A Scottish-born South African who ``has received many awards'' looks deep into the mind and heart of a young Ju/'hoan Bushman caught in Namibia's new independence and her people's uneasily evolving ties to the modern world. Be engages empathy from her first words—``I have just killed myself.'' Then, explaining that the arrow's poison may take days to act, she tells her story. As a young child, when her grandfather summons them to help, she and her mother leave their traditional village in the Kalahari for a hardscrabble farm belonging to gruff ``Kleinbaas'' Coetzee and his troubled wife, Min. Between bouts of despair, the childless Min is kind to intelligent, thoughtful Be; she teaches her and brings her books that offer puzzling glimpses of the world's unimaginable complexity. As she nears puberty, Be pieces together her family's story. Her grandfather, virtually a slave to Kleinbaas's father, is now a friend (of sorts) to Kleinbaas; her mother has been his mistress. The Coetzees' past, in its way, is as full of sorrow; to Beake's credit, she depicts all her characters—from Khu (a young man who's registering black voters) to the old man who chooses loyalty to whites, from university-educated Min to Be herself- -with compassion as well as objectivity. The end (Khu, who loves Be, may save her) runs counter to the tragic tenor of what precedes it; yet the message that the next generation holds a fragile hope is not amiss. Spare, lyrical, absorbing: a novel that, like Shabanu, brings a vibrant young woman and her vanishing culture vividly to life. Author's note on the setting. (Fiction. 12+)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1993
ISBN: 0-8050-2905-2
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 1993
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Eden’s emotionally raw narration is compelling despite its solipsism. (Fiction. 14-18)
In the three years following Eden’s brutal rape by her brother’s best friend, Kevin, she descends into anger, isolation, and promiscuity.
Eden’s silence about the assault is cemented by both Kevin’s confident assurance that if she tells anyone, “No one will ever believe you. You know that. No one. Not ever,” and a chillingly believable death threat. For the remainder of Eden’s freshman year, she withdraws from her family and becomes increasingly full of hatred for Kevin and the world she feels failed to protect her. But when a friend mentions that she’s “reinventing” herself, Eden embarks on a hopeful plan to do the same. She begins her sophomore year with new clothes and friendly smiles for her fellow students, which attract the romantic attentions of a kind senior athlete. But, bizarrely, Kevin’s younger sister goes on a smear campaign to label Eden a “totally slutty disgusting whore,” which sends Eden back toward self-destruction. Eden narrates in a tightly focused present tense how she withdraws again from nearly everyone and attempts to find comfort (or at least oblivion) through a series of nearly anonymous sexual encounters. This self-centeredness makes her relationships with other characters feel underdeveloped and even puzzling at times. Absent ethnic and cultural markers, Eden and her family and classmates are likely default white.
Eden’s emotionally raw narration is compelling despite its solipsism. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: March 22, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-4935-9
Page Count: 384
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: Dec. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016
A book that seamlessly brings readers along on a journey of impact and empowerment.
A manifesto for budding feminists.
At the core of this engaging novel are besties Chelsea, who is Irish- and Italian-American and into fashion and beauty, and Jasmine, who is African-American, loves the theater, and pushes back against bias around size (“I don’t need your fake compliments, your pity. I know I’m beautiful. Inside and out”). They and their sidekicks, half-Japanese/half-Lebanese Nadine and Puerto Rican Isaac, grow into first-class activists—simultaneously educating their peers and readers. The year gets off to a rocky start at their progressive, social justice–oriented New York City high school: Along with the usual angst many students experience, Jasmine’s father is terminally ill with cancer, and after things go badly in both their clubs, Jasmine and Chelsea form a women’s rights club which becomes the catalyst for their growth as they explore gender inequality and opportunities for change. This is an inspiring look at two strong-willed teens growing into even stronger young women ready to use their voices and take on the world, imploring budding feminists everywhere to “join the revolution.” The book offers a poetic balance of dialogue among the main characters, their peers, and the adults in their lives. The exquisite pacing, which intersperses everyday teen conflicts with weightier issues, demonstrates how teens long to be heard and taken seriously.
A book that seamlessly brings readers along on a journey of impact and empowerment. (resources for young activists, endnotes) (Fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Feb. 12, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0008-3
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2019
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