From the Publisher
By the author of the Newbery Honor book Belle Prater's Boy
It is the mid-1950s, and Lyrics familys dream is finally coming true -- they are moving from the backwoods of southwest Virginia to Flint, Michigan, where her father hopes to get an assembly-line job for a car manufacturer. Thirteen-year-old Lyric has always been close to and admired her older sister, Summer, who is pretty and popular. But in their new hometown, Summer unexpectedly and drastically changes. She becomes remote, speaks gibberish, stops taking care of her appearance, wont go to high school, and then seems to have hallucinations. Lyric and her father try to cope with the devastating effects of Summers mental illness, but, sadly, there is no bringing the old Summer back. Ruth White has written a heart-wrenching novel which, despite the sad and serious subject matter, offers readers humor and hope and most of all love.
Publishers Weekly
White's (Belle Prater's Boy) familiar territory of Appalachia in the 1950s is the vividly drawn springboard to this tender, lyrical novel about mental illness. Sisters Summer and Lyric Compton are 16 and 13, respectively, when their Poppy decides to leave the sooty coal mines of rural Virginia for the booming automobile factories of Flint, Mich. Told in Lyric's evocative drawl, the story of their migration contains enough careful observations and insights to carry the tale all by itself. But it is Summer's descent into schizophrenia that emerges as the focal point. Acknowledging that Summer "always did have funny ways about her" (since childhood, Summer has been so afraid of electricity that she won't turn on a light), Lyric and Poppy are not quick to act when Summer's behavior and language grow more and more irrational. But as Poppy gets a job with Chevrolet and moves the family from a squalid apartment to a house of their own, and as Lyric makes friends and begins to say "ree-al-lee" and "yous guys" instead of "no foolin'" and "y'all," Summer's illness encroaches on their lives in an increasingly demanding and dangerous manner. Summer's disintegration inspires confusion, anger and palpable frustration in Lyric before she finally understands her sister's plight. The result is a wise and thoughtful novel, painfully well realized and gently revealed. Ages 10-up. (Aug.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
Children's Literature
When thirteen-year-old Lyric moves from Glory Bottom, Virginia to Flint, Michigan in 1955, she learns that "kids are like chickens--they'll peck you to death if you're different." So she adjusts, discovering that tennis shoes are called sneakers, and that "tarnation" is as foreign as "y'all." What Lyric can't adjust to are the differences and embarrassments caused by Summer, her bright and beautiful sister, who is descending inescapably into mental illness. Readers, even those weary of some of the painfully serious novels being published now, will be rewarded by this one--it delivers joy with the sadness. While Lyric and her father struggle to keep Summer out of the state asylum, the strain in their lives is kept in perspective, both literally and figuratively, by harmony. Time, place, and backcountry language all shine with immediacy and authenticity. And Lyric, whether laughing and singing a cappella with her sister, or having nightmares about letting her go, whether remembering Glory Bottom's wild roses and ball games in the road, or hiding razorblades in Flint, is as real as her spirit is memorable. This book is a winner. 2000, Farrar Straus Giroux, Ages 10 up, $16.00. Reviewer: Betty Hicks
Alan Review
Lyric and her sister, Summer, were raised by their father, Poppy in the hills of Southwest Virginia. In 1995, prospects of a better life draw Poppy and his family to Flint, Michigan. Lyric is 13 and Summer is 16. Lyric and Poppy adjust to life in a northern city, but Summer, who has always had 'peculiar' ways, does not. As Summer's behavior becomes increasingly strange, even dangerous, Lyric and Poppy try to help and protect her. When Summer is diagnosed as schizophrenic, Poppy and Lyric are forced to institutionalize her. Lyric is left with memories of the happy childhood she spent with Summer, no hope that Summer will ever recover from her illness, and compassion for people who are different. This sensitive story, filled with family love, provides glimpses into mental illness, Appalachia, and Northern prejudices. White perceptively portrays the bittersweet memories of a young girl who bravely and honestly handles a difficult situation. Genre: Mental Illness/Sisters 2000, Farrar Straus and Giroux, 135p
The Five Owls
