Bibliography
Lisle, Janet T. 200o. The Art of Keeping Cool. New York: A Richard Jackson Book.
Summary
After his father leaves for the war Robert, his mom and sister leave their farm in Ohio to move to his father's hometown in Rhode Island. They move into the house next door to Robert's grandparents. His aunt, uncle and cousin Elliot live with his grandparents. Robert and Elliot are the same age. Robert discovers that Elliot can draw better than anyone he has ever seen but he keeps it a secret. Robert starts to notice there are a lot of secrets at his grandparents house. The biggest one being that his father's name is never mentioned. Elliot meets and befriends a German painter by the name of Abel Hoffman. Elliot keeps his new friend a secret at the house also. The US is at war with Germany and a lot of the townspeople dislike Abel. When the naval base on the island test their big guns Robert sneaks on base to watch. Abel Hoffman is there too and ends up getting chased by some soldiers. Robert tells some soldiers that come to his house what he saw concerning Abel. The town now thinks that he is a German spy and they end up burning down his makeshift house in the woods. This greatly upsets Elliot and withdrawls himself from most people including Robert. The book ends with Robert finding out that his grandfather shot his father in the leg after an argument. That is why his dad left and never came back. The story then flashes forward to Elliot in art school and Robert going to medical school.
Analysis
This book is set in New England in the 1940s during WWII. Lisle does a very good job of describing this to us by talking about gas rationing, food rationing and kids selling war bonds. Another good example that helps to describe that time is the fact that Robert's grandfather gets so upset about the women going to work. That is something that was very out of the ordinary until the war. A lot of the older generations held on to their beliefs that women should not work.
The plot of the story is interesting because it seems to have two different stories. Although Robert is the main character there is the story of Elliot and his painting and the story of why Robert's dad is never mentioned. You get to see Elliot go from hiding his talent to sharing it with Robert and Abel to becoming a real artist that sells his work. Then you get to see Robert throughout the book trying to find out why no one will talk about his father. You can feel his struggle as he wants to learn about his father as a boy, especially since he is gone, but not being able to do this. Little by little his aunt and uncle and even grandmother start talking about him but only when his grandfather is not around. Finally Elliot draws him a picture to tell him the story. By not saying it, it reinforces the impact the grandfather has on the family.
There are many unique characters in this story. One of my favorites is the grandfather, not him as a person but the way the character is written. You can feel his presence in the story even when he is not there. He has such a hold of fear on the family. This is shown by statements such as, "Everyone felt relieved when he wasn't at the table." and "She shook her finger at Uncle Jake and glanced back over her shoulder as if Grandpa's glowering face were about to appear." I love Elliot's quirkiness. The way he still keeps his bird egg collection under his bed even in college.
There were two themes that stuck out to me personally in the book. One was Elliot saying, "Don't let it bother you." This was the "trick" he used not let his grandfather or other family members bother him. He was telling this to Robert when he was getting worked up over the situation about his dad. I think it tells a lot about Elliot. He did not let things bother him that he could not change. He just moved on. That is a great way to live life. There is no need to dawdle and fret over things that you have no control of. The other actually came from Abel Hoffman. Abel told Elliot to paint with "less perfectness, more you-ness." It took Elliot awhile to find his "you-ness" but eventually he did. Again what a great way to live life. Nobody is perfect but everyone can be themselves. These are not things I would have expected to take from this book before I read it, but I am glad I did.
Lisle did not include an afterward that helped the reader to verify his authenticity. However we know from other accounts of history about that time period. About the rationing of gas, food and the selling of war bonds. The attitudes about women going back to work is also very authentic. Overall I feel that the book was authentic and is a good representation of a family living in New England during the WWII.
Review Excerpts
Horn Book Magazine review -"In building the plot to this climactic revelation, Lisle develops an unforgettable cast of characters placed against a fully realized setting."
School Library Journal review - "Despite a misleading title (the word "cool" does not conjure up the 1940s), this is a well-drawn story that is part coming-of-age, part mystery."Connections
I would love to use this book to help my students learn about what life was like for civilians during the war. I think the fact that we are at war now and the economy is not great would be a good time to discuss this. I do not want to scare my children but I think in this day and age it is important for students to know some of the things that their parents and grandparents went through so that they could be where they are today. I would like to do a rationing experiment in my class. For a week I would like to ration certain things like pencils, papers, books and see how the students can handle it.
No comments:
Post a Comment