Friday, April 18, 2008

Map of Ireland - Read it Now!


I really try not to be pushy about books.  I love them, can't fall asleep without a stack of them threatening to collapse on me, and love to recommend good reads.  Many of my friends take advantage of this proclivity, sometimes at odd hours.  Few visitors to my home leave without having some sort of reading material offered as a parting gift.

Map of Ireland is a spectacular read.  It is haunting and elegant and has stayed with me since finishing it two weeks ago to the point where I might read it again.  Now.  

The story unfolds through the narration of a 16 year old girl from South Boston.  Her community is caught up in the turmoil of busing in 1974.  She's never had close contact with anyone who wasn't white, so when her French teacher turns out to be a woman of African descent from Paris on an exchange program her world is blown open.  Our narrator is also exploring the meaning of her attraction to other girls, dealing with the ways in which this marks her as different herself in her tight-knit community. Don't be put off by the age of the narrator, even those who rabidly avoid "coming of age" stories will find unexpected twists and moments of shock.  Read it already.

To read more or buy it, check this out. Or this. Or this from the lovely Charis Books.