An ambitious work, aspiring to the mythic and mixing invention, black folklore and legend, and, it seems, Hamilton's own family history. High John the Conqueror plays a role as John de Conquer (pronounced Con-care), "best god" of Mount Kenya; and John Henry is John de Conquer's older but lesser brother god, who displeases his brother by living and mixing with humans. This begins with their little sister god Pretty Pearl, concerned about the people being taken into slavery, asking to "go down and see for myself." So John de Conquer changes himself and her to albatrosses for the crossing with a slave ship, then bides their time (to Pretty's impatience) for 200 human years (two days for the gods), until the slaves are free. Then he leaves her for her "god trial" with a John de Conquer conjure root around her neck, four spirits whom she can call out of the root as needed, and four shifts: two to fit and two larger "in case you needs to become de maw woman." Thereafter Pearl goes through the forest with Dwahro, the spirit she's let out, who desperately wants to become human and free. Sometimes Pearl changes to Mother Pearl, and finally the two Pearls split, so that Dwahro, Mother Pearl, and Pretty are three when they meet the Ani-Yum 'Wiya (Real People), or Cherokee, and settle down with the Real Peoples' friends, the black "inside folk" who live in the forest on the land they call Promise, cultivating ginseng. It is there that John Henry shows up, Dwahro earns his human status, and Pretty, in a pique, abuses her magic by using it to frighten the children. Her root dries up and she sickens, but is later given the gift of forgetfulness. Thus when John de Conquer comes down once more he gives Dwahro his wish to be human, imposes the same fate on Pretty Pearl, and condemns John Henry, who persists in his human plan to contest the blast drill with his hammers, to die with his hammers in his hand. As for Mother Pearl, who has become the community's cooking-cleaning-child tending mawmaw woman, she goes along when the inside people, displaced by the railroad, are guided North to Ohio by the Cherokee; then she returns to Mount Kenya, leaving young Pearl with the "inside" people's leader Black Salt, who takes the name of Perry (Hamilton's grandfather's name). The whole invention has more the quality of a pageant than a novel. As such, it is an impressive construction and, clearly, genuinely felt.
Pub Date: April 1, 1983
ISBN: 0064401782
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Harper & Row
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1983
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A prototypical survival story: after an airplane crash, a 13-year-old city boy spends two months alone in the Canadian wilderness. In transit between his divorcing parents, Brian is the plane's only passenger. After casually showing him how to steer, the pilot has a heart attack and dies. In a breathtaking sequence, Brian maneuvers the plane for hours while he tries to think what to do, at last crashing as gently and levelly as he can manage into a lake. The plane sinks; all he has left is a hatchet, attached to his belt. His injuries prove painful but not fundamental. In time, he builds a shelter, experiments with berries, finds turtle eggs, starts a fire, makes a bow and arrow to catch fish and birds, and makes peace with the larger wildlife. He also battles despair and emerges more patient, prepared to learn from his mistakes—when a rogue moose attacks him and a fierce storm reminds him of his mortality, he's prepared to make repairs with philosophical persistence. His mixed feelings surprise him when the plane finally surfaces so that he can retrieve the survival pack; and then he's rescued. Plausible, taut, this is a spellbinding account. Paulsen's staccato, repetitive style conveys Brian's stress; his combination of third-person narrative with Brian's interior monologue pulls the reader into the story. Brian's angst over a terrible secret—he's seen his mother with another man—is undeveloped and doesn't contribute much, except as one item from his previous life that he sees in better perspective, as a result of his experience. High interest, not hard to read. A winner.
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1987
ISBN: 1416925082
Page Count: -
Publisher: Bradbury
Review Posted Online: Oct. 18, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1987
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