Part of Me: Stories of a Louisiana Family

by Kimberly Willis Holt, Kate Reading (Read by)

The lives of four generations of one Louisiana family, woven together by a master storyteller Tracing a family's roots is like taking a journey through the years. In the case of one Louisiana family, that journey can be charted by the books they read and loved. The journey begins in 1939 with Rose, who moves with her mother and siblings from rural Texas to live with their estranged grandfather in the Louisiana bayou. Rose connects with this flavorful community through her love of books and by driving a bookmobile. Two decades later, Merle Henry, Rose's son, is more passionate about trapping a mink than about reading, although there is a place in his heart for Old Yeller. In 1973, Merle Henry's daughter, Annabeth, feels torn between reading fairy tales and a crush on a real-life knight in shining armor. And in the present day, Annabeth's son, Kyle, finds himself in a he hates reading, but the only summer job he can get is at the library. In her people-smart way, Kimberly Willis Holt introduces us to a Louisiana touching, lyrical, and always intriguing, their stories reveal the powerful connections between four generations. Part of Me is a 2007 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Genres: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Juvenile, Middle Grade, Family, Historical

208 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Kimberly Willis Holt is the author of the Piper Reed series, including Piper Reed, Navy Brat, Piper Reed, Clubhouse Queen, and Piper Reed, Rodeo Star. She has written many award-winning novels, including The Water Seeker and My Louisiana Sky, as well as the picture books Waiting for Gregory and Skinny Brown Dog. A former Navy brat herself, Holt was born in Pensacola, Florida, and lived all over the U.S. and the world—from Paris to Norfolk to Guam to New Orleans. Holt long dreamed of being a writer, but first worked as a radio news director, marketed a water park, and was an interior decorator, among other jobs. A few years after she started writing, her third book, When Zachary Beaver Came to Town, won a National Book Award for Young People's Literature. She resides in West Texas with her family.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/kimber...

Reviews

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

THe ending was a little weak, in my opinion. I also felt like I would've liked to read more about each of the characters in the story. Just when I was really getting into their story and interested in them, she would switch to another character. Overall, I enjoyed it.

[Kathryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and I thought the earlier stories were the strongest, but this is definitely the kind of book marketed to kids, but written for adults.

[Kim Hampton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this book, and would love to see more books about each of the characters. I feel like we just got a tiny bit of their stories.

[Jinx:The:Poet {the LiteraryWanderer & WordRoamer} · Rating 2 out of 5]

Part of Me: Stories of a Louisiana Family. Honestly, this wasn't really my kind of book. It was good, don't get me wrong, or at least it had it's moments. It was pretty well written and interesting as far as the historical scenery went. I'll admit that I like the idea of generational story-telling perhaps more than I appreciate the stories that often fall under that specific category. It was a good story or novella rather. Again, it had its moments. It was a quick read too. I just felt it came off slowly, without a bang, and leaving behind a bland after taste. I liked the glimpses it gives into different people's lives throughout the different generations but there wasn't any plot to it, or any substance. If you like a story to have depth and meaning or a general point to it, then maybe this isn't the story for you either. Again, it wasn't bad, but it was slow and the character portraits were so short that it was hard to get attached to any of them. Also I found the writing style to be very simplistic, as if it were written for youths, though the subject matter (a portrait study on a family spanning over generations) made it seem aimed for an older audience, so this fact confused me. Honestly, I wouldn't recommend this book to most people.

[OFFICIAL RATING: 2.5 STARS]

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of four generations of a family in Louisiana, all tied together by the local bookmobile and library. This format, starting with the oldest generation and working up to the newest, kept me reading, as I wanted to know more in succeeding chapters about characters I was reading about as children. Some stories gave hints of what would happen to people in the future; others didn't. I like the way books influence the various characters in the stories. The final chapter brought it back home to the first generation--most satisfying. This may be my favorite of all of Holt's books.

[Devine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really good book

[Kristi Bell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the first story in this book and it left me hanging. The other stories in this book just weren't as good as the first. I felt like that I wanted to know more about the characters! I do like that Ms. Holt tied the whole story together by the use of books from generation to generation. I also like this quote from the book: 'My dream of becoming a writer is like a fallen leaf swept up by the wind-dancing inches from my reach, teasing, never letting me touch it. But somehow I hope that my life will have some meaning one day.'

