True Grit

True Grit (1968) by Charles Portis. This tale of revenge, set in the Old West of 1870s Arkansas and Oklahoma, features the distinctive voice of Mattie Ross, a 14-year-old girl whose father was ruthlessly murdered by "a coward going by the name of Tom Chaney." Mattie sets out to gain vengeance, and hires the marshall Rooster Cogburn to help her in her pursuit. She is looking for a man with "true grit," and she finds him in Rooster. But by the end of the book you realize that the one who really has grit is Mattie herself. It is one of the most enjoyable books I've read for some time, virtually perfect in capturing the voices of the various characters and of the times. It is also relatively short and a quick read. Grade: A