The Madman of the Piney Woods and How it Went Down
Curtis’ companion novel to ELIJAH OF BUXTON is an equally excellent stand alone, which shares much of what made its predecessor distinguished: unique voices that take their time, building deep familiarity with character and setting so that–in this case–a fairly simple but highly dramatic plot line supports a complex coming-of-age in the two main characters. Like ELIJAH, this book requires a reader who will let the story take its time to deliver; but it never wanders, or takes too long. The attention to detail helps the historical setting and perspective become fully realized, and the sense of humor makes the story feel real, and keeps the reader engaged. Though the lessons learned are horrifying, they are presented in a way fully appropriate for the intended audience. This one shoots right up into my top picks.
And the audience question makes me think of it alongside another top pick I keep on not mentioning just because I know it will be a very hard sell. HOW IT WENT DOWN by Kekla Magoon is an amazing multi-voice novel following characters who witness a lethal shooting on an urban street. Multi-voice narratives are hard to pull off…they tend to be uneven, or the opposite: you can’t tell the characters apart. Magoon convincingly carries a wide array of distinct and engaging voices, and realistically approaches a complex story about guilt, restitution, community, and free will. The reviews all call this book “14 and up”; I would call it “12 and up,” but regardless, it is certainly a book for a YA audience. I believe it is also a book for a child audience, within the definition of the Newbery. Magoon manages a very fine approach that shows the struggles of each character in a way that is understandable to 12-14 audience, especially for those 12-14 year olds who witness all of the challenges Magoon’s characters are witnessing, everyday. This is the book that may help them make sense of some of it.
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One way to look at the age question is… is this 12-14 year old reader, who is both a child and a teen, approaching the book best from the perspective of a child? Or from the perspective of a teen? I think this is a true cusp book: it reads equally excellently from either perspective. Looking at the age level interpretations in the Newbery Manual, it is certainly “exceptionally fine” for this narrow age range. The question is whether it “does what it sets out to do as well as or better than other, younger books that are also eligible.” I might have to compare it to MADMAN OF THE PINEY WOODS in this case, if we assume that “what it sets out to do” is have the reader comes to terms with violence and racism in their community. It might, however, do it as well, or better. However you or the committee end up feeling about this one being Newbery eligible, I think it makes good comparison to other titles, and is particularly useful for feeling out where that “edge” is on “edgy.”
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About Nina Lindsay
Nina Lindsay is the Children's Services Coordinator at the Oakland Public Library, CA. She chaired the 2008 Newbery Committee, and served on the 2004 and 1998 committees. You can reach her at ninalindsay@gmail.com
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I thought the “lessons learned” in MADMAN were a little too heavy handed. Maybe it was because I was reading this book in short bursts on my lunch breaks, but it felt a little uneven. We’d go from happy-go-lucky boy-adventures to a sudden (and uncharacteristic) lecture abut the troubles of the Irish. Then back, with no real transition, to the fun times. It didn’t feel integrated to me. The whole character of the grandmother felt less of an actual character and more like a Teaching Opportunity.
I don’t recall the voices as being particularly distinct either. I don’t have my copy available, but I could mostly differentiate who was talking by what they were talking about, rather than through the voice in which they were speaking. They were distinct characters, and I don’t want to imply that they weren’t, but if the narrative was going to alternate between them, then I wanted more distinction between the ways they expressed themselves.
I actually thought it was more “integrated” having serious elements come in earlier and more interleaved compared to WATSONS or ELIJAH which I remember as being more consistently “happy-go-lucky boy-adventures” until serious stuff happens all at once at the end. (I am not saying this book was better though. I think all are of Mr. Curtis’ high level.)
I am not so sure about the stand alone quality of this book though. I think for the end to have much emotional resonance or even to feel justified, the reader has to remember ELIJAH OF BUXTON quite well, which I didn’t really.
I think WATSONS did that perfectly – life is happy-go-lucky for the family until the sudden tragedy comes out of nowhere. Experiencing real trauma in that way IS overwhelming and unexpected and completely at odds with the rest of your “real” life. It’s been too long since I read Elijah to remember how well he did (or didn’t) interleave the funny with the tragedy.
I’m absolutely with you on the ending. I felt like I SHOULD care more, but since I haven’t read Elijah since it came out, I actually didn’t even remember the character of Cooter at all, since most of what made a lasting impact on me was Elijah himself and what happened after he left Buxton. So I reacted in a similar way to what I think a reader unfamiliar with the first book would have, where there was this slow buildup to the “big reveal” of who the Lion was … and then just confusion and anticlimax. It was a little self-indulgent in my opinion.