Calling Me Home: A Novel by Julie Kibler
(February 12, 2013) St. Martin's Press
An elegant, compelling story of an independent teenager who views her world through objective glasses -- and forms a deep and abiding relationship with an admirable young man who looks different from her.
The story line is accessible, and it's kept moving forward by the juxtaposition of two separate stories in alternating chapters. The 1930's tale of Isabelle and her Robert is told against the story of present-day Dorrie, a single mother who carefully balances the line between black and white to make her way, and to guide her children, in the Dallas-area setting.
The predominant point of view of Isabelle, an adolescent, will engage teen readers as well as adults -- who will understand Dorrie's caution and concerns about life and parenting.
For those who have read The Help? this book has a similar message --life shouldn't be seen, and people shouldn't be judged, based on skin color or other externals. But this book is better.
What's different about this book
Shorter, more concise, blended with a modern day setting where we see that racism isn't just something our parents and grandparents dealt with, Calling Me Home wraps its story around the reader and stays long beyond the turning of the last page. Vivid characterization, accessible and engagingly told, the reader develops an empathy for multiple characters, each of whom tug on the heart strings.
What I'll do now that I've read the book
This title deserves all the exposure it can be given, and it will definitely appear in my high school libraries for students who may read it for the history or the romance but who will gain a new perspective on equality and equity.
Adults will find the book equally engaging. And it is wholesome, yet realistic, and universal in its message.
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