News of the World
In the wake of the Civil War, Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd travels through northern Texas, giving live readings from newspapers to paying audiences hungry for news of the world. An elderly widower who has lived through three wars and fought in two of them, the captain enjoys his rootless, solitary existence. In Wichita Falls, he is offered a $50 gold piece to deliver a young orphan to her relatives in San Antonio. Four years earlier, a band of Kiowa raiders killed Johanna's parents and sister; sparing the little girl, they raised her as one of their own. Recently rescued by the U.S. army, the ten-year-old has once again been torn away from the only home she knows. Their 400-mile journey south through unsettled territory and unforgiving terrain proves difficult and at times dangerous. Johanna has forgotten the English language, tries to escape at every opportunity, throws away her shoes, and refuses to act "civilized." Yet as the miles pass, the two lonely survivors tentatively begin to trust each other, forming a bond that marks the difference between life and death in this treacherous land. Arriving in San Antonio, the reunion is neither happy nor welcome. The captain must hand Joh
Where News of the World keeps showing up
One of our editors' lists features this novel.
What you might want to know about News of the World
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd, a seventy-year-old veteran touring north Texas reading newspapers aloud for a quarter, agrees to deliver an orphaned ten-year-old, recently rescued from the Kiowa, to her relatives near San Antonio.
Yes. Paul Greengrass directed a 2020 film adaptation starring Tom Hanks and Helena Zengel. The film was nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Cinematography.
News of the World is fictional but informed by real history of itinerant news-readers in post-Civil War Texas and the documented case of Cynthia Ann Parker, who inspired the character of Johanna.
News of the World was written by Paulette Jiles, published in 2016 by HarperCollins Publishers.
News of the World is 232 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, News of the World takes most readers 3 to 5 hours to finish.
News of the World is a standalone novel by Paulette Jiles, not part of a series.
News of the World is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.
