The Rifle

Gary Paulsen’s The Rifle is a small book with a big message. It starts with the creation of a truly magnificent rifle at the dawn of the Revolutionary War, when guns really were a vital source of protection or currency. However, its careful construction fails to save its creation or its buyer from death, causing the rifle to go unnoticed for centuries. When it finally emerges, the rifle falls into the hands of people who are unaware of how its complex mechanism can go dangerously wrong, leading to what threatens to be the first of several tragedies. Paulsen’s message is desperately hammered home: guns have been mythologized by a world that no longer needs or fully understands them. He shows a surprising amount of deep, balanced thinking on the issue of gun use. These ruminations are wrapped in a well-written, genuinely interesting story that puts the right amount of pressure on your mind and your heart. I recommend The Rifle to readers of all ages and from all fields of interest.