Editorial Content for Snowbirds
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Reviewer (text)
I have spent my past nine summers at summer camp in Sugar Grove, Pennsylvania, a town with a high population of Amish people. Each summer I drive down dirt roads alongside horse drawn carriages and work with my neighbors to plant trees, press olive oil, and work the land. Despite my time working with them and living alongside them it wasn't until I read SNOWBIRDS that I really gained a true understanding of Amish life from the inside.
"Beautifully written...Through SNOWBIRDS, Chappell gives her readers the opportunity to lessen the difference and stigma surrounding Amish, and other religious communities."
SNOWBIRDS by Crissa Chappell is a beautifully written novel about Lucy, a young Amish girl struggling against, and with, her culture as she tries to help one of her best friends. Lucy has been best friends with Alice for her entire childhood. Each summer, when Alice arrived in Florida from Maine, they used to spend their weeks living within the confines of Lucy's Amish town, running around with their hair covered, their long, modest dresses brushing along the sand.
But one summer Alice shows up with short hair, jeans and a boyfriend she met online. Alice is ready to see the world and experience more beyond her Amish community. Wanting to protect her friend --- and giving in to her curiosity --- Lucy follows Alice to a party where she is introduced to alcohol and boys. After fighting with a very drunk Alice, Lucy runs off to enjoy the beach and some new company before the sunrise. By the next morning she realizes that she has lost Alice. Soon both Lucy and Alice’s Amish communities are pressuring Lucy to find her friend.
Lucy goes on to break rules and face the wrath of her friends and family as she tries to figure out how to do the right thing for herself and for Alice. She explores the world and herself in her search for her childhood best friend.
I really believe that the violence and negativity in today's world is primarily due to a lack of understanding of "difference." If we just open our eyes and educate ourselves we limit these feelings of "difference" and open ourselves up to a more positive world. How could we possibly hurt people who we love and relate to? Through SNOWBIRDS, Chappell gives her readers the opportunity to lessen the difference and stigma surrounding Amish, and other religious communities. She allows her readers to find commonalities between themselves and others. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking to understand that everyone is human, regardless of their race, faith, and traditions.
Teaser
Every year, Lucy waits eagerly for the arrival of the "snowbirds," the Old Order Amish who come trundling into Florida on buses from the north, bringing Lucy's best friend Alice, with whom she's spent every winter she can remember. This winter is different. At sixteen, Alice is in the middle of "Rumspringa," a season in which Amish teens try out forbidden temptations, in order to get them out of their system. Lucy is part of a different sect, in which teens aren't allowed such bold experimentation, and she's fighting to keep up as Alice races from one wild party to the next. Then, one night after just such a party, Alice vanishes.
Promo
Every year, Lucy waits eagerly for the arrival of the "snowbirds," the Old Order Amish who come trundling into Florida on buses from the north, bringing Lucy's best friend Alice, with whom she's spent every winter she can remember. This winter is different. At sixteen, Alice is in the middle of "Rumspringa," a season in which Amish teens try out forbidden temptations, in order to get them out of their system. Lucy is part of a different sect, in which teens aren't allowed such bold experimentation, and she's fighting to keep up as Alice races from one wild party to the next. Then, one night after just such a party, Alice vanishes.
About the Book
Every year, Lucy waits eagerly for the arrival of the "snowbirds," the Old Order Amish who come trundling into Florida on buses from the north, bringing Lucy's best friend Alice, with whom she's spent every winter she can remember. This winter is different. At sixteen, Alice is in the middle of "Rumspringa," a season in which Amish teens try out forbidden temptations, in order to get them out of their system. Lucy is part of a different sect, in which teens aren't allowed such bold experimentation, and she's fighting to keep up as Alice races from one wild party to the next. Then, one night after just such a party, Alice vanishes. Wracked by guilt, Lucy knows that she should have been watching out for Alice, but instead, she was kissing Faron, an Older Order boy shunned by his society. Now, Lucy plunges into a search for her best friend --- while also hiding her own secret, which could put her in even more danger.
