Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"How can it be mandatory if I don't have a way to go?", August 7, 2010
This review is from: Ninth Ward (Hardcover)
In a novel for younger readers, Jewel Parker Rhodes tells the story of thirteen-year-old Lanesha, a girl who lives in New Orleans' Ninth Ward pre-Katrina with a grandmotherly lady she calls Mama Ya-Ya. The relationship between elderly woman and child, while not of blood, is one bound in spirit and love. With her roots in the old voodoo ways, Mama Ya-Ya combines a nurturing presence with the wisdom of her years; in fact, it was Mama Ya-Ya who delivered Lanesha when the girl's mother died in childbirth. As well as Mama Ya-Ya, it isn't uncommon for Lanesha to see ghosts, among them her mother, and others who wander the streets of New Orleans, a city with a particularly rich cultural history. As Katrina approaches, Mama Ya-Ya senses something more than a storm, though her weary soul cannot see clearly what is ahead. As the old lady dreams, Lanesha takes over, preparing for the hurricane, boarding windows, preparing food. There is an almost allegorical sense of the old giving way to the new in this poignant tale, albeit with an uncertain future. An avid student who dreams of building bridges, Lanesha's curiosity is insatiable, but it is her compassion and bravery that will inspire young readers, the spiritual ties between generations and the capacity to entertain the extraordinary. The author clearly loves this city and its wealth of history and stories, however it may have been damaged by Katrina and its shameful aftermath. And she writes with the same fluid grace and turn of phrase that has distinguished her adult novels. Lanesha's world may have changed with Katrina's devastation, but she is truly a child of Mama Ya-Ya's heart, buoyed by her appetite to taste the world and her appreciation of others, real or imagined. Luan Gaines/2010.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What a pleasant surprise!, January 31, 2011
This review is from: Ninth Ward (Hardcover)
I actually like this book. I was NOT expecting to like it, at all. The first pages open with a little girl born with a caul, a magical midwife tells her she has second sight, and she sees ghosts. Groan... Could it get any worse? In fact, it gets better. MUCH better. I have no reservations about my children reading this book. Yes, there is a bit of an altar situation with Catholic saints and voodoo gods, and quite a few ghosts. Our family doesn't do ghosts. But it's good fiction, and the religion stuff is no weirder than the religion in "A Secret Garden" by Frances Hodgson Burnett. GREAT pro-school message. Being smart is what helps Lanesha survive the hurricane and flood. GREAT math teacher. GREAT neighbors and adults, and a respectful way of treating others. GREAT vocabulary. heritage synopsis tragedy suspension exasperated intervals unfathomable A very good story about love, loss, survival and rebirth. The book's message about the flood is: It doesn't matter where the flood comes from. Sometimes, the flood just comes. Parent notes: illegitimacy, abandonment by extended family, some abuse of animals, some bullying, one death by gunshot, ghosts, voodoo, no politics
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Gift of Children's Literature!, August 10, 2010
This review is from: Ninth Ward (Hardcover)
Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes I just completed Jewell Parker Rhodes' latest book--her first written for young people. Its Title--Ninth Ward. Its Setting--New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. Its focus--Lanesha, a twelve year old born with a caul covering her head and face, who is connected to the spiritual world and her Mama Ya Ya. Through a child's eyes we watch a neighborhood in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans experience the arrival of Hurricane Katrina, the surge of the Mississippi River as the levees give way, the destruction of a rich vibrant community made up of people who have so little, but share what they have with each other. This is a story of love, courage and strength as the ancestors encourage two young children to have faith in themselves if they want to survive. Jewell Parker Rhodes says that she wanted to grow up enough to write her first book for young people--she has more than made up for making us wait so long by penning this magnificent story for youngsters and oldsters, one that I will share with many. A MUST READ.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
