|
 Review by
Louella Moreland
World War II is becoming a distant memory in the minds of most Americans
today. Children may have had a great-grandfather who fought in Europe or the
Pacific. Maybe they have spoken to a great-grandmother who worked in a
factory or planted a "victory garden." The memories of that time in our
history are beginning to fade. The building of the majestic World War II
monument in Washington, D.C., helped commemorate the sacrifice of our
soldiers during that horrific time.
However, Joyce Moyer Hostetter's new novel, "Blue," deals with another
devastating problem that Americans faced during that uncertain time period
of our nation: polio.
Through the eyes and dialogue of a 13-year-old girl named Ann Fay, we are
transported back to one difficult year in the lives of a rural North
Carolina family. We first meet the Honeycutt family at the train station as
the father is boarding a train to fight in the war. He has given Ann Fay the
task of being the "man in the family" while he is gone, along with a pair of
his overalls that seem too big for her to fill. Ann Fay also notices an
African-American family saying goodbye in the same way, making her realize
for the first time that "coloreds" are no different from her own family.
A few months after struggling with added work and responsibilities, Ann
Fay is faced with an even more tragic event. Her 4-year-old brother
contracts polio and is rushed to the emergency hospital at Hickory, where he
dies. More hardships follow, with Ann Fay also coming down with the dreaded
disease.
Ms. Hostetter deals with three enormous issues in "Blue": a family torn
apart by a world war, a mysterious and frightening disease that suddenly
struck healthy children with devastating consequences, and racial
discrimination in the World War II-era South. Any one of these topics would
be enough in its own right for a novel. Although Ms. Hostetter does a good
job of juggling the first two, she falls short on the third.
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The dialogue is convincing, and most characters are
well-developed. I felt as though I really knew this family and their
neighbors by the end of the story.
Another reason I enjoyed the book was the inclusion of the polio
subject. Growing up in the 1950s, I had a classmate who wore leg
braces as a result of catching the disease. I can remember the fear
my parents had of this silent killer. Measles, mumps, scarlet fever
and chickenpox were all familiar problems not so many years ago. Few
authors handle these subjects in a book for children.
Since the author provides notes and a bibliography at the end of
the novel, the book may encourage young readers to research more
about the polio epidemic and the people who were instrumental in
treatment and immunization.
Although real people who worked at the Hickory, N.C., hospital
were also presented throughout the novel, they seemed to be thrown
into the plot without contributing to the story line. The symbolic
connection of the book's title may also stretch a young reader's
understanding, and some of the issues of the story were dealt with a
little too smoothly.
Even with its drawbacks, "Blue" is an interesting and
heartwarming story, worthy of a leisurely read, clearly depicting an
era unfamiliar to children today.
If you are wondering where the title came, from you will need to
read the book. You may check out this book, and others about this
important era of our history, at the Lincoln Public Library, 725
Pekin St.
[Louella Moreland, youth services librarian, Lincoln Public
Library District] |
