Book Review: The Queen of Water

The Queen of Water: A Novel based on a True Story 

by Laura Resau and Maria Virginia Farinango

This book for young adults is the fictionalized account of Maria Virginia, an indigenous Ecuadorian who is unwittingly sold into slavery by her parents at about six or seven years old. Her childhood is distressing but she is a remarkable girl who fights against all odds to overcome her circumstances.

The themes of this novel are for more mature audiences: slavery, racism, parents who make poor choices (though arguably out of ignorance), inappropriate touching, relationships with boys, and the growth of a child into adolescence amidst it all. They are all treated respectfully. Though we are often pointed to a particular point of view, there are also many instances of Virginia straddling different perspectives with confusion written with compassion for each.

While most young girls in our own country would rarely find themselves in Virginia's circumstances, I think her experience of profound isolation is one with which most adolescents would empathize readily. In particular, her relationship with her parents is strained but she realizes in the end that there is still something she can learn from them.

As a wonderful model for adolescence, Virginia finds her own way but does so by building relationships with supportive adults and loyal friends. She escapes her enslavement by reaching out for help and accepting it from her family. She seeks out someone in her town who will sign for her when she applies to secondary school and finds a supporting employer who provides a home away from home of safety and security.

This amazing woman is about the my age. As a mother, my heart broke over and over again for her and for her parents. I would unhesitatingly share this book with my daughters when they are older. (I would be careful mainly because of the justified fear Virginia feels toward the father of the family that controls her.)

It's not just a story about modern Ecuador, or a story about modern day slavery (in a world in which human trafficking has been discovered even in our own state), but a story of an emerging woman that will appeal to young women universally.

June 2012 Book Reports

Shades of Gray by Carolyn Reeder was a pre-read for our study of the Civil War in American history next year. Twelve-year-old Will has lost his father, brother, mother and two sisters, along with his home and way of life by the end of the Civil War. He's sent to live with his mother's sister and her family, people he's never met. Struggling with a hatred of the Yankees and of his uncle who refused to fight with the Confederacy, Will has to confront bullies and the loving kindness of his family, especially his cousin, Meg. He learns to be more compassionate and to recognize true courage in one's convictions. The subject matter of the Civil War is a difficult one to present to children, but I think this book does a good job of showing the horrors indirectly. I intend to read this book aloud to First Son in third grade (next year) and won't be concerned if the girls (who will be 6 and 4) hear it as well. (library copy)

Helen Keller by Margaret Davidson is an easy reader on the inspiring life of Helen Keller. I thought it did a good job of showing what Helen's life was like, a difficult thing for children who can hear and see to understand. First Son will be reading this independently next year and narrating it to me. (requested copy from PaperBackSwap.com)

Jungle Islands: My South Sea Adventure by Maria Coffey with Debora Pearson, photography by Dag Goering is one First Son will read next year in third grade, as recommended by Mater Amabilis Level 1A. It's a fabulous tale of adventure that seamlessly includes geography, culture, language, animals and oceans. First Son will read it on his own, interspersed with other activities I intend to set before him. (purchased copy)

Five for Victory (Kindle version)

Sipping from the Nile: My Exodus from Egypt by Jean Naggar is a memoir of the author's opulent childhood in Egypt and her family's flight in the midst of upheaval when the Suez Canal as nationalized. I really enjoyed it, learning much about how Jewish families in Egypt lived. More than anything, it is Ms. Naggar's memories of her beloved family, of which she is obviously proud. I can only hope one of my children or grandchildren would write so lovingly of their home and family when they are grown. (borrowed for free from the Kindle Owner's Lending Library)

The Great Wheel by Robert Lawson follows Conn from Ireland to New York and then to the Chicago World's Fair where he helps to build the first Ferris Wheel. It's a fun story. We might read it aloud next year. I would certainly be pleased if First Son read it himself. I think it would be cool to read the story and then build a Ferris Wheel. K'Nex has a few of them. (library copy)

From Kansas to Cannibals: The Story of Osa Johnson by Suzanne Middendorf Arruda is a short chapter book on a woman who traveled to the Solomon Islands and Africa with her husband in the 1920s an 1930s to film the people and the animals of those lands. It's an interesting look at life in that era as well as the kinds of attitudes prevalent in those times. The book is adequate and a perfect fit for a Kansas connection to the Solomon Islands which we'll be studying a bit next year (in third grade). So I'll add this local book to First Son's independent reading. Hopefully we'll have lots of interesting discussions about it and may even fit in a visit to the Martin and Osa Johnson Safari Museum in Chanute. (library copy)

Sister Noon by Karen Joy Fowler is an entertaining book of historical San Francisco, but it didn't seem like anything special to me. (library copy)

Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata is the story of Sumiko, a young Japanese American who is interned in Arizona on a Mohave reservation during World War II. I'm considering reading it out loud to the children during our American History study of the war. It manages to convey much of the fear, prejudice and racism of the time without any dramatic or extreme violence, though I'm not sure how interesting First Son would find it. Personally, I loved it. The historical aspect is nicely done, but the story of friendship and family is worthwhile on its own, which is what makes the best historical fiction. (library copy)

