Tayari Jones’ new coming-of-age novel is a natural for teen readers. Although Silver Sparrow releases tomorrow, it has already garnered lots of attention, including an interview on NPR’s All Things Considered and the top spot on the June Indie Next List. Greenlight Books in Brooklyn is holding a launch party on Wednesday evening, in the middle of BookExpo and New York Book Week.
There is another excellent interview by Roxane Gay on the Bookslut blog.
I was also interested to learn about Tayari Jones’ involvement with Girls Write Now, an organization that pairs teen writers attending New York City public schools with adult writing mentors.
JONES, Tayari. Silver Sparrow. 352p. Algonquin. 2011. Tr $19.95. ISBN 978-1-56512-990-0. LC number unavailable.
Adult/High School–Dana and Chaurisse, born four months apart, live unusually connected lives in middle-class African American neighborhoods in 1970s and ‘80s Atlanta. Dana Lynn Yarboro narrates Part I. She lives with her mother, Gwendolyn. Her father, James Witherspoon, visits for dinner once a week. Dana has always known about his other family, but it isn’t until kindergarten that he sits her down and tells her that she is a secret. Gwen and Dana drive around watching his other wife and daughter, the family he acknowledges in public, live their easy lives. In Part II, Bunny Chaurisse Witherspoon tells her story, all the way to its inevitably sad conclusion. Chaurisse and her mother Laverne have no idea that James is a bigamist until the daughters near graduation from high school, and Dana’s curiosity and resentment get the better of her. She befriends Chaurisse in a drug store where they are both shoplifting. Dana even visits Laverne’s beauty salon for a hair treatment. As one might imagine, no one in this story is very happy, and men, both husbands and boyfriends, get a particularly bad rap. Each daughter includes the story of how her mother came to marry James; Laverne’s teen experiences are particularly affecting. The dovetailing narratives of Dana and Chaurisse add considerable appeal to the novel, and their teen voices ring true.–Angela Carstensen, Convent of the Sacred Heart, New York City
Today it is my pleasure to present a review of Kings of Colorado, a book that has flown under the radar up to this point, despite strong reviews.
There is a revealing conversation with David Hilton on the Simon & Schuster website. Hilton used to be a middle school teacher, so he knows young people. And it is interesting that he cites Stephen King’s short story, “The Body,” as one of his influences. Some readers have likened Kings of Colorado to Stand by Me, the 1986 movie based on that story.
HILTON, David E. Kings of Colorado. 273p. S & S. 2011. Tr $24. ISBN 978-1-4391-8382-3. LC number unavailable.
Adult/High School–William Sheppard is 13 when he stabs his father. The man does not die, and his mother is not protected by the act or aftermath: Will is bused off to Swope Ranch Boy’s Reformatory in the wilds of Colorado for two years. Those two years are described in horrific detail in short chapters packed with brutal and realistic action. Will finds himself in the company of mostly innocent and definitely vulnerable boys, boys in impossible situations who tried to protect a mother or a sibling, or who simply got into basic everyday trouble. But at least two of them are seriously sociopathic, and along with the abusive prison guards and warden, Will and his friends are wrenchingly shattered, forever defined by the almost-constant yet always-surprising assaults. As Will’s friend Mickey says, “We’ve gotten used to this place. Become comfortable. … along the way we’ve made friends….And then, when we aren’t expecting it, this place rakes us right back into reality…Rips our heart out just for fun.” Gorgeously written, evocative, profound, and downright powerful, this is a perfect book for teens. The adult Will takes up less than 30 pages of the entire book, the premise being that the narrative is his written experiences and memories. Set in the ‘60’s with a focus on breaking horses, the psychological insight crashes through any and all barriers of time and place. As Will says about his desperately scribbled pages: “Terrible and cathartic.”–Amy Cheney, Alameda County Library, Juvenile Hall, CA
Lipstick in Afghanistan by Roberta Gately joins a growing number of books set in Afghanistan, both fiction and nonfiction.
