I am so glad I read this book

I have to say that I connected personally to this story in ways I haven’t connected to a book in a long time.  It takes place in a fictional town in Mississippi called Bois Sauvage, which I am fairly certain is based on the author’s hometown of DeLisle.  I feel certain about this because my hometown is literally 10 minutes down the road from there.  I was already living in Florida when Katrina struck, but my parents – especially my father – suffered a direct hit.  My father lived in Pass Christian, which must be the beach town the author described that was completely annihilated.  My father’s home was gone – not a board left.  Katrina hit Sunday night and into Monday morning.  I was there by Wednesday with a truck full of supplies that had been generously donated to me by my friends and coworkers as soon as they heard about my family’s plight.  Since there was no cell phone reception, I drove and walked (in places cars couldn’t get through) all over what was left of Pass Christian (north of the train tracks, just as the author described) asking everyone if they knew my father and had seen him.  I was eventually able to get word to him and ensure that he was safe.  He was a volunteer firefighter in the community, so even though he was staying in what looked like a small airplane hanger with several other families, he insisted on staying and helping with the efforts to clear debris and rebuild.  For me, it was a terrifying and traumatic experience that I will never forget – and I wasn’t even there for the storm!  That is why I am so glad I read this book, because Ward describes the experience with such amazing detail that I now feel like I understand what it was like for so many people who suffered through this experience.  There are many stories like the one Ward told of people drowning or almost drowning in their homes.  A close friend of my mother’s lost her mother because she refused to climb into the attic with the rest of the family. 

Aside from the backdrop of Hurricane Katrina, this book tells the story of a teenage girl, Esch, who lives with her three brothers and alcoholic father in very poor conditions.  Esch is bright and sensitive, despite the unwise decisions she makes when it comes to boys and sex.  She discovers that she is pregnant just days before Katrina hits.  Afterwards she is left trying to figure out how her now homeless family is going to take care of a baby. 

All of the characters in this book are complex.  Esch’s brother Skeetah adores and dotes on his pitbull China, yet he puts her into dog fights.  Skeetah and the other older brother, Randall, will stoop to breaking and entering and stealing if it is necessary to take care of those that they love.  Profanity, drug and alcohol use, and promiscuity are a part of their everyday lives.  They are not perfect, but they are real.  These controversial topics could lend to some very interesting classroom discussions and writing assignments.

Many students would connect with these characters, but this is not a book for everybody.  I would not teach it to any grade level below 12^th, and then I would still probably send parent permission slips home.  The writing itself is beautiful, full of figurative language and lengthy imagery, but it may be difficult for some of my struggling readers to grasp.  What I love about this book, though, is that the characters and plot are so relatable that I think those struggling readers would want to read it and would be willing to make the effort to understand it.  This could be a breakthrough experience for those students that could take them to the next level as readers.