Food for the Soul...

Bread and Roses, Too by Katherine Paterson

Parallel accounts of the “Bread and Roses” strike of 1912 in Lawrence, Massachusetts, are told alternately by Rosa Serutti and Jake Beale in Katherine Paterson’s latest novel BREAD AND ROSES, TOO. Jake is a young boy, a mill worker, who participates in the strike and is subsequently living on the street forced to steal food and money to survive. Rosa is a young girl. Her mother and sister are both mill workers who choose to strike even if it means present hardship because they believe strongly in their cause. In fact, Rosa is the one whose sign “We Want Bread, And We Want Roses, Too” ultimately becomes the slogan of the strike. Both narrators are torn in regards to the strike since its short-term effects are causing more hardship, more uncertainty, and more hunger. The two narrators are brought together in the story when concerned parents in the town send their children to various cities in the region who support the Union and its causes. Jake, an orphan, sneaks aboard the train and convinces Rosa to let him be her “brother.” She takes pity on him, and the two join forces for the duration of the strike.

Based on a historical event, BREAD AND ROSES, TOO, is an unforgettable novel recounting the injustice of the industrial revolution regarding its workers—particularly its immigrant workers—and the need for the Union to support and provide for its members assuring them of a better tomorrow. Set in the streets and tenements, it is a powerful portrait of poverty, hunger, and the fight for survival. It shows the strength of a community in supporting one another despite limitations and differences. It is a beautiful novel. While the strike itself plays an integral role in the story, it is in some ways a simple story of a young boy’s struggle to find himself, to find a place to belong, to find a family. To find rest.

Katherine Paterson's Official Site
Union Song "Bread and Roses"
Bread and Roses: The Strike Led and Won by Women
Bread and Roses: The 1912 Lawrence Textile Strike

Satin Chocolate-Covered Chicken Bones

Candy Darlings by Christine Walde

While Candy Darlings is not a YA book for everyone, its unique blend of candy, drugs, cliques, secrets, lies, and storytelling are sure to please some readers. A nameless first-person narrator befriends the school’s self-proclaimed outcast, Megan, as she faces off against MAL, a three-headed clique made up of of Malorie, Angela, and Laura. Megan is a free spirit. She is not afraid to be completely outrageous and unbelievable. Her actions often lead her into trouble, and she is unapologetic about her behavior. On top of your typical peer pressure, our narrator faces a troubled home life as well. Her mother died the previous summer and it would be an understatement to say that her and her father are dealing with their grief in compatible ways. It seems in her now crazy world that it is easier to communicate through stories than to actually speak the truth and face the harshness of reality. The ray of hope in the novel besides the girls’ friendship, is their relationship with an elderly woman named Edie who is a fellow storyteller and a candy freak. The truth is not always easy to discern, and that’s one of the messages of this book. And while much remains a mystery--for example the narrator’s name and age--what is revealed is a heart-felt emotion which rings with a truth all its own.

Houghton Mifflin's Brief Bio on Christine Walde

New in Paperback...

Meyer, Stephenie. 2005. Twilight.

TWILIGHT is a great YA novel that successfully captures the "heart" of a teenage girl experiencing the dramas of daily high school life (and family life) and the dark and dangerous world of vampires. Bella Swan is the daughter of the town's police chief. She is new to the town, and on her first day of classes she notices one boy that stands out above all the rest--a loner with pale skin, purplish eyelids, and perfect face and body. As the weeks and months unfold, her "strange" attraction becomes harder and harder for her to deny. Stranger still is his reaction to her very presence. Sometimes he goes out of his way to avoid even being in the same room with her, and at other times he is a perfect gentleman. He even saves her life! As she begins to get to know her mystery man, Edward, she falls madly in love with him despite his warnings that they shouldn't even be friends...let alone romantically involved...but warnings go unheeded as this passion grows leading to a thrilling conclusion. The first in a series, Twilight is too good to miss.

