Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Treasure Island is an extremely enjoyable book that I read through in just a couple of days. While it's generally a book considered for children, and indeed Stevenson did compose it from tales he made up for his son, I nevertheless found it poignant as a 25 year old man. Something about the spirit of this book resonates in my heart, as I'm sure it does every man.

I found myself immersed in a tale of adventure and betrayal; courage and deception; valor and vice. I am most intrigued by the character of Long John Silver. Stevenson seemed to capture the extremes of man's benevolence and his nefariousness in a single man.The biting edge of this character is that we are all often within what Silver was without: charming, thoughtful, and caring when needed; selfish, headstrong, and vicious when left to our own devices. How easily we can fall into this. Yet there are the heroes that we can all aspire to be like. Those few who stood their ground against the pirate mutiny, against insurmountable odds, and came out victorious.

This is a simple tale, and there are no huge lessons I took away from it. Thus, I at the moment do not have Nevertheless, this is one I intend on adding to my library for my own children someday. I may or may not also read it again a few times myself.