Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship’s Boy by Louis A. Meyer
Mary Jacky Faber, speaking in the first person about her experiences negotiating relationships as she comes of age pretending to be a boy on a Navy ship—Bloody Jack has it all. Strong plot, strong characters, sex, murder, you name it. I don’t think it is ever too graphic—and Jacky definitely ends up as a “positive” role model. Girl from humble circumstances, overcomes obstacles, reveals her weaknesses, ultimately saved by her own good deeds and sent to a girls school with a fortune. I would definitely recommend it to young adults. Jacky is a strong character with real flaws. She is not brave, but she makes hard decisions and she survives. A lot of times, that is all that bravery is, isn’t it? Jacky is very strong—physically and emotionally. She has to be, to endure life among 500 ruff and gruff sailors performing all the duties of a ships boy.
I found Bloody Jack a bit difficult to read at first, because of Jacky’s broken English, but she cleans up her language soon after she joins the crew. How does the language we use define where we are accepted socially? I think that’s a great commentary in itself about becoming what you surround yourself with.
There are pirates in this book, but they are definitely the bad guys–enemies of the Royal Navy. A great read to mix in with all the other pirate-fantasy-adventure stories floating out there. 
January 16, 2008
Posted in: fiction, historical fiction
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