Official Review: Alligator John D: by John Hudson

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Rachaelamb1
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Official Review: Alligator John D: by John Hudson

Post by Rachaelamb1 »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Alligator John D:" by John Hudson.]
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3 out of 4 stars
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Alligator John D. is a fascinating memoir by John Hudson. Born in 1922, John grew up in a time very different from today’s generation. His parents had eleven children of which he was the eighth. In this book, he fondly recalls some of his childhood experiences, but the meat of the story is his life as an adult.

John led a life of mischief. At one point, he was even a pool shark. All that changed one Sunday when he was radically transformed after attending church. It was not long before he became a pastor for many different churches. Later on, he pursued his own business which eventually led him to raise alligators. Always having been interested in these creatures since he was a boy, John thrived in his alligator business. Things were not always easy, though, and John shares with us the positive and negative situations that arose during the time he raised alligators.

I loved every minute of this story. The author has certainly led an incredible life. I can not get over the fact that he started raising alligators at 63 years old and did not stop until he was 80 years old. I do not know many people who could do that. I certainly hope I have that kind of energy when I am older!

The pacing of the book is excellent. It is not slow or bogged down with too much information. There is a nice and smooth flow to the story. I was never confused about what was happening because the author is very clear and concise in his writing. Though the book covers many years, much of the author’s life is summarized rather than overly detailed. It is not a very long book and I was able to finish it quickly.

For someone who used to be a pastor, the author does a good job keeping the book from being “preachy”. While he does not shy away from sharing how God saved and transformed him, he writes it in a way that is not pushy. He simply tells his story and lets the reader make up their own mind what they think about it. This is something I think people who are not Christians will appreciate.

Unfortunately, there are occasional grammatical errors. Several times there are spaces between compound words like overnight and maybe. A few times a word is the incorrect tense. For instance, using were instead of was.

I give Alligator John D. a rating of 3 out of 4 stars. If it had not been for the grammatical errors, I would not hesitate to give it a full rating. It is a fascinating tale, perfect for anyone who loves hearing about “the good ol’ days” or is fond of memoirs. You don't have to be an alligator lover to fall in love with this book, though I am sure it helps!

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Post by LivreAmour217 »

This sounds like a fascinating book! My husband jokes constantly about trapping and/or raising gators after he retires from the military. This might be a book that we would both enjoy! Thanks for the excellent review!
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Post by kimmyschemy06 »

Sounds like a great book. Just like you, I want to grow old as strong and as energetic as the author. Too bad about the errors. Seems like there is need for another round of editing. Great job on the review.
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Post by Rachaelamb1 »

LivreAmour217 wrote:This sounds like a fascinating book! My husband jokes constantly about trapping and/or raising gators after he retires from the military. This might be a book that we would both enjoy! Thanks for the excellent review!
Haha that is funny! I've never met anyone that into alligators before, though my brothers have an obsession with snakes!

-- 11 Feb 2017, 20:08 --
kimmyschemy06 wrote:Sounds like a great book. Just like you, I want to grow old as strong and as energetic as the author. Too bad about the errors. Seems like there is need for another round of editing. Great job on the review.
Thank you! The author's stamina is astounding!
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Post by kandscreeley »

Eleven children? Raising alligators? A pastor? It definitely sounds like an interesting read. Thanks for the review.
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Post by gali »

Sounds like an interesting read for fans of the genre. It sure sounds like the author led an incredible life. His passion for alligators is adorable. Good job on the review!
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Post by tarafarah7 »

It sounds like John D's life was full of adventure and purpose! Too bad about the grammatical errors, though! This sounds like a fun book to read...always good to learn about how others live and survive in our world, no matter the time period. Thank you for your great review! Nice choice for #BOTD!:-)
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Post by AA1495 »

Wish it was edited better! I'm glad you enjoyed reading the book. It sounds good! Thank You for the well written and honest review!
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Post by jamesabr »

Stories that focus on the people that one would least likely to expect to become successful are always intriguing to me. It seems that this memoir will uplift me, which is good. I've been in a funk lately. :)
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Post by Azeline Arcenal »

This seems like a really interesting read! I'm terrified of coming face to face with an alligator, but I am interested in learning about them. So I think this book would be a great opportunity to learn more about alligators. Great review by the way!
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Post by Sparkletime »

How refreshing for an autobiography to mostly be about a their life after 60! I agree that 63 sounds like a rough age to begin raising alligators. I think the book sounds like an interesting tale but maybe not for me. Thanks for the review though!
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Post by Sarah_Khan »

Great job on the review! This sounds like one interesting and unique autobiography. I've never heard of someone raising alligators.
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Post by James Craft »

Grammer errors are painful but it still sounds like a good read!
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Post by Kingcuevas »

Based on the review I'll get a good read! I can't wait to dive in!!!!!
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Great review of today's book of the day.
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