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I heard Ms. I and my whole family worked in the JP Stevens "cotton mills" at one time or another; my father for more than 40 years. I know that this is a work of fiction and unless you lived there in the 50's and 60's, it wouldn't matter. After hearing her, I thought I would read her novel set in Greenville, SC. Still, I enjoyed this book greatly. I am about the same age as she, and I also grew up in Greenville, SC. Allison speak on South Carolina Public Radio during the Christmas break. I worked with and lived around these folks in and around the mill villages on the outskirts of Greenville, until my family finally moved out to a little house on the "White Horse Road" that she speaks of often in the book.My only complaint, besides the very sad ending, was that some of the facts about Greenville were not correct.
I was truly intrigued by her story and the characters in it. I know these characters. It does seem, however, that if the writer was to emphasize the fact that the story was in Greenville so strongly, that she would use accurate landmark names. I highly recommend it, and I look forward to reading more of her work.
I read this book a while back, and it's a testimony to the realism of the story that I couldn't recall if this was a novel or a biography. Bone is truly an unforgettable character, searingly broken and misused, yet brimming with a courage few of us have known. It is difficult to find a fault in this book. It is honest, it is powerful, it is original, it is even suspenseful.This is a book you should read because it is not only worth reading, but because it should make you a better human being.
When I was done with the book I was still itching to know what happened with the characters.I even googled Dorothy Allison to see if I could find more info. I could not put this book down. Dorothy Allison does such a great job of putting this novel together and keeping you wanting to find out what's next. It's a must-read for anyone who is interested in something new & different. It is definitely not for the very reserved & conservative unless you're willing to open your mind a bit as she uses some very "out there" themes.
It tells a highly dysfunctional but realistic story about growing up in the South - something which I admittedly have no first hand experience in doing. Yes, it is overwhelmingly bleak at points, sometimes to the point where I had to stop reading for bit before continuing. The only genuine criticism that can be said of this book is that it is too depressing. The plot is compelling, the characters are developed sufficiently and I definitely care about what happened to the main character. But, just because literature is depressing, doesn't detract from the quality. "Bastard Out of Carolina" remains one of my favorite books of all time. I was disgusted, depressed, hopeful, anxious all because of this book. When literature can cause these full range of emotions, then I'd definitely consider it a success.
She always had more students than desks and her students ranged from Ivy League bound to those struggling to finish high school. There's some humor in the story--Bone's uncles and aunts are an eccentric bunch, but mostly this is just a heartbreaking story that's very hard to stomach. I can't quite imagine teaching this to high school kids, but the teacher who wrote about it taught it in an elective women's lit class. I wrote down the title of this book when I was reading a book called Great Books for High School Kids. I admire the teacher who chose to start her year with this book. Bone's younger sister has a different father--he's somewhere in between Bone's father and the man who enters their lives when Bone is 7 or so.
Her mom was 14 or 15 when she was born and a whopping 21 when she marries for the third time.
Clearly she's a brilliant teacher, and part of being a brilliant teacher is choosing materials that students will embrace and dig into.
Some really tough and uncomfortable issues to bring up in a class discussion.
Yikes.
In a nutshell, it's a story of need, of sex, of drinking, of incest, of masturbation, of fear, of betrayal.
So here's the story of Bone.
In chapter one we learn about her birth as a "bastard child" and by the end of the book she's maybe in her early teens.
Then again, there's a lot to learn here.
But I'd have to follow it with something lighter, a lot less depressing.
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