A Tale of Two Teens — and Some Crocodiles —
Triumphing over the Politics of the African Wild
Americas Group Book Selections
CREDIT THE CROCODILE
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Book review by Mihir Shah
"I want them to know what it’s like to live constantly on guard for enemies, constantly on the lookout for your next meal."
Paul Martin and Tyler Williams are determined to give purpose to their gap year. At just eighteen years of age, the newly minted high school graduates immediately gravitate to Animal Welfare Enterprises' mission. What ensues is a trip to the South African countryside town of Happy Hollow with the intent of awakening the community to animal mistreatment on the Stewart farm and "to free the crocodiles" from any barriers that keep them from their natural habitat. It doesn't take long for this seemingly innocent freedom of expression by the boys to snowball into endless sequences of chaos and repercussions by a community and authorities determined to make an example of the duo.
Harris shifts the point of view routinely from the boys and their encounter with the people of Happy Hollow to Credit the Crocodile's journey and observations on the entire fiasco. To add further intrigue, Credit is incredibly observant and thinks critically about everything that happens around him, even if it is just musing on how parrots communicate on where to set their nests for mating season. The author effectively uses Credit's character in the novel to shed light upon the atrocities against other wildlife, primarily the ruthless slaughter of elephants in Kenya for their ivory and rhinos being killed in South Africa for their horns. There are numerous examples, but the more one thinks, the more one is forced to wonder whether humans aren't truly the "mindless beasts" in this entire cycle of predator and prey.
With the debate raging and teetering on outrage, Mrs. Nabala simply, yet vehemently, insists that wild animals cannot be respected if restrained within enclosures like zoos, as is largely the case in the United States. Ironically, the boys are so engrossed in their own perspective and words that they fail to see the resentment building up with every speech they make. While the mayhem only builds up for Paul and Tyler, the author provides a refreshing backstory of how Credit's desire to learn the meaning of individual sounds through rhythm and tone from the Stewart's son, Stephen, helped him evolve into an Obi Wan-esque character, the seemingly omniscient wiseman of the entire reptilian clan. When their paths inevitably intersect, Paul and Tyler are direct recipients of Credit's generosity and knowledge of the English language. Their lives unquestionably depend on their understanding and trust in him.
When Andy Mitchell, police chief of Happy Hollow, becomes privy to this gathering, he, along with Tom, the owner of Stewart Farm, immediately sets out to make an example of the boys. In unraveling the gravity of Paul and Tyler's predicament, the author seamlessly integrates several critical ideas that should not be overlooked. Chiefly, his characters are emphatically against the idea of outsiders coming to fix what isn't broken in the name of humanitarianism that dates back to colonial rule. Whereas Andy and Tom are steadfast in bringing the boys down, Stephen and Credit want to help the boys out of their predicament while simultaneously ingraining in their minds that preconceived notions prevent them from seeing just how beneficial the farm is to the crocodiles' existence and, on a grander scale, the existence and employment of a large portion of the Happy Hollow community.
The plot reaches a breakneck pace when Paul and Tyler are sentenced to two weeks of living in the bush. With the help of other crocodiles like Cynthia and Cecil, Credit is determined to make a breakthrough with the boys, both in helping them survive the two weeks from all the wild animals as well as showing them the difficulty life would present to the crocodiles if they were forced to live that "on-edge-all-the-time" lifestyle in their version of the wild. In particular, the comparison between the bush of Happy Hollow and the San Diego Wild Animal Park paints a stark contrast between the two and helps Credit make his point with far greater intensity.
As the boys' interact with Credit, their journey to a greater understanding of freedom and captivity begins. Though the political angle is referenced consistently throughout the novel, Harris uses Credit to send a far greater message to the boys, the animal welfare organization, and society as a whole: understand what a nation's realities are (in this case, South Africa and Happy Hollow) and communicate with those that they think may be oppressed so they can get a complete, assumption-free snapshot of the entire situation. Despite Paul and Tyler coming across as naive and almost robotic in their regurgitation of AWE manuals, Harris does a commendable job of showing their character arc and propelling them further into their purpose with the help of Credit. With fluid prose and thoughtful content, the novel engages and challenges the glamorization of "doing good," making for a meaningful read.
Some early comments from readers of Credit the Crocodile
"Professional and well done. The need for nature’s balance is a point [well made] in this book."
MH
"Credit is an imaginative, enjoyable and informative story. I learned a lot reading it, and I think your target audience would learn even more (while still enjoying it). “I very much liked the clever and imaginative way you described events and feelings. It is a . . . book that engages the reader’s emotions . . . "
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Some information about Credit the Crocodile
*Godfrey Harris says, “I have long felt that fact-based novels ought to provide readers with an index of the important real events, people and conditions discussed within their pages. Until now, no publisher, to my knowledge, has ever adopted this idea.”Crocodiles in South Africa Are the Heroes of This Political Novel for Young Adults
On May 3 a Los Angeles publisher will release Credit the Crocodile, a young adult novel set in South Africa, at an event at Nelson Mandela University in Port Elizabeth. The 260-page hardcover book will be released in the U.S. on May 15.
Credit the Crocodile tells the story of two idealistic American teenagers who visit South Africa in hopes of freeing Nile crocodiles from a farm so that they can return to the wild. The boys are dismayed to learn that the local residents oppose their campaign because the farm provides jobs, and farming the iconic species saved the crocodile from extinction.
After an inadvertent brush with the law, the two are arrested and sentenced to live in the bush for two weeks to experience life among predators and prey just as the “freed” crocodiles would. To their astonishment, they are protected by Credit, the dominant male crocodile at the farm, who finds a way to communicate with them. He wants them to carry a message home that African wildlife is an African responsibility. The idea is summed up in the phrase Afri-CAN — LET IT!
According to a librarian consulted by Credit’s publisher, only about 5% of new novels in the teenage market cover political subjects. Another unusual and perhaps unique aspect of Credit the Crocodile is the book’s five-page index with references to the true events and factual information described in the story.
Author
To research the book, Harris twice went to South Africa and toured reptile parks, crocodile farms and wildlife sanctuaries. He interviewed their operators and met with judicial and diplomatic officials to gather additional facts for the story.
*Godfrey Harris, a former U.S. diplomat and member of the President’s Executive Office, is a public policy consultant and head of Harris/Ragan Management Group in Los Angeles.
PRICE: $16.95
ISBN:
978-0-935047-89-9260 pages
Hardbound 5 3/4
" x 6 3/4"Illustrated and Indexed with a Bibliography
PUBLISHER: The Americas Group, 520 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Suite
204, Los Angeles, CA 90049-3534 USA
(310) 476-6374
E-mail: hrmg@mac.com
