A Review of Feathers

By Jacqueline Woodson

* Note: This blog fulfills a course requirement at TWU.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Woodson, Jacqueline. Feathers. New York: The Penguin Group. 2007. ISBN: 9780399239892

PLOT SUMMARY

This story revolves around the life of the protagonist, Frannie, a sixth grade girl. She attends an urban all African American school in 1971 where she deals with racism, disability (her brother is deaf), faith, and, perhaps more importantly, hope. The title of the book is derived from an Emily Dickinson poem that reads: “Hope is the thing with feathers, which perches in the soul, and sings the tune — without words, and never stops at all” (“Feathers” – Inside cover). This poem is the driving force behind this wonderfully-written book. Frannie loved the poem and viewed it as “hope getting inside you and never stopping” (p. 3). A white boy comes to school and Trevor, the classroom bully, quickly refers to him as “Jesus Boy” because of his long hair and white skin. Frannie’s best friend and preacher’s daughter, Samantha, begins to believe he really might be Jesus. The way Jesus Boy acts with a sense of calm makes Frannie wonder if there is any truth to her best friend’s feelings; however, Frannie is more grounded and has faced sadness in her life, from her brother’s deafness to her mother’s two miscarriages. Frannie learned how to sign from her brother at an early age and the two communicated beautifully. Jesus Boy surprises her because he knows how to sign as well, but does not remember how he learned. Trevor continues to pick on Jesus Boy until finally one day; Jesus Boy retaliates and reveals he is human. Samantha is disappointed that he is indeed, not Jesus and questions her faith. However, Frannie comes to a different conclusion that perhaps Jesus Boy is Jesus and that “Maybe there’s a little bit of Jesus inside all of us … Maybe Jesus is the hope [we feel]” (p. 109). Hope … that thing with feathers!

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Frannie is a delightful character that is easy to like. Her family is close-knit and the reader understands the emphasis on family that the author stresses. This comes through when Frannie describes her daddy as a man with a “smile that came into a room a full minute before he did”
(p. 49). She describes her pregnant mother, “I wake to find [mama] in the rocker … staring out into the sun. She looks beautiful sitting there with all the light around her” (p. 116). She says of her brother, “He’s so beautiful – all tall and dark with pretty eyes and a nice big-brother smile” (p. 42). The themes that arise include race, faith, disability, and hope. The most important theme is hope, which, when found, is so eloquently narrated and explained by Frannie. This book can speak to those young people who struggle with faith, hope and prejudice. The setting is a town racially divided by a highway where whites live on one side and African-Americans live on the other. There are separate schools, which is indicative of the time (1971), seven years after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that was supposed to stop segregated schools and the Civil Rights Act of 1968, which was directed at fair housing ordinances for all races. Many schools were slow to integrate and one of the reasons was the neighborhoods were segregated as in this story. Jacqueline Woodson is a four-time Newberry Award Winner and her work is highly recommended!

REVIEW EXCERPTS

2008 Newberry Honor Book Winner

Publisher’s Weekly – “Set in 1971, Woodson's novel skillfully weaves in the music and events surrounding the rising opposition to the Vietnam War, giving this gentle, timeless story depth. She raises important questions about God, racial segregation and issues surrounding the hearing-impaired with a light and thoughtful touch.”

School Library Journal - “Woodson creates in Frannie a strong protagonist who thinks for herself and recognizes the value and meaning of family. The story ends with hope and thoughtfulness while speaking to those adolescents who struggle with race, faith, and prejudice. They will appreciate its wisdom and positive connections.”

CONNECTIONS

Read more of Jacqueline Woodson’s Newberry Award Winners:

·         Woodson, Jacqueline. After Tupac and D Foster. (2010). ISBN: 0142413992.

·         Woodson, Jacqueline. Brown Girl Dreaming. (2014). ISBN: 0399252517.

·         Woodson, Jacqueline. Show Way. (2005). ISBN: 0399237492.

As well as her 2001 Coretta Scott King Award-Winning book:

·         Woodson, Jacqueline. Miracle Boys. (2010). ISBN: 0142415537.