Reviving Ophelia by Mary Pipher, PhD (library copy)

Blue Willow by Doris Gates is the story of Janey Larkin, a young girl whose family follows the harvests, her father a seasonal worker, during the Great Depression. She longs for a home, a place to belong. It's a gentle story without a great amount of action, but it shows us a family of love, compassion and courage. One of the things I like best about it is how Janey's stepmother is a woman of strength and a good mother to Janey. Sometimes I worry we read too many fairy tales of evil stepmothers and my children (who don't really know any stepmothers) will show a lack of compassion themselves for families in such situations. I really loved this book and am hoping we have time to read it in the coming year as one of our American History read-alouds. (library copy)

By Truck to the North: My Arctic Adventure (Adventure Travel) by Andy Turnbull and Debora Pearson is one of our third grade books on Extreme Environments. A reporter travels with a truck driver along ice roads and permafrost to sell fresh fruits and vegetables to people who live above the Arctic Circle in Canada. First Son will read it himself and narrate it, along with some notebook work. I have a little more work to do on our Extreme Environments plan (which includes Jungle Islands above) and then I'll post the plans. This series is a great one! (purchased copy)

One of Our Thursdays Is Missing: A Novel by Jasper Fforde is another adventure in BookWorld with Thursday Next, though this time the protagonist is the written Thursday. Or is she? All of Mr. Fforde's books are worth reading. This one is at its best when the action is moving along with quips and puns flowing rather than when it's describing BookWorld's processes in minute detail. It was fun, though, and once halfway in, I could barely put it down to feed the kids lunch. (library copy)

Book Review: Reviving Ophelia

Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls by Mary Pipher, PhD

In this book, Dr. Pipher argues our American culture with its obsession with body size, promiscuity, and violence has critically damaged the souls of teenage girls. Published in 1994, it is arguably out-of-date, but I was interested in reading it as I was a teenage girl in the 1990s. My own teenage years were relatively stable and, though Kansas Dad says I'm thinking too far ahead, I'd like to do all I can to ensure my own girls have stable teenage years as well.

Dr. Pipher's book is based mainly on anecdotes and case studies provided by her clinical work with teenage girls in distress. Many of these stories are depressing and overwhelming, so should be read with some caution, especially for teenagers themselves. Because she very rarely works with well-adjusted young women, I think Dr. Pipher might be overestimating the effects on young women as a whole in our culture. There is no doubt in my mind that some teenage girls suffer in the ways she describes, but I think a great many teenage girls survive the onslaught of culture and the pressures of adolescence without such trauma.

That is not to say that I believe Dr. Pipher is incorrect in much of her assessment against contemporary media. While reading this book, I watched advertisements and television shows more carefully. I found a great many of her critiques still applied. Women, even strong women in prominent positions (doctors, lawyers, judges) are nearly universally young, slim, beautiful and sexy. One show in particular showed a strong black judge who ended the show wearing a firefighter's jersey, singing and dancing suggestively on a stage. Seriously. Perhaps it's unreasonable to expect anything else of a television show written and filmed to appeal to viewers and advertisers, but we don't have to let our children watch it.

I was disappointed at the lack of footnotes or end notes, especially given the number of statistics she quotes. They would all be out-of-date by now, but I do think it indicates a lack of scholarship. I searched a little online and found the CDC website with current information that is nearly as distressing as what she quotes in the book.

Only one conservative family appears in the book, which receives praise from Dr. Pipher for its well-adjusted daughter and criticism for how it infringes on her independence and creativity. It is unfortunate she could not find a more reasonable example.

Dr. Pipher was clear on her belief that divorce is bad for children, something many people are reluctant to admit.

In the late 1970s I believed that children were better off with happy single parents rather than unhappy married parents. I thought divorce was a better option than struggling with a bad marriage. Now I realize that, in many families, children may not notice if their parents are unhappy or happy. On the other hand, divorce shatters many children.

In addition, while Dr. Pipher does not want to exclude physical intimacy entirely, she admits it doesn't seem to be a good idea.

By high school, some girls may be mature enough to be sexually active, but my experience is that the more mature and healthy girls avoid sex. Because of my work, I see the unhappiness of early sexual intimacy--the sadness and anger at rejection, the pain over bad reputations, the pregnancies, the health problems and the cynicism of girls who have had every conceivable sexual experience except a good one. I'm prepared to acknowledge exceptions, but most early sexual activity in our culture tends to be harmful to girls.

Personally, I think she's being too careful here. I'd say it's a bad idea for all adolescent girls.

Dr. Pipher calls for a change in our culture, for the creation of a society where women have the independence, freedom and choices of our contemporary time with the safety and community of a generation ago. I think that sounds great, but probably unrealistic. We can as parents, however, create that kind of environment for our own daughters at home. Reading this book has given me a few ideas on ways to do that, though there are probably plenty of other books that would be just as helpful.