 |
| goodreads.com |
Feathers
by Jacqueline Woodson
Genre: Historical Fiction/AR 4.4
Newbery Honor
Told from the perspective of 11 year-old Frannie, this story deals with a range of issues: segregation, bullying, Christian faith and doubt, discrimination, deafness, death, and sorrow. Yet, it's really not a heavy hearted book. Frannie expresses her anger, sorrow, and happiness with a detached manner that is nevertheless genuine and heartfelt. She questions everything, including her friends' rejection and bullying of a new white boy in their all black school and community, the need to go to church, her mother's miscarriages, and the impact of her brother's deafness. The references to Emily Dickinson's poem, Hope, provides insight to the author and Frannie's perspective. For me, it is a story of searching for resilience and what is required to overcome not just the big obstacles, but the small injustices and lingering doubts that we all face from time to time.
