Our class had a great conversation this week about judging quality writing. I made a snarky remark about Bomb receiving a Newbery Honor in response to a couple of students criticizing the writing. One student keenly asked, “Why does it matter if it has this aluminum sticker on it?” Even though I had to bite my tongue, I responded kindly–or at least I remember it as such, but I could be wrong. Looking back, though, I do think her argument is solid: What are we telling kids when they want to challenge the quality of a book? You’re wrong because there is a sticker.
I’m reminded of this because next week’s reading is my favorite book on the list for this semester: Copper Sun, by Sharon Draper. This novel earned Draper the Correta Scott King Award, which annually recognizes outstanding African-American writers and illustrators in the field of young adult books about the African-American experience. Copper Sun was also a National Book Award finalist. So needless to say, it would be easy for me to point to the stickers on the book if anyone wants to disagree with me that it’s beautifully written.
But that is not what I’m going to do, especially after feeling as if I lost the last argument. Instead, I’d like to discuss why I think this book is so great.
When done well, historical fiction takes you back in time not only in the details but in how it felt to be alive back then, and I think that is what Copper Sun does so well. I felt at home with Amari in the opening pages when Draper describes a typical day with her family:
Amari and her mother scurried around their small dwelling, rolling up the sleeping mats and sweeping the dirt floor with a broom made of branches. Throughout the village, the pungent smells of goat stew and peanut soup, along with waves of papaya and honeysuckle that wafted through the air, made Amari feel hungry and excited. The air was fragrant with hope and possibility. (p. 6)
Draper creates this type of imagery throughout the start of the novel, and sets up a wonderful life that Amari has before being taken. The brief description of the village matches the final sentence of “hope and possibility.” We experience Amari’s daily routine through active verbs and the strongest tie to memory, our sense of smell, which places the reader into the details of her life. Much like our grandparents house or of dinner throughout your home after a long day of work, our sense of smell can trigger memories and create a sense of comfort better than any of our other senses.
What makes this scene so important, though, is that it sets us up for the awful scene when Amari is taken, and parallels what precedes the opening chapter that foreshadows the terrible sequence of events:
Amari shuffled in the dirt as she was led into the yard and up onto a raised wooden table, which she realized gave the people in the yard a perfect view of the women who were to be sold. She looked at the faces in the sea of pink-skinned people who stood around pointing at the captives and jabbering in their language as each of the slaves was described. She looked for pity or even understanding but found nothing except cool stares. They looked at her as if she were a cow for sale.
This is a stark contrast from “hope and possibility.” Her feelings of excitement and the comfort knowing that her needs are cared for are replaced with a search for “pity,” only to be left with a feeling that she is no longer human.
From there, Draper takes us on a long ride through the slave trade and what it’s like to be a slave in America during the 1730s through the eyes of a 15 year-old girl. She shows us how wonderful the details of our life can be by giving us the horrors of what the human race is capable of doing.
I think this book is heart-wrenching and brilliantly exciting and inspiring. I think this book deserves a sticker or two. What about you? I’d like you to tell me what you thought of Draper’s craft. Do you like her style? Why or why not? Be sure to use evidence to support your claims.
English Teaching Project @ Binghamton 
Perhaps it is not always exactly the quality of the writing that makes a book a prize winner (I have not yet read *Copper Sun*, so this comment should not be taken as a swipe at the author’s style). I would guess that prize committees consider other criteria as well as strong style: an important story that needs to be told, a story’s relevance to our time, the way a writer grips our imagination or consciences–or both.
Excellent point, Dr. Burch. And might I add that I think Copper Sun could easily be guilt of a few more that you mention here.
Normally, when I read a book I fold down the tops of the pages that contain quotes that I like and want to remember after finishing the book. I usually go back to these folded down pages and am able to tell how much I enjoyed the book based on how many pages I have folded down. However, for *Copper Sun* I wasn’t able to use this technique because I would have needed to fold down every page! The entire novel was beautifully written. Draper writes in a way that is both easy to understand yet complex enough that the reader feels that they have been transported into the eighteenth century.
