Tallgrass
Posted: September 3, 2009 Filed under: Book of Sand 7 Commentsby Sandra Dallas
{ 2007 | St. Martin’s Press | 320 pgs }
Tallgrass is historical fiction, a genre I don’t typically read. I probably confuse it with historical romance, which I abhor. But Tallgrass was on a list of recommended books, and I’m so glad I decided to read it.
It’s narrated by 13-year-old Rennie, a girl living in a small Colorado farming town during WWII. When a Japanese-American internment camp is set up on the outskirts of the town, the town turns ugly, feeling suspicious of and angry at the “foreigners.”
Tallgrass is masterfully written. The use of a teenager as the narrator is an excellent choice, since it allows more expression of the confusion and conflict that the townspeople feel. Although the main subject of the book is the internment camp and the war, Dallas also describes, through Rennie, the slow process of changing from a child to an adult. I really enjoyed Rennie’s realizations about what it means to be a woman, and her struggle to act as grownup as she feels.
It’s difficult to select one book from all I’ve read this year to recommend, but I think Tallgrass might be it.
Tweet: If you only read one book this year, read Sandra Dallas’s Tallgrass for an interesting perspective on WWII, acceptance, and coming-of-age.
Jarom
Mika
hilleries 
You had me convinced I needed to read this book until I read the sentence, “I really enjoyed Rennie’s realizations about what it means to be a woman.”
Oh…yeah. Well, it’s still a good book. I think you’d like it anyway.
Hmmmmmm so many. I like all different kinds……from old Cary Grant movies like An Affair to Remember to A Few Good Men.
Hmmmm this is hard. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is one I really like :)
oops…sorry wrong post for that one My sincerest apologies :)
There are tons of movies I love. This is always a tough question. I have to go with Snoopy Come Home. It makes me cry every time, lol.
Two favorite movies I have recently seen are The Proposal and The Hangover. Two of the best in years. Must owns too. Thanks for your comment. I never had a tea set, but I did enjoy pouring cups of water over the sink. Aloha and take care.