She’s 13 and shy. Sound familiar? I’m sure most teenage girls can relate to the seemingly-simple Francine Green in Karen Cushman’s novel The Loud Silence of Francine Green.
Francine enjoys being safe, subtle, and never standing out. But her new best friend Sophie is the exact opposite. Questioning everything the nuns teach at their private school, Sophie loves stirring-up trouble and Francine loves standing by and safely watching.
But the fear of Commu
nism is heavy in America and Francine’s Hollywood town is no exception. Francine’s extremely safe personality starts cracking when she starts thinking about things that never bothered her before—all thanks to Sophie. The atomic bomb, McCarthyism, blacklisting, and especially free speech are issues Francine can’t help but fear. It’s only when Francine’s trust in everything—her government, her beliefs, and her reserved voice—are all being shaken that Francine decides she needs to speak up.
Follow along as this tale of two very different friends unite to create one’s individual identity.
I found The Loud Silence of Francine Green to be too elementary for most high school students; I wouldn’t suggest any age group above seventh grade reading this novel. While it contains a positive theme of speaking up, and the integration of the historical content was well done, I found the story to be anticlimactic and uneventful. Francine is too weak of a character. Since she seems to lack the questioning, curious personality adolescents today possess, I imagine readers having a hard time relating to her. However, this may be Cushman’s attempt to demonstrate young adults during the 1950s as opposed to those today. While I didn’t fall in love with Francine, the only way for you to find out if Francine appeals to you is if you read The Loud Silence of Francine Green for yourself.
Francine enjoys being safe, subtle, and never standing out. But her new best friend Sophie is the exact opposite. Questioning everything the nuns teach at their private school, Sophie loves stirring-up trouble and Francine loves standing by and safely watching.
But the fear of Commu
nism is heavy in America and Francine’s Hollywood town is no exception. Francine’s extremely safe personality starts cracking when she starts thinking about things that never bothered her before—all thanks to Sophie. The atomic bomb, McCarthyism, blacklisting, and especially free speech are issues Francine can’t help but fear. It’s only when Francine’s trust in everything—her government, her beliefs, and her reserved voice—are all being shaken that Francine decides she needs to speak up.Follow along as this tale of two very different friends unite to create one’s individual identity.
I found The Loud Silence of Francine Green to be too elementary for most high school students; I wouldn’t suggest any age group above seventh grade reading this novel. While it contains a positive theme of speaking up, and the integration of the historical content was well done, I found the story to be anticlimactic and uneventful. Francine is too weak of a character. Since she seems to lack the questioning, curious personality adolescents today possess, I imagine readers having a hard time relating to her. However, this may be Cushman’s attempt to demonstrate young adults during the 1950s as opposed to those today. While I didn’t fall in love with Francine, the only way for you to find out if Francine appeals to you is if you read The Loud Silence of Francine Green for yourself.
1 comment:
This sounds like a good lit. cirlce read. Perhaps it could spark great discussions from students as far as suggestions for students who are shy.
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