Be sure to read my review of New Moon, the sequel, which I posted in August.

http://stepheniemeyer.com/

Twilights: For Over-Obsessive Twilight Fans

Twilight Lexicon

Definition of Determination

Aftershocks by William Lavender

Jessie Wainwright is a stubborn, rebellious, opinionated, courageous, and undeniably likable character. The novel, Aftershocks, by William Lavender begins in 1903, our heroine is introduced early-on as a trouble-maker. Her family, wealthy and prestigious in San Francisco, cannot understand why this fourteen year old girl would ever want to bother with an education and medical school when she could easily make a good match and become a doting wife and mother. But Jessie's goals in life will not be dictated by her father, although she will outwardly submit for the sake of family unity. Thus begins one of the first themes of the book: discrimination against women, particularly women in the workplace.

The second theme of the novel is discrimination against the Chinese. While most wealthy families employed a "house boy" that was Chinese, they were very much looked down upon and viewed as dishonest and inferior. Ching Lee, the Wainwright's houseboy, brings his niece Mei to work as a maid in the household. She is instantly befriended by Jessie, and since she is a quick learner, she is respected by the other members of the family. Eager is one word to describe Mei. She is eager to please...and eager to become an American. Naively eager in some circumstances.

When Jessie's mother becomes ill, Mei moves into the attic room. Ching Lee is against this from the start--he knows no good could come from it--but the family insists. Mei loves living there, and she becomes more familiar with the family--in some cases way too familiar with the family. One night, Jessie hears noises coming from the attic room. Strange noises to her ear and lots of laughter...instantly suspicious of her older brother who has been flirting with Mei...she is shocked to see her father come stumbling out of the attic. Months later, Mei leaves the household along with Ching Lee without a word to anyone--but Jessie fears the true reason is that Mei has learned she is pregnant. Her search for Mei and Lee continues, until she accidentally stumbles into an opium house and is arrested. To say her parents were horrified would be an understatement, she is threatened with boarding school if she disobeys again.

1906. The San Francisco earthquake and subsequent fires make the perfect plot device for moving this story forward and bringing everyone's secrets out into the open. Seeing Chinatown destroyed, Jessie can no longer avoid the obvious...she wants...she needs to find out what happened to her half-sister. In the chaos, she is able to slip in and out of the house and visit the refugee camps where the Chinese are staying...and it is here where the story really begins to unfold.

Aftershocks is a great read. Complex storylines, multiple climaxes and resolutions...and ultimately a very happy ending. Definitely recommend to lovers of historical fiction.

An Interview with William Lavender
The Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake
Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco: The Great 1906 Earthquake and Fire

Waiting for A Memory

Bruchac, Joseph. 2006. Geronimo

Geronimo was a legendary figure in American culture, and during the last half of his lifetime, a tourist attraction wherever he went. And while Joseph Bruchac's novel GERONIMO describes this vividly, he also paints a portrait of a real man. Told through the eyes of "Little Foot" or "Willie" this fictional grandchild of Geronimo is responsible for passing on his legacy through the stories he shares.

"Remember That is what I now do. I tell the story as best I can. With each line of my tale I will place a kernel of corn on the ground. Then, when I am done, that corn will be there for you to pick up. Eat it and this story may stay with you as it has stayed with me. Do not fall asleep, or the story may be broken, as were our lives. Listen" (5).

While it doesn't follow strictly chronological guidelines, the main story takes place between 1883 and 1908. The heart of the story is the imprisonment of the Apache Indians--yes, I know there is a more descriptive, more accurate name, and their exile from their land in Arizona. They were deported by train, under guard, to camps and forts in Alabamba and Florida. The train carrying Geronimo became a tourist attraction at every stop along the way, and a money-making venture.

"'They are waiting for a memory,' Wratten said to me as we passed slowly by yet another great crowd of waving, shouting people. 'They want to be able to tell their children they saw Geronimo.'" (78)

The memories they make for themselves in their new homes were anything but pleasant. Full of hard work, sadness, depression, and disease--their camps were prone to malaria--they were often separated from their families...wives from husbands, and children from parents. Many children were sent to a school in Pennsylvania where many became sick with tuberculosis and died.

Woven into the stories of hardships and broken promises, are stories of the past both pleasant and bittersweet. Their days of peace and contentment, and their days of battle fighting the Mexicans and Americans.

Beautifully written, I hope this book finds its audience because it is a truly memorable book.

http://www.josephbruchac.com/
http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/B/geronimo/geronixx.htm