While I would not compare Lipstick in Afghanistan to The Kite Runner or A Thousand Splendid Suns, I do believe that the same readers might enjoy it. This is a lighter treatment of the troubles in Afghanistan, from the perspective of an American. For teens who are interested in the culture, but shy away from the tragedy in Hosseini’s books, this is a good choice. It could also provide a gateway to those books. Born under a Million Shadows by Andrea Busfield (Holt, 2010) is another recommended recent novel set in Kabul, from the perspective of a young Afghan boy.
Among nonfiction, the subject matter brings to mind Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez (Random House, 2007). And Rodriguez’s first novel is coming out later this month, titled A Cup of Friendship (Ballantine). It takes place in a Kabul coffee house.
I am also looking forward to reading The Dressmaker of Khair Khana: Five Sisters, One Remarkable Family, and the Woman Who Risked Everything to Keep Them Safe by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, a nonfiction title being published by Harper in March which also takes place in Taliban-era Kabul.
The most popular nonfiction book on Afghanistan in my library is My Forbidden Face: Growing Up Under the Taliban by Latifah (Hyperion, 2001). This is a memoir written by a girl who was 16 when the Taliban took over Kabul. (She uses the name Latifah in order to maintain anonymity.) It makes a great booktalk, and is not intimidating in length.
GATELY, Roberta. Lipstick in Afghanistan. 284p. Gallery. 2010. Tr $15. ISBN 978-1-4391-9138-5. LC number unavailable.
Adult/High School–Danger permeates this enthralling coming-of-age novel about recent nursing-school graduate Elsa Murphy, who is spending a year in Afghanistan, providing medical services to amputees and starving children. At times, she seems naïve, offering easy solutions to the Afghans she meets. For example, she offers the gift of lipstick to Parween, a widow whose husband was killed by the Taliban. Readers might question why lipstick makes a difference to a woman who isn’t allowed to wear it in public; however, it marks the beginning of Parween’s self-actualization. When one overlooks the vague, confusing quality of some of the novel’s ideas, there is much to appreciate here. After all, who doesn’t admire a woman who wears bold red lipstick while dodging bullets and draining shrapnel wounds? Teens will applaud the idea that a woman can be good, brave and beautiful–all at once. Lipstick serves as a tangible symbol of female strength and friendship. Parween is a strong character in her own right, and her friendship with Elsa seems genuine, so readers will forgive the novel’s oversimplified ideas about cross-cultural exchange. This novel offers a rare glimpse of Afghanistan from a fresh perspective. The book is based on the author’s own experiences as a nurse there, and the sights and smells she describes feel utterly real. Students will learn a great deal about the country’s culture and history by reading this page-turner.– Jess deCourcy Hinds, Bard H.S. Early College, Queens, NY
One of the joys of a blog like this one is the opportunity to draw attention to titles that might be overlooked in the crowd of books published every year.
Today’s review of Broken Glass Park by Alina Bronsky highlights a first novel offered in translation from the German, published by Europa Editions. This coming-of-age immigration story could not be more different than the last example reviewed here, Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok. While both deal with survival, Broken Glass Park is much more raw; it is about revenge.
The setting, the voice of the teen narrator, and the excellence of the translation that allows that voice to shine through as intended all warrant special attention. Bronsky knows of what she writes — she moved from Russia to Germany as a young teen herself. Just last week, she discussed her novel at the Goethe Institut in Washington, DC, recorded by NPR. Or take a look at this interview on the Words with Borders site about her creative process and background.
BRONSKY, Alina. Broken Glass Park. tr. from German by Tim Mohr. 221p. Europa. 2010. pap. $15. ISBN 978-1-933372-96-9. LC number unavailable.
