Historical and Contemporary Realism

The War that Saved my Life

In the Newberry Honor and Schneider Family Book Award winning book, The War that Saved My Life, the story is set in England as World War II breaks out. Ada and her younger brother Jamie live with their abusive mother. Due to her mother’s humiliation over Ada’s deformed foot, Ada is never allowed outside a single room. However, as the war heats up and the city’s children are evacuated to the country, Ada and Jamie sneak off. Ada and Jamie now live with Susan, a woman who was opposed to taking in evacuees and especially children.

Told with the voice and perspective of Ada, the narrative engages readers as Ada learns more about the world in general, the war that is changing everything, and begins to process the trauma from her past. Coming from a place where Ada knew nothing of the outside world, the premise of the story helps to explain to readers what is happening through Ada’s questions about the whys and how things are different for the time period. Portrayed historically accurately, Ada and the reader learn together things, such as what school was like and how and why left-handedness was viewed as a mark of the devil or some of the real effects of war wounds. As the adult in the book, Susan helps Ada and the reader together by providing explanations of the events in a way that a child could understand while not going so in depth as to lose the reader. Ada is able to reflect on some of differing views as history unfolds, such as whether Dunkirk was really a victory or a horrible tragedy or both, while her understandings of the world around her and her own experiences also grow in insightful ways.

Overall, The War that Saved my Life blends fact and fiction in a manner that the background and characters help to explore complex events, both historical and personal, making them seem real to readers and bringing the readers along.

Bradley, Kimberly Brubaker. 2015. The War That Saved My Life. 1st edition. New York, New York: Dial Books. ISBN: 978-0-8037-4081-5

Rez Dogs

Malian, a tween Penacook girl, was visiting her grandparents at the Wabanaki reservation when the Covid-19 pandemic shut down all travel. While Malian has lived away from the reservation since kindergarten, during the pandemic, she becomes more connected with her heritage and the way that her ancestors have survived many previous injustices. Early on, the wolf-like dog Malsum appears as a guardian and a caretaker for Malian. His presence is a reminder of the old stories and history woven throughout the book and how they come alive in their resilience as another form of protector. In his presence, Malsum provides a bridge to the old stories.

As Malian deals with the difficulties of online school with spotty, broken internet, she comes to learn more from her past and better understand the realities that her ancestors faced. Even as Malian stays with her grandparents because of the lockdown, social services comes to assess if the house is “fit” for Malian. Malsum scares away the worker, but it is eerily similar to how Malian’s mother was taken away when she was little.

In isolation, Malian draws connections not only with her past but also with her classmates and their histories giving the book a wider perspective to transcend the specific setting. Themes of resilience and community are strong in the stories. The setting of the book addresses full on how some stereotypes of First Nations people and reservations came to be generationally perpetuated. Malian’s grandparents and mother were both taken away from their parents by Indian Services because the household was too poor but systemic racism and forced relocation prevented the households from ever becoming “fit environments.” When handing out the final assignment, even the teacher bravely discussed how insidious racism and biases can be from her own experiences.

The book is written as if it were to be read aloud in short verse, with only 5-7 words per line. The narrative line flows smoothly and lyrically, especially when read aloud. While in many stories, there is simply narration and dialogue, Rez Dogs has narration, dialogue between the characters, and stories/histories inserted. These three literary styles are balanced and all work together to move along the plot, engage the reader, and provide the historical context.The stories and history told by Malian’s grandparents are very short and relevant to the narrative line of the book, augmenting and enhancing rather than dominating storyline. Overall, the mood of the book is a familiar one from the pandemic of waiting, frustration, and then settling into a new way of life for a while, where new information and skills are learned and become part of an important identity.

Bruchac, Joseph. 2022. Rez Dogs. New York: Dial Books. ISBN: 978-0-593-32622-0