Edith Herself

Edith, a young epileptic, struggles as she learns to cope with her illness while simultaneously trying to maneuver loneliness, fear, and unhappiness.When the death of her mother leaves her orphaned, young Edith is forced to live with her older sister and her dour husband in their stern Christian farming household. As she struggles to come to terms with the sudden changes in her life, including fear of what is to come and loneliness in a foreign place, the stress of adjusting begins to trigger frequent epileptic seizures.Feeling as if she is all alone in correcting her illness, Edith struggles to find a balance between her new life and happiness.“Beautifully written, this a tale to take its place beside those of Laura Ingalls Wilder.” – School Library Journal

Grade 4-6 After the death of their widowed mother, Edith's older brothers and sister decide that they can manage the farm themselves. But Edith, the youngest, makes her home with her married sister, Alena; her husband, John; Vernon, their son; and baby Lettie. Soon the household is disrupted by Edith's ``fits.'' Edith must come to terms with her problem and her new life. Set in the 1890s before epilepsy was controlled and understood, this story is told warmly and well. It provides what so many current stories that deal with disability fail to providea focus on the child rather than the disability. Edith comes to terms, not with her disability, but rather with her new life and her own maturing, of which the disability is only a part. The other characters provide a realistic view of people struggling to deal with a disability, all in their own way. Overprotective Alena is balanced by John's practicality. Vernon is rather proud of Edith's fits, and while some children taunt her, others defend her. The religiosity of the grandmother, who blames Edith's seizures on her ``laying up of treasures,'' provides another realistic dimension to this story. Beautifully written, this is a tale to take its place beside those of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Constance A. Mellon, Department of Library & Information Studies, East Carolina University, Greenville, N.C.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.