Traveling on into the Light: And Other Stories ANNOTATION
A collection of short stories which focus on the difficult journeys teens take on their way to adulthood.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
A collection of short stories which focus on the difficult journeys teens take on their way to adulthood.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
Springing from a profound understanding of sorrow and joy, this collection addresses such stately themes as love, anger, grief and hope. The protagonist of ``Moonlight Sonata'' must come to terms with his father's long-ago suicide, while in the poignant yet utterly radiant ``The Ones with Wings,'' two sisters face the challenges of their meager existence with extraordinary courage. In the brief but complex ``You've Always Been Such a Good Friend to Me,'' the narrator gradually reveals her betrayal of her beloved, admired cousin. Brooks's characters give the impression of having both a past and a future, a life that overflows the stories' boundaries. The final three stories do in fact chronicle the doings of characters created elsewhere, specifically, the young lovers of Brooks's novel Two Moons in August. At first glance, the straightforward writing seems to be a conduit of raw emotion, but closer inspection reveals the careful crafting of each sentence. Moving and memorable. Ages 12-up. (Oct.)
The ALAN Review - Edna Earl Edwards
In these eleven stories, young adults face crises and gain insights. Critical incidents include being wrongfully accused of dealing drugs; being rejected by an abused mother; accepting and being accepted by strangers; finding peace in a church; responding to accusations of being gay; accepting a father's being gay; adjusting to a father's suicide; accepting an alcoholic father's death; putting a deceased mother's memories in perspective; and struggling to maintain individuality. Set in the northern United States or in Canada, most stories are narrated in first person. Six have female protagonists; five have male protagonists. The three final stories form sequels, with one from a male and two from a female perspective. The characters move from isolation/alienation to acceptance and insight; all travel into the light. Protagonists' ages and problems and the treatment of themes make the stories worthwhile for high-school readers.
The ALAN Review - Gerry McBroom
Eleven short stories sure to be interesting to junior-high and high-school readers focus on friendships and family relationships. The first eight stories have different male and female characters who, except for one, tell their stories in the first person. The elements common to all are dysfunctional families dealing with alcohol, suicide, divorce, or abuse. Despite these difficult topics, each story ends on a positive note with the teen finding "light." For example, Sammy of the title piece has to struggle but accepts her father's homosexuality. Laker, a runaway, is told by his mother not to come back; however, he finds a home with an elderly stranger who also is alone. Alvina, who lives with her alcoholic mother and the sister she has raised, discovers comfort in a friend from special education class. The last three narratives, which share characters, would have made a good novel. And that's the disappointment: the book ends.
School Library Journal
Gr 7 Up-Brooks's latest anthology is peopled with ``today's youth.'' They have grown up in dysfunctional homes and are struggling to find themselves, awash in a sea of misery created by the adults who are supposed to nurture and protect them. Each story creates a single emotional impression, which is hiding like a pearl at its center, and is revealed in the last few lines. There is little plot action, but a lot of detail and feeling as the tangled skeins of relationships are delicately traced. The settings range from the present day to the early 1960's, yet the teens' troubles remain constant. Many of the stories are heartbreaking, yet YAs are likely find their friends and classmates in these pages. Another masterpiece from an award-winning Canadian author.-Lucinda Lockwood, Thomas Haney Secondary School, Maple Ridge, BC
BookList - Hazel Rochman
"It's one thing to look dangerous and poetic and lonely and on the edge, and quite another to actually live it." Romantic outsiders, smart, gorgeous, sensitive, are the protagonists in many of these stories. They fall in love, quarrel, and grope for connection and meaning. Their big scenes take place in the moonlight, a time of shadow and radiance. Some of the poetic types are overidealized--such as the wise, handsome Native American artist who talks in riddles--but the teenagers' problems are harsh, often related to the loss of a parent through illness, suicide, or desertion. As in Brooks' first collection, "Paradise Caf�" (1990), the narrative voices show a remarkable range of young men and women across class and setting, and some of the best pieces are about the unromantic loners, the poor and the marginal. In "The Kindness of Strangers," a teenage runaway finally finds the courage to call home, only to realize that they don't want him back. The title of the story "You've Always Been Such a Good Friend to Me" is both true and bitterly ironic. Three connected pieces continue Brooks' novel "Two Moons in August" (1991), climaxing in "A Wedding," when joy and grief are inextricably mingled. It's the honesty about conflicting emotions and viewpoints that gives this collection its power.
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