Right when I began reading the novel, I was moved by the author’s note. The author’s note begins by stating “I am the granddaughter of a slave. My grandfather-not my great-great-grandfather or some long-distant relative- was born a slave in the year 1860 on a farm in North Carolina” (Author’s Note, no page number). By being open about her connection to the story she has written, I found the story to be more genuine. Teenie’s famous line throughout the novel, “Long as you live, chile, nothin’ ain’t really ever gone” (pg. 293) draws parallels to Draper’s author’s note. Additionally, I appreciated the uniqueness of Draper’s novel. I loved historical fiction as a young adult and have read many novels about the eighteenth century slave trade. However, I have never read a novel in which the author discusses the life of the soon to be slave before he/she is captured. Now that I think about it, why don’t other books talk about this? Most books choose to focus on the horrors of the slave trade, attempting to escape, or the relationship between master and slave. Never have I read a novel which discusses how wonderful and happy a slave was before they were captured. Of course, we know that people would be happier in their homes before they are captured and sold into slavery. Draper’s description of Amari’s village and family life is written in a way that makes it seem very real to the reader. When her parents and brother are killed, we can feel her anguish and when she is captured and forced to walk for miles every day towards the ocean, we can feel her despair. By showing the author how wonderful Amari’s life was before she was captured, the reader is able to see the stark contrast that is enslavement.
Finally, I loved how Draper created such a strong female protagonist in both Amari and Polly, but especially in Amari. After being given a chance to escape, Amari insists to Polly and Tidbit, “ ‘Not Myna no more. Amari.’ She spoke with clarity and certainty” (pg. 207). This quote embodies how slavery strips humans of everything- even their names. Through her insistence that she be called her parent given name instead of her master given name, Amari shows that her willpower and remembrance of her past is strong enough to help her survive.
I’m just glad I assigned a book you hadn’t read yet.
I love everything about Copper Sun. If this novel doesn’t create a sense of empathy in students, then I don’t know what will. It is absolutely heart wrenching when Amari’s family is killed and she begins her gruesome journey. Draper is able to make the reader feel as if they are experiencing everything with Amari. We talked a little bit last night about how a story should appeal to all of the senses and Draper consistently does this. When she is with Clay we can smell his spoiled food breath, see his greasy hair and feel his damp hands (110). We also realize how truly miserable Amari is when Teenie admits that she has a poisonous root and Amari implores Teenie to give it to her. I can’t imagine anyone not being affected by this story. For me, I think it is far more important how much of an impact a story has on the reader as opposed to how many stickers it has. Maybe BOMB! did win some fancy award but I can barely remember anything about that book and I read it last week, so that sticker means nothing to me. I think Copper Sun demands to be contemplated and talked about long after the book is closed and isn’t that exactly what we want when we are choosing books for our students?
I completely agree with all of your comment. I like how you mentioned how Draper’s writing appeals to the senses. I had never paid attention to this in books before, but your comment flashes me back to that.
I couldn’t agree more with your last sentence. Why don’t we ask that more often?
I completely agree with Hannah and Maggie. Copper Sun is vividly written and tells an incredible story that, like Hannah said, you cannot help but feel empathy towards. Draper most definitely deserves the Coretta Scott King Award and certainly others. I found the beginning of the book to go from these wonderful scenes with an interesting perspective into everyday life of Amari’s community to so swiftly becoming a story about slavery. In the very beginning, one line just hit home for me. Draper writes, “Kwadzo died one morning, probably from his untreated wound, Amari thought, or maybe from his untreated sorrow, but she could not mourn his loss.” (21). I was hooked into this story from that sentence on. Draper writes with such intense imagery, the story unfolded easily in my mind. In particular, on page 232, Draper writes, “Amari looked at Polly. Polly looked at Tidbit. They all looked towards the woods. In silent agreement they hurried away from Clay.” It is so easy to picture this scene happening, which is a testament to Draper’s effective style. Hannah’s last sentences in her comment are exactly how I feel, too. Yes, BOMB! was given an award, but the story is too forgettable, too like a lecture. Copper Sun finds a place in your mind and heart to get comfortable and stays there a while. And, as Hannah said, that’s exactly what we want for our students.
I agree that Draper does use imagery effectively, at times I felt like I was seeing through either Polly’s or Amari’s eyes, and at other times feeling the pain of other characters. The passage where Amari was being whipped was probably the hardest part for me to read. The description of her skin tearing open was enough to make my stomach flip. My favorite passage was when Polly shot Clay. I like how Draper described her as a ” dusty blond shadow that erupted from the woods..” (pg. 230). Also, I noticed that the images of the copper sun symbolized/guided Amari’s journey though out the novel, because we see it before she leaves home, when she arrives to America, and at the end as a free girl.
