"Boy, did I hate it when my mouth worked so quick I didn't have time to catch the words before they came out." -Teaspoon Marlene
Well, crap, that's the truth. At least once a day, and often more, I wish I could spool the words I've just said back into my mouth. I didn't start liking the main character of this book, Teaspoon, until she said these words. There's a lot I don't identify with: she's rough and dirty, whereas I'm kind of a priss about dirt; she's growing up terribly poor and abandoned by her mom to live with a guy who's not even related to her. But she has great determination. And she loves "fancy" words like afflicted and contradiction. And she has a crazy combination of worldly and naive views on things, which makes her notice all kinds of contradictions in the people around her. And she's got that heart-of-gold quality that makes people love her. Actually, I think I wish I could be MORE like her.
Here's a quick plot synopsis so we can get to the good stuff: Teaspoon's mom ran off to Hollywood and left her with a former boyfriend. Teaspoon is afraid Teddy's thinking of sending her to live with mean relatives because she's naughty, so to prove that she's trying to be better she joins a mentorship program. The program partners her up with an older girl who's supposed to teach her to be respectable. Together, they work through the summer on planning a live show at the local movie theater. Actually, some parts of the plot are pretty predictable, but the characters aren't.
I read this book because my friend, Marie, posted on Facebook how much she loves Sandra Kring. I requested a few of Kring's books from the library. I started with Carry Me Home but was turned off by the narrator's descriptions of boogers, poop, butt holes, etc. I get enough of that from being a mom. So I moved on to this book, and while the characters start out almost as rough, there's a wonderful golden side to each of them. I love the lumpy little fat boy, Charlie, who becomes Teaspoon's friend by default. She keeps saying he's her neighbor, not her friend, but it becomes clear that they both need friends. I also like the neighborhood hookers, who pay attention to Teaspoon when no one else will, and give her great advice about not taking any crap from anyone. Teaspoon's unlikely friend, Brenda, the town beauty queen and her mentorship program partner, is also a surprise. She's actually nice, when everyone else in her part of town is totally snotty while pretending to be the nice ones. And Teddy, the guy who is raising Teaspoon, is a total gem. These characters are what make this book.
Something I love about books like this is what they teach me about different time periods. I used to hate history and didn't pay much attention to it in school. I've learned more about the history of different times and places from novels than from textbooks and film strips (for real, we used to watch film strips when I was in middle school). The innocent descriptions from Teaspoon's point of view make the theater, schools, class and racial relations, entertainment, and small town culture of mid-century America really come alive for me. This book offers great commentary on the social expectations for women during that time, especially.
There was a bit of a personal challenge in this book for me as well. There are so many adults in the book who just dismiss Teaspoon or completely judge her, and it causes her a lot of confusion and hurt. I see myself in some of those adults who are too busy or too grown-uppy. As a mom and a teacher, I sometimes overlook the real emotional needs of kids. I want to be more like Teaspoon's Sunday school teacher who, when a snooty girl tattles on Teaspoon for singing a radio song in church (gasp), just says, "You are treating us with more songs than usual." Love it.
Speaking of Sunday school, this book gives an awesome treatment of church and Christianity. Teaspoon says several time that church is for sinners and that's why she and the uppity people in town need to go. She talks about how Jesus will forgive her but she still doesn't feel right about using her tithe money to buy a scooter. It cracks me up how she feels Jesus's picture looking at her. Her special combination of heart-felt determination, naivety, and world-wise way of describing Jesus make him sound pretty real and cool.
Here's a recommendation for you, if you've already read this book or can't get ahold of it. The time and place, and the unlikely characters of this book, remind me a ton of Fannie Flagg's writing. Fannie Flagg is famous for Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, but her Elmwood Springs books are even better, in my opinion. Another one that is very similar to How High the Moon is Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man. Just like in HHTM, the people in Flagg's books can surprise the heck out of you (there's a SHOCKER in Fried Green Tomatoes).
All in all, Marie was right. This book is pretty great. It didn't become un-put-downable until near the end, but I'd definitely read another Sandra Kring book. I may even give the poop-talking book another try.
Next up: should I finish Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire, a giant biography I'm halfway through, or read Ursula Hegi's newest novel, Children and Fire (a sequel to Stones from the River)?
