ALEUTIAN SPARROW

Written by Karen Hesse
ISBN: 9780689861895

Bibliography:
Hesse, Karen. 2003. Aleutian Sparrow. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books.

Plot:
Aleutian Sparrow is a fictional verse novel based on true events. It describes the near extinction of the Aleut people when they are forcibly moved into internment camps after the attack of the Japanese Army during World War II.

Analysis:
Hesse’s work tells a heart-wrenching story that serves as a voice for a culture that was nearly lost forever. The unrhymed verse evokes great emotion and establishes a connection through images of loss and heartache. One such poem, Escape II, describes when Vera loses her best friend to disease: “Grief turns me invisible as I walk out of camp, down the path./Water stretches between this shore and the wooded mountains across the channel./The air is fur thick, damp, and green./I sit on the sand in the rain, and I scream." Hesse explores several heavy themes such as racism, the importance of preserving culture, and the perseverance of a broken people in finding the strength to begin again.

Review Excerpts:
Kirkus Review: “With a whisper-soft touch, Hesse's clear, resonant verses and delicate imagery will break hearts. At the end, readers will be haunted by a hope-filled love that has grown between Vera and Alfred in the camp and by a government that says, We are moving you to save you."

Publisher’s Weekly: “"The poetic images will linger in the minds of readers."

Connections:
*Other works by Karen Hesse
Witness
Out of the Dust
The Music of the Dolphins

*Aleutian Sparrow could serve as an introduction for class discussions about racism.