The Taking: Before They Flooded the Quabbin - Softcover

Helen R. Haddad

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1937146561 ISBN 13: 9781937146566

Publisher: Levellers Press, 2014

Synopsis

A window into the 1920s, The Taking opens when young Josiah loses his parents and has to leave the city of Boston, moving to rural western Massachusetts. There, he struggles to adapt to life on his aunt and uncle's farm and to adjust to a one-room school, where he meets Addy, who becomes a friend, and Alvin, the school bully. As his sense of belonging slowly grows, so does his realization that the Swift River Valley, where he now lives, may be destroyed to create an enormous reservoir to supply water to Boston. The largely untold story of life in the towns flooded to create the Quabbin Reservoir is presented as a backdrop to Josiah's story, as is a picture of traditional New England farming through the seasons. The Taking's vivid characters and richly portrayed historical context will be enjoyed by middle-schoolers, senior citizens, and everyone in between. This is also a book that teachers and librarians will appreciate and that will enrich social studies and language arts programs. Issues explored include eminent domain, forming new relationships, facing the realities of a changing world, and how to begin again somewhere else. Eminent domain-the taking of land for public use that Addy calls "enemy domain"-is a newly relevant issue nearly a century after the events of this novel. The Taking concludes with the final decision, made in Boston in 1927, to proceed with the construction of the reservoir, leaving Josiah to adapt to a new future. "You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone" captures the theme of Helen Haddad's memorable novel about loss and renewal. An unforgettable novel built of evocative detail and depth of human feeling. -Margo Culley, Professor Emerita of English, University of Massachusetts,

About this edition

• Publisher: Levellers Press
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1937146561
• ISBN 13: 9781937146566
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 142