The Long Walk (1979)

Before Reading: I could go on and on and on about The Long Walk and I will (after I re-read it). For now I’m just going to keep it short and sweet. Remember when I said that I love Rage and have it on my bookshelf? Well I really love The Long Walk and have TWO copies of it on my bookshelf. The Long Walk is my absolute number one favorite book...ever. I even rank it above Harry Potter (which, if you know me, is saying a lot). When I was younger I was drawn to The Long Walk because it mentioned my hometown. But oh my God, this story is so great. You cringe, cry, laugh, and everything in between when you read it—or at least I do. It takes a lot for me to get emotionally invested in a book (or anything, really) but I feel so attached to this story. All of the characters and their lives are so real to me when I read this one. Also, Hunger Games-esque dystopia is my absolute favorite genre and The Long Walk is one of the best. I’m very much looking forward to re-reading this one, as I always do.

After Reading: Hey, that only took me two days! In case I haven't mentioned it....I really love this book. As I mentioned, dystopian future is my favorite book genre which is why I really enjoy this story. Now, there is some debate about whether or not this actually qualifies as a dystopia but I'm not that much of a deep thinker ;) Also...open-ended and ambiguity are things that I personally really enjoy in a story (Shutter Island, anyone?). I know that is a super niche thing and something that a lot of people can't stand but I think it is great. If those are things you are not a fan of...I don't recommend reading this book. However, if you also love those qualities or don't care either way, then I definitely recommend this book!

I didn't take too many notes while I read this one for a few reasons. One, I've read it so many times that I knew what was coming. Two, I read this out of an actual book so it was a little harder to take notes than just switching to another tab #2021probs. Three, it isn't a very long story. All that being said, this is what I took down for notes... My first note was about the upcoming (?) movie! Last year, at least, there was talk about adapting this into a movie. I haven't heard anything recently so I'm honestly not sure if it is still in the works. I do have a lot to say about this being turned into a movie so I'm just going to pretend that it is definitely going to happen. My specific note about this topic was that they better not mess it up and I will be very upset if they do. Like I mentioned in the before section, I really liked this book when I was younger because it mentioned my hometown many times by name which was the coolest thing in the world when you come from a teeny tiny town no one has heard of before. And before I get ahead of myself...this book is about a group of 100 boys who walk from the Canadian border until there is only one left standing. If you walk too slow too many times you...spoiler alert...get shot dead. Now, since they walk right through little ol' Limestone, it got me thinking. Crowds of people go out to watch them walk by and even hope to see one die (this is compared to Gladiators)...would I go out and watch? This first thought is obviously not, right? But when it is something that is totally normal (again, Gladiators) would I? I always compare this book to the Hunger Games and I'm fairly positive that it is the first of that type. When you read the Hunger Games you're always thinking...would I volunteer as tribute? It is the same thing here. Would I? I doubt it. Would I participate in the Long Walk? My first thought is absolutely not! Unlike the Hunger Games, the Long Walk is voluntary (more on that later) so...definitely not, no thank you. However, my second thought is that I wouldn't be able to anyway. Why? Because only boys are allowed to participate in the Long Walk. Is there a reason?  Unsure. Like I mentioned before, the world this book is set in is very ambiguous so it is possible that there is a very good explanation for this. Personally, I think it was just a sign of the times. This makes me very curious to see that if they do end up making a movie if they will modernize it and include girls. I'm very interested to see! I said I didn't take very many notes, and I didn't, but I'm rambling now so I'm going to wrap up my last three notes pretty quickly, I swear! Here is a fun quote I found for my County folk! "Everyone was disappointed with Caribou. It was just like Limestone." If you know, you know. There is a mention of Shirley Jackson which I'm pretty sure was quite intentional because this book has some serious The Lottery vibes...complete with a lottery! And finally, in case you thought you could escape it, there are several references to rats.

I want to talk (hopefully) briefly about the lack of world building in this story. We know that it is in some type of United States that is now a Military State. We know that there are no longer millionaires. We know some of the history that is true in our world has been altered in the Long Walk world. Finally, we know hundreds of teenage boys are perfectly fine volunteering to get shot in the head. Other than that, we don't know anything. I think that is fun in book form. In movie form? Not so much. So, big Hollywood directors and producers that are obviously reading this, I think it would be beneficial for the movie to fill in some gaps. I feel like I have so much to say but I really don't want to go on forever. I'm going to end on this last little tangent. The Long Walk was written under King's pseudonym, Richard Bachman (if you want to know a little more about that, go back and read my blog about Rage). Something that Stephen King does so well is writing about the supernatural. I know he is a horror genre writer but I tend to see him more of a supernatural author because I think that's where he really stands out. Books written under Bachman aren't supernatural (unless you're one of those people who thinks Stebbin's can read mind), they're real and they're raw and they're completely human. I'm a huge fan of all things supernatural (Harry Potter, duh) but I'm really drawn to horror that is anything but. That is why I will always recommend the Bachman Books and that is why The Long Walk is my favorite book of all time (so far). I not only recommend this book to anyone but I specifically recommend it to someone who has never read any Stephen King before. This was my introduction to his books and I wouldn't have it any other way. 

Whew. Thanks for sticking with that if anyone did. If you want to talk more about this book, I'd be more than willing 😅 Stay tuned for the next book which is The Dead Zone!