Book Review: Bird in a Box

Once again, I was enticed by this audio tween selection, Bird in a Box, because it promised an expanded afterward by the author. I love to hear the author's personal take on what inspired them to write the novel, what details are based on fact, and what challenges they faced in the writing process. I was not disappointed. The story was engaging and the author information provided a great writing perspective.

Here's the blurb from the back cover:

"In a small upstate New York town during the Great Depression, three children - Hibernia, Willie, and Otis - are about to meet. Hibernia dreams of becoming a famous singer and performing at Harlem's swanky Savoy Ballroom. Willie is recovering from a tragedy that prevents him from becoming a junior boxing champ. Otis spends every night glued to the radio, listening to the voices that remind him of Daddy and Ma.

"Each of them is looking for hope, and they all find it in the thrilling boxing matches of young Joe Louis. They know Joe has a good chance of becoming the country's next heavyweight champion. What they don't know is that during this unforgettable year, the three of them will become friends."

Author Andrea David Pinkney did an outstanding job of capturing the voice of each child. I loved Hibernia's sass. I felt sorry for Otis's loss. Plus I raged at Willie's treatment at the hands of his own father. I was slightly annoyed by Willie's tendency to repeat the guttural "Uh-huh," but I understand the author was attempting to capture a flavor of character and it probably wouldn't have bothered me on the printed page because I could skim over it quickly. All in all, she captured a period of history and highlighted a special aspect with great skill.

I loved listening to the author's comments about her process and goals. I was impressed with her desire to get inside the heads of her characters by actually training for boxing matches herself. The research comes through solidly and fleshes out the characters, the time, and the place.

I had to transcribe this paragraph from the final comments because it inspired me to press on with my own writing goals. She observes:

"They say that writing is part inspiration, part perspiration. After my work on Bird in a Box, I've come to believe that if I want to inspire people with my writing, I have to do more than sweat. I have to train, reach, fight my resistance, and keep going for it no matter how sore I get, because like 'Mighty Joe Louis' and the kids in Bird in a Box, I learned that victory only comes after hard work."