Up from the Blue: Summary and book reviews of Up from the Blue by Susan Henderson, plus links to an excerpt from Up from the Blue and a biography of Susan Henderson.
Up from the Blue A Novel
by Susan Henderson
Paperback: Oct 2010,
336 pages.
Tillie Harris's life is in disarray—her husband is away on business, the boxes in her new home aren't unpacked, and the telephone isn't even connected yet. Though she's not due for another month, sudden labor pains force Tillie to reach out to her estranged father for help, a choice that means facing the painful memories she's been running from since she was a little girl.
An extraordinary debut from a talented new voice, Up from the Blue untangles the year in Tillie's life that changed everything: 1975, the year her mother disappeared.
Susan Henderson has gifted readers with a poignant story of family, resilience and hope "as we accompany Tillie on an emotional journey, which takes her to both the possibility of forgiveness and a future not determined by the bonds of her past". (Reviewed by Jennifer Dawson Oakes).
Booklist
Henderson shows remarkable compassion in her debut novel, an affecting portrait of depression through a child's eyes.
Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Beautiful, funny, sad, and complicated, Tillie's quest to understand her complex, troubled family is filled with lush descriptions of painfully emotional moments.
Library Journal
Henderson beautifully portrays this family in crisis through its most voluble and consistent member. Rapturous prose reveals young Tillie's heart as she yearns for the mother who will make her world better but who can't seem to mend her own tortured soul. A triumphant debut.
Jamie Ford, New York Times bestselling author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet Up from the Blue deftly portrays a family with contradictions we can all relate to—it's beautiful and maddening, hopeful and condemning, simple, yet like a knot that takes a lifetime to untangle. You will love it completely, even as it hurts you…it's a heartbreaking, rewarding story that still haunts me.
Sara Gruen, New York Times bestselling author of Water for Elephants
A haunting tale of the terrible ways in which we fail each other; of the whys, the what ifs, and the what nows. This is not a book you'll soon forget.
Caroline Leavitt, author of Girls in Trouble and Pictures of You
Haunting and unsettling, Up From the Blue's real alchemy is the way it uncovers the stories that alternately save us and keep us from our real truths. Incandescently written, this is a stunning debut with heart.
Recent Reader Reviews
Rated of 5
by mainlinebooker Don't be put off that this is a teen read This should be marketed for adults as well. It feels like the type of book that will soar by word of mouth from those who have read this until it hits the NYTimes bestseller list. It was an incredibly haunting,tender story told from the perspective... Read More
Desegregation Bussing
In 1954, the United States Supreme Court handed down its judgment for Brown v. Board of Education, Topeka, Kansas. In their landmark unanimous (9-0) decision, the Court stated that "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal", and thus ruled segregation to be a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution. This ruling overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson "separate but equal" decision of 1896 which had reinforced segregation, paving the way for integration and the civil rights movement.
Despite the Supreme Court's ruling, by the late 1960s many schools remained effectively segregated due to demographic and socio-economic issues and, in some instances, purposeful manipulation of school boundaries. Thus, from the late '60s onwards, a number of courts mandated that children should be bussed to schools outside their neighborhood. Supporters of "desegregation bussing" argued that integration would...
"Rarely has an author succeeded so splendidly at making real the inexplicable event (here a life-threatening childbirth) while also reminding us of the struggle between sisters, the enchantment of love, and the kindness of others. Do not miss this novel!"
A spellbinding novel about a troubled young girl and a family in crisis, and a gripping, astonishing portrait of recovery and self-determination.
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The first biography of Clarence Birdseye, the eccentric genius inventor whose fast-freezing process revolutionized the food industry and American agriculture.
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(965 words).
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Jamie Ford, New York Times bestselling author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
of 5
by mainlinebooker
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