A Journey to Matecumbe

This is one of those books that you need to own. Taylor is a superb writer. He has an incredible ear for dialogue, builds fantastic characters, and is also one of the funniest American writers ever (I'd say he, Twain, and Richard Powell are the tops). Taylor won the Pulitzer for The Travels of Jaime McPheeters, but I'd argue that Matecumbe is the superior book. A lot of folks nowadays would probably deem it racist in parts, but it was written in a different time and place, and it reflects those times. Anyway, in a nutshell, the story is about a young boy who is forced to flee Kentucky with his uncle due to having killed a Ku Klux Klanner. The story follows them on their odyssey down to the Keys in Florida. Indians, buried treasure, the show more Klan, romance, pirates, storms. It has it all.

I'm always surprised when I consider the fact that, apparently, very few people have read this book. Get out there and find yourself a copy! Oh, and by the way - avoid the Disney film version at all costs. It has nothing in common with the book. show less

I found this book quie interesting, and am sorry that there have not been reprints. As a book with heavy references to Huckleberry Finn by Twain it is quite complex and interesting. There is a good deal of humour but a small number of references using racial slurs may make it risky for modern publishers to deal with. Pity. Our hero is in his early teens and is forced to flee Kentucky over a small matter of a killed Klansman. With his uncle and a black servant he ends up in the Florida keys. Read it if you find a copy.

Made into a 1976 Disney film The Treasure of Matecumbe, starring Peter Ustinov
and Robert Foxworth
Davie Burnie, his uncle Jim and faithful servant Zebediah flee Kentucky and the Ku Klux Klan down the Mississippi River headed for Key West. Along the way they gather companions – Dr. Snodgrass and his daughter, Millie, and Lauriette Paxton. After close encounters with the Klan, aid from Seminoles and a reformed pirate, they settle on Upper Matecumbe (now Islamorada) to raise pineapples. A major hurricane sweeps away their lodging and farm, but they resolve to build again. Lots of FL history and a good bibliography.