[.uk] Bee And Jacky (ISBN 1932425373)

Amazon.com Review:
When Bee and her older brother Jacky were younger, they used to play a game in the woods near their grandparents' house. It was a war game in which Bee always played the wounded, and Jacky always played the savior: Bee "waited for Jacky to save her. Jacky called for more backup on his walkie-talkie, screamed out orders to the medics.... Then, after thrashing through the underbrush to get to where Bee had fallen, he dragged her to safety. He told her she would be all right, whatever wounds she had envisioned, however much blood had been lost." Now it's 1975. Bee and Jacky are 14 and 17, and the family is preparing to return to the grandparents' home for a visit. But Jacky refuses to go, and Bee can't envision going back without her big brother. So the teens stay home alone for the weekend. After reminiscing about the time spent at her grandparents', Bee suddenly remembers that the scenes she and Jacky used to play out were actually much more than a game--part of the routine included Jacky lying on top of her and rocking back and forth. Bee's realization brings with it a flood of confusion and horror, all hauntingly displayed in the young girl's vivid hallucinations: "She saw a network of roots traveling across up and down (her back), balls and knots pushing up, hard and gnarled.... (She) ran her fingers into her hair, squeezed it at the roots until pine needles rained out and delicately fell around her feet, onto the bedspread." Carolyn Coman, author of What Jamie Saw, a National Book Award finalist and Newbery Honor book, portrays Bee's conflicting emotions--anger, shame, love, fear, and arousal--with exquisite grace and sparse, incisive prose. The ending is far from that of a made-for-TV movie about incest--there is no tidy summary, no panoramic cut to the sun rising on the suburbs, but there is transformation here, and forgiveness, and light. --Brangien Davis

Uuum, Okay....:
I'm not really sure what the author is trying to say, or to whom she is writing. The average 14-year-old, attempting to read this book, is going to be a little confused, I think.There is a lot of well-described pain,but very little explanation as to how Bee's situation began, and how her feelings became everyday enough for her to accept them as normal. Granted, the book is disturbing, and I admire the author's passionate understanding of an incest victim's pain and confusion.

Moving book:
This was a very moving and lyrical book. It's unusual style of writing made it difficult to read at times but it was well worth the effort. It presented Bee's story without moralizing leaving the reader to draw their own conclusions. Just because a previous reader found this book to be disturbing doesn't mean it is bad. It is an intensely disturbing book that will change the way you see sexual abuse and insest.

WHAT IS THE AUTHER TRYING TO SAY?:
I AM QUITE CONFUSED BY THIS BOOK bee and jackie. I AM 25 Y. OLD, BUT WHAT IS SAID IN THIS BOOK IS NOTHING. "AT NIGHT HE OPENS THE DOOR AND LAYS ON TOP OF HER COVERS MOVING". WHAT IS SHE TRYING TO SAY? SHE NEEDS TO BE MORE DESCRIPTIVE AND TO THE POINT, SHE KIND OF GOES WAY AROUND IT. THE BOOK IS WAY TO SHORT FOR READING AND IN THE END IT LEAVES YOU HAINGING THERE.

Very Confusing:
The writer's way of telling the story was confusing .Like when Bee supposely sees jacky being mauled by a bear and then we find she imagine it.The book is very difficult to follow and at times very fustrating.For Me this was a very disappionting read

Moving book:
This was a very moving and lyrical book. Its unusual style of writing made it difficult to read at times but it was well worth the effort. It presented Bee's story without moralizing leaving the reader to draw their own conclusions. It is an intensely disturbing book that will change the way you see sexual abuse and insest.