My Face to the Wind: The Diary of Sarah Jane Price, a Prairie Teacher, Broken Bow, Nebraska, 1881 (Dear America)

Rating:
Summary: A Unique View
Review: Fourteen-almost-fifteen-year-old Sarah Jane Price and her father had moved to the small frontier town of Broken Bow, Nebraska in 1881. Sarah Jane's father was a teacher; yet now that he is dead, Sarah is left with no kin and little money, and the chilren of the town have no teacher. There is enough money that Sarah Jane can stay in the boarding house she is accustomed to for a few months, but after that, where can she go? Miss Kizer, the rather cold and unfeeling woman who runs the boarding house, is ready to send Sarah off to the nearby Orphan Girls' Christian Asylum. However, Sarah Jane is heartsick at the thought of going to an orphanege, where according to her Broken Bow friend Ida, she must lead a dreary, work-filled life. Ida and Sarah Jane brainstorm frantically in hopes of figuring out a way that Sarah Jane can have the money to stay in Broken Bow. One by one, the possibilites are ruled out, and in desparation, Sarah Jane tells members of the school board that she can take her father's place as Broken Bow schoolteacher. After Sarah Jane falsely claims that she's sixteen, the board reluctantly agrees that she can have the position. Up against a primitive schoolhouse, virtually no supplies, and unruly scholars...can Sarah Jane do it?

As the title of my review says, this "Dear America" book does give us a unique view of yet another aspect of pioneer life and gives us a vivid idea of what teaching school was REALLY like in the frontier age. Of course, it was very unrealistic in many ways that Sarah Jane was even allowed to teach (wouldn't anyone investigate to see how old she really was?), but that small flaw didn't diminish my enjoyment of this diary. After all, it was great fun to watch Sarah Jane learn how to teach, see how she coped with all of the challenges, and see her overcome some of the townspeople's negative thoughts toward her. "My Face to the Wind" is rather dry and boring at the beginning (a little too much info about the chores that Sarah must do and the long, lonely walks that she takes) and her belief that her dead father "talked" to her seemed to be a bizzare, overdone, and "hokey" twist to the book...but don't let these minor flaws stop you from enjoying this inspiring diary of a prairie schoolteacher!

Rating:
Summary: An example of semi-historical fiction
Review: Have you read a book titled _The Gutenberg Elegies_? It's about the difficulties that modern students have with grasping older literature. The reason for this is essentially that the world has changed so much in the last century that what was once common knowledge (farming, for example) is no longer common, and the once ubiquitous (and entirely Western) social code is no longer uniform.

As a result, characters from older books seem -- well, the usual student reaction to authentic period literature is "I just don't get it." It's not that the words are too hard; we just "don't get" the motivations. Seeing characters act inside narrower cultural norms -- unable to rise above family and societal demands -- is as strange to the modern TV generation as a non-Western story might have been to a 19th century reader.

In this situation, _My Face to the Wind_ represents the compromise position. The author goes to some trouble to present a physical and political setting that is historically accurate, but the key characters themselves have been "updated" to conform somewhat more to modern sensibilities.

For example, the central character is clearly an educated and well-brought-up 14-year-old, but she transgresses the social code when she directly asks the boarding house owner about her romantic past -- and even follows up with detailed inquiry when the older woman tries to deflect the issue.

Anyone familiar with the pre-Industrial Revolution social code realizes this would have been considered insupportably rude -- grounds for a serious scolding for "impertinence" at minimum -- but it works with modern students, because they have no idea that this was considered extremely bad behavior at the time.

The other problem that this work suffers from is the presentation as a "diary." Generally, the writing style of a diary is quite difference from a narrative work; it's more internal and reflective and self-referential. One includes in a diary things that one wouldn't include in a narrative account, and vice versa. Perhaps more importantly, one omits from a diary external events and details which are critical to a narrative. I think that this book would work better as a series of letters; the epistolary (letter-writing) voice would feel more authentic.

I generally like the historical information presented in this book. The prairie settlers get overlooked too often, and this helps redress that imbalance somewhat. I do wish, however, that the publishers went to more trouble to make sure that readers understood that this is ENTIRELY A WORK OF FICTION. In particular, the inclusion of an epilogue that purports to tell what the characters did in later life contributes to the illusion that this is "real."

P.S. One caveat for the gift-giver: This story uses the occasional appearance of her father's ghost in unexpected "visions" to move the plot along. Do NOT buy this for someone who will be offended by seance-like visions and unearthly communications from dead relatives.

