The Road to Many a Wonder

In his seventh novel, David Wagoner strikes gold in more ways than one. The Road to Many a Wonder has been called "one of the funniest books in English," and "an irresistible comic romance," but these accolades don't do the book justice. The story of 20-year-old Ike Bender's trek to the Denver area during the 1859 Pike's Peak Gold Rush is more a story of the triumph of optimism and faith over overwhelming odds. It's only incidental that the author uses witty, appealingly humorous Western-style backwoods-sounding dialogue and verbal sketches to paint an accurate picture of Ike, his 16-year-old bride Millie, their adopted mule Mr. Blue and the characters they meet up with on their journey.Through 500 miles of wild and perilous country, past fierce Indians and belligerent villains, Ike and Millie never stray from their upbeat, joyous goal: to be together, happy and prosperous-with gold or without it. With every step, the two young travelers face down the weary and spent faithless who are struggling to retreat. Ike sums it up best as he describes his confrontation with an unfortunate fellow on the trail: "I didn't have no cause to fight and no time to spare for it, so I just left him behind, wasting his breath and not enjoying hisself or his surroundings, probably not even seeing the way the sun come wavering off and on across the sand and getting hisself all worked up worrying about somebody else getting the best of him. I vowed then and there I wasn't going to do nothing like that, but do my work and take my turn and prepare for the worst and hope for the best and manage with what come along."This is a message young adults today should hear and ponder. In today's tough world where money means everything and the race is on for who can sprint up the ladder fastest and farthest, students need to be reminded that the joy is in the living, not in the getting.David Wagoner's heart-warming, upbeat tale of strong faith and love in the face of despair is a top-notch teaching tool. The key to reaching kids today is to make them think they discovered a fabulous new road to take on their own. An invisible push from you and David Wagoner will surely help.