A deep kindness

Great thanks to Natasha of Maw Books Blog for this extraordinary review of The Heart is Not a Size. 

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The Heart is Not a Size: responding to a reviewer's gentle prod

In her generous review of The Heart is Not a Size, Jeannine Atkins, a professor of children's literature at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and the author, most recently, of the wondrous Borrowed Names—wrote:  I loved learning about Mexico, though might have liked seeing a bit more of the landscape the girls move through, because seeing anything through Beth Kephart’s eyes is a treat.

It's the sort of prodding most writers need—that what if? question asked charitably from one with a knowing eye.  And it's a prod that comes, oddly, on the very day that I discovered (much earlier, this morning) that much of what has been ailing Small Damages, my ten-year odyssey of a novel that takes place in southern Spain, might be pinned to my growing unwillingness to trust the reader to dwell with me in that gorgeous, glorious landscape.  I have felt, increasingly, the writerly need to hurry things up in my books, to move plot along, and especially with Small Damages I have given Carmona and its Necropolis, for example, too short a shrift, have moved too quickly through bullrings. 

Jeannine's words, found this afternoon after a long day of corporate consulting, are oddly timely and reassuring.  Press harder.  Go deeper.  I will.  Thank you, Jeannine.

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More reviews of Heart (that so gladden this author's heart)

I wrote the first draft of The Heart is Not a Size several years ago, and then it sat, waiting for my imagination, which was teased into fuller life by both Laura Geringer and Jill Santopolo. Between now and then, I've waited for this story to be released to the world—tremulously, as I tend to do, but also with hope that I might shed some light on a part of the world, Juarez, that I came to love.

You write a story. Others carry it forward for you. Today I wish to thank the ever-generous My Friend Amy for her glorious review, as well as Bookworming in the 21st Century and Read What You Know.

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WordLily Reviews The Heart is Not a Size

and my heart was pounding (will I ever get past the nerves of this business?) and then I held my breath and then I read.

I am beyond grateful.

Her words here.

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The Heart is Not a Size: A Lovely Blog Review

These beautiful words about The Heart is Not a Size conclude a week that was, for me, full of both tumult and deep graces.

Every writer living is grateful to sympathetic readers. I am particularly grateful today.

Thank you, Susan Uhlig. My box of Heart arrived this week. On March 10th, I'll be announcing the winner of the Heart giveaway contest.

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The Reading Junky Reviews The Heart is Not a Size

The Reading Junky received an early copy of my fourth novel for young adults, The Heart is Not a Size, and begins her review with these words:

Beth Kephart fans are not going to be happy with this review. Don't get me wrong...

To be honest, that left me hanging, too. And then I read on.... I hope you will, too.

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The Heart is Not a Size Unveiled by Way of an Ed Goldberg Review

How do we meet people? How do we continue to know them? Years ago, it seems, Ed Goldberg, a Syosset, NY-based librarian and an avid reader/reviewer, asked if he might have a copy of one of my books. It was sent. He wrote a gorgeous review; it was posted. There was, after that, another book. Ed asked. It was sent. He read carefully and dearly once again, sharing his thoughts with me, then with the world, and in the meantime advocating my work to others. He became—over Facebook, on the blog—a constant presence and friend.

A few weeks ago, Ed asked if he might read Heart. It's a different book for me, purposefully so. I held my breath. I knew Ed was going to speak his mind, say whatever it was that he truly felt; he's that kind of ethical reader. Here, now, just as my dinner guests arrive, is Ed's review of Heart.

Kephart, Beth. The Heart is Not a Size. HarperTeen. 978-0-06-147048-6. 2010. $16.99. 256

Georgia, a high school junior, needs a life altering event, something that might end her frequent panic attacks. Described as plain and responsible, she is an avid reader of fliers tacked to shop bulletin boards. The flier from Goodworks about spending two unforgettable weeks in Mexico, “planting a seed” so that some small, impoverished community can begin to improve, intrigues her. She convinces her artsy best friend Riley, who overheard her own fashion-plate mother once describe her as average, to join her.

Anapra, Mexico, is an arid colonia on the outskirts of Juarez containing one-room huts pieced together from scraps of tin and cardboard. It is a land of dust storms and las muertas de Juarez, girls who mysteriously disappear, never to return. Georgia and Riley join nine other teens, whose goal is to construct a community bathroom for the Anapra people. A small seed, indeed.

In The Heart is Not a Size, Beth Kephart has written an engrossing novel contrasting the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’, both groups surprisingly in need. The Anapra people need life’s most basic elements. A people with nothing, their hopefulness is evidenced in the way they dress their children in bright colors and the care they take in digging out after dust storms. Georgia and Riley, two girls with bright futures, are equally in need. Georgia’s panic attacks are debilitating. Riley’s reaction to her mother’s indifference is to stop eating. As Georgia watches Riley waste away, as Riley’s health is seriously endangered, Georgia can no longer remain the silent friend.

Kephart has veered slightly away from her usual poetic prose, although the care she takes with her wording is still quite evident. Heart is a faster paced novel of self exploration. Hearts know no size limit. They can encompass five year old Socorro searching for her missing sister’s spirit or the entire Anapra community. They can enfold Riley, an extraordinary person whose mother is blind to her wonders, or Georgia who must realize how smart and capable she really is.

The writing in Heart is so descriptive that after reading about a dust storm, I felt the need to wash the dust off my hands. The characters are wonderful, from the teens performing the community service to the Mexican men who sit on a roof watching them. The poet that Kephart quotes has prompted me to read Jack Gilbert’s poetry. Reading some books can be considered an enjoyable pastime. Reading others is more of a “reading experience”. The Heart is Not a Size falls into the latter category. Beth Kephart has not disappointed her current or future fans.

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