Involving from "the end of my lovely world" to the end of exile (when the Rudomins, as Jews, were jeered in Poland), this is...
To Esther Rudomin at eleven Siberia meant the metaphor: isolation, criminals and cruel punishment, snow and wolves; but even in Siberia there is satisfaction from making a friend of a prickly classmate, from seeing a Deanna Durbin movie four times, from earning and studying and eventually belonging.
Especially in Siberia, where not wolves but hunger and dirt and cold are endemic, where shabbiness and overcrowding are taken for granted, where unselfishness is exceptional. At the heart of Mrs. Hautzig's memoir of four years as a Polish deportee in Russia during World War II is not only hardihood and adaptability but uniquely a girl like any other. Abruptly seized in their comfortable home in Vilna, Esther and her family, are shipped in cattle cars to Rubtsovsk in the Altai Territory, work as slave laborers in a gypsum mine until amnesty, then are "permitted" lobs and lodging in the village--if someone will take them in. After sleeping on the floor, a wooden platform is very welcome; after sharing a room with two other families, a separate dung hut seems a homestead. Then Esther goes to school, the greatest boon, and, to her mother's horror, wants to be like the Siberians....Deprivation does not make Esther grim: the saddest day of her life is her father's departure for a labor brigade at the front, her sharpest bitterness is for the bland viciousness of individuals.
Involving from "the end of my lovely world" to the end of exile (when the Rudomins, as Jews, were jeered in Poland), this is a beautiful book with no bar to wide acceptance (and a rich non-juvenile jacket by Nonny Hogrogian). (Memoir. 8-12)Pub Date: April 15, 1968
ISBN: 978-0-06-447027-8
Page Count: 256
Publisher: T.Y. Crowell
Review Posted Online: Sept. 30, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1968
Readers come away wishing for more of the children’s voices and less of Brown’s.
Twenty-one years after Children of the Midnight Sun, Brown and Corral reteam for a follow-up.
Before one gets to read the stories of the Alaska Native children highlighted in this book, the introduction makes the case that Alaska Native kids are “just like any other kid,” as if to normalize Indigenous children for the evidently non-Native audience that the book seems to imagine. Author Brown and photographer Corral trek across Alaska to a sample selection of children from 10 Indigenous cultures of Alaska. Each chapter looks at the life of one child as representative of their culture. The stories tell of the day-to-day activities of each child, how they engage with their families, their traditional culture, and their aspirations. The overview is in Brown’s voice, and interspersed within that narrative are snippets of quotes from the children. Photographs highlight the children with their family members, engaged in sports, having fun outdoors, or dressed in traditional clothing. Though the book attempts to celebrate these children and their respective cultures, the depictions at times feel objectified, seen through an ethnographic lens. Mention of the harsh colonial impact on their cultures is minimized; for example, readers learn that the missionary William Duncan established a rigidly evangelical Christian community on a Tlingit-populated island with a group of Tsimshian but not that he profited from their labor.
Readers come away wishing for more of the children’s voices and less of Brown’s. (glossary) (Nonfiction. 8-12)Pub Date: April 9, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5132-6197-3
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Alaska Northwest Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 28, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2019
An inspiring read for aspiring athletes and other dreamers.
A young African American girl, inspired by Olympic excellence, propels her way to an Olympic berth and a better life with support from her family and community.
Lowe was 4 when she sat in front of the television and witnessed the greatness of Florence Griffith Joyner at the 1988 Olympics. She decided then and there to become an Olympian despite her family’s socio-economic struggles in small-town Paso Robles, California. She learned team dynamics early from her sisters and managed to hold on to her dream despite periods of instability due to homelessness and her stepfather’s violence. Lowe became a junior leader at the local recreation center and landed her first job at 12, allowing her to develop leadership skills that helped her on and off the field. She was further aided in her pursuits by Granny Booker, who opened her mind to new horizons, and Grandma Bea, who opened her home and heart to her granddaughter. Lowe’s partnership with supportive coaches led her to the 2004 U.S. Olympic high jump team. Now a four-time Olympian and world record–holding female high jumper, Lowe’s indomitable spirit and tenacity will engage and motivate young readers. The topics of diligently working toward long-term goals, familial loyalty, and self-mastery are clearly illustrated in this book. This memoir is organized in a manner that allows readers to experience the internal and external battles many Olympians face along their paths to victory.
An inspiring read for aspiring athletes and other dreamers. (photo credits) (Nonfiction. 8-12)Pub Date: March 7, 2023
ISBN: 9781338741520
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2023
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
bookshelf
