Mavericks

Old Jake Hanlon sits on the edge of the mesa and looks out over miles of southwestern plain, starts Jack Schaefers all-ages novel Mavericks. Old Jake Hanlon is ancient and craglike, weathered and withered . . . something like a worn rocky butte himself. Living in his memories, Hanlon prefers to reflect on his youth, when he lived every cowboys dream, rather than think about the old man he has become, now labeled a decrepit old nuisance by the folks in town. Ultimately, it is Old Jakes recollection of the tales of his paststories of endurance, strength, compassion, and cunningthat helps prepare him for death.