Woodson, Jacqueline. Feathers. New York, NY: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2007.
ISBN: 9780399239892
Summary
of Plot:
Frannie, a sixth-grade girl growing up in the
1970’s, is thinking about the time when she was the newcomer in school when a
new white boy begins attending her school. As the only white student in school,
he begins to get a lot of attention and earns the name “Jesus Boy” from other
students. Frannie is curious why “Jesus Boy” has come to an African American
school and how he suddenly knew to communicate to her in sign language. Frannie
has an older brother who is deaf and has known sign language all her life.
These events and others lead Frannie on a journey of exploration where she will
encounter religious perspectives, bullying, friendship, acceptance, and most of
all hope…a thing with feathers.
Critical
Analysis:
Feathers
is
organized into four main parts and is a total of twenty-one chapters and 118
pages long. This short novel is written from the perspective of a sixth-grade
African American girl. As the young girl narrates this story, there is a large
amount of reflection that takes place which is easy to see coming from the
female gender. The time period of the 1970’s is the time in which integration
became the law. Woodson reflects this period accurately in the way the
characters react to the white boy coming to their school and how they talk about
the other side of the highway. The time period is also reflected in the voice
of the characters as they “jive talk.”
The plot itself does not stand out to the reader as
something wonderful to remember, but rather the characters feeling and thoughts
give it life. Frannie, the main character, is easy to relate to and the reader
journey’s with her towards new understandings especially when it comes to hope.
For example, after watching an interaction between Trevor (the school bully)
and “Jesus Boy,” Frannie expresses her realization that “the sun stopped to
color and warm him like it did everybody else”.
The story’s themes are addressed through the
characters and their actions. Woodson uses Frannie’s older brother to deal with
the theme of disabilities. The reader learns about how people with disabilities
endure ridicule, but also how they are still capable of so much like when Sean,
Frannie’s deaf brother, dances because he can feel the rhythm rather than hear
it. Woodson also approaches the theme of spirituality by making Frannie’s best
friend the daughter of a minister and how her best friend thinks “Jesus Boy”
may actually be Jesus. The “Jesus Boy” character allows Woodson to set up
situations, which are common to middle school students, where Frannie will need
to learn how to accept others and their differences. Frannie learns a lot of
important lessons through Jesus Boy, her best friend, and her family.
Awards
and Reviews:
Newberry Honor, Caldecott, and Coretta Scott King
Award winning author.
“Set in 1971, Woodson's novel skillfully weaves in
the music and events surrounding the rising opposition to the Vietnam War,
giving this gentle, timeless story depth. She raises important questions about
God, racial segregation and issues surrounding the hearing-impaired with a
light and thoughtful touch.” --Publishers
Weekly
“With her usual talent for creating characters who
confront, reflect, and grow into their own persons, Woodson creates in Frannie
a strong protagonist who thinks for herself and recognizes the value and
meaning of family. The story ends with hope and thoughtfulness while speaking
to those adolescents who struggle with race, faith, and prejudice. They will
appreciate its wisdom and positive connections.”--School Library Journal
Connections:
*
There
is a lot of dialogue offered in this book, choose a scene out of the book for a
readers theatre performace.
*Write a letter to one of the characters in the
story describing how actions or feelings have given you a new understanding
towards one of the major themes in the story.
*Research further integration in the 1970’s.
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