If These Wings Could Fly -

This book started off great! I was immediately hooked and wanted to know how the story would end. Leighton Barnes lives in a town that is being taken over by crows. She also lives with her abusive father, forgiving mother, and her two younger sisters. Her only way out is to get into a University far away, but to do that she’d have to leave her sister to fend for themselves in a home that isn’t warm or safe.

 

As I read, I found that there was an over abundance of metaphors that were a little difficult to follow (was the house haunted? Is Leighton imagining the walls cracking? WHY ARE THERE SO MANY CROWS?). 

 

The book does a great job of discussing abusive households in a way that is digestible for youth. I think there are a lot of kids that would really connect with this book. Unfortunately I do think that this isn’t the greatest book to go forward. 

VERSUS

We Are Not Free - 

This book struck me as The Outsiders… if the outsiders had been a critically informed account of Japanese-American internment, racism, and engagement during the second World War. The book is told through multiple points of view, progressing the story through adjacent characters. While I thought this might be confusing, it instead gave me such a nuanced appreciation for the diverse lived experiences of the individuals who lived this reality.

 Throughout the novel I grew more sentimental for this group of boys and girls, turned men and women who had to struggle between family loyalty, social and political injustice, and the bonds of friendship. Historically, this book spans years and tells of the implications of evictions, internment, forced conscription, and wartimes for those fighting, as well as those left behind. History is so often told through a narrow lens, but this story shines light on the injustices and oppressions that inform our contemporary realities.

What I enjoyed best is that this novel exposes the intensity of relationships between a chosen family. As an aside, I listened to the audiobook version of this book and it has multiple readers which enriched my experience of this story. The multitude of voices is unique and elevated the storytelling… maybe I teared up once or twice. 

Our team agrees that of the two novels, We Are Not Free was our favourite read.