I liked how Draper used the appearance of the two girl’s as a contrast to one another, one dark-skinned with dark eyes, and one light-skinned with light eyes, but very similar in other aspects. Pretty much Amari and Polly were in the same situation but treated differently because of the color of their skin–which speaks to the overall theme of slavery. The whole story-line with Mrs. Derby, Noah, and the baby, was both heart-warming and heart-wrenching. I literally gasped when the baby was born black, did not see that coming! (oops should I have put **spoiler alert**??)
The ending of Draper’s *Copper Sun* reminded me of the ending of Hopkin’s *Crank*–a teenage girl finding out she is pregnant by someone who had raped her, but still looking to their baby as a new beginning. I don’t know if this a good thing or a bad thing, but I found it interesting.
Overall, I loved this novel. I agree with what Maggie said about the strong female protagonists–Amari & Polly. Both girls changed and grew throughout the novel. Although both girls grew stronger throughout, I think Polly’s change was more dynamic.
Drapers writing is exceptional. This novel is by far one of the best we have read all semester. Her ability to create vivid imagery is amazing. All throughout this book it was so easy to read because she made you feel like you were actually present for the events in the story. An example is at the end of chapter 2 when draper writes, “She lay there in the darkness, cuddling his small, lifeless body, unable to weep, unable to run any longer.” This creates an image of sadness coupled with pure exhaustion. Also, this enables the reader come as close to living the scene. Drapers word usage along with the storyline create one outstanding read.
I think Draper does a great job of getting the audience to feel for the characters within Copper Sun. While I did not enjoy all the emotions I felt while reading the story, I did overall like all the characters. I felt for Amari. I cannot imagine how horrific it was living in those times. Amari is a child who has seen more than most adults in her short life. She was captured, watched her parents die, was stuck in a cage while waiting to aboard a ship, was raped, had her innocence violated by grown men, and dealt with cruel slave owners. Who would ever want a life like that for anyone?
Amari’s most influential characteristic is she never stopped trying to get the freedom she knew she deserved. The reader could not help but hope for the best, but be prepared for the worst. How could you not expect the worst to happen after all Amari went through? Just as it seemed everything was turning around, another bad guy would pop out from behind the trees, literally and figuratively.
It was sad getting to the end of the novel when it was the final approach to freedom. I had my fingers crossed the whole time as the characters approach Fort Mose. I think I would have honestly been extremely angered if Amari, Polly, their dog, and Tidbit did not find safety within the confines of Fort Mose. I probably would have had a few choice words if these young children did not experience happiness at the end of the book. After all they went through, they deserve more than just arriving safely at Fort Mose. I hope the rest of their lives are only filled with joy and positivity.
I do have to say I was rooting for the dog throughout the entire novel. He is as sweet as they come. Draper portrays the amazing bond that occurs between humans and our pets. Not only did the dog take abuse when he was fighting for the children, but he endured the whole trip to Florida with his humans. The dog was the ray of sunshine throughout the entire novel. He always instilled hope within the characters and never left their sides. It did not matter to the dog if he dog put his life in danger, he did whatever he could for his best friends, his humans. A love like that conquers all.
You must be a pet lover 😉
Things I enjoyed about Copper Sun:
-The way Draper split the novel in to eleven segments going back and forth between Amari and Polly. These two girls were very different yet their stories were forced to blend. I think the book’s construction adds depth to that bond. It also illuminates the shared struggles women faced at that time that superseded race, class and upbringing.
-The realization of Amari and Polly that the social conventions they were growing up under did not match with reality. “I never even see white person until they attack my village. It be hard to have hate feeling and like feeling at same time.” Polly said, “I understand, Amari.” Amari looked at Polly and said shyly, “I think now I have friend with pale skin.” (p267).
-The accuracy of language during the time period. Further, the distinct voice each character had – remarkable. Teenie stood out to me as one of the strongest voices created: “I know who you is,” the little woman said with a smile. “I knows everything. Hiding stuff from me is like tryin’ to put socks on a rooster!” (p96)
-The shock factor of almost every scene. When the red-haired man pulled Amari in to his quarters and treated her kindly, the shooting of Mrs. Derby, Noah and their child, the reality of Fort Mose. The list goes on and on.