It is the summer of 1955 when Poppy moves his daughters from the quiet, hometown hills of Virginia to Flint, Michigan. It's been ten years since their mother's death and nearly that since his own father's death in the coal mines. Poppy eyes a more stable and prosperous future in the automobile industry. But, their new home presents a host of challenges to 13-year-old Lyric and her 16-year-old sister, Summer. Ruth White registers Lyric's narrative voice with moments of teen-age exuberance at making friends and acute embarrassment at her sister's increasingly peculiar and public behavior. Although Lyric and her rock-solid father would like to believe that Summer simply has trouble adjusting, their vigilance of her too soon prove an inadequate measure to protect Summer from herself. The danger she poses to others' physical well-being finally tips the scales in their agonizing decision to hospitalize her. Sadness at the befuddling loss of her caring, beautiful, gentle sister to the painful spiral of mental illness punctuates Lyric's story. Yet, it is the family's laughter, their spirited singing, and their deeply abiding love for Summer as a complex individual that bless the novel. In Memories of Summer, Ruth White returns to a time and sensibility familiar to readers of her previous books: Belle Prater's Boy (Farrar, 1996) and Sweet Creek Holler (Sunburst, 1992). She again creates uniquely resilient characters who, like Summer herself, will be long remembered. 2000, Farrar, Straus Giroux, $16.00. Ages 9 to 12. Reviewer: Cathryn M. Mercier — The Five Owls, January/February 2001 (Vol. 15 No. 3)
PaulaRohrlick
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KLIATT
To quote KLIATT's July 2000 review of the hardcover edition: In this bittersweet tale about living with mental illness, Summer is not a season, but a pretty 16-year-old girl. She is the sister of 13-year-old Lyric, the story's narrator, who tells about how they moved with their father from rural Virginia to Flint, Michigan in 1955. Their mother is dead and the three are very close; their father hopes to improve the family's lot by finding a job at General Motors. Despite their poverty Lyric is excited by the move and eventually settles happily into school, but life is harder for Summer. She "always did have funny ways about her," Lyric notes—a fear of electricity, a terror of dogs, a tendency to rock her body when she is upset and to hear voices—and the move north seems to make her symptoms worse. Gradually Summer descends into full-blown schizophrenia. Lyric and her father do their best to care for her, but when she finally becomes a danger to herself and others she must be institutionalized. In often-folksy language (e.g., "Drek'ly the party broke up"), Lyric tells about what it's like to live with someone who is dearly loved but terribly disturbed. This affecting novel by the author of the Newbery Honor book Belle Prater's Boy and other YA novels about mountain folks is dedicated to the memory of her own sister, and she succeeds in conveying what it's like to live with a family member who is mentally ill. There is gentle humor here as well as pathos, and the tale is simply but movingly told. An ALA Best Book for YAs. Includes a reading guide. KLIATT Codes: J*—Exceptional book, recommended for junior high school students. 2000, Random House, Laurel-Leaf, 186p.,
School Library Journal
Gr 7-10-In the 1950s, Lyric's widowed father moves her and her sister, Summer, from Glory Bottom, VA, to Michigan, hoping to better their life. Like other rural Southerners, 13-year-old Lyric and her family initially find adjustment to urban life difficult, but Lyric has an even worse problem. Her beautiful older sister has progressed from being afraid of electricity and dogs to speaking incoherently with nonexistent people and disfiguring herself. Lyric shares the care of Summer with her father, leaving her with little time for after-school activities and a dread that her new friends might find out about her sister's mental illness. When Summer becomes consumed with setting fires in the house, Lyric and her father know they must make some changes; after she injures Lyric, they are forced to institutionalize her. The main characters are well drawn and Lyric's first-person narration remains true to her age and background. White has beautifully reconstructed the period with descriptive references to music, clothing, housing, and social attitudes. Lacking the humor of her Belle Prater's Boy (1996), this book is closer in tone to White's Weeping Willow (1994, both Farrar). A marvelous re-creation of time and place and a poignant story that has much to say about compassion.-Cindy Darling Codell, Clark Middle School, Winchester, KY Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
When 13-year-old Lyric and 16-year-old Summer move from Glory Bottom, Virginia, to Flint, Michigan, in 1955, life changes for them in ways no one would have expected. Their father is seeking a better way of life for them, trying to get a job in an automobile factory, and they must adjust to the ways of the city, so different from the small town they've known. As Summer's already strange behavior moves into episodes of extreme paranoia, Lyric becomes her primary caretaker, switching roles with the sister who has lovingly taken care of her since their mother died. Summer's swift and certain descent into mental illness-her first impressions of disappearing and losing her shadow, along with attempts at self-mutilation using razors and matches-are documented in Lyric's poignant words. Added to Lyric's burden is her understanding that she cannot allow her new friends to know that she has this strange and difficult sister. When home care becomes impossible, heart-rending choices must be made as must acceptance of the inevitable-the state hospital. White (Belle Prater's Boy, not reviewed, etc.) portrays Summer's illness and Lyric's devotion to her with her customary compassion and caring sensitivity. This is a thoughtful view into a time and place, as well as a loving commentary on the strength of family bonds. Memorable. (Fiction. 10-13)
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