Has tragedy ever happened in your family? Do you ever feel alone? In the book ‘Road to Tater Hill’ by Edith M. Hemingway Annie’s family has to deal with the loss of Annie’s baby sister Mary Kate. While Annie’s family is grieving over the loss of the baby Annie feels alone and abandoned by her family. One day Annie was taking a walk in the woods and she sees the silhouette of an older women. “Who was that farther over in the woods? It looked like a girl, but who would be walking around in the woods alone?” Annie asked herself. The next day decided to walk back down to the woods to see if she could find the older women again. When Annie came across an abandoned house she decided to walk around it and she happened to find the older women sitting there on the back porch. Annie and the older women grew closer and closer as the weeks went by. Annie’s mom was going through depression and whenever Annie felt alone she would go to the old abandoned house to talk to the older women. As time goes by Annie’s mom heals and Annie doesn’t feel so alone. I liked this book because I can relate to some of the problems Annie goes through throughout the story. I recommend this book to students the age of 12 and older. I really liked this book because the characters were easy to get to know.It reminded me how things have changed so much in just under 50 years. It is a good book to read with a middle school girl and talk about the issues. In fact the book makes for much richer reading if you have the background of the social norms at the time. It was not until the late 60's early 70's that premature babies had a high survival rate. Now we grieve as a community, but the back then it was a hushed up matter. Children were not included in the grieving process as they are now. Mother's were discouraged from seeing their dead children. Mothers were oftened viewed as a failure to not be able to bring a child to term. As I read this book it really brought home to me that Jackie Kennedy not only had to face grief once in front of a nation, but twice in a just 4 months. Shock treatments were used up to the late 60's to treat patients who did not respond to other therapies. This is another subject that was largely dealt with shame and as " a family matter" in the 60's. The stigma of this treatment was immense on a family. In fact it was the political campaign of McGovern/ Eagleston that helped bring it to the open as people debated if a person treated with ECT was capable of stepping in to run a country. It was in 70's that more openess and acceptance really started to grow. While researching this topic I was surprised to see articles on this therpay making a comeback in 2009/2010. Guess we will have to wait and see how that goes. Spousal abuse opions have also changed dramatically in the same time frame. I seriously doubt today that she would have been convicted. This is a book about struggling to make sense in a world gone upside down on you. Annie struggles first on her own and then with the help of friends and relatives. You have a sense of hope by the end of the book that with time all will work out for the family.
This story is a very heart worming book. It made me cry at the end. Annie is such a sweet character.
—Arshanie
A beautiful story of grieving and what is found after a terrible loss.
—meme
I loved this book, poignant and heartwarming.
—ella
This is a Class of 2K9 book!
—Rebecca
very contrived.
—17149032441