-The poetic imagery within Draper’s writing. “They woke to warblers singing, making melody with a red and black woodpecker that tapped a beat on the trunk of a tree.” (p281).
-The way Amari’s hopeful persistence causes every reader to ask themselves – would I fight through, too?
-The fact that it had a happy ending – but not so happy that it was unrealistic. Fort Mose was not a castle in the sky. It was a place where they would continue to feel burdened by hard work. But peace came in feeling safe and that’s what the reader wants for Amari, Tidbit and Polly throughout the novel.
Things I enjoyed about Copper Sun:
-The way Draper split the novel in to eleven segments going back and forth between Amari and Polly. These two girls were very different yet their stories were forced to blend. I think the book’s construction adds depth to that bond. It also illuminates the shared struggles women faced at that time that superseded race, class and upbringing.
-The realization of Amari and Polly that the social conventions they were growing up under did not match with reality. “I never even see white person until they attack my village. It be hard to have hate feeling and like feeling at same time.” Polly said, “I understand, Amari.” Amari looked at Polly and said shyly, “I think now I have friend with pale skin.” (267).
-The accuracy of language during the time period.
-The shock factor of almost every scene. When the red-haired man pulled Amari in to his quarters and treated her kindly, the shooting of Mrs. Derby, Noah and their child, the reality of Fort Mose. The list goes on and on.
-The poetic imagery within Draper’s writing. “They woke to warblers singing, making melody with a red and black woodpecker that tapped a beat on the trunk of a tree.” (281).
-The way Amari’s hopeful persistence causes every reader to ask themselves – would I fight through, too?
-The fact that it had a happy ending – but not so happy that it was unrealistic. Fort Mose was not a castle in the sky. It was a place where they would continue to feel burdened by hard work. But peace came in feeling safe and that’s what the reader wants for Amari, Tidbit and Polly throughout the novel.
I don’t want to write about Copper Sun, by Sharon Draper, because I liked it so much. It’s the kind of book that even after you’ve finished, you have to take a moment just to think, wow! It was quite the journey we went on with Amari and Polly. It broke my heart, but always filled it back up somehow. Draper’s writing style is definitely something to marvel at. She gives us everything we need from great historical fiction. I loved how many different perspectives we get throughout the novel. The various characters give us a range of the ruinous effects of slavery.
It was interesting to understand slavery from the perspective of Polly, an indentured, white, teenage girl. Although her age and station in life were nearly equal to Amari’s, it still angered Polly to care for her. I think Polly and the slaveholders shared similar notions and assumptions about slaves until Polly had to live like one, sharing in their injustices. Polly confided in Amari near their journey’s end, “You know, I never really knew any black people before I came to Mr. Derby’s place. I mean, everybody had slaves, of course, but I never actually thought about them. And I certainly never had a black friend before” (Draper 267). Polly experiences the barbarities of slavery much like we do reading the novel, through empathy and the privilege of getting to know and love Amari.
Sharon Draper doesn’t make it difficult for us to love any of these characters. Tidbit and Hushpuppy are pure gold. I was rooting for the four of these characters so hard, I’d yell out “No! They did not lose Hushpuppy again!” Or, when Clay returns to throw a wrench in their runaway plan, I gasped aloud with an expletive or two. I was so deeply involved with their story; I couldn’t wait to return to it. It’s rare to read a page-turner that is this beautifully written. I will definitely be recommending this book to anyone with a beating heart.
