The Impossible Knife of Memory

The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson is a book about dealing with the past.

Hayley Kincain lives with her father. They just moved into his mother's house that he inherited. For the last few years Hayley was home schooled - or more accurately, she and her father lived in his semi and they drove all over the United States. Now Hayley is in a normal high school for her senior year.

Hayley's father is a retired soldier. He liked to keep moving to try to outrun the memories, but felt like Hayley needed stability. He uses different methods to try to cope with the terrible things he saw and the people he lost. And Hayley does what she can to help while keeping an eye on him to see if he is going to fall apart.

Anderson's look at the damage done to those who experience war, and the people who love them, is a compelling story. This is an important book by an author known for dealing with serious subjects.

Anderson, Laurie Halse. (2014). The Impossible Knife of Memory. New York: Viking.

Chains

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson is the story of one slave in 1770s American colonies.

Isabel and her little sister Ruth live in Rhode Island. They are slaves. The woman who owns them has treated them kindly, taught them skills of freemen, and has written a will that will free them on her death.

But instead of being freed, the woman's brother sells them to the Locktons, a New York couple who believe that those rebelling against the King are criminals.

Now Isabel is in a city that is divided between British loyalists and American patriots. Her story follows the battles that help lead to a free United States.

This is the first installment in a series featuring Isabel and her new friend Curzon, a slave who works for the Patriots.

Anderson captures the injustice of slavery well enough that I was angry at most of the characters in the book!

Anderson, Laurie Halse. (2008). Chains. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Fever 1793

Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson is about yellow fever in Philadelphia.

Matilda Cook lives with her mother and grandfather in a coffee house in Philly. In August of 1793 yellow fever struck, killing nearly 5000 people - 10% of the city's population.

Those who could, fled the city for the open air of the country. Matilda and her grandfather left when her mother got sick. But due to her grandfather's cough, not related to the fever, people were afraid to give them passage out of the city.

Matilda ends up back at the coffee house. She doesn't know where her mother or their cook, Eliza, have gone. The city is running out of food, as farmers are not willing to brave the city to deliver goods.

Fever is an easy to read history of the yellow fever - the worst epidemic to hit the US in history.

Anderson, Laurie Halse. (2000). Fever 1793. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Twisted

Laurie Halse Anderson is the queen of teen angst. Not to take anything away from her book Speak, which was extremely powerful, but Twisted might be the best book I have read dealing with teen emotions in a crisis.

Tyler Miller grew up being a geek. No one noticed him unless they happen to be beating him up. But over the summer he filled out. It probably had something to do with the hours of community service and digging holes for a landscaping service to pay off the damage that he did to the school. Now people at school notice him - he is not sure if it is because they saw him driven away in a police car or, as his sister says, because he is now a hottie.

With his new reputation he has the respect of some classmates - the bullies don't pick on him much anymore. But, when a crime is committed against a fellow student, he is the first one to be blamed.

Anderson does a phenomenal job of capturing the desperation of being a teen. I wish I had read Twisted when I was one; it proves that no matter how bad it gets, you still have choices.

Anderson, Laurie Halse. (2007). Twisted. New York: Viking.

Speak

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson is a highly awarded and highly challenged book. As usual, I didn't see any reason to want to ban it, but I guess the argument is that the subject is mature for some teens. However, that is the point. The book deals with rape and unfortunately, you can never be too young to learn the facts.

Melinda Sordino called the police and broke up an end of the summer party. No one know why she called, but all of her classmates and friends are upset with her. When the new school year begins, she finds she is quite without friends. The only girl who will talk to her is a new student from Ohio.

Speak is written through the thoughts of Melinda. It is a sensitive and at times funny look at life from the prospective of a 14-year old who has withdrawn from society into her head. She speaks very little and her grades are suffering. It feels like the only person trying to reach out to her is her art teacher. He encourages her to put her feelings into her art. She has no idea what he is talking about. How do you put feelings into art?

By the end of the school year, Melinda cannot keep her feelings inside any longer. She realizes that if she doesn't speak up, she may lose her voice completely.

Speak has been made into a movie. I will re-watch it and post an entry about it soon. It was very good, but the book is better!

Anderson, Laurie Halse. (1999). Speak. New York: Penguin Books.