Adult/High School–Sascha, 17, begins telling the story of her life by sharing her two goals: she wants to kill Vadim and she wants to write a book about her deceased mother. Just as readers wonder who Vadim might be, she charges forward with more tantalizing information about her life: the dangerous housing complex she lives in, home for many Russian émigrés to Germany; her two half-siblings; and the exploits of her beautiful but naïve mother. This, at last, brings us back to Vadim. The book moves without breaking for chapters, swirling around past and present incidents as Sascha passionately searches for a way to assuage the grief of losing her mother, who was murdered by Vadim. Bronsky lets the story out in a great rush that envelopes many characters and situations, but is satisfyingly full and complete in the end. The novel is translated into an American English that will feel familiar, even if the experiences of a Russian girl in Germany are delightfully exotic. Teens who are drawn to books with a strong, offbeat narrative voice (think Rachel Cohn) will enjoy the literary ride. Also, fans of suspense novels will enjoy the many subplots in Sascha’s life that are charged with mystery and danger. For many teens, this may be a first introduction to a contemporary European voice.–Diane Colson, New Port Richey Library, FL
Today we have a coming of age, debut novel. This one stands out for its narrator, who despite a dark & angry point of view, charms the reader with his witty, smart turns of phrase and way of looking at the world.
RATHBONE, Emma. The Patterns of Paper Monsters. 224p. Little, Brown. 2010. Tr $13.99. ISBN 978-0-316-07750-7. LC number unavailable.
Adult/High School–In “the armpit of North Virginia,” 17-year-old Jacob Higgins is serving time in a juvenile detention center for committing armed robbery. His account of the “Olympic trials of boredom and grudging acquiescence” begin with all the reasons he hates it there. His searing sarcasm and spot-on observations of life’s absurdities simultaneously mask and express his heartbreak, rage, disappointment, and despair. Jacob’s sardonic descriptions of interactions with the JDC staff and inmates contrast with those of his mom and her abusive boyfriend, the latter revealing a sensitivity and vulnerability that Jacob tries to hide. He would rather not have to despise “normal people,” who “all live in town houses next to the mall or the Metro… [are] all thirty-five and use the same products and have really intense cellphones” because he ultimately wants to get out of “this Rubik’s Cube of misguided intentions” and lead a normal life. Much of his time is spent contemplating how to relate to others, how the world should be, and how he’s supposed to be in it–just what all adolescents are trying to figure out. His romantic encounters with fellow inmate Andrea are surprisingly sweet. The intentionally loose plot reflects the aimlessness of Jacob’s life, and the conclusion is satisfyingly realistic and open-ended. Those who loved Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian (Little, Brown, 2007), and are ready for the next step, will find the same humor and truth in this convincing debut novel.–Amy Chow, The Brearley School, New York City
Adult/High School–Finny is a spunky kid, a red-headed firebrand fond of shocking her mother and challenging her father. After a typically heated argument, the 14-year-old slips out the sliding glass doors of her house, determined to leave her family behind forever. Her escape route soon leads her to a part of the Maryland countryside that is unfamiliar. As she climbs a rickety fence, a board breaks and Finny falls…into the arms of a boy. It doesn’t take long for her to fall hopelessly in love with Earl Henkel, a gentle soul who lives in a nearby shack with his father, a virtuoso pianist suffering from narcolepsy. When Finny’s parents discover that she is sneaking off to spend time with Earl, they send her to a boarding school where she rooms with gorgeous yet manipulative Judith. The subsequent unfolding of Finny’s story continually returns to her love affair with Earl and her unlikely friendship with Judith. Kramon creates characters that are quirky and lovable, weaving their tales of love and betrayal through the keen perspective of irrepressible Finny. This is an excellent crossover book for teens. Finny and Earl spend much of the novel apart, so most of their romance is comprised of waiting and yearning–something that many teens can relate to easily. YAs who enjoy books by John Green, who also writes of quiet, steady love, or David Levithan, with his exaggerated yet deeply human characters, should love Finny’s smart, saucy, and affecting story.–Diane Colson, New Port Richey Library, FL
Angela Carstensen is Head Librarian and an Upper School Librarian at Convent of the Sacred Heart in New York City. Angela served on the Alex Awards committee for four years, chairing the 2008 committee, and chaired the first YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adult committee in 2009. Recently, she edited Outstanding Books for the College Bound: Titles and Programs for a New Generation (ALA Editions, 2011). Contact her via Twitter @AngeReads.
