From Publishers Weekly
In a 1998 Best Books citation, PW said, "This exquisite novel introduces readers to a sparkling world hidden deep within the Amazonian jungle." Ages 12-up. (July) n
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Gr. 8^-10. Relatively few novels are published for children about "primitive" cultures, and most of those are historical fiction. So, right off the bat, Abelove's story of a Peruvian tribe in the 1970s has a freshness to it. An anthropologist, Abelove calls on her own experiences in the Amazon jungle to create the village of Poincushmana, where two American anthropologists arrive to spend a year. The story is told by one of the Peruvian teenagers, Alicia, a unique voice: "Two old white ladies came to our village late one day. . . . Everyone else ran down the riverbank to greet them. I stood at the top. I could see them fine from up there. I had better things to do than run to greet old white ladies." So begins Alicia's push-pull relationship with the women (whom the tribe considers old, even though they are in their twenties). Abelove's remarkable gift is letting readers see their own culture through the eyes of someone whose values are completely different. To Alicia and the villagers, the women are stingy--they rarely offer anything, and, when they do, it's not enough; they're stupid, because they waste their time studying things that happen naturally, such as babies and farming. At the same time, readers will learn about a community with views on life, death, sex, and marriage that are so different from their own that they will be pulled up short. Full of life and packed with characters that by turns irritate and enlighten,
Go and Come Back is a startling, vibrant read.
Ilene Cooper
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