Hometown [Hardcover]

Marsha Qualey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 30, 1995

Border Baker thinks he's perfectly content in New Mexico, his home for the last three years. But when his father inherits his childhood home in Minnesota and decides to move them again, Border feels he's being held prisoner and force-fed a hometown. He doesn't want to give up the streets and coffee shops of Albuquerque for church and school in rural Red Cedar. A town full of folks who know his business, a school full of teachers who notice when he's absent, and a social life centered around hockey and pizza isn't exactly what Border wants. Or is it?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Border is none too happy about being uprooted-once again-when his divorced father, Gumbo, moves the two from Albuquerque to his small Minnesota hometown.The locals are none too happy to see Gumbo, either-many still resent Gumbo for fleeing to Canada to avoid the Vietnam War draft and now, on the eve of the Gulf War in 1991, hawkish patriotism is surging. Ironically, the 16-year-old son rather than the father bears the brunt of the community's long-simmering resentment, which has been passed on to its teenagers. Incisively and eloquently, Qualey (Everybody's Daughter) explores Border's turmoil. Always adept at ignoring the world around him ("Shut it all out-my personal secret of success"), Border is torn between closing out others for self-protection and reaching out to his father and the handful of other very appealing, believable characters Qualey surrounds him with. Giving this novel uncommon dimension are the author's cunning use of irony; a variable narrative voice that, while retaining a third-person perspective, slips easily into Border's thinking; and several dexterously crafted subplots. A first-rate novel for older readers. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 7-10?As the 1991 Persian Gulf War unfolds, 16-year-old Border Baker and his Vietnam War draft-resister father return to the man's small hometown of Red Cedar, MN. There, the teen encounters lingering hostility among townspeople who remember his father's antiwar actions and the shame felt by his now-deceased grandparents. Border gradually carves a niche for himself, befriending a teenage sister and brother who involve him in church-sponsored "support the war" care package and fundraising projects. When his father is publicly humiliated during a local war-memorial dedication, Border steps forward to defend him and receives the adulation and acceptance of the community. In this story about parent-child communication and teen independence and responsibility, characters and themes are not fully developed and questions remain. Border glides through events eschewing witty banter, sarcasm, and adolescent angst, and yet never solidly connects emotionally with other characters. The widespread, deeply divisive sentiment of Vietnam seems an aberration compared to Red Cedar's united community support of the Gulf War. YAs will be able to relate to the historical context of the more recent conflict, but they will not be sensitized to the trauma and tragedy of Vietnam. Border is an admirable but improbable, elusive hero whose self-sufficiency exceeds that of the characters around him.?Gerry Larson, Durham Magnet Center, Durham, NC
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 163 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin; 1St Edition edition (October 30, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395726662
• ISBN-13: 978-0395726662
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,259,552 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Hometown over view, April 23, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Hometown (Hardcover)

Border Baker sometimes wishes his family would just disappear. Most of his friends are the ones who really matter to him. When his father moves him across the country to a tiny Minnesota town, Border has to come to terms with his family and what he really wants. Some of this book is set during the Gulf War, which was a hectic time for some families. It's also very real and often sad. Border likes to hang out with his friends and not his parents and family. Border has had some problems in school. In his last home town he also had problems. When they move to the town in Minnesota Border kind of changes his attitudes and thinks before he acts. I would recomend this book to all you wish to read about people that are interested in family life stories. I am more of an action reader, so this book did not get all of my full attention.

4.0 out of 5 stars Realistic, sensitive novel that will appeal to teens, May 8, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Hometown (Paperback)

Border Baker is a lot like teenagers I've known. Sometimes he wishes his family would just disappear; his friends are the ones who really matter to him. When his father moves him across the country to a tiny Minnesota town, Border has to come to terms with his family and what he really wants. That sounds serious, and some of this book, set during the Gulf War, is serious. It's also very real and often funny.