Ahhhhhh, just appears to me that some read this "story" (remember, it is a story) through different lenses, which is perfectly fine. The lens I read it through, and still see it through today, is one in which the author, Wilson Rawls, was trying to highlight what I would consider valuable character traits. The character traits I saw exemplified in this "story" were hard work, generosity, loyalty, perseverance, compassion and love to name a few. Really don't have much of a problem with my kids reading books with story lines that build upon those character traits. It would have probably been a little difficult for Mr. Rawls to have developed some of those traits had little Billy had a gun in his hand....... The greatest "story" teller that ever lived told stories to the Jewish people that seemed completely outlandish to them at the time, but it was all done in order to get his point across and to get them to thinking about what traits really were important to possess.

Wild at Heart by John Eldrege - God designed men to be dangerous, says John Eldredge. Simply look at the dreams and desires written in the heart of every boy: To be a hero, to be a warrior, to live a life of adventure and risk. Sadly, most men abandon those dreams and desires-aided by a Christianity that feels like nothing more than pressure to be a "nice guy." It is no wonder that many men avoid church, and those who go are often passive and bored to death. In this provocative book, Eldredge gives women a look inside the true heart of a man and gives men permission to be what God designed them to be-dangerous, passionate, alive, and free!

Wild at heart is a great book

Wild at heart is a great book

The Best of Outdoor Life, it's a compilation of stories taken from the magazine. The first story is about an Alaskan Moose Hunt in Sept 1897 and it goes through a Bear Hunt in 1981. What I enjoy about it is the fact that these are actual hunting stories told by the actual hunters. Great read. I read the first edition when I was a kid and I started looking for it on Amazon and found the second edition for $4.99. Can't beat that.