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| Dulembo, Elizabeth. A Bird on Water Street. San Francisco, CA: Little Pickle Press, 2013. |
A Bird on Water Street
transports the reader to a place most Americans do not realize exist.
Growing up in a mining town was not easy for 13-year-old Jack but it was the
life he knew and, for the most part, loved. In many ways, Jack and his best
friend Perin were like any other teenage boys. They liked to fish, dreaded
school, and took on dangerous dares when taunted by the older boys. But
Coppertown was unique in its own way. No one risked eating the fish caught in
the waters surrounding the copper mill. School children took off running in the
middle of a lesson at the sound of the alarm at the mill. As for dares, you
will have to see for yourself!
Elizabeth Dulemba delivers this story with compassion and
understanding of the culture of a mining community. She weaves a delicate
balance between conservation of the environment and preservation of a way of
life that brings pride to generations of miners and their families. Her story
gives consideration to the benefit versus the liability of labor unions. Through
her characters, Dulemba shows both the pressure and pride that can come from
making an honest living.
The Author’s Note and Acknowledgements describe the
extensive research Dulembo conducted on the topography and events of mining
communities. She preserves the rich details of a fading culture with care.
In the end, the reader will be inspired to take action just
as Jack did. For me, I relived my childhood dream of being a forest ranger and
planted a tree. What can you do to make your world a better place?
A Bird on Water Street
is Elizabeth ’s first young adult novel and it
has already received awards including the “2014 National Book Festival Featured
Title for Georgia
What a nice thing for the book to have a call to action at the end.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth is a very talented writer. I believe she has another YA novel in the works!
ReplyDelete