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affiknittyreads 's review for:
Harriet the Spy
by Louise Fitzhugh
This was my Friday evening reading after a couple of weeks of violence and tragedy in the news and anxiety ahead of the RNC coming to my town. What a wonderful escape from all that to re-read one of my childhood favorites.
[I just wrote a lengthy review of this, and when I posted it, only part of it was saved. AAAAGGGHHH! Will be recreated shortly. Lesson: don't put emojis in GR reviews?]
This book, in part, inspired so many loves in me: urban living, writing, journaling, NOTEBOOKS. Ha!
Seriously, though, as an adult, I can appreciate more how different Fitzhugh's characters are from traditional children's literature. For example, there's Mrs. Golly, who seems to be either mentally ill or cognitively disabled or both. Sport's dad is neglectful and alcoholic and Sport is forced to be the parent in the family. Beth Ellen has a deadbeat dad and Janie is a developing mad scientist. The lesson: "OLE GOLLY IS RIGHT. THERE’S AS MANY WAYS TO LIVE AS PEOPLE, SHE SAYS."
These characters are presented without sentimentality, but not without empathy. In the end, the book teaches the young writer the importance of both unsparing honesty and compassion.
"[Harriet] rose stiffly and walked slowly to school. Everything looked very green and holy in that sad light before a rain. Even the Good Humor man on the corner, the one with the ridiculous nose, looked sad and moody. He took out a large blue handkerchief and blew his nose. It was somehow so touching that Harriet had to look away."
[I just wrote a lengthy review of this, and when I posted it, only part of it was saved. AAAAGGGHHH! Will be recreated shortly. Lesson: don't put emojis in GR reviews?]
This book, in part, inspired so many loves in me: urban living, writing, journaling, NOTEBOOKS. Ha!
Seriously, though, as an adult, I can appreciate more how different Fitzhugh's characters are from traditional children's literature. For example, there's Mrs. Golly, who seems to be either mentally ill or cognitively disabled or both. Sport's dad is neglectful and alcoholic and Sport is forced to be the parent in the family. Beth Ellen has a deadbeat dad and Janie is a developing mad scientist. The lesson: "OLE GOLLY IS RIGHT. THERE’S AS MANY WAYS TO LIVE AS PEOPLE, SHE SAYS."
These characters are presented without sentimentality, but not without empathy. In the end, the book teaches the young writer the importance of both unsparing honesty and compassion.
"[Harriet] rose stiffly and walked slowly to school. Everything looked very green and holy in that sad light before a rain. Even the Good Humor man on the corner, the one with the ridiculous nose, looked sad and moody. He took out a large blue handkerchief and blew his nose. It was somehow so touching that Harriet had to look away."