A Heart Divided

by Jeff Gottesfeld and Cherie Bennett

Book Overview

Is the Confederate battle flag a racist symbol--or a proud reminder of Southern heritage? When Kate's liberal-minded family moves from the suburbs of New York City to a small town near Nashville, Kate... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0440228409
• ISBN13: 9780440228400
• Release Date: December 2005
• Publisher: Laurel Leaf Library
• Length: 306 Pages
• Weight: 0.33 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 4.2" x 7.0"
• Age Range: 12 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 7 to 12

Customer Reviews

A wonderful book about the South

This is by far the best book I've read in years for young people about the experience of living in the South today. Whether the reader is white or black, conservative or liberal, rich or poor, in a big city or in a small town is much that can be gained from A Heart Divided. The best thing about the book is that the authors have written a marvelous story about a teen girl and wrapped it around a hot political issue. Even though the issue is hot, they have managed to present all points of view with fairness and with dignity. No matter what you think about the Confederate Flag and whether it should be flown today, you will feel that your point of view is represented and not smirked at. Meanwhile, Kate Pride emerges as one of the most interesting teen girls I've read about in years. She's a regular girl from a regular family, trying to figure out what it all means. This is a wonderful read for anyone age twelve and up.

An Instant Classic

Jeff Gottesfeld and Cherie Bennett have written a novel in which any student, parent, or teacher can find truths about life. As an educator, I am constantly given recommendations for good books to read; this book is one of my favorites. It deals with issues that fit not only adolescent concerns, but also with problems facing society in general: tolerance for others' differences, compassion for others' suffering, and adjustment to new situations. Best of all is the awakening of the main character, Kate, to the realization of her goals. She discovers that opening her heart and mind to life's obstacles takes her to places she had previously only dreamed of reaching. This book is one that teens and adults will read cover-to-cover!

The best book I've read all year

"A Heart Divided" is by far the best book I've read all year. With a rare combination of a loveable protagonist, gripping story, enthralling and satisfying young romance and hard-hitting social and moral lessons to be learned, I give this book the highest recommendation possible. I read it all in one sitting, barely even stopping to eat, because it's such a page-turner! The love story is soooo perfect and will melt your heart, while the social issues presented in the book will really make you think. I had "A Heart Divided" on my mind well after finishing the book. If there's one book you have to read this year, it's this one.

THOUGHTFUL, PROVACATIVE, EXCELLENT!!!

When a liberal girl from the north moves to a small town in the south, she falls in love with a wealthy southern boy and becomes embroiled in a Confederate flag controversy at her school. I read this amazing novel when the daughter of a friend gushed about it to me, and it truly is an amazing book. The ease of the read could fool a reader into thinking that the work is less weighty than it actually is. The authors have managed to tackle the sensitive and incendiary issue of the Confederate flag in a fresh and thought-provoking way. That they teen characters, black and white, are actually able to come up with a solution for their school, and that the solution is one that could actually be modeled in real life, is nothing short of genius. The novel also contains a play based on both real and fictitious interviews about the Confederate flag in the style of Anna Devere Smith, and the play is included in the back of the novel (and I noticed it's available for classroom use! -- as a former teacher this delights me!). Girls might initially read this for the romance, but the life lessons will linger with them long after the love plot fades. A must read for all Americans, of all ages.

Engrossing, Readable, and Political

A Heart Divided is a deceptively readable story about a teen girl playwright from New York City who moves to Tennessee, falls into a passionate teen love affair with a guy from the South, and gets embroiled in a controversy over the Confederate battle flag. So does her boyfriend, who comes from a family and a family history so different from the girl as to be practically from another world. This is the kind of book where you don't even realize the pages flying by as you read it, so accessible is the language and likeable is the girl narrator. The great love story gives it a forward thrust that rockets you right along as you read it. But make no mistake, A Heart Divided is no piece of teen fluff. These are real teens and real families dealing with some of the more heartbreaking parts of our history -- the Civil War, slavery, and the Civil Rights Movement. Teens will come away from this well-balanced novel with a far greater understanding of these difficult issues than when they started. And they'll have an excellent time time getting there, too. This should be an excellent book for librarians to recommend to teen readers of all academic levels. The easy style should make it good for kids who don't normally like to read, but the powerful political and romantic currents should sweep up even the most sophisticated teen reader.