This story is about a nine-year old girl named Avocet Abigail Jackson, or Bird. Bird is a small town girl growing up in rural Florida in the 1960's as the impoverished daughter of alcoholic and physically abusive parents. Raised in the midst of chaos and turmoil, Bird is wise beyond her years. After falling to abuse by her alcoholic parents and the destructive upheaval of moving from one trashy house to the next, her one solace is Jesus, whom she fantasizes as her boyfriend. While battling the hard times of her father committing suicide and the voices in her head and her mother blaming her, Birds discovers Miss Zora, a mysterious black woman who lives alone in a cottage near Bird's school and comes to teach the little girl about dignity and her own capacity for forgiveness. | ||
Plot & Themes Tone of book? - depressed Time/era of story - 1960's-1970's Kids growing up/acting up? Yes Kids: - religious influences Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book Age group of kid(s) in story: - grade school Parents/lack of parents problem? Main Character Gender - Female Profession/status: Ethnicity/Nationality Main Adversary Identity: - Female Age: - 40's-50's Profession/status: How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor Intelligence - Average intelligence Setting How much descriptions of surroundings? - 8 () United States Yes The US: - Southeast Small town? Yes Small town people: - very gullible, like Gomer Pyle Misc setting Writing Style Lot of foul language? Yes Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |