1. Bibliographic data
Frost, Helen. 2003. Keesha's House. New York: Frances Foster Books/Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 0-3744-0012-1.
2. Plot summary
Keesha's House relates the intertwining story lines of Keesha, Stephie, Jason, Dontay, Carmen, Harris, and Katie. Each character battles with something in their lives. Keesha has an alcoholic father, Stephie is pregnant as a high school junior, Jason is struggling between choosing college football or providing for his pregnant girlfriend, Dontay fights the foster care system, Carmen struggles to stay out of jail and away from alcohol, Harris is rejected by his family because he's homosexual, and Katie is angry with her mother for siding with her abuse stepfather. Through free verse, Helen Foster tells the story of these teenagers' struggles as they face adversity in their lives and find refuge in Keesha's house.
3. Critical Analysis
A story rich with meaning and poetic quality, Keesha's House sends forth a message of understanding, compassion, faith, love, and acceptance. This verse novel engages the reader in the worlds of six different high school students as they face adversity in their lives. Some battle the addiction of alcohol, while others battle the abusive lifestyles of their parents. One boy attempts to understand his place as a homosexual in a straight world as a girl becomes frightened and feels lost after discovering that she is pregnant. Two other children are alone in the world, and must take care of themselves because their parents are incapable. Helen Frost expresses each child's thoughts in poem form and intertwines their stories as their lives change.
Helen Frost's poetry in Keesha's House is outstanding. Each poem is written from the point of view of the child as they struggle with their lives. In a note in the back matter, Frost writes that she used the sonnet and sestina forms in this book, but that she played with rules every now and then. Ultimately, she notes, the characters had the final say in where the poem went. The language is not difficult to understand, but Frost keeps it interesting by giving each character a style of speaking. Similar to The Babysitter's Club series, the reader becomes familiar with how each character speaks and writes so that at times, it isn't even necessary to read their name at the beginning of the passage.
Each child's story is an eye opener. We learn more about the downfalls of the foster care system through Dontay, we experience jail time and the draw of alcohol through Carmen, we see the effects of abuse, rejection, and alcoholism through Keesha and Katie, we feel the fear of the unknown when Stephie gets pregnant, we are torn between possibilities and responsibilities as Jason decides between Stephie and a college career in football, and we are shocked as Harris is thrown out and rejected by his father because of being gay. As we read, we become each child's confidant. This role allows us soak in their experiences and feel like we are right there.
Perhaps the greatest message that this book relays is that of acceptance and compassion. Keesha's house is a place where everyone is welcome no matter who they are and what is going on in their lives. In Keesha's house, every character finds solace and a bit of home at some point in their own story. I think that Keesha's house represents what we as people should be: accepting, loving, giving, and understanding of all humankind.
This book is a must-read for many reasons. The poetry is so real and natural that one could finish the book without even realizing they were reading poetry! The reader also learns a great deal about the difficulties each character went through. For a student who has never experienced these particular adversities, this book is a great opportunity to be in someone else's shoes who has. It also provides examples of how poetry can be used to express emotion and thoughts as well as tell a poignant story. Students in middle school would profit greatly from reading Keesha's House, not only for its poetry but also for its message.
4. Review Excerpts
"It sounds like a soap opera, but the poems that recount these stories unfold realistically. Revealing heartbreak and hope, these poems could stand alone, but work best as a story collection. Teens may read this engaging novel without even realizing they are reading poetry." - School Library Journal
"Interwoven with the angry, desperate teen voices are those of the adults in their lives: caring, helpless, abusive, indifferent. In a long note, Frost talks about the poetic forms she has used, the sestina and the sonnet. But most readers will be less interested in that framework than in the characters, drawn with aching realism, who speak poetry in ordinary words and make connections." - Booklist
5. Connections
Related Books:
Blumenthal, Bob. 2005. A Parent/Teacher Guide to Children's Books on Peace and Tolerance. Victoria, Canada: Trafford Publishing. 1-4120-4259-3.
Frost, Helen. 2004. Spinning Through the Universe. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 0-3743-7159-8 .
Frost, Helen. 2006. The Braid. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 0-3743-0962-0.
No comments:
Post a Comment