The book or the movie.
A debate often follows when asked which is better.
When it comes to the story of “True Grit,” Iola Reads is offering a chance to discover the answer for yourself. Free copies of the book are available at the library, while a showing of the movie is planned for March 5 at Iola Public Library. A book discussion follows on March 7.
Time has proven the lasting appeal of the movie, for sure. The 1969 film starring John Wayne is arguably one of the most famous Westerns to grace the screen. It was followed by a 2010 remake by the Coen brothers that holds more tightly to the source material and was praised in its own right, with some critics even calling it a superior adaptation.
But what about the book?
Curtis Porter wrote the novel in 1968. It would go on to become a New York Times bestseller and has been compared to Mark Twain’s “Huckleberry Finn.” It’s a fictional memoir of a woman, Mattie Ross, who is just 14 when a dastardly criminal named Tom Chaney shoots down and robs her father in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
Mattie sets out to avenge his death and wrangles a deal with the meanest U.S. marshal she can find, Rooster Cogburn. They’re joined by a Texas Ranger named LaBouef, who is also hunting for Chaney. The trio embark on a dangerous venture through Indian territory to find Chaney and a gang of outlaws.
The novel is a quick and engaging read. The no-nonsense narrator immediately captures the reader’s attention and sympathy, then keeps you turning pages filled with colorful characters, snappy dialogue and witty observations.
From her keen insight into the sly evilness of cats to artful negotiations with a horse trader, Mattie quickly establishes herself as one of literature’s most extraordinary fictional characters. Then, of course, there’s Rooster Cogburn — gruff, rough and tough. Mattie picks him for the task after he’s described as the meanest of three options, yet he also serves a sort of father figure. It’s a journey filled with revenge, redemption and discovery.
Over the years, the movie adaptations may have overshadowed the novel.
The author died in 2020; Donna Tartt, an author and essayist who wrote an afterword for a 2004 reprinting, wrote after his death: “Though it’s often said of Portis that he’s the least known of great American novelists, I cannot think of another 20th-century writer — any writer, American or otherwise — whose works are beloved among quite so many differing age groups and literary tastes, from the most sophisticated to the simplest.”
READ the book, then join Iola Reads for a chuck wagon dinner and line dancing at 6 p.m. March 1 at the Silas Bass North Community Building.
Watch the John Wayne movie version at 6 p.m. March 5 at the library meeting room and judge for yourself how the two compare. Refreshments are provided.
The book discussion takes place at 7 p.m. March 7 at the library meeting room. Kaite Stover, a Kansas City librarian, will lead the talk.
Iola Reads is a project of Iola Public Library, USD 257 and the Bowlus Fine Arts Center. Funding is provided by the Sleeper Family Trust.