Language: Hell, d***, a**, mild
Sex: None
Violence: None
There is a mention of 'reefer', but it is brief and is portrayed negatively.

[Stacy Wanchick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great concept, clunky execution. Characters were likable and believable, but generational transitions were jarring. I wanted more from each story and they weren’t woven together in a strongly coherent way. Also, the use of certain stereotypes weaken the story - the dweeb-y overbearing Christian student and the use of Harry Potter as the only book in the universe that can make kids fall in love with reading. The inclusion of a lot of modern sensibilities will date the book quickly rather than keeping it timeless.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was just such a heartwarming and realistic book of family life. I bonded with each of the different characters...who were just so universally human. I listened to this book on CDs, and the award-winning narrator was excellent. Her name is Kate Reading.
If you like books like Anne of Green Gables or Little House on the Prairie, this is your kind of book.

[Kristin Nelson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't love this. I listened to it, so the switch between chapters (stories, really) was especially jarring. I was getting to know a character and suddenly their story was done and we had moved on to the next generation. It was all tied together with the bookmobile/library and Rose, but I didn't appreciate the transitions.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always Kimberly Willis Holt brings us characters that you bond with. They become members of your family or circle of friends. This multi generation story will linger in the corner of your mind and heart for days.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 2nd of Holt's books that I've read. I loved the library/bookmobile being an integral part of the story. Her characters are real and lovable, flaws and all.

[Gerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book too. I think I have a new author I love.
This one caught my eye because it involved a book mobile, reading and family.

[Fanona · Rating 2 out of 5]

Surprised i didnt like it more. Not all that engaging by story or characters.

[Kimberly Purcell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I chose this book because my book challenge said to choose a book by an author that shared my name. So, I chose the first one that was available as an audio book. It was good.

[Chelsea Goodwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely, memorable characters that feel like new friends

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written as a biography from several generations viewpoints.

[D. Landers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book. I enjoyed it very much.

[Morgan Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a bit challenging to keep up with the timeline with each character and time jump- thankful for the summary to help keep that straight.

[Molly Vaughan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A page turner. Read it in one day. Thank you!

[Eunice Hart · Rating 4 out of 5]

great book.

[Elaine volpe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rose grew up in Amarillo Texas, that is until she was 13years old. When she was thirteen, her mother packed her and her brother and sister up and headed back to her hometown on the Louisiana bayou. They had no choice since Rose’s dad left them and her mom struggled everyday to keep them fed and clothed. They got very used to eating beans and cornbread every night for dinner. Peach jam was a real treat for dessert…it was the only thing sweet they ever got to eat. Rose’s mom survived on her own as long as she could, but one day decided she had no choice but to go “home.” Her home was the Louisiana bayou. She shows up unexpectedly and is not exactly welcomed with open arms from her father. She left when she was eighteen (to marry Rose’s dad) and never spoke to her father again. When she shows up with her three children, he is anything but pleased. They grow on him quickly, however, and he actually is the one who gets Rose her first job as a bookmobile driver for the public library. Rose’s mom insists that she put school on hold and find a job to help bring money in for the family. Rose does and LOVES and is fascinated by all the books she comes in contact with at the library. She herself wishes to someday become a writer. The story goes on from there keeping Rose as the center character and telling the story of her future generations. Rose goes on to marry and have a son. We learn about him and his passion for trapping a mink. He later marries and has a daughter, Annabeth, who is as much into books as her Gamma Rose. She grows up to marry and have a son, Kyle, who hates to read but ends up taking a job at his public library. Four generations revealed in this heart-warming book that connects a family through the 3 L’s: love, laughter, and loyalty.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

A series of vignettes tells the story of five generations of a Louisiana family. The first is Rose, who in 1939 is forced to drop out of high school and get a job in order to help support her newly-single mother and siblings. The ensuing chapters tell the pivotal moments in the lives of her descendants—the moments that make them who they are. The one commonality of all the stories is the presence of books, and how they influence and guide each person, whether they like to read or not.
• Mild swearing
• Covers from 1939 through to the present day, including references to Harry Potter
• Great example of characterization
• Great example of voice and tone
• Quick read, but it is about characters and pivotal events, not a fluid story. This may be frustrating.
• Writers will enjoy “filling in the blanks” and telling the untold stories. For example, we know when Rose meets her husband, but the book skips ahead to when they are married with children. How did they fall in love?

