A Higher Geometry

by Sharelle Byars Moranville

Anna loves math, and her boyfriend, Mike. Will she have to choose between them? Anna Conway sometimes wishes her relationships would come as easy to her as math does. A natural math talent, Anna is at odds with what's expected of her as a teenager in the 1950s. While Anna aspires to leave her small town for college to study mathematics, her parents want her to follow the more traditional path of getting married and starting a family. Anna's never really thought of dating before, but when she meets Mike, their relationship takes off and goes further than she'd ever expected. Now it's up to Anna to make her future happen. But how will she choose? In beautiful prose, Sharelle Byars Moranville explores the importance of believing in dreams in order to make a difference. A Higher Geometry is a 2007 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction, Historical, Mathematics, Contemporary

224 pages, Hardcover

First published May 2, 2006

About the author

When I was a kid, I wanted to be an engineer--and some days still do. But I love being a writer and teacher of creative writing. I live on a small acreage with my husband in the midwest and am devoted to gardens and grandchildren. I spend most of my time helping things grow: ideas into stories; seeds into flowers; grandbabies into miracles.

Reviews

[Stephanie A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kudos to this excellent book, which is about a high school math whiz in the late 1950s. She's expected to get married and have kids after graduation, but she wants to go on to college...and then she falls in love, so it really becomes a choice. And even though it is usually such a cliche when the smart girl catches the interest of an athlete and loses all her ability to read people - the athletes are rarely the good guys in fiction; girls always just seem to get twitterpated by their looks - it turns out okay.

You see, the story is not really about them. It's about her. The relationship is just one facet of her life, and it's not the problematic one; the boy is a generally upstanding character no matter what happens. You have no idea how refreshing it was to read a story like that, especially in such an intriguing time period. I even liked the ending...so good work all around.

[Liralen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice. This is one where the historical setting really makes it—Anna's a teenager in 1950s America, and she's torn between the conventions of the times and her dreams for the future. She wants to obey her parents and the rules of the church she's grown up in, too, but she also has questions about faith and sin and what her place is.

Some other interesting choices, too. While Anna gets support from some of her teachers, it doesn't always come from the expected quarters. There's a romance, but it's—for lack of a better word—gentle. Mike's a good guy; her family likes him; he respects her boundaries; while he's not all that interested in Anna's math-related ambitions, he's genuinely happy for her when she does well.

This one doesn't have a love-you-forever happy ending, which I really appreciate. Oh, they're still happy, but there are too many open questions: what happens after high school? What if Mike decides he wants the wife-and-mother model he grew up with, or Anna really does have to decide between math and Mike? Those are things they just can't know where the book lets off, but it looks like they're both on track to be thoughtful, interesting adults.

[Jan Blazanin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A HIGHER GEOMETRY is a rich, textured coming-of-age story that takes places in the late 1950s. It provides the perfect combination of character, plot, and romance that keeps readers turning the pages. I highly recommend it as a great read for teens and older tweens.

[Meaghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's not much to this, but it's neither as cut-and-dried or as predictable as I thought it would be. At the end you see Anna still has some decisions to make and problems to work through. For a darker, turn-of-the-century take on the same theme, try A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly.

[Shaya · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a good book to get back into reading with. I felt the writing was a bit simple probably because I'm not the right age group.

I liked the unique subject of a girl studying math in the 1950s and also the view of some of the other effects of the Cold War. All these math and science programs for high school students were being funded.

Personally I thought some parts were a little unrealistic and I would have liked to seen the minor characters more developed. Some flashbacks back to when Meena was alive would have been nice.

I'm a little confused on the intended age range. I'd peg the reading level at late elementary early junior high, however dating and premarital sex are mentioned so I'm not sure.

Overall, a pleasant read but not a favorite.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anna is great at math but few women went to college to study math in the 1950s. She wants nothing more. Her father, however, wants her to get married right out of high school and start a family as all "good" girls should. Anna fights to excel in math and to convince her father that she should go to college all while experiencing her first love. Anna's grandmother, though dead before the book begins still plays a strong role in her life and it is from her grandmother that she gets much of her strength. This book evokes a time that most teens will not be familiar with but in a way that seems modern and accessible. The romance is sweet and while the characters do have sex, the scene is barely existant and Anna does worry about the repercussions.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought I would like this book because it took place in the late 50's/early 60's, but Anna was a teen then when I was a middle-schooler. Also, I could not relate to parents who felt threatened by learning, like when Anna's parents refuse to let her go to an all-expense paid test at a university that she was chosen to go to. I also question Anna's actions with her boyfriend. Some kids did "go all the way" but it seems unlikely to me that Anna would. Still I felt compelled to finish the book.

[Bayla · Rating 2 out of 5]

*2.5 stars*
Set in the late 1950s, A Higher Geometry tells of Anna's desire to be a mathematician, despite the overwhelming opinion that, as a woman, she should just stay home and get married.It also follows her relationship with her boyfriend, Mike. The characters and situations were fairly flat to me, but it was interesting to see the similarities and differences to now, and also different to read a book so focused on math.

[Mary Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet little young adult novel about a girl math whiz growing up in the 1950s. The math was engaging and the climax was suspenseful but when the plot drifted away from the math it felt too predictable. But I was still charmed by the characters, and I would definitely recommend to young adults, especially those who enjoy math.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1959, small-town teen girl copes with grandmother's death, first boyfriend, and "odd" interest in math. Considered odd for a girl, that is, at that time.

[Ruby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good considering its all about math.

[Librariann]

vox tags: romance, mathematics, girl, historical fiction, ya

[G.i. Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book and wish it hadn't ended. I would recomend it for young adults or high school and older because it includes mentions of making love.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good look at 1950s life. Iowa author.