Viola is a South Sudanese teenager faced with fleeing the war-torn country she calls home with her mother and younger brother in hopes of immigrating to America. Tragedy strikes before her family even reaches Cairo, where they must stay for many months while waiting for their paperwork to go through. Once in America, Viola is suddenly faced with the completely foreign prospect of becoming an "American Teenager." Her mother's unyielding desire for Viola to remain faithfully Sudanese clashes violently with Viola's hunger to enjoy her newfound freedom. Viola must weave together the disparate pieces of both her past and her present before she can envision herself as a whole, both Sudanese and American, in the future. Farish's sparse free verse contains powerful, raw emotion and intense imagery. Viola's story is told with a delicate hand, but it never shies away from delving into the heartrending feelings of loss, displacement, and tragedy that mark the refugee and immigrant experience. Viola's narrative is also laced with hope, and underscored by her own sense of profound determination and strength. This is an honest account of modern refugee immigration, and it does contain both violence and an implied rape. Farish addresses these issues with a deft and mindful hand. The Good Braider is relevant, emotive, and arresting, and would be an exceptional addition to both school and public libraries. Reviewer: Allison Hunter Hill
The Good Braider was selected as the 2013 Bank Street College of Education Best Book of the Year and a book of Outstanding Merit.
In spare free verse laced with unforgettable images, Viola's strikingly original voice sings out the story of her family's journey from war-torn Sudan, to Cairo, and finally to Portland, Maine. Here, in the sometimes too close embrace of the local Southern Sudanese Community, she dreams of South Sudan while she tries to navigate the strange world of America - a world where a girl can wear a short skirt, get a tattoo or even date a boy; a world that puts her into sharp conflict with her traditional mother who, like Viola, is struggling to braid together the strands of a displaced life. Terry Farish's haunting novel is not only a riveting story of escape and survival, but the universal tale of a young immigrant's struggle to build a life on the cusp of two cultures.
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In spare free verse laced with unforgettable images, Viola's strikingly original voice sings out the story of her family's journey from war-torn Sudan, to Cairo, and finally to Portland, Maine. Here, in the sometimes too close embrace of the local Southern Sudanese Community, she dreams of South Sudan while she tries to navigate the strange world of America - a world where a girl can wear a short skirt, get a tattoo or even date a boy; a world that puts her into sharp conflict with her traditional mother who, like Viola, is struggling to braid together the strands of a displaced life. Terry Farish's haunting novel is not only a riveting story of escape and survival, but the universal tale of a young immigrant's struggle to build a life on the cusp of two cultures.
The Good Braider
The Good Braider was selected as the 2013 Bank Street College of Education Best Book of the Year and a book of Outstanding Merit.
In spare free verse laced with unforgettable images, Viola's strikingly original voice sings out the story of her family's journey from war-torn Sudan, to Cairo, and finally to Portland, Maine. Here, in the sometimes too close embrace of the local Southern Sudanese Community, she dreams of South Sudan while she tries to navigate the strange world of America - a world where a girl can wear a short skirt, get a tattoo or even date a boy; a world that puts her into sharp conflict with her traditional mother who, like Viola, is struggling to braid together the strands of a displaced life. Terry Farish's haunting novel is not only a riveting story of escape and survival, but the universal tale of a young immigrant's struggle to build a life on the cusp of two cultures.
In spare free verse laced with unforgettable images, Viola's strikingly original voice sings out the story of her family's journey from war-torn Sudan, to Cairo, and finally to Portland, Maine. Here, in the sometimes too close embrace of the local Southern Sudanese Community, she dreams of South Sudan while she tries to navigate the strange world of America - a world where a girl can wear a short skirt, get a tattoo or even date a boy; a world that puts her into sharp conflict with her traditional mother who, like Viola, is struggling to braid together the strands of a displaced life. Terry Farish's haunting novel is not only a riveting story of escape and survival, but the universal tale of a young immigrant's struggle to build a life on the cusp of two cultures.
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The Good Braider
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Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940169418903 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Recorded Books, LLC |
| Publication date: | 11/12/2013 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
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