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A review by livrad
Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes
3.0
This is my second Rhodes book, and I'm about to move onto my third, despite some of my issues with her writing. All of her characters seem years younger and less mature than their ages would suggest. The lead character of Ninth Ward is 12, yet she acts much more like she is 7 or 8. There are definitely kids who are young for their age, but this is the second time I've asked myself, "Has the author ever met a kid this age?"
One of the things that contributes to this is the very simplistic inner monologue of the character. Lanesha rarely has deep thoughts and often states the obvious. It does a discredit to kids reading the book, as if they themselves are incapable of intelligent thought or comprehension.
The themes of the book are muddled as well. The book tries to be too much, bringing in magical realism and ghosts, the events occuring at the Ninth Ward, and an undeveloped nod to the Superdome. It means that none of the elements was able to be well done. I tried to read into the ghost bit as an expression of New Orleans spirituality and a flavor of its culture, but Lanesha's interactions with ghosts take away from a story that could have been a powerful testament to what kids experienced during Katrina.
One of the things that contributes to this is the very simplistic inner monologue of the character. Lanesha rarely has deep thoughts and often states the obvious. It does a discredit to kids reading the book, as if they themselves are incapable of intelligent thought or comprehension.
The themes of the book are muddled as well. The book tries to be too much, bringing in magical realism and ghosts, the events occuring at the Ninth Ward, and an undeveloped nod to the Superdome. It means that none of the elements was able to be well done. I tried to read into the ghost bit as an expression of New Orleans spirituality and a flavor of its culture, but Lanesha's interactions with ghosts take away from a story that could have been a powerful testament to what kids experienced during Katrina.