Arilla Sun Down

by Virginia Hamilton

272 pp. Pub: 10/95. *****Twelve-year-old Arilla Adams has walked in her brother Jack's shadow for as long as she can remember. He knows who he is. Arilla understands that she is Aerind (part African American, part Native American), but she cannot identify with just one race like Jack, who identifies with being Native American. Only after saving her brother's life, can she discover her true identity.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, School, Coming Of Age

Library Binding

First published February 1, 1979

About the author

Virginia Esther Hamilton was the author of forty-one works of fiction and nonfiction. She was the first Black writer awarded the Newbery Medal and the first children's writer to be named a MacArthur Fellow (the "Genius" grant). She also received the National Book Award and the Hans Christian Andersen Medal.

Reviews

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick review for a somewhat quick read. I first started reading Virginia Hamilton's books over 20 years ago, and if the author were still living today, I'd send her my gratitude on being a gateway for my love of reading (and I appreciated the brief bio and photo montage provided at the end of this book). My childhood library had several of her books, notably with the covers that were designed in the 70s and 80s (maybe a few that were a part of the 90s reissues). My first book from her was "The House of Dies Drear" and then I binge read the Justice and her Brothers series, among several of her works. So when I heard that Open Road Media had several of her books reissued, I jumped at the chance to peruse them. "Arilla Sun Down" was one of the books of Hamilton's that I didn't read when I was younger, so this experience was completely new to me. The book was based on Hamilton noting her own family's multiracial background and using it as inspiration to write Arilla's story.

Arilla is a biracial girl (African American and Native) who struggles with her identity, with reconciling her past from the present, from finding a place to fit in among her family that seems to have its external divisions as well as internal. I identified with Arilla, because she seems to be the odd girl out in a family of distinct identities and talents, while she struggles to find her own way. It's an apt coming of age story that has Arilla not just looking at the way things have changed from her pursuits and life as a child, but struggling to fit in against the shadow of her older brother Sun Run and his firm assertion of his identity - so much that she seems almost lost in its shadow and the shadow it casts around her family. Sun Run also appears to struggle with the way people perceive him because of his assertion of identity - in which (at first) he seems to shun one part of it and accept the other to the point of complete immersion (his Native lineage). The narrative paints a nice portrait of Arilla and Sun Run's relationship, sometimes with love and others with unspoken tensions. I was particularly struck by how well this book called out several racial stereotypes and the struggle between internal and external perceptions of identity.

"Arilla Sun Down" isn't a perfect narrative (for the record, there were times the narrative lost me with the jumping timeline, and the narrative presentation is at times jagged and abrupt when it comes to transitions in the narrative). However, I found the voices of the characters were distinct and realistic for how the narrative portrayed them. Arilla can be rebellious and struggle to assert herself but at the same time she's loyal and when the moment counts most, she's willing to help those she loves.

Overall score: 3.5/5 stars.

Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher.

[Ben Langhinrichs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Arilla Sun Down
Author: Virginia Hamilton
Publisher: Open Road Media Teen & Tween (November 11, 2014)
Digital review copy courtesy of publisher via NetGalley


Twelve year old Arilla is part Native American and part African American, struggling to find her place in the world and pulled in various directions by her older brother, her parents and her friends. An early theme is how she has to sneak out to be herself, whether to sled or skate or simply to find time to herself. Eventually though, a crisis allows her to find herself in the open, and earns her the name Arilla Sun Down, and the sense of identity she had longed for.

This is a challenging book to read. The language and idiom present the first challenge, but will be more accessible to some than others. In addition, the book is told non-chronologically, which can be challenging as well. Ultimately, if a young reader finds a connection with Arilla, this can be a very satisfying book, but for others it might be frustrating.

Originally reviewed for My Comfy Chair blog at original review.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really looking forward to reading this book and then share it with my 10 year old daughter however I found it hard to read. First, it was hard to read about Arilla's brother's cruelty. I have read numerous books about trauma, mistreatment, abuse etc. but this felt excruciating. I also had a hard time following the structure and it seemed really choppy. My daughter is an excellent reader, again often with tough themes, but I cannot imagine that she would read this book. It also seemed written for older children. I know Ms. Hamilton has written many, many books and I look forward to reading a different one. Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to review this book for an honest review.

[Reading · Rating 2 out of 5]

Arilla is bi-racial. I hoped this would be a book that would break barriers or help some students to have a character to identify with. Instead, Hamilton has written a book that is hard to follow. I would expect that only really good readers in 4th/5th grades could even come close to enjoying it, but the book itself seems more for older students.

[Christina Vinchattle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not finished with this book yet. It was a little hard to follow, but half way through I started to enjoy it. It was about Native Americans, which was cool. Its about Arilla finding herself since her brother was always the perfect child.

[Jody · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read with my 7/8th grade literature circle. It was hard for me to get into and I wasn't really into it until the last three chapters or so.

[Tuan-Anh Nguyen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was assigned as a summer reading book in 4th grade. I was somehow the only one to have read the book all the way through including the teacher who said it was a terrible book.

[Koqua · Rating 2 out of 5]

it was okay.

[Kaleb · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall, I didn't like this book. Despite having an interesting plot, it just wasn't the kind of reading I'm into. It seemed that for half of the book, sentences were written grammatically wrong. I realize that may have been intentional, but I didn't like it. The book seemed slow paced and difficult for me to understand. on top of that, and I realize that this is my fault, it wasn't a fun book to read. it was slow paced and I was straight up bored reading it.

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! What a sophisticated book, both in content and form. Not easy to read, but well worth it for an unusual perspective on fraught sibling and family relations, childhood memories, and young people searching for their identities. Much more fun than that last sentence makes it sound, too!

[Colin Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok. I feel like the story was meant for a younger audience yet the writing was a higher level.