Copper Sun Blog:
The historical fiction novel “Copper Sun” written by Sharon Draper is beautifully written and I absolutely love the strong imagery she uses throughout the entire story. Draper’s craft has a way of keeping the readers interest from page to page and she has no problem of getting right into the story from the very beginning. When I was engaged in reading this book not only did I enjoy the descriptive imagery portrayed throughout her book but I really felt like I was there back in that time period seeing and almost experiencing some of these horrific events. The reader knows almost immediately what this book is going to be about and she crafted this novel in a way that appealed to all of our senses. On page 8 she describes the white settlers in such a way it captured my attention “The men with skin like the milk of goats and their Ashanti companions drank the palm wine from hand carved gourds that had been decorated with ceremonial tribal designs” (pg. 8). This depicts a celebration of white settlers as they gained their trust with the African people. They welcomed these visitors with open arms of food and celebration. These people are happy and show hospitality to the foreigners. The African people do not know their purpose for being on their land but are happy to share their wealth of food and goods. “No real explanations for their presence had been given yet, but with the exchange of gifts, the feelings of unease began to lessen…” (pg8). In those two quotes the reader knows that the white settlers are there to take the African people back to the south for 18th century slave trade. The character Amari had referred to them as unusual looking…they smelled of danger…he had eyes the color of the sky (pg7.). These are all quotes to forewarn the reader that death is imminent. This novel definitely deserve the Coretta Scott King Award. This book was truly one of my favorites I’m a big fan of the 18th century historical period as hard as it is to read sometimes Draper truly made it enjoyable with the feeling of empathy at the same time. I apologize for going a little crazy with the quotes but there are so many of them throughout and her style of writing really gets me excited to talk about how she brings us back in time.
Copper Sun by Sharon Draper is written in a way that grabs the reader immediately and never lets go. This is not a novel that you can leisurely stroll through, once opened you’re in it for the long hall and you don’t mind a bit. Draper takes a situation that very few people can imagine, and makes it accessible and relatable to the reader through the use of imagery. The killing, capturing, raping, buying, and selling of human beings by human beings is a disgusting and indisputable part of this country’s history. Sharon Draper stresses the unnaturalness of these actions by putting them next to the stark contrast of the beauty of nature. Throughout this novel it is this beauty that allows Amari to maintain the strength to survive, it is the little reminders of her home through nature that aid her on her journey. Although there are many beautiful lines in this piece perhaps my favorite, and most haunting is “The sunset that evening was unlike any Amari had ever seen. The spirit of the copper sun seemed to bleed for them as it glowed bright red against the deepening blue of the great water. It sank slowly, as if saying farewell. The shadows deepened and darkness covered the beach.” This passage falls after Amari sees the ocean for the first time. A beauty she was unaware that her homeland possessed, a beauty that she never got to appreciate because of her circumstances. Amari saw this sunset as her homeland and perhaps her family saying goodbye, I believe it was in this moment that she knew that she would never see her home again, and she felt that nature mourned for her. Draper takes us to a time period that makes faith in humanity difficult. Although this novel is filled with plenty of despicable human beings, Draper allows her young audience to maintain their faith in the good of people through characters such as Mrs. Derby, Fiona, Dr. Hoskins, and Nathan who are put in a position to fuel the cruelty but instead choose to help the children. In my opinion this is necessary for young readers because it would be depressing to read of a world where there were no decent people, and it may read as unauthentic leaving them unable to relate. Draper creates a beautifully written piece that consists of believable characters that the audience can easily become absorbed in.
I thought this book was BEAUTIFULLY written and crafted, and because of that I enjoyed it much more than Bomb. The examples listed above in the original post were two that I had highlighted for its descriptive usage and key examples of what life for Amari was like. As I read this I found myself comparing it to 12 Years a Slave, a memoir of American Solomon Northup, a free and successful man born in New York with a family, who captured and sold in slavery. The story follows him through his 12 year journey through captivity in Louisiana and finally finding freedom (I saw the movie first then read the book, the book was better). While I understand the two are completely different story lines and the points of view are contrasting in many aspects, such as gender and age I found myself comparing the two experiences, not to say either one was better or worse than the other, the whole time was extremely appalling. However, after reading both I feel I have a much better understanding of the time and I know the history and what life was like back then, which as discussed in class today is exactly what historical fiction is supposed to do. Both were written so differently, and if I had to chose I would say Draper’s was written more eloquently in terms of word choice and style and that could perhaps be because she is a woman and therefore treats the situation with more sensitivity, being that she is writing from a 15 year old girls perspective, or maybe because even though she clearly did her research she wasn’t the one who experienced it, whereas Northup actually went through it and walked us through his experiences more head on and less sensitive for he wanted people to know the exact harshness of what he went through. Both are prime examples of staying hopeful, and both took vastly different approaches but overall came out extremely successful in getting their message and points across in their novels.
I really didn’t enjoy reading Copper Sun.
As far as the quality of the writing goes, I’m a little conflicted. I love reading books that make want to annotate, the ones with language that make me stop and say “damn, I like that line.” That’s usually how I know that I admire a book for its aesthetic value, but I don’t think I had that experience with Draper’s book. I know it’s the title of the book, but was it really necessary to describe the sun as “copper” THAT many times?
