The War that Saved My Life

The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Image:

 

Genre: Historical Fiction

Introduction and Justification:

World War II books are known for focusing on the Holocaust. The War That Saved My Life takes a different perspective. By taking modern day issues and putting them in historical fiction this book becomes relatable to everyone. When choose a historical fiction book it was important to choose one from a reputable and noteworthy source. This coming of age book has won multiple awards including A Newberry Honor, Josette Frank Award, Wall Street Journal Best Children’s books of 2015 and five other awards (Amazon, 2019).

Evaluation of book:

          As Ava and Jamie escape an abusive home their dialogue both external and internally shape the story. The dialogue is intentional. For instance, when they arrive at Miss Smith’s house Jamie uses the words “Posh, this place,” (Brubaker Bradley, 2015, p. 40). This simple sentence shows the reader how dingy and horrible their upbringing was. The posh room was a simple bathroom with the tub. As the book continues Ava’s internal struggle is done through internal dialogue. The reader can see that she says the opposite of what she means in order to protect herself. The dialogue enhances the story and shows Ava fear and lack of knowledge of the world around her.

          The War that Saved My Life covers numerous sensitive topics including abuse, coming of age, discrimination, and homosexuality. Brubaker Bradley uses understatement to help the reader understand these difficult themes. One of the main characters Susan is introduced as not a “nice” person. This term “nice person” is used throughout the entire book. The readers would expect that she was harsh or abusive. However, this is not what they are referring to. As Ava comes to accept Susan she learns about Becky and Susan’s family. Susan talks about how she never thought she would have children. She discusses how her father was proud she got into university but then was unhappy when she met Becky. The reader must put the clues together. In another instance Susan is debating sending Ava and Jamie away. Ava says she that she cannot leave her horse (Brubaker Bradley, 2015, p. 271). The reality is that Ava cannot leave the love and freedom she has worked so hard to achieve. Susan knows that Ava needs support and freedom as she overcomes the trauma of abuse. Even small snip bits of the story tell so much. As Jamie does not want to go to school Susan notices a welt on his left hand. She knows immediately he was being discriminated and abused for being left handed (a common practice in the past). This writing lets you know all the problems Susan fixes without ever downright saying it.

          Kimberly Brubaker Bradley is gifted in her use of precise vocabulary. Her sentence structure is short, but it is meaningful.

“An orange. A handful of walnuts. Boiled sweets. Two long hair ribbons, one green and one blue. In the toe, a shilling” (Brubaker Bradley, 2015, p. 219).

This brief paragraph tells how meaningful each item is. As she pauses after each item, they become special. The reader can see the orange. It is visually there; the handful of walnuts seem so special and unique. The two hair ribbons become real. It is almost as if you can see the long ribbons being pulled out of the stocking. The next paragraph shows so much meaning when Ava thinks “Shiny bright girls, with ribbons in their hair” (Brubaker Bradley, 2015, p. 219). That simple paragraph and sentence mean so much. As Ava opens them you can feel her shock, the meaningfulness of those items, and even her fear. Her thoughts of “I don’t deserve this” come screaming off the page without ever saying a word. Brubaker Bradley uses clear precise vocabulary to extenuate her meaning and the character feelings.

Response:

(f) This book draws the reader in. It became impossible to put the book down. Even after finishing it its lure brought the reader back.  The desire to read more led to immediately going online afterward to see if there was more. The fear of losing the characters who were so meaningful and real became distressing. As you read the desire to root for Ava is strong. As she gets them to Becky’s House she says “It was my reward, I thought. For being brave. For walking so long, for walking away”  (Brubaker Bradley, 2015, p. 45). You wanted Ava to have the reward.

(c) As she leaves her mother’s abusive house the reader learns about her club foot. The only break taken while reading this book was to learn about what is club foot. How can it be helped, and treated? As Ava learns more about her disability and overcomes it you want her to have the surgery. As the end of the book the reader is left numb realizing that Ava will never get her surgery. She will never get her foot fixed. She has already vowed to never see or talk to her abusive mother again. This was distressing because you wanted Ava to have a full meaningful reward.

(b) As a reader you become on invested. The book does a wonderful job alluding to homosexual relationships and the acceptance and fear that accompanies them. Especially in a time period where it was not discussed openly. The quote “Your foot is not your fault, you don’t need to be redeemed” ( (Brubaker Bradley, 2015, p. 160) is not only about Ava’s feelings of inadequacies but of Becky’s feelings as well. They showed the parallel journeys of both women’s struggles against nature and the misconceived judgement of others. Those who hate should read this book and learn to accept.  

Conclusion:

          The War that Saved my Life is a book that deserves every ouch of praise it has received. The awards do not do it justice. The book manages to deal with coming of age and numerous challenges in the protagonist’s lives while making the reader connect to the characters. This book encourages students to read and has relatable factors to all readers such as fear, understanding, and acceptance. Brubaker Bradley does an excellent job of telling a war story that is about multiple other wars rather then the War that everyone sees on the surface.

APA Citations:

Amazon. (2019). The War That Saved My Life. Retrieved September 18, 2019, from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/War-That-Saved-My-Life/dp/0147510481

Brubaker Bradley, K. (2015). The War that Saved my Life. New York: Puffin Books.

Williamson, O. M. (n.d.). How to Write a Reaction Paper or Reader Response. Retrieved from Reader Response: http://utminers.utep.edu/omwilliamson/engl0310link/readerresponse.htm