Spotlight on Karen Cushman

I thought I would do a spotlight on one of my favorite authors.  Karen Cushman is a historical fiction writer.  We put a lot of trust in historical fiction writers to give us an accurate portrayal of a particular time period and event. I think that Ms. Cushman has proven herself over and over again.

Ms. Cushman started writing books at the age of forty-nine.  Now at age sixty-nine, she has written seven books to date and is currently working on another one.  She says she’s planning on writing books until she’s at least 100 (see author’s website).  I’ve read three of her seven books (I own two more of them, so I need to get cracking).  

The Midwife’s Apprentice (1995)

The Midwife’s Apprentice was the first Cushman book I ever read and I loved it.  Set in medieval Europe, the orphan known as Brat is taken in by the village midwife when she recognizes that the girl has brains (the midwife finds Brat sleeping in a dung heap for its warmth).  Brat becomes the midwife’s apprentice and begins her transformation into Alyce.  She starts to recognize her own strength and courage, only to have it crushed when she fails at an important assignment given to her by the midwife.  

The book is about digging deeper and realizing your potential, no matter who you are or where you’ve been.  The book won the Newbery Medal in 1996 (And it faced tough competition.  I’ve read two of the runner-ups who got the Newbery Honor in 1996 (The Watson’s Go to Birmingham and Yolanda’s Genius) and both are wonderful).  

I’ve also listened to this book on cd and thought the reader (Jenny Sterlin) did a great job.

The Ballad of Lucy Whipple (1998)

Much to Lucy California Morning Whipple’s chagrin, her family is leaving her beloved Massachusetts to head west to California during the Gold Rush.  She hates everything about the situation and doesn’t hesitate to tell her mother this.  The best thing about Lucy is her spunk.  Dag diggety!  And it’s her spunk that pulls her through this coming-of-age story as she realizes what is really important.  

Alchemy and Meggy Swann (2010)

It’s 1573 and Meggy Swann has been summoned from her small village to London by her father, a man who deserted her and her alehouse mother before Meggy was even born.  Born a cripple, Meggy has faced scorn her entire life and this has caused her to view the world as a place where she will never belong. She may be weak physically, but not mentally.  She is great at thinking up insulting names and curses (Ye toads and vipers!  Gleeking swag-bellied maggot!). 

Her father, not realizing his child had been born a girl or a cripple, summoned her to help him in his alchemy work.  Meggy soon discovers that his work consumes him and he is willing to do anything to have the funds to continue.  She comes to realize her own abilities to be brave and strong, but also to love and be loved by all kinds of people.  

This book is an excellent example of how Cushman is able to give a clear picture of what a time period was like and intertwine that with a brilliant coming-of-age story.  I didn’t think I would ever like any of Cushman’s books more than I liked The Midwife’s Apprentice, but Meggy might have nudged ahead a bit.  

I originally tried to listen to this on cd when it first came out, but couldn’t do it.  It felt like the reader was shouting at you.  Granted, Meggy shouts a lot, but it was a bit much in my car :)

Other books by Karen Cushman with links to her website:

Catherine, Called Birdy

Rodzina

Matilda Bone

The Loud Silence of Francine Green

Copper Sun

I'm back! I'm pretty sure that my mom and sister will be the only ones still checking this blog, but I'll post anyway. :) I just finished my last final of the semester (Cataloging is the pits, in case you were wondering) and am now free until June 7!!!

I was also in a Young Adult Lit. class this semester. I wish I could just post the reading list from the class, but that's not going to happen. I could not believe how many trashy books I had to read! The professor selected 21 books that we had to read and have class discussions about and then we selected 20 of our own. I always knew that YA lit can be questionable, but HO-LY COW! I'll spare you the details and just tell you to trust me, you don't want to read most of the books I had to read. :P Some of them created quite the moral dilemma for me and there was one that I decided not to finish, so we'll see if/how it affects my grade. But let's not get into a discussion about moral relativism since Elder Christofferson has done a great job of it already (I used his talk as a base for some of my arguments in class; I didn't quote him directly or anything, just used it as a guide. Most of my classmate just thought I was a prude (so be it) but it got some of them thinking).

But I digress... This book by Sharon Draper might not be for everyone. It deals with slavery and can be somewhat graphic, but I think the author does an excellent job of balancing the good and the ugly. Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres (probably my most favorite :-) and this is definitely a well-researched, well-written book.

The story is about two girls: Amari, who is stolen from her village in Africa, and Polly, who is an indentured servant who ends up on the same plantation as Amari. When I was taking notes for my class while reading this book, one of the first things I wrote was "What human beings are capable of :(". Again, this book is not for everyone -- it deals with rape, severe beatings, and murder, including a newborn baby (I just want you to know what to expect if you decide to read it). As I got a little further into the book though, I decided that my thought about humans and what we are capable of can be viewed from the other end of the spectrum too. Amari and Polly both overcome horrific things and come out better human beings because of it. I cried at the ending because it was really inspiring to see them rise above the schmuck around them (schmuck that I can't even fathom) and decide they were going to try and make the world just a little bit better.

I'll post other books that I actually did enjoy reading and think are quality pieces of literature. That's what I don't understand: there are so many GOOD books out there; why did my professor only choose books that use drugs, sexuality (in all its forms...), swearing (one book we had to read said the F-word about every third paragraph; I'm not exaggerating either) as a crutch to capture teenagers' attention!?! I think teens should be insulted/offended by this. But what do I know?