Claiming Georgia Tate [Paperback]

Gigi Amateau (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 10, 2007

"It’s rare and exciting to discover a talented new writer like Gigi Amateau." — Judy Blume

Twelve-year-old Georgia Tate wishes she could stay home in Mississippi forever with her preacher granddaddy and her best friend Ginger. After losing her nana to a heart attack, she desperately wishes she could tell her granddaddy why she can’t possibly move in with Daddy — about the things he does that make her feel so ashamed. With a vivid narrative voice, Gigi Amateau tells an unflinching tale of a sensitive girl caught in the trauma of incestuous abuse. But it is also a story of survival — an ode to the solace of family, the mercy of strangers, and the possibility of hope and healing.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 8 Up–Having been told that her mother is dead, 12-year-old Georgia Tate Jamison has enjoyed an idyllic childhood in the warm embrace of her maternal grandparents. When her mostly absent father demands that she vacation with him and his new wife, Sissy, in Florida, Reverend and Mrs. Tate reluctantly allow him to assert his parental rights. Soon, Georgia calls her grandmother for rescue from her father's sexual advances. The Tates come for her immediately, but neither Georgia nor her grandmother can bring herself to tell anyone else what has happened. Then the girl learns that her mother is not dead, but has left after being discharged from an insane asylum, and Nana suddenly passes away. Believing he is doing the right thing, Grandfather Tate sends her to be with her father. Infuriated by the obvious sexual seduction, Sissy kicks them out, and Georgia finds herself in a filthy apartment, hoping her father will get drunk enough each night to leave her alone. As she is more severely sexually battered, Tamika, a transvestite, helps her. Amateau offers numerous well-developed characters including positive male role models in her grandfather and an unlikely ex-con who befriends her on the bus. The '70s social pecking order seen through Georgia's eyes is unvarnished and truthful. From the smell of the fish frying at home to the feasts offered at summer revivals, this novel is very Southern, yet universal in essence. Encompassing terrible things, this is still a story of faith and differing facets of individual spirituality. A moving first offering.–Cindy Darling Codell, formerly at Clark Middle School, Winchester, KY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"Encompassing terrible things, this is still a story of faith and differing facets of individual spirituality. A moving first offering." -- Cindy Darling Codell, School Library Journal

"I was hooked on the first page and couldn’t put it down until I’d finished. Then I read it again." -- Judy Blume --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
  
• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick (April 10, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763633119
• ISBN-13: 978-0763633110
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.6 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,277,421 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #41 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Teens > Social Issues > Sexual Abuse
  • #94 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Social Issues > Dysfunctional Relationships

More About the Author

Gigi Amateau is the author of the young adult novel, A Certain Strain of Peculiar (Candlewick Press, 2009), and the middle-grade novel, Chancey of the Maury River (Candlewick Press, 2008). Her debut young adult novel, Claiming Georgia Tate (Candlewick Press, 2005), was selected as a Book Sense Children's Pick, a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age, and a VOYA Review Editor's Choice. She also contributed to the acclaimed anthology, Our White House: Looking In Looking Out (Candlewick Press, 2008). Gigi is a native of Mississippi. She grew up in Mechanicsville, VA and graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a degree in Urban Studies and Planning. She lives in the city of Richmond, VA with her husband and daughter

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Decent read with an underlying message, August 24, 2005

By 

Allyson Decker - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Claiming Georgia Tate (Hardcover)

Claiming Georgia Tate is Gigi Amateau's debut novel marketed toward young adults. That is a bit disturbing considering the use of the words "d***" and "f***" and the main characters rape scene. But in the novel, there is an underlying message that I hope teen readers will "get".

Georgia Tate is a survivor - her mother supposedly died, her beloved grandmother dies and she is sent to live with her abusive father. In one very poignant scene on the way back to her grandfather, Georgia and her seat mate discuss the joy and terror of our lives. Georgia tells him that "joy doesn't last as long as terror, does it? It doesn't last long enough to remember." In other words, we as humans remember the BAD long after the GOOD is forgotten. Georgia and her new friend discover that there are many joys in life and we only have to try harder to keep them first and foremost in our memory.

The characters in Claiming Georgia Tate are well developed but I was a bit disappointed in the unresolved ending. Even though marketed as a young adult novel, this one would be suited for much older teens rather than the middle school set.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is not just for young girl, but for everyone, June 1, 2005

By 

Marc Leslie "Marc Leslie" (Richmond, VA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Claiming Georgia Tate (Hardcover)

While out there as a book for young girls, this book speaks to anyone with a heart and a love for good stories. I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning to finish it, and found myself wiping away tears, and making a mental list of the friends and family members i needed to buy this book for.

A book about a young girl, but really a book about life and working through hard times, and finding out what you love. Get it. You won't regret it.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars it's time to take our heads out of the sand, August 27, 2005

By 

Teri S. Lesesne "ProfessorNana" (Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Claiming Georgia Tate (Hardcover)

Much has been written and reported about this splendid book that misrepresents the book entirely. This is not a book about sex; it is a book about SURVIVAL, a young girl who manages to survive being molested by her own father. Unfortunately, I know the statistics on incest and rape, even for young people Georgia's age. It is a brutal reality, and I would prefer that my kids read about this in the safe confines of a book and then have the chance to talk to me about the harsh realities they will face. Any parent can, of course, elect not to have their child read this book. That is parental responsibility. However, to limit anyone else's access to the book is wrong. CLAIMING GEORGIA TATE is an incredibly well-written and riveting read. It treads the territory of incest carefully and with concern for the character. Given the quality of the literature and the redemptive hope with which this novel ends, it might behoove parents to read this one and decide for themselves if it is something to share with kids. Amateau is a powerful new voice in the field, one I hope to hear from again and soon.