stop and wonder what's right ... And there isn't any answer, so I just go along. I guess, in the end, if you have to make a choice, you do what's best for the people you love." There is a moral ambiguity to the story that sets it apart from much of the literature of the genre and is, perhaps, one of its greatest strengths. Yes, the Black Duck's crew was breaking the law, but on the North coasts bordering Canada, from Minnesota to Rhode Island, it was an accepted and often lauded activity. Most everybody in the small border towns profited from it and the police mostly looked the other way. The old man, Reuben Hart who, as a boy, found a dead body washed up on the shore where he was looking for lobster pots with his best friend Jeddy. The discovery of the well dressed body signaled a sea-change in the business of smuggling liquor, the arrival of the big gangs from Boston and New York and the end of the trade as a purely local enterprise. The inhabitants of the town were to be squeezed between the two rival mobs and the Coast Guard. Sailing blithely between these forces was the Black Duck which, having been fitted with two World War One aircraft engines, escaped all dangers until that last fateful night when it met its doom. The award winning author crafts a thrilling mystery that also deals with some important ethical issues in an historical context that is vividly and accurately presented. The characters are well developed and distinct and the action, told as two stories, one in the present and one in the 1920's, is compelling. The writing is vivid and compact. Taylor is a master of suspense. We know from the start what happened to the Black Duck; the mystery we unravel is how it happened and who was responsible. Highly recommended. October 24, 2008 Adventurous: Rumrunners and Murder!! Dead Bodies washing up on the beach, kidknapping, rummrunning, this book never has a dull moment! David, a freshamn in highschool, wants to be a writer. But, his dad wants him to work for the family landscape business. However, David is determined to get a job with the newspaper, so he goes to Ruben Hart. Ruben knows a thing or two about the "Black Duck," and this book is the spine-chilling interview between Ruben and David. It all started when Jeddy McKenzie, Ruben's best friend, and Ruben are walking on a beach one day, and come upon a dead man's body. It was washed up, and there is a bullet hole in the man's neck. The boys run home, and call the shady deputy, because Jeddy's dad, the cheif of their small town's police force, is out of town. It takes awhile for Charlie to get to the scene, but when he does, the body is gone. They realize they are dealing with some serious men, because there are no marks on the sand, so somebody flew in, landed on the water, got the body, and flew out. Ruben and Jeddy think it is rumrunners. They know its going on in their town, and the man had a siut and expensive watch on. However, nobody knows Ruben took the man's pipe and tobacco pouch out of the man's pocket...until later. Then one night, Ruben sneaks down to a harbor, and secretly watches an unload take place. It also happens to be off the famous "Black Duck," the fastest and sneakiest smuggling speedboat in the news. Outruns and outwits every coast guard cuttter everytime. David wants to tell Jeddy, but he just can't, and he knows that Jeddy would tell his dad, because Jeddy wants to be a cop, and he tells his dad everything, even thpugh Ruben doesn't think he should. Thus, begins the seperation of Ruben and Jeddy. Tah major straw that breaks their friendship's back is when they go to see an old man named Tom Morrison, and ask him what he knows about whats been going on. He tells them of the airplane that came in that day, and that the dead man's name was Tony Mordello, a rich smuggler. He also said that all the men were looking for the ticket. Tony had paid for a whole shipment of liquor worth half a million dollars, and no one was ther to claim it. On the way home Jeddy said he had to tell his dad all that, and Ruben saud that he shouldn't. It put them in a huge fight, and from then on, Ruben and Jeddy are seperated. When Ruben went home that night he looked deeper into the tobacco pouch, and pulled out a rolled up half fifty dollar bill. He stashed it in his math book to flatten out. He though nothing of it until he talked to Billy. Billy is the skipper of the "Black Duck," and he is into Marina McKenzie, Jeddy's older sister, and so is Ruben. Ruben meets him one time when visiting Tom, and Billy pulls him aside and says that all of the mobs are now after him because they heard he has the ticket. Billy says they are willing to kill for it. Ruben is still confused, and asked what exactly the ticket it. Billy tells him that this shipment is settled with a torn fifty dollar bill. Ruben s shocked, but keeps his cool and denies it. It is then that he and Marina become very close. Marina keeps teling Ruben to be careful, and to wattch his bask, but he ignores her, and one night he gets kidknapped. He begins to realize how serious things really are. Thankfully, Marina has been watching him, and Billy and her, and a whole group rescue him. Later he realizes that his rescuers are the crew of the "Black Duck." One day at school, Ruben drops the bill out of his math book, and Jeddy gives it back to him. Now Jeddy kows. In return for his saving, Billy asks Ruben to help on a smuggle job one night. But things go wrong, and the police are involved-on the wrong side of the law. When unexpected machine gun fire opens on the crew, and Ruben on board-what really happens. Did somebody tip off the cutter, is Mr. Mckenzie also involved bootlegging, and will the "Black Duck" escape this time, plus what ever happens to the beautiful Marina...Read "Black Duck" by Janet Taylor Lisle to find out. This is a good book. It is an easy read, and although it rotated from being in modern day to present day, it is very easy to follow. It is a really good book, and I reccomend it to people who want a little history, but lots of action, and a little bit of love, in a novel. There are really no boring spots, and it all leads up the the dramatic ending. I liked this book a lot, amd the characters are easy to distinguish. The plot is good; it is well worth it. Derek Fox July 20, 2008 good book My 13yr old son was like "what is this" when he found this book I had purchased for him. Hours later he was still absorbed. He said it was a great read and very interesting. July 16, 2008 BLACK DUCK Historical fiction either works really well, or it doesn't work at all. Those YA historical fiction novels that deftly capture the distinct essence of a time period and place so different from our own that you can hear the unique cadences in speech patterns and visualize details not even mentioned in the text, those novels are to be treasured and savored more than once because they offer not only a well-told tale, by delicious tastes of bygone eras. Recent novels like AL CAPONE DOES MY SHIRTS and OCTAVIAN NOTHING accomplish these goals heroically; you feel as if you are living in the times and that is part of the emotional journey that we love. YA historical fiction that fails is highly awkward, illogical, anachronistic, and MADDENING. We argue with ourselves about why the author couldn't get it right! The guilty (or at least the current crop) shall remain nameless... Which leads us to Janet Taylor Lisle's latest. BLACK DUCK is (to maintain the metaphor) an odd bird; it captures that time of the late 1920s nicely, but focuses on perhaps the most unusual of young adult subjects: rumrunning. Told primarily in flashback, BLACK DUCK follows Ruben Hart, a fourteen-year-old from Rhode Island who finds himself (as does most of the rest of the town) involved either directly or peripherally with breaking the law (it is Prohibition, after all). This era is brought to life expertly by Lisle's correct decision to have the story told through a first-person point-of-view. That choice allows her to capture the language, mannerisms and trends of the time quite accurately. Building slowly, she offers plenty of historic detail without the weight of seeming to force the historical information on us (like QUAKE!: DISASTER IN SAN FRANCISCO, 1906 does). I was also taken with Lisle's characterizations, particularly those of the several characters who made unexpected, yet by-all-means organic choices -- always a joy for an English teacher to read -- that took the plot into unexpected, yet organic places. Though the historical nature of the book is, as far as I can tell, relatively accurate, it is an incredibly bold move on Lisle's part to make practically all of the characters law-breakers (yes, even many of the kids)! On top of that, the reader and a majority of the characters don't want [SPOILER NOTICE] the legal authority -- in this case, the Coast Guard -- to capture the rumrunners aboard the Black Duck. WOW! And it works... beautifully. To take a questionable subject for young adults and approach it in a highly questionable way, and succeed (!!!) deserves real kudos from YA fans. As an English teacher, this is a great piece for discussion and analysis -- in part for the above-mentioned reasons, but also for the dramatic structure in which the flashbacks are interrupted by the present and newspaper stories of dates in-between. So, in the categorization of YA historical fiction that soars and those that sink, this rumrunning ship, heavy with cargo, is definitely buoyant. June 18, 2008 Black Duch Black Duck is a great piece of historical fiction. It tells the story of the rumrunners off the coast of Rhode Island. Because of the mystery running through it, this book will keep you reading for more to find a surprise at the end. There is a couple of "bad" words in the book, however, I recommend it for 6th through 12th graders, boys and girls. April 25, 2008 Great Historical Fiction Geared For Kids!! I bought "Black Duck" based on the book's description and also based on all the great reviews it has received thus far. I loved the book the entire way through. "Black Duck" is geared for kids ages 9-12 according to the description with the main characters being teenage boys. I enjoyed how the author intermixes the past with the present in "Black Duck" by making some chapters in the present day and other chapters in the past. Janet Taylor Lisle is able to bring to life what rum-running during the prohibition may have been like on