Rating:
Summary: A good choice for the even the older Dear America fan
Review: I have read Jim Murhpy's other two books in the Dear America series, and I have to say I liked this the best of all, with "West to a Land of Plenty" in close second.
Sarah Jane Price is a 14 year old girl now alone in Broken Bow, Nebraska. Her father who was supposed to be the school teacher for the town, recently died from black diptheria which had also ravaged the town. After the lady of the boarding house with whom she was staying with, decides the best thing for her to do is go to a "girls home", Sarah thinks of every possible way she could stay in Broken Bow. Even though she doesn't care much for the harsh winds, or life on the prarie in general, she knows anything would be better than the girls home.
When she comes up with a way, she decides she could become the next school teacher in Broken Bow. She meets with criticism and rebukes at first from the school board, but decides that neither the parents or the children are going to get the best of her. She does indeed become a very good schoolteacher, through many trials and tribulations.

Rating:
Summary: I love Dear America books
Review: I think this boof is one of my all time favorets. This book is about a 14 year old girl named Sarah, her father dies from a disease and she is left to fend for her self. the lady who take care of her is thinking of sending her to an orfenidge where she will work and not get paid. she dose not stand for that so she takes the job her father was going to do, so she could stay with her friends and near her fathers grave. I highly reamend it.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful new Dear America book.
Review: Life in the small frontier town of Broken Bow, Nebraska, is difficult, especially for a fourteen-year-old girl on her own. Which is what Sarah Jane Price is now that her father, the schoolteacher, has died in an epidemic. Sarah Jane is devastated by this loss. She is unable to remember her mother, who died when she was very young, and her father was the only family she had in the world. She is determined to stay in Broken Bow, where she can be near her father's grave. But her money is running out, and to stay in Broken Bow, Sarah Jane will need to find a source of income. Broken Bow's children need a teacher now that her father has died, and Sarah Jane decides that she can be that teacher. The school board decides to give her a chance. But she is young and inexperienced, and teaching is more difficult that she ever imagined. Can Sarah Jane succeed? Fans of the Dear America series will love this book, and I highly reccomend it to fans of historical fiction.

Rating:
Summary: Fairly accurate portrayal of a pioneer Schoolteacher's life
Review: Our heroine is a fourteen year old girl named Sarah Jane Price. Her father, a recently deceased schoolteacher, has left her behind limited financial resources and no relatives. Staying with caring owner of her boarding house, Miss Kizer, Sarah Jane pays a small weekly fee and helps Miss Kizer with chores, such as washing dishes and collecting buffalo chips.

However, Sarah Jan knows that her father's money won't last forever, and discussing her situation with Miss Kizer and the traveling minister the Reverend Laurent, they feel her best option is an Orphan Girls' Asylum. Sarah reluctantly accepts that, but when her friend Ida notifies her that the girls there are made to work six days a week in a clothing factory, with the Asylum keeping their wages, Sarah Jane becomes determined to find a way to stay in Broken Bow.

Dreaming about her father and the the help she gave him in his classes, Sarah Jane realizes her destiny. With Ida's help, and pretending to be sixteen, she is able to convince the town school board to hire her. But that is not the end of the struggles! The schoolhouse is in horrible condition, there is no books, supplies or furniture. She must deal with unruly students, blizzards that knock the school down, and difficult adults who refuse to believe in her.

This was a relatively good book. I was able to predict some of the epilouge. More for 4-7th graders than eighth graders.

Rating:
Summary: This book is not so great
Review: Sarah Jane Price has just lost her father, and she is despair. The woman who is now her guardian is thinking about sending her to girl's asylum. But Sarah can't leave; her heart is in Broken Bow, the city where she now lives. She finds a position teaching school, but has to lie about her age to get the job. But it means that she can stay in Broken Bow.
But teaching is tougher than she thought. The students are unruly, and she is afraid that she'll fail and lose her job. Plus, people are beginning to doubt her, and Sarah knows if that's the case, her days in Broken Bow are numbered.
But when push comes to shove, Sarah proves to everyone that she is her father's daughter, a strong woman who never gives up.

This book is good, but I have read better. I would give it 4 ½ stars if I could. This book is certainly one of a kind, though. I didn't get all that gibber about her father visiting her in her dreams. But I'm not saying that it's totally bad, it just could have been better.
Read it, and then rate it yourself.

Rating:
Summary: Awesome!
Review: This book is absolutely so wonderful! It is a must-read!

Rating:
Summary: Good, but I've read better
Review: This book is really great. Read it!