If this were nonfiction, I wouldn’t complain about this, but I thought that the book became pretty predictable early on. Draper didn’t sugarcoat any of her descriptions, but she did often resort to subdued descriptions of what was happening. I actually welcomed this sort of literary-pixellation over the book’s worse scenes, but I think this style of writing somehow gave away the ending, or at least the nature of the ending. I knew it would be a happy ending, but it wouldn’t be TOO happy. I knew that horrible things were going to happen to the characters, but they wouldn’t be TOO horrible. I knew that Tidbit wasn’t going to get killed as gator-bait, and I don’t know why Draper bothered including that bit with the Alligator attempting to bite Polly right after they crossed the river. There were times where the attempts at creating suspense just fell short at actually doing so.
At the same time, however, I was engaged in the story, and I did have very vivid mental images of everything from the holds of the ship to the Irishman’s tiny cabin in the woods. So maybe the fact that I didn’t really stop to admire the language speaks to how engaging it was.
But I do feel a little shallow for judging the book on the grounds that I saw things coming. I mean, I love romantic comedies.
I think the best part about the book is the shifting perspectives, especially as it relates to what was mentioned in class this morning about historical fiction conveying the values of the times. Polly’s shifting thoughts on the treatment of slaves from her first appearance to the end of the novel are pivotal in understanding the way people thought during this time period. And from this comes the main reason I didn’t like reading this book. It almost made me understand how people could treat other humans the way slaves were treated, and that’s not something I want to understand. These people were raised to believe that those that are different are lesser, sub-human. So can we really blame them? When we feel compassion for characters like Amari, is that even something we’d feel if we had the same upbringing as the despicable Clay?
I didn’t like this book because it challenged the notion that our humanity is innate. And I know it’s incredibly naiive of me, but I desperately want to hold on to that notion, to keep on telling myself that there is no way I could ever, in any time period or with any upbringing, think the thoughts that Polly thought when she first saw Amari, to even question the existence of emotion in another human being. But then the book also suggested that there ARE inherently good people. I believe Amari’s quote was something along the lines of “good man, bad father. Bad man, bad father,” describing Nathan and Clay respectively. This book made me ashamed to be a human. The saddest part of this book was the year in which it was set. 1738. That leaves something 130 more years of slavery.
To kind of wrap it up, even though I didn’t like this book that much, I think it’s really important. It’s kinda similar to what I said about Bomb. History class basically told me “Slavery REALLY sucked, but we don’t do that anymore.” They told us about the whippings, the division of families, and the conditions during the middle passage. But they never told us about the blind murder involved in the removal of slaves from Africa. They didn’t mention the rape, and they definitely didn’t even allude to the psychological effects these things would have on people, especially those who could barely, if at all, speak the language that was being used to torture them. And if they did tell us about those things, I definitely don’t remember, and probably because I didn’t understand in way I would have if I had read this book. Draper tackles real issues in a way that’s nauseating at times, but also digestible for younger readers. She does what historical fiction is supposed to do.
More importantly, it challenged your beliefs. The fact that you didn’t like it will be addressed rudely in class. Come prepared.
I absolutely loved this book! I thought it was written beautifully, and as you said Dr. Mcconn, I felt like I was right there with Amari. The imagery was amazing–I was literally watching a movie in my head, and although it was really hard, I could not look away.
I fell in love with this book right away because of the relationship between Afi and Amari. Here we have two women who have literally been through hell, and they are faced with something that I cannot even imagine going through. Yet, they still manage to have hope, but they also go through periods where they are completely miserable and would rather die than endure another day. This is how life works! Finally, someone writes it truthfully! It’s just not possible to be happy and hopeful all the time–when we’re faced with something horrific, we’ll have hope, but there will be times where we just break down and want to give up. For example, when Amari is walking from her village and she is shackled, she tells Tirza that as long as there is life, there is hope. This is an amazing thing to say, and this carries Amari throughout this horrific period in her life, but it doesn’t mean that she doesn’t break down and lose it either. When the men were coming to choose their slaves for the night, Amari said she would rather die, and Afi had to be the one who gave her hope. This truly represents life, hardship, and humanity. The ebb and flow of hope and despair in this novel is so wonderfully done, and I just loved it!