31 May 2004  BIRD by Angela Johnson, Penguin Group/Dial, October 2004, 132 pages, ISBN: 0-8037-2847-6

"People struggle, people fight

For the simple pleasures in their lives

The trouble comes from everywhere

It's a little more than you can bear

I know that it will hurt

I know it will break your heart the way things are

And the way they've been

And the way they've always been"

--Natalie Merchant

BIRD is an exquisitely crafted tale, expressed in the trio of young voices through which Angela Johnson explores matters of the heart--both metaphorically and literally.

"And I wonder what the farmhouse people would do if I just walked up to them and said, 'Hey.' "

Thirteen-year-old Bird is the first of those narrators. Brokenhearted, she has run away from her home in Ohio in hopes of retrieving her departed stepfather, Cecil.

"Ethan holds his chest when he talks and Jay talks like his heart is in his hands."

Ethan and Jay provide the story's two other voices. After having taken a bus to Alabama, Bird has found shelter in the old shed outside of Ethan's home.

"Even in this little town I don't think they know each other."

Ethan had almost died. But the death of a boy in his town gave Ethan a new lease on life. That boy who died was Jay's brother, Derek.

But why has Bird chosen to come here?

"I miss my mom.

"I even miss the people here that I can see every day if I want.

'Cause they aren't mine. All these people going in and out of their houses in this place I'm gonna leave anytime--they don't belong to me.

"I'm borrowing them until I get what I came for.

"Hope it's not wrong to borrow them. It doesn't mean I don't like them or care about them. I'm only passing through and borrowing." Bird's quiet alightment in the boys' town brings heart to all those with whom she comes in contact.

"My arms are lighter when I walk back to the house."

Beautifully written and ending all too soon, Angela Johnson's bittersweet story of love, life, and loss is one that is sure to touch readers.

Richie Partington

http://richiespicks.com

BudNotBuddy@aol.com