Book Reviews by Carol Neeland for LS 5603: Literature for Children and Young Adults

Summary:

Keesha’s House is a collection of poems told in the voices of six troubled young adults. Their problems are many and varied: from teenage pregnancy and sexual abuse, to alcoholism and dealing drugs. The adults in these young people’s lives also share their thoughts from time to time, offering another point of view about their situations. The poems are written in sonnet and sestina form.

Critical Analysis: 

It is clear from the realistic language and portrayals of the characters that Helen Frost spends a great deal of time talking with, listening to, and reading the writings of young people. The voice of each character is believable and earnest. She made a good choice starting with a non-rhyming poetic format for the first two parts of the book because readers can get to know the characters as they speak “real” language.  

When we come to Part III, which is the first time we hear from the adults in these young people’s lives, Frost switches to sonnets. The strong rhythms and especially the rhymes make these poems stand out as different from the kids’. Like the adults in Charlie Brown movies, the language that the adults in Keesha’s House speak is undecipherable to kids’ ears. In Keesha’s House the adults speak in verse, not just verse but sonnet format. It’s no wonder that the kids turn to Keesha and each other instead of their parents, grandparents, teachers, and coaches. Even Joe, whom “Keesha’s house” really belongs to, is set apart because he is older, not one of the kids, but one of them. 

It isn’t until the Part VIII of the book, the very last part, that the kids are able to speak in sonnets. Better yet, they speak in a crown of sonnets. To me, this indicates that, not only have the children made responsible decisions, sought help, and gotten their lives under control, but that they are connected together. The last line of each sonnet is the first line of the next. The connection makes them stronger and that makes this section of the book the “crowning” moment.  

At the end of the book there is a note on the poetic forms. One interesting poetic form that I hadn’t encountered much before reading Keesha’s House is the sestina. In this form six words are repeated as the end words of each line in six 6 line stanzas. The words are used again in the last stanza but they can be within the lines, not necessarily at the end. Frost has followed the traditional order of the end words but chose to vary the length of the lines instead of following the traditional form in which all the lines are the same length. Part VI is composed of English or Shakespearean sonnets which rhyme ABAB CDCD EFEG GG. Many of the poems are Petrachan sonnets which rhyme ABBA ABBA CDE CDE and Part VIII is a crown of sonnets in which the last line of one poem is the first line of the next.

I am grateful to Frost for including the section on the forms of the poems because it made me appreciate the collection even more. After reading that section I read through the entire book again to appreciate its poetic value. On my first read, I was so lost in the story that I forgot I was reading poetry. This is a truly amazing collection. Having written some sonnets myself, I can only imagine the amount of time and thought that went into writing the ones for this book. Helen Frost has made her masterpiece appear so effortless that young people are likely to become so engrossed in the story that they will forget they are reading poetry.

Review Excerpt: 

Frost has taken the poem-story to a new level with well-crafted sestinas and sonnets, leading readers into the souls and psyches of her teen protagonists. The house in the title isn’t really Keesha’s; it belongs to Joe. His aunt took him in when he was 12, and now that he’s an adult and the owner of the place, he is helping out kids in the same situation. Keesha needs a safe place to stay-her mother is dead; her father gets mean when he drinks, and he drinks a lot. She wants to stay in school, all these teens do, and Keesha lets them know they can stay at Joe’s. There’s Stephie, pregnant at 16, and terrified to tell anyone except her boyfriend. Harris’s father threw him out when his son confided that he is gay. Katie’s stepfather has taken to coming into her room late at night, and her mother refuses to believe her when she tells. Carmen’s parents have run off, and she’s been put into juvie for a DUI. Dontay is a foster kid with two parents in jail. Readers also hear from the adults in these young people’s lives: teachers, parents, grandparents, and Joe. It sounds like a soap opera, but the poems that recount these stories unfold realistically. Revealing heartbreak and hope, these poems could stand alone, but work best as a story collection. Teens may read this engaging novel without even realizing they are reading poetry.
-Angela J. Reynolds,
Washington County Cooperative Library Services, Hillsboro, OR 

Interestingly, this review is more of a plot summary than a critical analysis of this collection of poems. However, there is one point Ms. Reynolds made that is worth noting. She says, “Teens may read this engaging novel without even realizing they are reading poetry.” I mentioned this point above and it was discussed by several people during the class discussions for this unit. Poetry has a bad reputation with both children and young adults. For children, humor and strong sounds with rhyme and rhythm help them get past the notion of poetry being boring. For young adults, a collection like this in which the characters and the story are so involving is the key to exposing them to fabulous poetry. 

Connections: 

In the schools where I work it is rare to find students with problems as serious and life-threatening as the ones described in this book. However, all young adults have problems and part of the impetus behind reading literature for young adults is that young people are given an opportunity to learn about themselves, think about resolving conflict, and consider dealing with real-world problems. 

If I were teaching this book I would have students make a list of some of the troubles they face in their own lives, then choose one and expand on it either in poetry, prose, or a concept map. To accompany this piece I would later ask the students what helps them when they are worried about a problem or to whom they turn in times of need. Teenagers don’t need to be pregnant, dealing drugs, or being sexually abused to feel overwhelmed by what life throws at them. One of the best outcomes of reading a book like this is that young people can see that they have choices and that there are people they can turn to. 

A topic of discussion that might arise during the reading of this book is that of discrimination. After Harris tells his parents that he’s gay his father throws him out. He lives in his car until he finds his way to Keesha’s house. Seeing this through Harris’s eyes would be enlightening for many students as homosexuality can be a serious target for peer discrimination and abuse. Having students write about a time that they felt discriminated against and then write about a time that they prejudged or discriminated against someone else would spark some interesting feelings and help students see life from two points of view. 

Bibliographic Data:

Frost, Helen. Keesha’s House. 1 ed. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2003. ISBN Number: 0-374-34064-1

Reynolds, Angela J. “Keesha’s House.” School Library Journal (2003)
http://reviews.schoollibraryjournal.com/bd.aspx?isbn=0374340641&pub=sl  (accessed March 1, 2008). 

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