News of the World by Paulette Jiles is a book title that has almost no relationship to the theme or plot. As you can see from the cover, News of the World was adapted into a movie because it tells a compelling story of hardship, character development, and integrity. The book is more than just a post-Civil War western; it’s much more. The indians have kidnapped a 6-year-old girl after killing her family and raised her as a member of the tribe in the wilderness of Texas.
Four years later, the girl is rescued from the tribe, but she speaks only the language of the tribe. Captain Jefferson Kyle is a war veteran and widower, traveling from town to town, reading relevant news bits to paying customers. He is given a $50 gold piece to ferry the girl back to what’s left of her family, which turns out to be an ordeal for both Captain Kyle and the girls.