127. We Own the Sky

We Own the Sky. Rodman Philbrick. 2022. [September] 208 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Aside from the priest and the gravediggers, me and my sister, Jo, are the only ones to witness our dear mother, Eva Morin Michaud, being lowered into her grave. Papa having perished in a mill accident some years previously, the hard, hard loss of our mama makes us orphans. When I begin to cuss the lung ailment that so cruelly took her from us, Jo hushes me. "Wait until the priest is out of earshot," she says, hugging me tight. "Then I shall join you and we'll cuss like pirates. We'll turn the air blue, Davy, I promise." I won't put down what we said, exactly, for fear it'll set this page on fire.

Premise/plot: Jo and Davy (Davy is our narrator) are taken in by their Aunt Ruth, an aviatrix, after their mother's death. Their aunt is part of a flying circus, a daredevil touring group. Both will be working at the circus. (Davy, for example, sells bags of popcorn before finding an act (on the ground) to make his own.) The historical setting for this one is 1924 Maine. The KKK has recently increased its presence there and has become quite popular. They are targeting immigrants. (Think French-Canadian, Irish, Polish, Italian, Jews, etc.) Readers get a behind the scenes look at early aviation, traveling circuses, and the harsh realities of the hateful KKK. 

My thoughts: What a read! I've read a few books with a circus setting, but, never a book featuring daredevil plane stunts. (Jo even trains to DANCE the Charleston on the wings of a plane. You might have heard of wing-walkers, but I'd never heard of anyone dancing.) Life on the road is always interesting. I thought the characterization was solid. I enjoyed getting to know all the characters; it reads almost as a found-family. The book is intense in places, but, everything is well-balanced. 

 

© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews