Go-Ahead; Or, The Fisher-Boy's Motto

"Go-Ahead; Or, The Fisher-Boy's Motto" by Harry Castlemon is a novel written in the late 19th century. The story follows the struggles of a young boy named Bob Jennings, a fisherman aspiring to improve his life amid financial difficulties. With his motto, "Go Ahead," Bob is determined to rise above his challenging circumstances and dreams of one day becoming the captain of a fine vessel. The opening of the book introduces us to Bob Jennings as he faces repeated failures in his fishing and ferrying endeavors, leading to a feeling of despair over his financial situation and the possibility of losing the money he has saved to support his family during his first voyage at sea. Despite his setbacks, Bob's resilience and hard work shine through, as he reflects on his ambitions and the importance of maintaining hope. Unfortunately, he soon becomes the target of the bully Sam Barton, who deliberately sinks Bob's leaky boat, the Go Ahead. Devastated by the loss, Bob realizes he must find a way to acquire a new boat to continue his livelihood, setting the stage for a mix of adventures, lessons about honesty, hard work, and ultimately the pursuit of his dreams. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Charles Austin Fosdick, better known by his nom de plume Harry Castlemon, was a prolific writer of juvenile stories and novels, intended mainly for boys. He was born in Randolph, New York, and received a high school diploma from Central High School in Buffalo, New York. He served in the Union Navy from 1862 to 1865, during the American Civil War, acting as the receiver and superintendent of coal for the Mississippi River Squadron. Fosdick had begun to write as a teenager, and drew on his experiences serving in the Navy in such early novels as Frank on a Gunboat (1864) and Frank on the Lower Mississippi (1867). He soon became the most-read author for boys in the post-Civil War era, the golden age of children's literature.