Mare’s War

Mare’s War.Tanita S. Davis. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2009. 345 pages. $16.99 (Hardcover). ISBN 978-0-375-8715-0. Grades 7-12.

My Thoughts…

As I have already mentioned numerous times in this blog, I love historical fiction. I love the way you can find yourself in history, learning about people and places that you knew nothing about without necessarily realizing it. As I read Mare’s War I was reminded of other historical fiction titles, especially Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly, since both of these novels mix present day life with stories from the past. This technique not only engages readers in a time period they know, but it makes them feel like they are being told a story within a story. In the case of Revolution, Andi gets to go back in time to learn about the past, but in Mare’s War readers get to hear Mare tell the story of her WWII experience. I definitely see why this book was a Coretta Scott King Award Honoree, and I am now also appalled that Richland County Public Library didn’t already have several copies.

I don’t think there is anything negative I can say about this book. It is well written, engaging, authentic, interesting and educational. I think the characters in the story (both Mare’s story and the greater novel) are fantastically written. I could definitely get the teen angst from Tali and Octavia’s impatience and nerves. I felt like I was in the car with them on their road trip. I loved how Mare’s life and experiences not only made for a great story and bonding experience between her granddaughters, but also linked back to why their father is the way he is. I think there are different story lines that come together to explain why current day life is the way it is. I think that showing the evolution of Mare is a way of tracing history and also teaching readers that you can never really know why people are they way they are until you hear their story. I think the organization of the book, now and then chapters, worked really well. Not only were the clearly marked periods easy to follow, but they were spaced out in a way that it felt like we were really being told the story. I like that we were never too overwhelmed with Mare’s story and I liked that each break reminded us of the road trip. I also think the breaks with postcards and what not were good too, since they give readers time to think about the story.

I don’t think Mare’s War is a great book just because it is well written, however. I think the content itself is incredibly important and enlightening. Prior to this summer I had never heard of Claudette Colvin, who as I now know was the first individual to get arrested in Montgomery as a part of the bus boycott. We always hear about Rosa Parks, but the truth is, there was someone before her. Mare’s War touches on this, as well as other important parts of African American history that are not often taught. I, like Octavia and Tali, didn’t know there was a large group of African American women in World War II training and touring or that there were African American truck drivers. Although this information may not be taught because it doesn’t seem like it is super important, it is! These individuals were someone’s relatives, their ancestors. It is only fair that their huge contribution be highlighted.

I really enjoyed this book and think a lot of young adults will too. I do think female readers may enjoy this title more, due to the very strong female characters.