the New England coast in 1929 by using a cast of fictional characters and how prohibition may have effected a community. The story is told through the eyes of Ruben Hart, who was a teenager during 1929. Currently Ruben Hart is an elderly man. He is approached by a young boy named, David Peterson, whom wants to be a journalist when he grows up. Young David has his sights on writing a story about the the rum-running days and this is where he crosses paths with Ruben Hart. David is set on interviewing Mr. Hart about the rum-running days as he has heard that Mr. Hart knows something about those days. The interview happens over the summer vacation and David learns/hears quite a story from Mr. Hart & quite a tale it is. The two become friends by the end of the novel. "Black Duck" is a good story with well developed characters!! The story is intriguing and keeps you wanting to know more about what will happen next!! April 6, 2008 More Than I Hoped For A year ago three of my sixth graders wanted to read Black Duck, a new book in our school library, for Literature Circles. That was my first experience with the book. I started reading on my way home to Illinois and couldn't stop. Likewise, my sixth graders had a lot of praise for the mystery set in the Prohibition Era. If you parents or teachers are looking for a book that will motivate even the most unwilling reader, this is it. One of the boys confided that although he is a jock, he had to confess he couldn't stop reading it. At first some of the girls were resistant, but soon they, too, had to admit they were hooked. Telling the story in an interview is a unique format. This book also lends itself to a variety of research topics the students enjoyed: Prohibition, the Great Depression, the Roaring 20s, Women's Suffrage, politics, gangs, gansters, Rhode Island, the East Coast, and of course bootlegging and smuggling. What a great way to learn some history! I highly recommend it. February 22, 2008 A Great Book The Black Duck is a real page turner that keptme reading.This shows how a friendship that was so strong can end up in the end so bad and how a boat can be an inspiration. This historical fiction book is about Ruben and Jeddy, who are best friends find a naked leg on the beach. Then in the man's pocket is a half of a fifty dollar bill. They each don't no what that means. Ruben doesn't want to report it to the police, while Jeddy wants to turn it in. While this is happenig rum smuggling is taking place and Ruben wants to find out who did this. This is making there friendship go bad. This is a great book for people who like boats and action. I highley recommend getting this book. February 22, 2008 Reading is not my thing The Black Duck was my favorite and only book I've ever read. The Black Duck was a book full of action and is also a mystery based book. It was a story about old time gansters, that were smuggling alcohol by a boat called the Black Duck. At a time where alcohlo was illegal in the US. It was also about a man trying to write a story on the Black Duck incident that happened 40 years ago. He also interviewed the only surviver of the Black Duck. IT was A thrilling book even for someone who hates to read! I will always choose a book like this to read. I give this book a 5 star review, it was amazing! December 14, 2007 Black Duck The story starts when Ruben Hart and his friend Jeddy McKenzie find a dead body along the beach in a business suit. They search him and find a pipe and a tobacco pouch. The man is wearing a fancy golden watch which Jeddy and Ruben find odd because there is not really ant big business around in there town. The man was shot in the neck when the observed him so obviously some one was after him. Since Jeddy's dad is police chief the police tell them to stay away from the body. The next day Ruben and Jeddy went to check if the body was still there, but it was gone. There were no footprints, the tide was to low last night for a boat to steal the body. The boys start guessing what happened to the body and eventually figure that a plane must've come and stolen the body. They start wondering why someone would steal a body and decide to ask old Tom Morrison. Tom was one of the best fishermen until one day he crashed his boat, he decided to join another crew, but then he got his eye caught on a fishhook. So Tom now lived in a shack down by the beach people usually see him hunting for blue crabs. They go to tom house and ask him if he has seen a plane land around on the beach. Ruben notices that Tom is wearing a fancy golden watch the one that was one the body! So they ask again and Tom decides to answer he said that the had been a plane that landed by the body the men that came out checked if the body was still alive, shot him, laughed, shot him some more, and then stole the body. When leaving they heard a boat landing on the beach and hid in the sand dunes. After about a minute they heard a dog yelp and a gun shot. They went to see if he was alright and his dog was shot. This is the most I will tell you for now I recommend this book for 6th grade to about 9th this was one of the bets books I ever read. For more Black Duck reviews click here.
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