Joan Abelove

A sad story about a girl who has lost her mother. Watching her come to term with what happened to her is an interesting journey- and a touching one. By the end of it I cried. I would definitely recommend this story to anyone who likes tales that are sad in a hopeful way.

Mindy has always relied upon her mother-to listen to her, to ease the tension between Mindy and her withdrawn father, to love her. Then her mother is diagnosed with a brain tumor. After her surgery, she is no longer a laughing, lively presence. She has lost the power of speech, and her memory-and Mindy has lost her mother forever. Based upon Joan Abelove's own life, here is the wrenching story of a girl losing her mother early, a girl with a father who will not acknowledge what is going on-a show more girl who could have been you, or someone you know. show less

Told from the perspective of a young indigenous woman observing the American anthropologists who come to study her village, this book does a nice job of revealing cultural difference without judgement. The story is compelling, too!

Lexile: 620

This was a very frank and straightforward look at what life can be like when two cultures come into close contact with each other. It was interesting to learn that it was based on the author’s actual experiences as an anthropologist in the Amazon. The book successfully blends the theme of culture clash between the anthropologists and the villagers with the coming of age story of Alicia. Alicia’s subtle changes over the course of the book correspond with the changes of perception between show more the two cultures. While the overall book can be viewed as a “slice of life” story, with individual incidences making up the bulk of the book, the running themes bring a broader and deeper meaning to the stories. show less