I had no idea what this book was about when I went into it; I just decided to read it because I had seen other people talk about how much they liked it. This was a wonderful story of growing up amid the unexpected backdrop of having an outlaw for a brother, someone you look up to and admire, and who at the same time is on the run from the law. Reuben wants to remain faithful to his brother, but as things progress he finds that he's stuck between doing what the law says is right and what he feels is right by family loyalties. This is so well written, and I loved the additions of his sister Swede's poems as well. They really reflected what was going on for her and, in a way, the family as a whole.