Tree Girl

Tree Girl

YA fiction
I am at a loss of words as to how to begin a review of Ben
Mikaelsen's Tree Girl. I could not have written the book. It's based
on the true story of a young woman obtained by personal interviews...a
woman barely beyond childhood (younger than my Adam) when she loses
nearly everyone she loved and has to survive in a world of danger and
treachery. Her story, told candidly, is one of survival and, oddly,
at the end, hope.
Gabriela's mother often told her that climbing trees brings her
closer to heaven. It is her way of centering, of getting in touch
with nature and God. She is well known for this ability in her
community.
As the story begins Gabriela is weaving the huipil (special
blouse) she will wear at her quinceanera. She eagerly awaits this
special fifteenth birthday celebration in which she will go from
childhood to womanhood. When it arrives after much careful
preparation it lives up to her hopes until armed soldiers break up the
festivities and take her only slightly brother away.
The soldiers keep coming back. They demand the papers to show
the Indios own their land. They outlaw the machetes people need to
harvest their crops. There is always the fear they will kidnap boys
and men for their army or make anyone who violates their rules
disappear. Gabriela, for instance, is in violation simply by knowing
Spanish.
After Gabriela's mother's death her father has her promise that
she will protect her younger siblings if anything happens to him.
That is way beyond her control. One day, returning from the market
she finds her family and neighbors massacred, their homes on fire.
She has already seen her teacher beaten to death and her schoolmates
shot in cold blood. And there is a lot more horror in store...
Although Tree Girl is billed as YA it is a little too much for
more sensitive preteens and teens. For adults, however, it is a must
read. What country do you think supplied the weapons?
On a personal note, I just can't imagine how anyone could shoot
children in cold blood.
A great big shout out goes out to all who work to help refugees survive.
Julia Emily Hathaway




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