The Path of the Wind

By: James A. Misko

Narrated by: Edison McDaniels

Length: 8 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

GOLD/1ST PLACE AWARD WINNER, 2018 FEATHERED QUILL BOOK AWARDS
(ADULT FICTION category)

Miles Foster is a newly minted teacher who dreams of getting a teaching job in the highly respected and financially stable Portland, Oregon, school system where everything is available, and where he and his wife call home. But the only opening for his talents is in a remote lumber mill town in central Oregon, 200 miles away. It is a poor school with 40 students, and is controlled by a jealous superintendent and school board who tolerate no thinking outside the box, and who conspire to destroy his teaching career.

Miles must find a way to educate students who have been passed along regardless of what they learned, and defeat the damaging control of the school board and superintendent without losing his marriage or his job, or both.

©2017 James A. Misko (P)2019 Square One Publishers, Inc.

Slow moving and character driven

This was definitely a character-driven story with some fairly well developed characters, although I had a little trouble relating to them. They all seemed just a little too superficial. The story moved slowly but steadily towards a satisfactory conclusion.

Edison McDaniels performed well, giving distinctive and appropriate voices to the characters. His narration suited the story.

Note: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

An enjoyable listen

The Path of the Wind
: James A. Misko

A book looking at education in 1957 Oregon. A first year teacher bucks the system to try and "educate" the kids in a back water mill town. It seems like things have come full circle, maybe not in the same state, but school re-design is working. I was hooked from the start and when I got to the end, I wanted more!!!



The narration was well done. The characters were well portrayed. Edison McDaniels brought this to life.



I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Inspirational for Teachers

While I didn't grow up in a small town, I do know the obstacles that teachers face and how administrators and teachers can end up on opposite sides of the fence trying to help their students. Although the teacher's coming of age journey was central to the story, what I loved the most was learning so much about the various different side jobs and careers that were woven in the book. It's fun to hear from an expert and Misko clearly was one. You may find some of the strictness to be over the top, but that's more because it's a period piece. As someone who was born after it was written, I could still enjoy the book, mostly because I've been through a young marriage, young career as a teacher, and sometimes unsure about the future. While the narrator was good and characters believable, I couldn't help but feel like I was listening to an echo, there is something about the sound that was off. While I'm not technical enough to know what it was, I have listened to over 300 audiobooks. I hope the author team fixes it as it distracted from the performance which was spot on.