Hitch
by Jeanette Ingold
Published by Harcourt, Inc.
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Reviewed by Bernadette Cogswell
Seventeen-year-old Moss Trawnley has a big job on his hands. The Great Depression is ravaging America. His Ma is depending on him to help support the family. His Pa has been missing for years. When he's let go from his job in Texas, Moss decides it's time to head out after his Pa, who used to run their farm before the Depression cost their family everything. What Moss finds is a drunk and the truth that his real job is to become a man he can respect, against the odds.
A judge points Moss in the direction of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and Moss jumps at the chance for a steady paycheck and somewhere to eat, sleep, and work for six months. What he doesn't foresee are the friends he'll make along the way or the man he will become.
A proud and honest main character and several side characters with appealing nicknames like Apple, Romeo, and The Senator, are just part of the strength of Ingold's Hitch. Filled with images of the dry promise of Montana, boys struggling to be men in a time when men were being broken by misfortune, and the deeds that make boys brothers, Ingold's Hitch is a digestible historical book for the teenage reader.
Ingold's attention to historical details and her use of historical dialect to relay Moss's story, help the book move along while also teaching the reader about a period that defined the American work ethic. Hitch will especially strike a chord for underprivileged teens; but for all teens, the way Moss takes responsibility and builds himself and a part of Monroe, Montana into a new promise will inspire.
Perfect for classroom reading material or as an exploration into a chapter in American history, Hitch will lead readers on a journey of discovery, obstacles, triumphs, and new beginnings.
Armchair Interview says: Worthy of any young adult reader's time.