LEARNING BY HEART

The slow awakening of a 10-year-old's consciousness of racial division. In a small 1960's southern town, Rachel's family prepares for the birth of their second child by moving out of the tiny space behind the family store and hiring black Isabella to look after things while Mama works. Rachel, a delicious blend of spice and innocence, is surrounded by other well-realized characters—Mama and Daddy (``Mama acted things so well that Daddy thought he was in on more things than he was''); Pamela, eldest of the detested Tucker children (who ``didn't have a piano, wasn't about to have a piano, but...loved the idea of playing one''); wise, gentle, 23- year-old Mennonite Isabella, who never could or would be family. Braced by this remarkable housekeeper, Rachel learns about the sharp edges of racism and prejudice and how to survive their cuts. As people ease in and out of her world, they leave a residue of sympathy that eventually builds to a fledgling understanding of life. The awakening of Rachel's compassion is subtle and intriguingly rendered. A fine debut by a writer to watch. (Fiction. 9-14)