Read this when
The Lord of the Rings
'I tried to save the Shire, and it has been saved, but not for me.' For everyone who came home and couldn't quite come home. 💍
Who it's for
Frodo's journey gives readers a vast frame for their own burdens: an ordinary person, unwilling, carrying something that grows heavier with every step.
Feelings it meets
What it is
J. R. R. Tolkien's epic fantasy, published in three volumes in 1954–55, follows the hobbit Frodo Baggins on a dangerous journey to destroy the One Ring, made by the Dark Lord Sauron, in the fires of Mount Doom. He is joined by his loyal companion Sam, the hobbits Merry and Pippin, and a Fellowship that includes the wizard Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli, as war against Sauron's forces spreads.
Where to find it
In print (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt / HarperCollins); widely available from libraries (Libby/Hoopla) and as audiobooks. Not public domain in the US. Peter Jackson film trilogy (2001–2003).
Before you start
Heads up: A suicide and war violence.
Age: Ages 12+
What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?Wilfred Owen, Poems, “Anthem for Doomed Youth”
