Review of Ghellow Road by T.H. Waters

Ghellow Road

T.H. Waters

Verefor Publishing, 2010

290 pages

Summary of Ghellow Road from Goodreads: "Ghellow Road is a literary diary of a young girl's journey through the tangled labyrinth that is her life. Theresa's story begins in a large midwestern city where she is born to loving parents in 1965. For a brief moment in time, her life is full, as is her heart, and the world is hers to receive without consequence. As time passes and Theresa grows, supernatural forces begin to shape her existence, no matter how carefully her father colors the empty spaces of her world. After a series of tragic events, Theresa and her family seek refuge in a small Minnesota town nestled near the shores of Rainy Lake. She creates a new life for herself there, sharing adventures with friends and riding the ups and downs of adolescence. Yet through it all, her mother remains forever lost in the prison of her own mind and forever lost to Theresa. The young girl feels as though she is leading a double life, one that no one else could possibly understand. She begins to peer at the world as if looking through a thick, black veil, never certain which pieces are illusion and which are not. Through the kindness and support of the townspeople, She eventually summons the strength to survive. This is a story of tragedy and triumph. This is the story of my life."

Initially, I was uncertain about reading this book because it is a little bit outside my comfort zone- I generally read to escape, and reading about pain and struggle is too close to the reading that I do for grad school and the harsh realities I see in my classroom.

However, I found myself genuinely enjoying this book- I didn't want to put it down.  T.H. Waters tells her story in an engaging way with smooth transition, natural dialogue, and an excellent balance between detail and action.  Although her childhood was difficult, she recounts it with candor and weaves the joyful times of her life in with the heartbreak.  The truthfulness of this story is what made me enjoy reading it so much- the plot never seemed contrived or cliche.  Some of my favorite scenes include a birthday trip to a go-kart track, getting to know Theresa's grandfather, and an evening serving at a fancy party where a guest insists that Theresa try an oyster.

If I could change anything about this book, I would want to edit it personally.  I'm a little bit nuts about grammar and spelling, and there were a few instances where I wanted to get out my red pen.  (Not that my mechanics are always perfect- I cringe when I reread my finished work and find a flaw!  The other day I almost turned in a paper about "high students" instead of "high school students.")  This is a very minor concern, obviously, and did not interfere with my reading of the book.

I give this book four stars, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys heartwarming stories of perseverance and appreciating the blessings of life.  I look forward to reading more from T.H. Waters!  The book can be purchased on Amazon- check out the website for more information and a sample of the book.

Disclaimer:  I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Review- Reaching Out by Francisco Jimenez

Published in 2008
Sequel to The Circuit (1) and Breaking Through (2)

Last fall, my senior year of college, I had to take a Latin American Studies course to fulfill my graduation requirements, so I chose US Hispanic Authors.  The first book in this "trilogy" (all of them stand alone, but they are autobiographical, so a trilogy for chronology's sake), The Circuit was required reading.  These books are all about the author's coming of age, and they begin with his illegal trip in to the US across the border from Mexico.  Not only is he now an illegal immigrant in fear of deportation, but he and his family speak no English, and they find work as migrant workers.

Francisco Jimenez is now an author obviously, so these stories are a success tale.  There are many sad things that happen, and I cried often, but most importantly these stories are an inspiration for poor children, for Mexican immigrants, and for people who are trying to learn English.  These books inspired me, as a teacher, and gave me insight into what children in these circumstances might be going through. I recommend all three of these books to anyone considering a career working with people (teacher, psychologist, social services, etc.)  They really changed my life.

To add to their value, these books are very well written, short but meaty, and can be broken into short stories.  These would be appropriate to read to students as short stories.  As you can tell, I'm totally crazy about these books.

5 stars for all three of them. READ THEM.