Aunt Susan Elizabeth used to say there was something in all of us that delighted in bullying those lower in the social order of things. And that was what made slavery so easy for the white folks to practice.
My father said fear is what made it easy to practice. That down in the Deep South there were places where the blacks outnumbered the whites. And the whites had to keep them under control.
Both reasons frightened me. Because whatever my reason was, I was good at it.
(from The Ever-After Bird, page 61)
Yesterday I said Come Juneteenth was my favorite of Ann Rinaldi’s middle grade and young adult historical novels; then I read The Ever-After Bird, which is just as good, if not better. I read The Ever-After Bird in just a couple of hours, and it blew me away. Rinaldi based this book on Dr. Alexander Ross, a Canadian physician and renowned ornithologist who sketched birds on the Southern plantations and also was involved in the Underground Railroad. Because little is known about Ross, much of The Ever-After Bird is fiction, but her version of the doctor is both charming and captivating.
The Ever-After Bird is set in 1851, more than 10 years before the start of the American Civil War, but Rinaldi does a wonderful job showing the horrors of slavery, the persistence of the Abolitionists, and how they both paved the way for war. CeCe is a 13-year-old girl living in Pennsylvania on the Maryland border wondering why her father felt the need to help raggedy slaves on their way to freedom when he couldn’t treat his own daughter with kindness. After he is killed by angry plantation owners looking for their runaway slaves, CeCe is left in the care of her Uncle Alex, a doctor and an ornithologist with a kind smile but pain in his eyes.
He proposes to take CeCe with him and his assistant, a former slave turned college student named Earline, on a trip to visit various plantations in Georgia on a search for the scarlet ibis, called the Ever-After Bird by slaves who believed that if they saw it, they would be free ever-after. CeCe and Earline are unable to see beyond their past hurts to understand one another, and therefore, they are constantly mean to each other.
While on the plantations, Uncle Alex plans to talk to the slaves, give them directions to safe houses on the Underground Railroad, and provide them with a little money. However, he needs to keep up appearances so that they don’t get caught, and Earline must play the role of slave, not assistant. CeCe finds that it is easy to treat Earline badly, but then she witnesses some things on the plantations that cause her to rethink everything she’s believed in and realize that her previous stance that people should just be allowed to live how they want to live without interference may not be the best way after all.
The Ever-After Bird is the first Rinaldi novel that I’ve read so far that doesn’t gloss over the issue of slavery. Many of the characters I’ve encountered so far in her novels are Southern, daughters of slave owners who insist that their families treat their slaves kindly and that their slaves are content in their place in society. I understand that’s the character’s point of view based on her situation in life, but it felt to me that the reality was barely visible. However, I excused it because slavery wasn’t the main theme in those novels.
Here, Rinaldi doesn’t sugar-coat slavery. Female slaves are attacked by their masters and their masters’ sons, but because the book is intended for younger readers, there are no graphic scenes, just mentions of such treatment. Slaves are used in scientific experiments, they live in crowded conditions where illness is rampant, and they are whipped. These scenes are necessary for CeCe’s evolution from a young girl broken by guilt and abuse and blind to the mistreatment of others to a young woman who learns about love, kindness, and friendship from Uncle Alex and Earline. Rinaldi makes it easy for readers to feel CeCe’s pain and understand why she acted the way she did. I loved Uncle Alex; he understood CeCe because he’d been raised by her father, his older brother. He knew what CeCe needed, to be loved and feel loved, and he took on the role of “daddy-uncle” with a tenderness that melted my heart.
The Ever-After Bird had me on the edge of my seat. The tension built as the trio went from one plantation to another, and the cruelty they witnessed intensified. Rinaldi brilliantly balances the harsh images with more tender ones. It is a powerful and emotional novel, but it is also sweet and heartwarming. Definitely not one to be missed.
Disclosure: I borrowed The Ever-After Bird from my local library. I am an IndieBound affiliate and an Amazon associate.
© 2011 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.
Wonderful review, Anna. I’m totally hooked and adding this book to my list right now!
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Yay! Hope you enjoy it!
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This sounds excellent. I saw some Rinaldi at Ford’s Theater gift shop in DC.
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Awesome! She wrote one about Lincoln’s assassination, but I haven’t read it yet.
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Great review – really makes me want to read it, even though it sounds harrowing!
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It was, but I think because she targets younger readers, it’s less so than it would be otherwise.
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After your reviews, I really think I need to try Rinaldi’s work. This book sounds thought provoking.
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I really hope you have time to read some of her books. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
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That quote at the beginning is certainly a powerful piece of writing! What a great way to get young adults thinking about the way they treat other people in general, as well as the slavery issue.
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I loved how thought-provoking this book was, and I hope to convince my daughter to read it, too.
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Oh, this sounds wonderful. A fabulous review, as usual- I am so glad that she tackles the issues head on here.
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Thanks, Aarti! I can see why she didn’t tackle it head-on in her other books, so I’m glad she does so here.
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Seems such a moving poignant story. Need to find this author.
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Yes! Hope you enjoy her books as much as I have!
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How did I miss this one!!??? sounds fantastic and very very authentic!!
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With all the Rinaldi books you’ve read already, you definitely need to add this one to your list!
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I usually have to be in just the right mood to tackle slavery books, but I’m glad you enjoyed this one so much.
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It’s not a subject I could read about every day, but I’m definitely glad I read this one.
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Wow, this sounds like an emotional read!
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It was very emotional, but so worth reading!
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Anna, I’m so glad you’ve brought these Ann Rinaldi books to my attention – they’ll be great as read-alouds with my 9-yr-old, who loves to read, but needs to be encouraged to move past The Babysitters Club 🙂 We could read and discuss these as much as she was interested.
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My pleasure! This one in particular provides plenty to discuss!
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So far you have raved about Rinaldi’s books and I have yet to read one. But I love YA historical so I will look up her books in the upcoming year.
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Great! I can’t wait to hear what you think of them.
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So is there another one and will you like it better? : )
Wishing you a wonderful 2012 filled with 5 star reads!
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Possibly! 😉 I’ve read 1 more since posting this and this one is still my favorite. Happy new year!
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Anna, Hope 2012 is a wonderful year for you.
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Thanks, Diane! Happy new year to you, too!
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