Another great story by award-winning author Lois Lowry. This work of fiction is told in retrospect, as an aging Docky or Katy looks back to a defining moment in her long life. Katy remembers when she met her house maid and her brother, Jacob. The siblings grew up on a poor farm and Peggy is coming to help her family. Jacob is her special brother that has an infinity for animals but has been "touched". That is to say, he does not communicate orally. Jacob is allowed to roam the countryside after he has performed his chores on the farm, so Katy sees him in her family barn and on her father's rounds. She develops a friendship with Jacob, simply because she can tell him everything. This friendship is solidified as she learns more about this quiet boy, especially when she visits the family farm the day that her sister is born.
Katy's best friend Austin lives next door, and as luck would have it their housemaid is Peggy's sister, Nellie. The two sister are polar opposites both are good hard workers, but Nellie is boisterous with bright red hair and Peggy is quieter. Nellie has her head in the clouds and wants to become a famous movie star. Katy discovers that Nellie and Austin's older brother, Paul, are sweet on each other. This is definitely not acceptable, for the aspiring lawyer to be and the house girl to have a relationship. Nellie falls for Paul, yet he sees her as easy pickings. Nellie is forced to return to her parent's farm and Paul is sent to boarding school. What follows is the night that Katy can not forget. The event changes everyone's lives and lands Jacob in the local asylum.
I enjoyed this story for its glimpse into a different time, a different way of life; the beginning of the phone, the advent of automobiles and when the United States had a definitive class system. A lot of the rules that governed behavior where more unspoken, acceptable and unacceptable actions. Many of these have faded from the daily fabric of our lives. This book is an excellent read for fifth grade and up and appropriate for either gender. Since this is one of my favorite books by Lois Lowry I give it a 5 out of 5 stars. By the way, educators, my copy of "The Silent Boy" came with discussion questions and an interview, Happy reading!
Links
Author: Lois Lowry
History of Autism
History of Mental Illness - Asylum
History of treatment for autism
No comments:
Post a Comment