Customer Reviews

Part of Me: Stories of a Louisiana Family

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Librarians of the world, rejoice! Have I got a children's book for you. Because Kimberly Willis Holt is a sweetheart, I know that her book, "Part of Me", must have come out of a very special place in her heart. Inspired in part by, "Down Cut Shin Creek: The Pack Horse Librarians of Kentucky" alongside seven generations of Holt's own family that have lived in Louisiana, this book has its roots in a variety of different places. That said, I've never read a children's book that was so clearly bound to be adored by a single profession as this l'il puppy. If you know a librarian and you want to make them happy, good news. Your gift-giving qualms may be safely put to rest.

The story begins when Rose's father leaves. Her family had been eeking out a living as best they could until that time. But when Conrad McKee left his wife and three kids that day, it wasn't long before they packed up and moved to Houma, Louisiana. Deep in the Louisiana bayou, Rose gets a job as a bookmobile driver, putting aside her dreams of finishing high school and attending college. "Part of Me", follows four generations of Rose's family, starting with her, and going down through her descendants a generation at a time. Rose's son Merle has a story in this book involving trapping, a hurt dog, and how "Old Yeller" touched his life. His daughter Annabeth, in turn, suffers the humiliations of unpopularity while finding her own inner strength in stories where the princess does NOT end up with a prince at the end. Her son Kyle, in contrast, couldn't care less about books. Then a particularly good one get him hooked. Finally, by the story's end, we return to Rose and her greatest dream realized.

First of all, thank you, Kimberly Willis Holt, for the family tree at the beginning of the book. There's nothing worse than a story that jumps from generation to generation without a simple map for the reader to follow. I'm fairly bad with names too, so it was nice to have a part of the book to continually check as a reference. Of course, reading through the family tree was bound to give away some secrets as to who marries who, but if you're willing to put up with that then you'll have no problems at all. The book might jump from one character to another, but as long as you have the family tree available, you'll have no troubles.

The writing itself is great, of course. Holt has the ability to make each character's voice distinct and separate from the rest. Bear in mind that these are quiet stories. With the exception of a little bloodshed in Merle's tale, you will find no chase sequences, dark-hearted villains, or action sequences here. You will find a little cussing and a little alcohol use (though the term "hair of the dog" is never actually used . . . ), but nothing mind-blowing. One librarian I heard discussing this book called it a summer story. Most of the tales here do take place in the summer months, but I'm not sure if that's how I would best characterize it. It's just a measured, balanced series of family tales. It's the equivalent of sitting on your porch listening to your relatives recount their past adventures.

All right. The one hundred million dollar question here: Will kids like this book? I say yes, but with some caveats. First of all, this is not a reluctant reader title. You want to give a book to a child who only reads Manga and maybe some "Harry Potter"? This may not be the best choice to give. The cover alone makes it infinitely clear that this is a book for those children who love reading. Better still, those who love reading about realistic people and situations. I have little doubt that a lot of kids will find themselves sympathizing with Annabeth's desire to be popular or Merle's affection for his dog and his trapping. I, personally, saw a lot of my own siblings in book-avoiding Kyle. Holt cleverly balances the text between boys and girls too so, in spite of its pastel cover, boys will find characters here to take some interest in.

All in all, it's a nice book. Not a stunning book but a nice one. With Louisiana so often in the news these days, it's nice to read something that reminds us of that region's charms and beauties. Librarians are gonna buy it in droves.

This is a story about a girl named Rose and her siblings. Their father leaves without
telling his family. So Rose and her siblings are stuck with their evil mother. They don't have any food or water, so they move. This story tells Rose's life story from when her family had to move to Michigan to when Rose's great grandchildren had kids.

I think every one should read this book especially teens because it's filled
with fun, excitement, love and every day teen stuff.

Excellent story and excellent presentation, clearly demonstrating Ms. Holt's abundant creative talents as well as her deep understanding of a simplistic way of life in the south that preceded her generation. I have followed Ms. Holts writing career closely and my 1st choice among her 7 published books is "When Zachary Beaver Came To Town". First, because it sent a strong message to its readership that obese people often deserve our empathy and friendship, and secondly, because I was amazed at her ability to think like pre-teen age boys, as the book centered around 3 lads. It deservedly was awarded the 1999 National Book Award for Young Peoples Literature and I think "A Part of Me" has promise of capturing an even larger readership and achieving the highest literature awards. It offers a wide variation of deep south characters and does an excellent job of bearing out their wants, needs and contributions across several family generations. Definitely should be a candidate for the Newberry award!

Part of Me is a celebration of family and reading. Spanning four generations, this book tells the story of important events that happened when the main character was thirteen years old.

It's 1939 and Rose's dad has walked out on his family. Rose and her family move from Texas to Louisiana to live with her grandfather. Being the oldest, Rose must find a job to help support her family. She lies about her age to get a job driving the bookmobile. For Rose, The Good Earth is a comforting read and a link to her favorite teacher who encouraged her to become a writer.

In the following chapters, we meet the next three generations of Rose's family: Merle Henry, Annabeth and Kyle. Merle Henry loves being outdoors trapping minks. He enjoys Old Yeller because it reminds him of his own dog, Blue. Merle Henry is forced to make some difficult decisions when Blue is injured in the woods. Annabeth enjoys fairytales and has a crush on a neighborhood boy. However she soon learns that life is not always kind when she is bullied by one of the popular girls. Kyle is looking for his first summer job. The only job available is at the library and Kyle doesn't like to read. His job is to perform skits of popular stories so he reads to find out what happened and how the story ended. He finds a Harry Potter book and this reluctant reader discovers a book that captures his interest.

This book deals sensitively with issues of puberty, poverty and divorce. Since there is minor swearing and alcohol/drug references, I think this book is appropriate for middle age readers and up. Both boys and girls will be able to identify with the realistic situations.

I enjoyed spending time with Rose's family, each character has a distinct voice and a story to tell. Holt includes some historical and pop culture references that transport the reader to each time period.

Armchair Interviews says: This was a bittersweet look at family relationships and the books they treasured.

I have loved other books written by Holt, but this one was a little to pat and predictable. I'm not sorry that I read it, though. It has its moments.

This author is generally a wonderful author whose novels are used in my classroom to teach about Louisiana and its people. However, I am very disappointed in Holt with her newest novel. This novel is hard to follow, and in order to understand the novel, you have to read it non-stop so that you don't forget what you just read. Also, she has curse words, sexual overtones, and this makes her novel useless in my classroom. I am very discouraged in the author's attempt to appeal to the older, upper level grades instead of middle school. Shame on you, Ms. Holt!