This summer I got out of my grown-folks comfort zone and checked out two juvenile fiction books that have stayed in my heart.
How to Steal a Dog (by Barbara O’Connor): Young Georgina is experiencing homelessness with her mom and brother when she comes up with a hilarious plan to get the money her mama needs for an apartment. Living in a car, falling behind in school, arguing with her brother on a daily basis, and trying to hide her circumstances from her best friend, Georgina stays sane by documenting her plan and its accompanying dilemmas in the pages of her notebook. Written in a comic tone that in no way detracts from the seriousness of the topic at hand, the book is an insightful and stereotype-shattering portrait of an economically disadvantaged family battling hand-to-mouth poverty in a Southern town.
Home of the Brave (by Katherine Applegate): This is the story of Kek, a Sudanese boy who comes to the United States after living through the horrors of war in his home country. As he navigates the language, the streets, and awkward social encounters of a new land, he experiences amazement at his surroundings while trying to come to terms with the death of his brother and father and the disappearance of his mother. He is helped along by a widowed woman who gives him a job and a child living in foster care who can relate to some of the pain and loss that he feels. This fictional narrative is a strong counter to the dehumanization of immigrant children that has become frighteningly common in some circles today. The book is written entirely in verse, heightening its emotional impact and underscoring the beauty of Kek’s personality and spirit.
Both of these books were published in 2007, the same year that Knopf Doubleday released the paperback version of acclaimed environmental activist Wangari Maathai’s memoir, Unbowed. Just two years prior, Maathai gave this advice to the world’s children: “Whatever you are doing, wherever you are, do not feel discouraged. Be brave and take advantage of the situation you are in.” Georgina and Kek embody this spirit and they inspire it in me.
Stacy Torian 