[Eden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not Holt’s best, in fact best thing was that I could read a story, put it down, come back latter and pick on a new story. If we’re doing generational stories, Gratz’s is the better – more stuff to ponder.

1.Predict: Why do you think the author selected the title Part of Me for this book?
2.What was the author’s purpose in writing the story of six generations of a family through short stories as opposed to a straight novel approach?
3.List what traits, settings, and emotions are common in each story. What are the differences between each story?
4.Each character has his or her own challenge. Which challenge is close to a challenge that you have had to deal with in your own life? Was your method of handling the challenge similar to or different than the response in the story?
5.Why did the author set the story in Louisiana.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this. I'm briefly going to tell my favorite and least favorite parts.
Least favorite: I wanted to know more of the stories! Sometimes threads finished up in the next generations, but some things I never found out and since I apparently don't do well using my imagination, I was no happy.
Favorites (two):
1. I loved how during each time period, the voice changed so I felt like I was reading a book from that time period. Absolutely delightful to me.
2. Families and books. I could leave it at that, but I won't. That's what it's about and I love both of those things. There were inspiring messages and thought provoking situations and I just enjoyed the substance of it.

[Louis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very moving and well-written. It is a book that spans several generations of a family and is worth the investment of time. I am not familiar with this section of Louisiana, but Holt's writing truly gave me a sense of place. The aspects of a character becoming a bookmobile driver and that arc over time affected me as a librarian. The interactions between animals and people were insightful. Each new generation had fully-realized characters, and the transition from one generation to the next were seamlessly handled. It has themes of writing, family, love found and lost, and aging. I was sad to see this book end, and found it to be a moving experience. My library put it in the Teen section, but its appeal crosses that arbitrary boundary.

[Kristin Aker Howell · Rating 3 out of 5]

These linked short stories - Trapped is my favorite - trace generatiosn of a Louisiana family through the books they've read. I have a bias against writers writing about writing, unless it's only for writers. The second half of this book contains lots of that. But, the first half is lovely. I do see how linked short stories can be jarring between character shifts, even in close third. It seems the link between the stories must be evident up front. All in all, these were linked through one character, Rose, as she aged and became a writer. I would have liked some more tension in that overall arc to carry me between stories.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This told the story of 4 generations of a family... each section of 2-3 chapters told from one person's perspective (1 generation per section, with a return to Rose, the great-grandmother at the end). I didn't explain that well, but this is really a lovely book. At the end of each section I felt a little sad to be moving to the next generation and wanted to know more about that individual... I love how reading connected them all. And how the story came full circle at the end. I also liked the way that it showed how life changed in Lousiana over the course of nearly 70 years...but showed these changes unobtrusively, without focusing on them.

[Ms. Tongate, TLC Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet read. 1939 Rose, 14, gets her first job driving a Bookmobile in Louisiana. She just moved from Texas to Louisiana to live with her grandfather, who her family has never met. I loved the progression with all family memebers. You next read about Rose's son, Merle Henry, 2 decades later. Then Merle Henry's daughter, Annabeth. Finally, Annabeth's son, Kyle. All family members share either their love or hate of reading. Kyle hates to read but finds a summer job at the library where he eventually loves reading his Harry Potter books. Sweet read. Loved the ending with Rose traveling the country sharing her story in a Bookmobile!

[Josh · Rating 2 out of 5]

So my wife picked this up for us to read while driving on vacation. It is a series of stories from a family over the course of several generations. Each story itself was interesting enough that I was curious to know where it went after the story was over. But the problem was that each story didn't see to have a point and the stories as a set didn't seem to lead anywhere. At the end of the book my first thought was "That's it? The first and last stories at least fit together, but what did the three or four stories in the middle have to do with anything?"