Gansworth,
Eric. If I
Ever Get Out of Here. Scholastic/Arthur Levine 2013 358p ISBN 978-0-545-41730-3
hs Hardback VG-BN A Multicultural fiction
A Tuscarora Indian and the child of a military airman connect through
their mutual passion for music, especially the Beatles. “Shoe” is familiar with the challenges of living on the Tuscarora
Indian reservation in 1975. He is
comfortable with Native American reservation life: the inside joking, Fireball
games, and living conditions. What he is
not prepared for is George Haddonfield, whose military family recently moved to
town with the Air Force. Both Shoe and
George are newcomers to the town’s public school. But while George finds immediate acceptance,
Shoe must deal with ethnic slurs and even violence directed at him due to his
Native American background.
George has lived abroad and traveled extensively. In Shoe, he finds a mutual passion for music, especially the Beatles, and readily proffers a sincere offer of friendship to the reluctant and lonely boy. Shoe likes George, but after visiting George’s home, he is acutely aware of the discrepancies in their lifestyles. Shoe’s family is appalled when George wants to visit their home, little more than a shack by comparison. When George finally does find himself in Shoe’s home, it brings home some sobering realities for him.
Nostalgic and a bit didactic in style, the book’s messages are heavy-handed: prejudice is bad. Bullies are bad. Friends accept you as you are, not as you’d like to be. Music is a universal language that overcomes most barriers. The United States government has yet to improve the lot of the American Indian.
Despite this drawback, the emotions ring true. Readers will find themselves urging George to realize that some rules must be broken even as they urge Shoe to stand up for himself. Middle schools with curriculum focused on bullying will want to add this to their collections.
George has lived abroad and traveled extensively. In Shoe, he finds a mutual passion for music, especially the Beatles, and readily proffers a sincere offer of friendship to the reluctant and lonely boy. Shoe likes George, but after visiting George’s home, he is acutely aware of the discrepancies in their lifestyles. Shoe’s family is appalled when George wants to visit their home, little more than a shack by comparison. When George finally does find himself in Shoe’s home, it brings home some sobering realities for him.
Nostalgic and a bit didactic in style, the book’s messages are heavy-handed: prejudice is bad. Bullies are bad. Friends accept you as you are, not as you’d like to be. Music is a universal language that overcomes most barriers. The United States government has yet to improve the lot of the American Indian.
Despite this drawback, the emotions ring true. Readers will find themselves urging George to realize that some rules must be broken even as they urge Shoe to stand up for himself. Middle schools with curriculum focused on bullying will want to add this to their collections.
Summary: A Tuscarora Indian and the child of a military airman connect through
their mutual passion for music, especially the Beatles, overcoming their class and race differences
to maintain their friendship.
Friendship-Fiction,
Racism-Fiction, Native Americans-Fiction --Hilary
Welliver
