I Am Not Esther [Hardcover]

Fleur Beale (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2, 2002

Imagine that your mother tells you that she is going away. She is leaving you with relatives whom you have never heard of-and they are members of a strict religious cult. Your name is changed to a biblical one, Esther, and you are forced to follow the severe set of social standards set by the cult. You don't know where you mother is, and you are beginning to lose your own identity.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Sort of a Handmaid's Tale for the junior high set, New Zealander Beal's engrossing novel peers into the restricted world of the Children of the Faith, a rigidly traditional (and fictional) Christian sect. Resourceful Kirby has never known any family aside from her impractical mother, Ellen. When Ellen abruptly makes plans to fulfill her lifelong dream of working with refugees in Africa, she sends Kirby to her long-estranged brother, the strict and pious Caleb, and his wife and children. Renamed Esther ("The women of our faith all have biblical names. As do the men," explains soberly clad Aunt Naomi), Kirby chafes at the restrictions forced on her by her newfound kin: they dictate her style of dress and hair, forbid slang and even contractions, and resolutely discourage any ambitions aside from an early marriage and plenty of children. Angry and confused though she is, Kirby becomes attached to her newfound cousins, in particular the vulnerable five-year-old Maggie (Magdalene) and teenage Daniel, who is himself struggling to reconcile his interest in becoming a doctor with the community's mores. Though several plot twists seem to exist mostly to serve the novel's decidedly anti-fundamentalist stance (only dissenter Kirby, for example, has the courage to defy her uncle and get her ailing pregnant aunt the help she needs), this tale still has more than enough power to chill. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 7-10-Kirby, 14, comes home from school to find her usually good-natured "dizzy flake" of a mom crying. The mystery deepens when her mother announces her intention to leave New Zealand almost immediately to work as a nurse in Africa, and ships the teen off to live with an uncle she's never met. Caleb and his family are members of a sect called the Fellowship of the Children of the Faith, and their house has no mirrors, no TV, no radio, no newspapers, and virtually nothing to read but the Bible. Her uncle renames her "Esther" and though she is by turns feisty and irreverent, she quickly learns that everyone suffers when she breaks the rules because discipline consists mostly of grueling prayer sessions that all family members are required to attend. Beginning to find her place among the six siblings, Kirby cannot understand why no one will talk about another sister, Miriam, who died just four weeks earlier. She enjoys increasingly unguarded conversations with her cousin Daniel, who secretly wishes to continue his education and become a doctor, but is horrified by the rigidity and brutality of this male-dominated fundamentalist society. The author builds tension well, introducing layers of conflict, revealing elements of the plot realistically and plausibly. The climax shocks and the resolution feels right. While understanding the comfort and peace that some believers feel, in the end it is clear to Kirby that such strict beliefs limit people, dictating too much of what can't be done instead of allowing personal initiative and creativity to flourish.
Joel Shoemaker, Southeast Junior High School, Iowa City, IA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion (September 2, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786808454
• ISBN-13: 978-0786808458
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,432,283 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Will keep readers guessing until the end, February 16, 2003

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I Am Not Esther (Hardcover)

One of the most moving, strikingly original teen novels to come our way in a long time is this candid story of a young girl's sudden introduction to a religious cult. When her flighty mother brings Kirby to live with her aunt and uncle, it's to a strict religious world where little is allowed and much regulated. Kirby's spunky spirit fights back at first; but she must learn to live within the family's rigid boundaries if she's to escape and find her mother. Eye-opening and vivid, this will keep readers guessing until the end, and provides a sharply poignant picture of brainwashing and cult control as experienced by a teen. Very highly recommended.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars frustrating, yet addicting, March 23, 2005

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sallyconfedo (IL, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I Am Not Esther (Paperback)

i started to read this book because a friend of mine had told me about it. i partially read it because my name is esther, and i am part of a pretty strict religion. I Am Not Esther had so many twists in it that i never would have expected. i loved that Fleur Beale kept Kirby's character strong to the very end. i was amazed to see what kind of a cult she was thrown into. just the thought of it makes me shudder. it was amazing to me that Kirby could stand up to a whole cult for such a long time, with pretty much no one to back her up. i thought this book was great, and i think everyone should give it a chance.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars i am esther rocks!!!!!!, June 28, 2006

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jjummi (auckland,newzealand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I Am Not Esther (Hardcover)

i got to read this amazing book when i was doing my reading log for my english assignment. I read this book once before i was given the assingment. I like it personally because if the persistent character of kirby. She is strong and even in the hard times she know what she is heading to and need to get to. She keeps her goal throughout the book. It is amazing really!!
i recommend this book to anybody trying to decide on the book! dnt hesistate to get it!!!!!!!

P.S I READ IT OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER...IT DOESNT GET BORING!!!!