GATHERING BLUE by Lois Lowry Second book of a trilogy Houghton Mifflin Company -- 2000 ISBN: 0-618-05581-9 -- Hardcover Teen & Young Adult / Science Fiction Some mild violence / no sex / no language Reviewed by Jo Rogers, MyShelf.com Buy a Copy

Though the subject matter may seem intense for young teens, the story deals with issues they encounter or will encounter as adults. There will be situations that are unavoidable, and these are the things Lois Lowry brings to their attention with thought provoking stories.

The story begins as Kira, a young girl, is sitting beside her mother Katrina's body in the Field of Leaving, waiting on her spirit to finish leaving the body. Then the diggers will come and cover it with a layer of dirt. But she knows the body will be torn apart by beasts anyway. Now, after four days, she senses the last of Katrina's spirit drift away, and she prepares to go back to the land where the cott she shared with her mother once stood. However, because Katrina died of an illness, the cott and all their belongings had been burned so that the illness would spread no further.

Kira's father, Christopher had been killed during a hunt, taken by beasts. She is all alone now, and in grave danger. Kira walks leaning on a stick, dragging her useless, twisted leg. She was born with this deformity, and the people wanted to take her to the Field as soon as she had been born, so she could die before her spirit had settled in. It was the way, to take
handicapped infants to the Field so they wouldn't become a burden on the village. But Katrina had refused to let them take the daughter she named Kir, for the child gripped her thumb with great strength in her well-formed hands, and she knew the child was special. Katrina's father had some power in the village, so Kir was allowed to live. And she had become Kira when she entered puberty, and would have a third syllable added to her name when she became an adult -- if she lived that long.

Already, Vandara and the women in the neighborhood wanted the land her home had stood on so they could build a pen for their unruly children and chickens to keep them out of the way while they worked. When they found Kira had returned, they had picked up rocks to throw. She reminded them, though, that if they had a conflict with her and they didn't take it to the Council of Guardians, and they killed her, they would be executed. None of them, not even the vicious Vandara, wanted that. So they dropped their stones and Vandara agreed to take Kira to trial before the Council.

At the trial, Vandara accused Kira of eating a lot and contributing nothing to the village, and she had not gone to the Field to die and had not followed the way. But one of the Guardians, Jamison, told the Council
there were exceptions to the way, and that since Kira was thin, she didn't eat enough, and that her work in the weaving shed contributed to the community. By the time the Council returned from the midday meal, their minds were made up. Vandara and her cronies got the land for their pen, but Kira would live. She would live in the Council Edifice, and would work there.

Every year, there was a Gathering, where the village Singer sang the Ruin Song, the history of their world, from the beginning, through the destruction of civilization, to the present. The performance lasted all
day, and while he sang, he wore a robe embroidered with scenes from history. Katrina had made minor repairs on the robe for years. She had taught Kira to embroider, but Kira's skill far outstripped Katrina's. So,
now that the robe needed complete restoration, Kira would do the work,
while she lived at the Edifice.

But there were truths that Kira learned while she struggled to walk the distance into the woods to the old dyer's cott so that Annabella could teach her how to get the colors to dye the threads she would need for the restoration. One was that her artistry would be held captive by the Council. She would be able to embroider only what scenes she was told to do. The designs of her own, the pictures her fingers itched to make, could not be done. Would she, could she be able to live with that?

Gathering Blue is a well-written story, and one every child over ten should read. In fact, parents should read this book and discuss the issues it covers with their children. Though the book deals with harsh living
conditions, it deals with issues we confront today. It is truly a picture of us, and not a pretty one.

But Lois Lowry didn't set out to create pretty stories when she wrote The Giver, a Newberry Medal winner, Gathering Blue, or A Summser to Die. She writes stories that deal with real issues, issues we live with every day. Many parents might say they want to shield their children from the ugliness in the world for as long as they can. In an ideal world, these issues would not exist. But this is not an ideal world. Children are often faced with violence at school or at home, and in between. Greed does horrible things to people's minds.

For instance, in Kira's village, children were taught to fight for what they wanted, and there were fights over food, toys, clothing -- no one shared anything. We think we are so much more civilized, but when our kids kill each other over a name brand pair of sneakers, or wearing the wrong colors, the only difference I see is that our kids are better armed. They still behave like wild animals, because they aren't taught any better.

Another issue is the prejudice against handicapped people. In Kira's village, they are left in the Field of Leaving to die or be killed by wild animals. People today talk of "doctor-assisted suicide" and "euthanasia."
A rose by any other name.... Murder is murder, whatever you choose to call it. Handicapped people can contribute much to society, if only to fulfill the function of letting healthy people know there is someone worse off than they are.

And of course, there is the issue of censorship. I do not believe in any
censorship except that of self. I feel the writers and artists of the world should be free to create what they want to create. But I also feel that we should exercise responsibility with our freedom. Some subjects are not suitable for any age, and the porno people need to realize that just because we have the freedom to do it, it does not mean it should be done.

No one knows what the world can be like more than Lois Lowry. Her father was a dentist in the military, and she has traveled and lived all over the world. With The Giver and a third book yet to be written, Gathering Blue will form a trilogy of futuristic books that confront some of the most
difficult issues we face today. The sooner kids know what they face, the more they confront these hot-button issues, the sooner they will find solutions where we adults see only problems.

Next month, we will take another journey into the realm of science fiction and fantasy. I don't know where we will go yet, but it will be an interesting place Beyond the Words. Until then, happy reading!