Historical Fiction

 My Heart is on the Ground

   

Rinadli, Ann. Dear America: My Heart is on the Ground- The Diary of Nannie Little Rose, a Sioux Girl. 205p. Scholastic Inc. Apr 1999. Tr $10.95. ISBN 0590149229.

    Despite the inclusion of historical notes, it is clear that this book is HEAVY on the fictional aspects of historical fiction. The author openly discloses that she took creative liberties in writing this book. Residential schools for Native Americans in the US and the general treatment of indigenous people by white Americans is a long, complicated, and fraught history. This book oversimplifies and whitewashes this in no uncertain terms. While it is possible that there were differing experiences had by children who attended these schools, the prevailing historical sentiment is that harm came to these kids at the hands of those running them (white, Christian, Americans). While there are portions of the book where Nannie Little Rose experiences some ambivalence towards her experience, she more commonly can be seen conforming to the expectations and either privately or publicly admonishing peers who display more resistance to the circumstances. The author admits to borrowing names and creating fake narratives for children who lived and died in these institutions, but at different times than when Nannie Little Rose was there provide examples of historical inaccuracy. The author's note also explains that some of the events of the story actually didn’t happen in sequence, but rather over a period of time during the school’s operation. This blurring of fact and fiction is problematic. 

    Additionally, the author offers praise for herself, saying she believes the children whose names she borrowed would forgive her, and be happy for their inclusion in her book. This is a baseless assumption. There is also a clear cultural bias (pro-white American) that slants the entire story. The epilogue for this text explains what happens to main characters after the conclusion of the events, it is unclear to me whether this epilogue is factual or more fiction from the author. While there are historical notes and an author's note included about life at the time this book takes place, these citations also give a sense of bias. This book may tell a version of an experience some individuals had at this time, but is not largely an accurate historical representation of what happened to kids who were sent to these residential schools.

Step Up to the Plate, Maria Singh

Krishnaswami, Uma. Step Up to the Plate, Maria Singh. 276p. Tu Books. May 2017. Tr $16.95. ISBN 9781600602610.

    Per the backmatter, while Maria was not real and this exact narrative did not belong to one specific person, it is inspired by history of the time. Families like Maria’s existed in communities where the book is set and, and could have lived this life. It is not the story of one person or family, but rather aspects of the story are shared by many people of the time. That being said, the story does center around themes that are inspired by real facts. 

    There is a lot going on in this book, but that seems reflective of the experience a young person may have had in this historical time period. But, this is consistent with the experience of many people in America at the time, especially multiracial individuals. Maria and her community face this both internally and externally. Experiencing conflicting feelings about the war, what it means to be American, and how her family is still tied to India and the past, even though she was born and raised in America in the present. The author did a skillful job in presenting these internal conflicts kids may have experienced in this community at this time. The exact timeline of the narrative is not specifically part of the story, beyond a few dates throughout, with the story concluding in late May. It seems appropriate that a person like Maria could have experienced all of these events over the course of a few months in that time period. 

Per the backmatter, the fictionalization of the setting is consistent with the history. The kids in the community were advocating for a ballfield, which they did get. The temple the Singh family visits, exists in Stockton, California and was “visited by India” as it was explained to Maria and Emillo in the book. Representation of characters primarily deals with religious influence, which is not necessarily explicitly tied to the historical time period. There are mentions of women joining the war effort and how this influenced their presentation (pants vs dresses), but generally Maria’s struggle in getting permission to wear pants or shorts is tied to her father's traditional religious views on modesty. Maria and her family are depicted accurately as ordinary people who may have had these struggles and experiences. A notable exception being that Maria does get credit for ultimately convincing the city council to approve the ballfield. This is more characteristic of children's literature where a kid (the main character) saves the day, rather than of the history this book depicts.

Soul Lanterns

Kuzki, Shaw. Soul Lanterns. 162p. Delacorte Press. Mar 2021. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978059317340.

    Of the historical fiction from this week, this was not only my favorite title, but also the one that felt most in-line with the genre. The topic lends itself to historical fiction as explained both in the story and the backmatter, the atomic bomb left so many people with major question marks in their lives. It is historically accurate for the characters in this book to have the experiences they did, because that was the experience of many people who were affected by the bomb. In this way, the author does an excellent job blending fact with fiction. This story presents a really interesting teaching opportunity. Speaking from my own experience of learning about WWII and the atomic bomb,  it was taught in a very American-forward way, framed as something that just had to be done to bring the war to the end. This version of history is of course one sided and dismisses the fact that irreversible damage was done to innocent citizens. Teaching this book along with that historical pov, humanizes the experience, and prompts introspection from the readers, which is what historical fiction should do in classrooms. Reading an account of WWII that is not America first presents a POV that should be explored and examined. 

The backmatter provides context to which parts of the story are real and which are made up, but the ambiguity of what happened to a lot of families at this time is explained throughout the narrative, as the characters learn from members of their community what things were like, the reader learns too.