“It wasn’t that she did believe that the Jesus Boy was really Jesus—it was that she could. I couldn’t. No way. It was too crazy, too way out there. Too…too far away from me.” (p. 39)
Woodson, Jacqueline. Feathers. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons. 2007.
Genre: Historical Fiction
Review:
Frannie is a bit puzzled by the new boy in class—the one everyone has started to call the Jesus Boy. Her best friend Samantha thinks that he might really be Jesus, but Frannie herself isn’t so sure. Just like she’s not sure of that poem they read in class about hope having feathers. She can’t stop thinking about either one and because of those two things (the boy and the poem) she is starting to see things a bit differently than before.
Frannie is a startlingly empathetic character and her family is portrayed very lovingly. Topics such as race, Sean’s deafness, Samantha’s faith, and bullies are dealt with in a thoughtful manner and the theme of hope shines throughout. Glimpses of the historic setting are woven throughout the novel though the story itself is still very relevant. Readers will enjoy the novel and it will also give them lots to think about.