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A review by emdoux
Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes
5.0
Twelve year-old Lanesha lives in New Orleans, in a neighborhood called the Ninth Ward. She doesn’t have a whole lot – her mother died while giving birth to her, and her mother’s rich family won’t have anything to do with her because her mother wasn’t much older than Lanesha was when she got pregnant. Mama Ya-Ya, her midwife, takes in Lanesha and raises her to be happy with what she’s got.
Lanesha loves her life, even though she doesn’t have many friends – the ones she does have are for life. One day, Mama Ya-Ya has a vision – a terrible hurricane is coming – and she will not survive. Then she Lanesha begin to see news reports about Katrina - and begin to prepare. Many others in the Ninth Ward are evacuating, but Lanesha and Mama Ya-Ya have nowhere to go and Katrina is coming quickly.
I was really pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. When I read the review of it (or remembered it later) I didn't recall anything about the spiritual nature of this book - which was the part I really, really enjoyed. The book's writing style reminded me a lot of Keeper by Kathi Appelt, and the main characters are similar. All in all, it's a great book about both New Orleans culture and about Katrina. I would give it to as young as a good third grade reader -- I think my cousin Michelle would really like it, from what I've heard she's reading.
Lanesha loves her life, even though she doesn’t have many friends – the ones she does have are for life. One day, Mama Ya-Ya has a vision – a terrible hurricane is coming – and she will not survive. Then she Lanesha begin to see news reports about Katrina - and begin to prepare. Many others in the Ninth Ward are evacuating, but Lanesha and Mama Ya-Ya have nowhere to go and Katrina is coming quickly.
I was really pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. When I read the review of it (or remembered it later) I didn't recall anything about the spiritual nature of this book - which was the part I really, really enjoyed. The book's writing style reminded me a lot of Keeper by Kathi Appelt, and the main characters are similar. All in all, it's a great book about both New Orleans culture and about Katrina. I would give it to as young as a good third grade reader -- I think my cousin Michelle would really like it, from what I've heard she's reading.