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"I'M WRITING A BOOK ABOUT SOIL EROSION" -Reply -Reply
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From: PritchWitt at aol.com <PritchWitt>
Date: Wed, 4 Feb 1998 09:32:05 EST
Well, it's a bit scary to come out of my lurkdom to voice what will probably be a minority opinion, but I feel I ought to. Let me preface this by saying that I loved LETTERS TO RIFKA and very much liked PHOENIX RISING and MUSIC OF THE DOLPHINS and was very excited to see that Karen Hesse had a another book that was being touted for the Newbury (this was before it won.) I went to my library intending to check it out and when I located it, stood and started reading it on the spot. The writing, obviously, is wonderful. But pretty soon I came to the scene where the girl inadvertently throws the burning oil on her mother which is followed by the mother's hideously painful death. I put the book back on the shelf, feeling sick. It reminded me exactly of the feeling I'd had as a high school student after reading HIROSHIMA--the awful images of unbelieveable suffering visited me waking and sleeping for weeks and weeks. I thought to myself, what child would I want to give this book to? What child would I inflict these images upon? I couldn't imagine. Perhaps I'm just oversensitive--obviously there are kids who've read it and loved it already, but I wouldn't have and I think there are lots of kids who will live with these horrors for a long time after the book is finished. Why?
Ellen Wittlinger
Received on Wed 04 Feb 1998 08:32:05 AM CST
Date: Wed, 4 Feb 1998 09:32:05 EST
Well, it's a bit scary to come out of my lurkdom to voice what will probably be a minority opinion, but I feel I ought to. Let me preface this by saying that I loved LETTERS TO RIFKA and very much liked PHOENIX RISING and MUSIC OF THE DOLPHINS and was very excited to see that Karen Hesse had a another book that was being touted for the Newbury (this was before it won.) I went to my library intending to check it out and when I located it, stood and started reading it on the spot. The writing, obviously, is wonderful. But pretty soon I came to the scene where the girl inadvertently throws the burning oil on her mother which is followed by the mother's hideously painful death. I put the book back on the shelf, feeling sick. It reminded me exactly of the feeling I'd had as a high school student after reading HIROSHIMA--the awful images of unbelieveable suffering visited me waking and sleeping for weeks and weeks. I thought to myself, what child would I want to give this book to? What child would I inflict these images upon? I couldn't imagine. Perhaps I'm just oversensitive--obviously there are kids who've read it and loved it already, but I wouldn't have and I think there are lots of kids who will live with these horrors for a long time after the book is finished. Why?
Ellen Wittlinger
Received on Wed 04 Feb 1998 08:32:05 AM CST
