A Heart Divided [Library Binding]

Cherie Bennett (Author), Jeff Gottesfeld (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 9, 2004

Is the Confederate battle flag a racist symbol—or a proud reminder of Southern heritage?

When Kate’s liberal-minded family moves from the suburbs of New York City to a small town near Nashville, Kate is convinced her life is over. Redford lives up to Kate’s low expectations. The Confederate battle flag waves proudly in the sky, the local diner serves grits and sweet tea, and country music rules the airwaves. Then she meets Jackson Redford III, scion of the town and embodiment of everything Dixie. And dang if brilliant, gorgeous Jack doesn’t make Kate decide that maybe her new hometown isn’t so bad after all. But a petition to replace the school’s Confederate flag symbol is stirring up trouble. Kate dives right in, not afraid to attack what she sees as offensive. Getting involved means making enemies, though, and soon, Kate and Jack—and their families—find themselves pitted against each other in a bitter controversy: not just about the flag, but about what it means to be an American.


From the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 8 Up-When her parents decide to move from New Jersey to Tennessee, 16-year-old Kate is bitterly unhappy about giving up her friends and her spot in a prestigious playwriting workshop. Racial tensions abound in Redford and Kate learns quickly that she is a very northern girl in the middle of a very southern town. She decides to write a play about the town's act of flying the Confederate flag and the opposition that it causes. When she meets Jack Redford, a Romeo-and-Juliet-type romance begins. Kate joins the students trying to get their school's team name changed from the Rebels and the Confederate flag taken down, and Jack struggles to explain to his mother that he does not want to attend the Citadel, even though it is a family tradition. His mother also decides that Kate is not the girl for him. Readers can sense disaster on the horizon, but when it strikes Kate's innocent sister, only then does the protagonist truly understand the importance of experiencing life before writing about it. While Redford does not exist, it is based on real locations, making the setting believable. The authors have created passionate characters, an emotional climax, and an ending that suits the story, successfully weaving these elements into the voice of Kate Pride, an endearing teen who often lacks humility but believes in herself and her ideas.
Delia Fritz, Mercersburg Academy, PA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 6-10. The husband-and-wife team who wrote Anne Frank and Me (2001) build their latest novel around a hot-button issue, setting a romance between Kate, a Yankee who transfers to a Southern high school, and Jack, a gorgeous boy descended from the town's most celebrated Civil War general, against rising tensions triggered by a campaign to replace the school symbol: the Confederate flag. Events spiral into absurdity when someone fires a bullet during a demonstration and it strikes Kate's little sister, jolting Kate (an aspiring playwright) out of a creative slump to pen an opus that gives voice to all sides of the issue. Kate is a vibrant, appealing character, but the same can't be said of her supporting cast: they are either mouthpieces for a viewpoint or figures plucked from a sudsy teen romance. For all the weightiness of the topic, this still feels like light reading, but YAs, especially girls, will be held rapt by the drama and romance, and the resulting discussions will be no less fruitful for having been prompted by a popular read. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Library Binding: 320 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers; Edition Unstated edition (March 9, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385900392
• ISBN-13: 978-0385900393
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,803,041 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Instant Classic, April 28, 2004

By 

Barbara Williams "willbjt" (Clarksville, TN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Heart Divided (Hardcover)

Jeff Gottesfeld and Cherie Bennett have written a novel in which any student, parent, or teacher can find truths about life. As an educator, I am constantly given recommendations for good books to read; this book is one of my favorites. It deals with issues that fit not only adolescent concerns, but also with problems facing society in general: tolerance for others' differences, compassion for others' suffering, and adjustment to new situations. Best of all is the awakening of the main character, Kate, to the realization of her goals. She discovers that opening her heart and mind to life's obstacles takes her to places she had previously only dreamed of reaching. This book is one that teens and adults will read cover-to-cover!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book I've read all year, March 26, 2004

By 

Alexandra M. (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Heart Divided (Hardcover)

"A Heart Divided" is by far the best book I've read all year. With a rare combination of a loveable protagonist, gripping story, enthralling and satisfying young romance and hard-hitting social and moral lessons to be learned, I give this book the highest recommendation possible. I read it all in one sitting, barely even stopping to eat, because it's such a page-turner! The love story is soooo perfect and will melt your heart, while the social issues presented in the book will really make you think. I had "A Heart Divided" on my mind well after finishing the book. If there's one book you have to read this year, it's this one.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful book about the South, May 14, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: A Heart Divided (Hardcover)

This is by far the best book I've read in years for young people about the experience of living in the South today. Whether the reader is white or black, conservative or liberal, rich or poor, in a big city or in a small town is much that can be gained from A Heart Divided. The best thing about the book is that the authors have written a marvelous story about a teen girl and wrapped it around a hot political issue. Even though the issue is hot, they have managed to present all points of view with fairness and with dignity. No matter what you think about the Confederate Flag and whether it should be flown today, you will feel that your point of view is represented and not smirked at. Meanwhile, Kate Pride emerges as one of the most interesting teen girls I've read about in years. She's a regular girl from a regular family, trying to figure out what it all means. This is a wonderful read for anyone age twelve and up.