Every Time a Rainbow Dies [Paperback]

Rita Williams-Garcia (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 30, 2002

Ever since he found her battered and raped in the alley near his home, Thulani hasn't been able to think about anything but Ysa. This is the first time since his mother died that he's given a thought to anything but the rock doves he keeps on the roof of his house in Brooklyn. Now that he has seen Ysa, Thulani finally has a reason to come down from the roof. But it's not so easy for him -- especially when it seems that Ysa doesn't want him in her world at all.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In a love story that glows like the many-colored silk skirt that is its symbolic centerpiece, Rita Williams-Garcia takes her place as a major young-adult novelist. This book, with a strong lyrical voice, fulfills the promise the author showed in her widely acclaimed earlier novel, Like Sisters on the Homefront. With simplicity and a masterful control of pacing, Williams-Garcia builds a story that aches with the longing of two young lovers in a dance of tentative approach and defensive retreat, and eventual trust and healing.

Both Thulani and his girlfriend Ysa have an isolating spiritual wound. Ever since his mother suddenly returned to their Jamaican home to die four years ago, Thulani, 16, has withdrawn from the brother and sister-in-law who have raised him and who want to "man him up." Thulani spends long hours on the roof of their brownstone alone with his beloved doves, and school is to him "simply the sitting place." One day he hears a scream and looks over the parapet to see a young woman being raped in the alley below. He rescues her, covers her nakedness, and takes her home, although she fights him every step of the way. Later, fascinated by her proud rejection and grace, he begins to seek her out and follow her in her colorful clothes. "Every time you step out," he tells her, "a rainbow must die." At first she rejects him angrily because he has seen her shamed, but then she shares her name, Ysa, and her fierce ambition to become a textile designer. Little by little they begin to reach out (and then pull back again), to comfort and strengthen each other, and, finally, in a bittersweet ending, "to let go when it was time to let go." (Ages 14 and older) --Patty Campbell --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

A remarkably sympathetic portrait of 16-year-old Thulani, who came to Brooklyn from Jamaica with his mother and brother, and aids a rape victim, wrote PW in a starred review. With its layered yet understated language, and complex yet truthful characterizations, this novel will hold the rapt attention of sophisticated readers. Ages 14-up.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
  
• Paperback: 166 pages
• Publisher: Amistad (April 30, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064473031
• ISBN-13: 978-0064473033
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,604,432 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Every Time A Rainbow Dies, May 12, 2002

By 

Katalina Villalba (Cerritos, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Every Time a Rainbow Dies (Paperback)

Every Time A Rainbow Dies is about a young boy who isn't really interested in school as much as he's interested in a girl named Ysa. This boy's name is Thulani. One day while he was letting his birds out he heard a girl scream. She was being raped in the alley below him. He panicked and didn't know what to do, so he went down there and scared them away. He took her back to her home and was nearly beat down by her aunt. He thought about her constantly, and tried to find out if she went to his school or a different school. He finally found out where she went and met up with her. He would take the bus with her to her school, but she didn't want to become and "item" with him. They got together finally, and she got accepted to college for the arts.

I like the book because it showed how far someone would go for love. Thulani always knew he would get the girl, so he never gave up. That requires a great deal of determintion and strive. Even though she was hesitant at first, he got her and he knew they were perfect for each other. I also liked the book because it was very realistic. It wasn't just a fantasy.

My favorite part of the book was when Thulani was talking to Ysa and they saw the rapist's mother. That was shoking how Ysa just burst out into emotions and broke down. That was also the time when Ysa and Thulani got together. Since Thulani stuck up for her and was there for her, she knew he could be trusting and responsible. I liked this part because it starts off as a bad situation, but ends up like a fairy tale.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous book for mature readers., September 29, 2001

By 

Stacey Elza (Morgantown, WV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Every Time a Rainbow Dies (Hardcover)

When Jamaican-born Thulani hears Mr. Dunleavy talk about his pastoral homeland, Thulani wants nothing more than to escape the old mans ramblings. Clearly, he is unimpressed by the sentimentality; he loves his manic neighborhood in Brooklyn far too much. It is not until the end of Rita Williams-Garcias Every Time a Rainbow Dies that Thulani appreciates his heritage enough to return to the island and make peace with his estranged father. This sensitively crafted, coming-of-age story infuses the eccentric culture of Jamaican-Americans with the universality of becoming an adult.

One morning while on his rooftop, taking care of his pet birds, Thulani sees a girl being raped on the street below. After attempting to help her, he returns to the scene of the attack where he finds the skirt that was torn from her body. Rather than returning it to her, Thulani takes it back to his bedroom and pins it to his wall as a reminder of the mysterious girl who now captivates his thoughts. Little by little, he learns more about herher name (Ysa), her ambition (fashion school), her background (Haitian). The precarious relationship the two adolescents form provides both of them with a safe environment to grow and to heal.

The language is as colorful and exotic as a tropical carnival itself. Williams-Garcia artfully compares the stolen skirt to a hundred golden eyes of the peacock (21). The image comes full-circle when Thulani finally folds the skirt away. He laid Ysas skirt on his bed and folded it in half, fourths, then eights, turning the gold and turquoise on the wrong side. Even so, he could still see her eyes before him, opening and closing, opening and closing, opening and closing (166).

The relationship between Thulani and Ysa is treated with depth. Williams-Garcia never gives in to unconvincing dialogue or too-pat answers. Instead, she realistically depicts the elliptical conversations and uncertainty that characterize high school romances. Although the novel is beautifully written, the graphic nature of the rape scene in chapter one and the bedroom scene in chapter seventeen makes the novel appropriate only for mature readers. While the reading age is listed as grades nine through twelve, parents or teachers of children on the younger side of that spectrum would do well to approach this book carefully. But for those readers who can handle the candid nature of Every Time a Rainbow Dies, Williams-Garcia has written a story that is sometimes tender, sometimes edgy, but always touching and true.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't judge this book by its cover, June 7, 2002

By 

"alexwriter" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Every Time a Rainbow Dies (Paperback)

This is a beautifully written book about two teenagers going through some tough times. 16-year-old Thulani lost his mother 3 years ago without even being able to say goodbye. Since then, he has lived in the grudging hospitality of his brother and sister-in-law, who want to "man him up" and have him conform to their ideas of what he should be doing in his life. He spends most of his time tending his pigeons on the roof of the Brooklyn brownstone where he lives. The pigeons are his only interest in life . . . until one day, he hears a scream. Down on the street, a girl is being brutally raped. He yells at the rapists to stop and runs to help the girl (You like him already at this point). He takes her home, but finds that he is obsessed with the girl, whose name is Ysa.

I just loved this book. It wasn't the type of book where you are turning pages quickly, waiting to see how it will end. Rather, Williams Garcia's poetic writing and fully-realized characters give you the feeling of people you know. You just want to move in and stay there a long time.