Title: The Good Braider
Author: Terry FarishPublisher: Marshall Cavendish
Publication Date: May 1st, 2012
Page Count: 213
Genre: contemporary/verse
Audience: young adult
Source: bought
Rating: 4 I would take this book out for Sudanese food
Goodreads Summary:
In spare free verse laced with unforgettable images, Viola’s strikingly original voice sings out the story of her family s journey from war-torn Sudan, to Cairo, and finally to Portland, Maine Here, in the sometimes too close embrace of the local Southern Sudanese Community, she dreams of South Sudan while she tries to navigate the strange world of America a world where a girl can wear a short skirt, get a tattoo or even date a boy; a world that puts her into sharp conflict with her traditional mother who, like Viola, is struggling to braid together the strands of a displaced life.
Terry Farish's haunting novel is not only a riveting story of escape and survival, but the universal tale of a young immigrant's struggle to build a life on the cusp of two cultures.
The cultural differences of the Sudanese and Americans are glaringly obvious, and yet, even when you can't relate to all of the cultural differences, somehow Viola's verse makes you understand the things you might at first glance shrug off as completely wrong. This book truly bridges that culture gap for readers. It's a story of war, violence, and the refugee experience; it is also a story of hope. It lends the reader hope both for Viola's future and also hope that by learning about these cultural differences we can better understand and accept the differences while simultaneously rejoicing in the shared experience of being human.
Oh yay! I'm so glad you liked this one! You know how much I love verse books. Like a kid loves candy. I need to read this one. I need to read them ALL.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that you say this: "I did not devour this book because with the power of this verse, I needed to put down the book and walk away at times."
I'm normally always this way with books that I become emotionally invested in - for example, I'm doing audiobook re-reads of the Chaos Walking series right now. You KNOW how much I love those. But as I read in print along with the audio, I'm finding that I'm actually 'reading' only like 5-10 pages at a time and I'm pushing myself to do that, because I need to do exactly what you had to do. With verse novels, I CANNOT do that. I have to just plow through them and read them in one or two sittings. It's so odd to me, really, because verse ALWAYS brings huge emotional responses from me. I love that you felt this way. And I love that you're loving the verse books!
I was a little surprised I didn't read it more quickly! With Ellen Hopkins' Impulse, I couldn't put the book down. (I almost picked up Crank at the library the other day, but realized I probably had enough library books already!) I'm planning on reading The Realm of Possibility by David Levithan soon, a verse novel a classmate lent me. Excited. :) I don't think I could read verse all the time because it is just SO jam-packed, but it makes it feel like a treat when I get to spend some time with a verse novel! I hope you get a chance to read it so I can see what you think!
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