Book Review: 'Whirligig' by Paul Fleischman

Whirligig by Paul Fleischman

My daughter had read many of the books on the reading list for rising freshmen at her school, but she wasn't so sure she remembered any one of them well enough to do an assignment on it.  So she chose one she hadn't read just to be safe.  (Her high school holds kids accountable for one whole book for the summer.  Kids need to have some unspecified type of notes to show they read the thing.  Ask me my opinion on this zero-challenge summer assignment if my tone doesn't make it clear.)

My daughter chose Whirligig, which I suppose one of the teachers at the high school must like or it wouldn't be on the list of possibilities.  I decided to read it to be on my daughter's page, and I liked it very much.  The book explores the simple truth that our every word and gesture has an effect in this world.  We are responsible for ourselves, and we are responsible for the effect we have.

An evening of humiliation at a high school classmate's party leave new-kid-in-town Brent Bishop attempting to commit suicide but killing a young woman named Lea, instead.

Lea's mother asks that Brent create four whirligigs in the four corners of the US as restitution  The bereaved mom hopes that the gesture will spread joy just as her daughter had. She gives Brent a Greyhound pass to make the journey.

This journey of discovery helps Brent find his best companion in himself. As his journey unfolds, the stories of the folks whose lives his creations have touched punctuate the narrative. In everyting we do, we touch somebody--and who knows how much?

It's worth thinking about, and Paul Fleischman's book will have you doing just that.

Before you speak, ask yourself,

is it kind, is it necessary, is it true, 

does it improve on the silence?

(Sai Baba)

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