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A review by engpunk77
Flooded: Requiem for Johnstown by Ann E. Burg
5.0
There's a lot of context for my experience with this book that I want to capture forever, and I'm using my review to do that. The most important info, for those of you who are parents or teachers wondering if this is appropriate for your kiddos, is right here (you can ignore the rest):
Poetic, poignant historical fiction that will reside alongside [b:Out of the Dust|25346|Out of the Dust|Karen Hesse|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328867076l/25346._SX50_.jpg|808243], [b:Sold|201114|Sold|Patricia McCormick|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442850952l/201114._SY75_.jpg|3231932], [b:The Watch That Ends the Night|10814693|The Watch That Ends the Night|Allan Wolf|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348623921l/10814693._SX50_.jpg|15728340] and [b:A Northern Light|64481|A Northern Light|Jennifer Donnelly|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1376507768l/64481._SY75_.jpg|3337093] in my mental bookshelf of local history favorites/best novels in verse. Recommend to any middle school-aged and older readers who are living in Western PA and to sensitive middle school (and possibly high school) students who love language, poetry, words. Content: Much like Karen Hesse's [b:Witness|26480|Witness|Karen Hesse|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388197786l/26480._SX50_.jpg|2836113], this tragic historic event is brought to life with the voices of several different characters, all with different hopes, dreams, and experiences. You end up loving all of them, so the reader really cares about what happens to the residents of Johnstown. After you get to know them, you suffer with them as the dam breaks, and you wonder about justice, the disparity between rich and poor, the immigrant experience and the American Dream, and the effects of man's progress on the environment. It may be a bit much for younger readers thematically, and the language is rich and sophisticated. While reading aloud, I had to fight down the lump in my throat or wait until my tears dried before carrying on. It's absolutely great material for a reading group/book club or parent/child shared reading experience.
Now for the personal stuff.
My husband grew up 45 minutes from Johnstown, PA, and we were there a few times for events. While we never had time to go to the flood museum, I always wanted to hear more and more about it and tried to picture the tragic event in my mind as we drove around. When our middle school library received this title, I knew I had to read it immediately. I imagined myself talking about it with my husband, since it's a topic he'd actually care about.
This weekend, he was unwell and unable to leave the bed. I suggested that I read to him, almost in jest, as he's not AT ALL a reader and sees no use for books, especially fiction. He agreed, which was the first miracle, and I sat in bed with him for hours and hours this weekend reading aloud, pausing and discussing and wondering. It's funny, because he said, "I don't like how you stop reading and talk." This is why we can't watch movies together, either. I told him that I'm just not capable of plowing through, especially with all of these perspectives/voices to keep track of. I asked him to choose for me to read aloud with long pauses of silence while I figure things out in my head, or have me vocalize my thoughts. Either way, I have to process. He chose to allow me to be vocal with my connections, wonderings, inferences, predictions, etc. and he jumped right in with me. He loved it. I mean, he kept asking me to start again after breaks and when we finished, he said, "Four stars!" ::swoon:: [a:Cris Tovani|22403|Cris Tovani|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1563445334p2/22403.jpg] and [a:Stephanie Harvey|55145|Stephanie Harvey|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png], I think it's clear why my husband has been a non-reader his entire life. Some strategies just work.
This book is excellent in general, and I'll never forget it for the experience it provided in my life.
Poetic, poignant historical fiction that will reside alongside [b:Out of the Dust|25346|Out of the Dust|Karen Hesse|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328867076l/25346._SX50_.jpg|808243], [b:Sold|201114|Sold|Patricia McCormick|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442850952l/201114._SY75_.jpg|3231932], [b:The Watch That Ends the Night|10814693|The Watch That Ends the Night|Allan Wolf|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348623921l/10814693._SX50_.jpg|15728340] and [b:A Northern Light|64481|A Northern Light|Jennifer Donnelly|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1376507768l/64481._SY75_.jpg|3337093] in my mental bookshelf of local history favorites/best novels in verse. Recommend to any middle school-aged and older readers who are living in Western PA and to sensitive middle school (and possibly high school) students who love language, poetry, words. Content: Much like Karen Hesse's [b:Witness|26480|Witness|Karen Hesse|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388197786l/26480._SX50_.jpg|2836113], this tragic historic event is brought to life with the voices of several different characters, all with different hopes, dreams, and experiences. You end up loving all of them, so the reader really cares about what happens to the residents of Johnstown. After you get to know them, you suffer with them as the dam breaks, and you wonder about justice, the disparity between rich and poor, the immigrant experience and the American Dream, and the effects of man's progress on the environment. It may be a bit much for younger readers thematically, and the language is rich and sophisticated. While reading aloud, I had to fight down the lump in my throat or wait until my tears dried before carrying on. It's absolutely great material for a reading group/book club or parent/child shared reading experience.
Now for the personal stuff.
My husband grew up 45 minutes from Johnstown, PA, and we were there a few times for events. While we never had time to go to the flood museum, I always wanted to hear more and more about it and tried to picture the tragic event in my mind as we drove around. When our middle school library received this title, I knew I had to read it immediately. I imagined myself talking about it with my husband, since it's a topic he'd actually care about.
This weekend, he was unwell and unable to leave the bed. I suggested that I read to him, almost in jest, as he's not AT ALL a reader and sees no use for books, especially fiction. He agreed, which was the first miracle, and I sat in bed with him for hours and hours this weekend reading aloud, pausing and discussing and wondering. It's funny, because he said, "I don't like how you stop reading and talk." This is why we can't watch movies together, either. I told him that I'm just not capable of plowing through, especially with all of these perspectives/voices to keep track of. I asked him to choose for me to read aloud with long pauses of silence while I figure things out in my head, or have me vocalize my thoughts. Either way, I have to process. He chose to allow me to be vocal with my connections, wonderings, inferences, predictions, etc. and he jumped right in with me. He loved it. I mean, he kept asking me to start again after breaks and when we finished, he said, "Four stars!" ::swoon:: [a:Cris Tovani|22403|Cris Tovani|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1563445334p2/22403.jpg] and [a:Stephanie Harvey|55145|Stephanie Harvey|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png], I think it's clear why my husband has been a non-reader his entire life. Some strategies just work.
This book is excellent in general, and I'll never forget it for the experience it provided in my life.