Almost everybody I’ve ever known in the newspaper business threatens at some point to write a book. Few do.
I guess it’s realizing that you spit out enough words in daily increments to complete “War and Peace” 50 times that makes you think writing a book would be a piece of cake. And, yes, make that a best seller while we’re at it.
Only trouble is, most of us old reporters use up our best ideas and creative juices while feeding the monster called Deadline.
Vince Vawter, Memphis native and former publisher of the Evansville Courier & Press in Indiana, is an exception. A rare one. He finished up 40 years in newspapers and retired to his farm in Louisville, Tenn. Then, oh, by the way, he wrote a classic.
“I thought I would be bumping around on my gullies and ravines on a tractor in retirement,” he says.
Instead, he’s written a partly autobiographical coming-of-age novel called “Paperboy” that has precipitated visits or video chats with 125 schools. Already it’s won the Newbery Award for juvenile fiction. And now John Norris and Tate Taylor, the duo responsible for bringing “The Help” to the screen, are in the process of obtaining screen options. They plan on filming “Paperboy” in Mississippi.
I’ll admit to letting the book get lost under my desk avalanche for two years. When I was reminded of it recently, I read it in a day. It has a wonderful James M. Cain-style opening — “I’m typing about the stabbing for a good reason. I can’t talk.” — which means you simply have to keep reading.
The story is about an 11-year-old Memphis boy who stutters. “The funny way I talk is not so much like fat pigs in cartoons as I just get stuck on a sound and try to push the word out …”
Stuttering is something you don’t think much about unless you are one of the 3 million Americans or 68 million people worldwide who struggle with speech impediments. And because much of the story is true — Vince has been stuttering since age 5 — the substitute paperboy who can’t pronounce his own name becomes as real and sympathetic a character as I’ve ever encountered in a book. To borrow from a politician, you feel his pain.
It’s been an amazing journey for Vince Vawter. Response has overwhelmed him. “My most memorable video chat was with the International School of Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia,” he says. “I was freezing in 40-degree (East Tennessee) weather, and the kids in Mongolia said they had just come in from playing soccer where it was minus 15. I sent them a vinyl ‘Paperboy’ book bag, and they sent me a Mongolian cashmere scarf. How embarrassing.”
The book deals with the serious topics of stuttering and segregation, but it is not preachy or heavy-handed. Its villains and heroes are believable, and subtle humor is part of the story. The premise is simple, old-fashioned. It’s all heart, not vampires. Baseball, not quidditch. Hallelujah.
“I never expected any of this, but it has all been a joy,” the author says. “You know how newsrooms are, God love us. Cynical. Sarcastic. Curmudgeonly. This 68-year-old newspaper hack has found new life with my ‘Paperboy’ friends. On my route, everyone is paid up in full.”
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 32 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.