The Duck Commander Family

Yes, students, Mrs. Coombs knows all about Duck Commander and I'll admit to being a fan.  I watch the reality show faithfully.  My family and I adore Si and Phil.  Jase is my personal favorite.  I love his wit.  His short sentences.  His style.  He's much more intelligent than he lets on... And how would I know?  Well, I read the book!  That's how we learn.  If we can't ask questions, then we research.  A fellow teacher loaned me the book and I exaggerate NOT... I read it in 2 hours.  Sitting at the kitchen table following dinner.  The dishes were cleared.  My pink lemonade refreshed.  The lights turned out and the family retired to their respective rooms.  All without any acknowledgement from me.  I know...that sounds mean.  Negligent.  But they're used to it.  Believe me.  This is not the first book I've found myself lost in.  And that's exactly what happened!  I was drawn in by Willie and Korie Robertson's writing styles!  Their voice was pure.  His chapter, followed by hers.  Heard their voices loud and clear by the words they chose to use (vocabulary) to the sentence structure and style. 

What I enjoyed most was learning the answer to some of the questions I've had while watching the television series.  Such as, "Why do Jase and Willie call their parents by their first names?"  and "How did Willie take over this company and turn it into a multimillion dollar corporation?" and of course the most popular question in our house, "Where's the fourth brother?".

I won't provide you with the answers...you'll have to read the book yourself.  But I will provide you with an excerpt.  :)

  (From the final chapter...Willie's final word about his family.) 
"I like to say Duck Commander is a lot like duck wraps. Huh? No, really it is. It's a bunch of things that may not seem like they belong together, but when they all come together they make something spectacular. Everyone at Duck Commander brings something special to the table, and rather than fighting against one another, we complement each other. Do we have our disagreements? Of course! But we don't take away from the unique flavors each one brings. We are all held together by a common love for family and for ducks, but more importantly we are fortunate to share a common faith. Our faith is the toothpick that holds the entire wrap together. If it wasn't for our faith in God, I can assure you, we would fall apart."

Can't you hear Willie?  I couldn't help but hear his voice as I read his words.  And that's what good writing should be...personal.  I despise authors who try to fancy up their books by using vocabulary they would never use in their daily life.  Please.  Tell me a story and tell it to me straight!  That's what I think our kids have the most trouble with when it comes to writing...they try to write like someone else.  Their fellow student.  The textbook.  The author of the chapter book they're reading.  Sure, we're all influenced by what we read, but to be taken seriously, we need to write using our own voice.  Ours.  Alone.

Okay, this is sounding "sermony", so I'll just sign off now with an explanation and apology for not blogging about Unbroken, which was and is my current read according to my last blog post.  Oops!  Couldn't resist a quick read!

Happy Reading, Jack!  (And if you don't know would say that, then you need to read this book!)
RC