Plain City - Softcover

At 12, Bulaire has reason to ponder her identity; a bright, prickly loner, she wonders if her looks--changeable blue-green eyes, ``golden Rasta twists,'' pale skin that summer tans ``to near-chocolate lightly washed in burnt orange''--are why she's at odds with her darker friends and relatives. Now, in winter, she's angry--with Grady, who teases in class but seems friendly when he follows her on long walks; and--after she hears that her father isn't dead, as she's been told, but in town--with her mother Bluezy, often away singing gigs, and with the aunts and uncle who care for her. On a bitter cold day, Bulaire, dazzled by snow, is rescued by her dad and taken to his cave under the Interstate, Grady following. Though ``Junior'' is evidently unbalanced, he does seem to care about her; and though he begs for a ``stake,'' he also returns some of her ``back time''--family photos and mementoes that had mysteriously vanished. Bulaire almost decides to go with him, as he unrealistically suggests, and does give him money, as (they now tell her) his half-sisters and ex-wife have often done. In some ways, Plain City is the obverse of Cousins: this father, homeless and a con man, is probably unreclaimable, though he, too, helps his daughter at a critical moment. The other adults are believably flawed, but bracingly strong and reliable. In the end (as a January thaw--``not heat, just not freezing''--melts the ice), the truth sets Bulaire free to see her elders as they are and begin to make peace--with them and with herself and her mixed heritage. Subtle, wise, complex-- superb. (Fiction. 9-13) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Grade 6-8-Discovering that her mother and relatives lied about her father dying in Vietnam, angry Buhlaire-Marie Sims, 12, is determined to find and communicate with her dad. When he rescues her during a January blizzard, he leads his daughter to a highway underpass, his space among the homeless of Plain City. Buhlaire learns that her father is a troubled man, estranged from his family because of his mental instability and racially mixed parentage. Although he treats her kindly, she begins to perceive the confusion and unpredictability of his life. Buhlaire has experienced her own ostracization because of her mother's nightclub career, her home among the stilted river bottom "water houses," and her light skin. Although she is loved and cared for, her adolescent sensibilities are aroused when she realizes that her family has shielded her from her own identity. Through candid thoughts, realistic dialogue, and a symbolic blend of setting and self-discovery, Hamilton has created a testimonial on the powerful bonds of blood and "back time," or heritage. Buhlaire emerges from her emotional turmoil and quest with an appreciation for the attentions and personal struggles of a classmate; with renewed affection for her family; and, with a compassionate understanding of hard choices that are part of life.
Gerry Larson, Chewning Junior High School, Durham, NC
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.