No Reck'Ning Made [Large Print] [Paperback]

Joanne Greenberg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1994

Raised in the poverty-stricken world of rural Colorado, Clara Coleman finds salvation in education, striving to become a respected teacher, principal, wife, and mother who could offer hope to other children whose background matches her own. 12,500 first printing.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A shrewd observer of human nature and of societal differences, Greenberg has written 10 novels and four short fiction collections that present quiet, sensitive and poignant stories of individual lives and the cultural climates in which they unfold. In this novel, Clara Coleman surmounts her miserable beginnings in an isolated, dying Colorado mountain community by way of intellectual effort and a courageous spirit. Clara escapes her abusive father and works in the defense industry during WW II to finance her way through college. Newly married, she becomes principal-teacher in a one-room schoolhouse in Gold Flume, another mining town fallen into desperate days. A gifted educator, Clara inspires the poor children she teaches and helps some of them to transcend their squalid backgrounds. The rebirth of Gold Flume through industry and ski development brings with it satisfactions and more responsibilities--a larger school, a staff of teachers--and also heartache, as supercilious yuppie newcomers look down on the area's natives and make unreasonable demands of the educational system and of Clara. Finally, falsely accused of sexual abuse by vindictive parents, Clara stands to lose her lifetime's work and her good reputation. In conveying the distinct social orders and the harsh codes of values that divide the town, gulch and ranching communities, Greenberg creates a clear demographic picture to complement her map of the heart. Her unflinching eye and sense of irony prevent a facile or sentimental solution to Clara's and the community's problems. The lure of a good story, artfully told, is augmented here by the empathy and wisdom of the storyteller.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA-Clara Coleman had a sorry childhood with an angry, psychologically abusive father who resented living in the backwoods of Colorado, and a mother who died in childbirth when Clara was nine. The young girl desperately clutches to the love of school and the dream of becoming a teacher. Against incredible odds, she lands a job in a one-room schoolhouse in rural Gold Flume. The end of World War II brings growth and prosperity to the small community, and a larger school is built. Clara becomes the principal, and excels as an administrator. As the town becomes an affluent ski area, newcomers begin demanding changes in the schools. It is heartbreaking, but inevitable, that Clara comes to loggerheads with a powerful, wealthy woman who neglects her child. She is unjustly accused of child abuse, and is removed from her position. YAs will become passionately involved with Clara's struggle to succeed. As in Of Such Small Differences (Holt, 1988), Greenberg eloquently demontrates how those who are "different" can exist successfully in an intolerant world.
Susan R. Farber, Chappaqua Public Library, NY
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 378 pages
• Publisher: Chivers North Amer (July 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0792719735
• ISBN-13: 978-0792719731
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,705,171 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.