Gonzalez, Julie. Wings.GONZALEZ, Julie. Wings, Random House, Delacorte. 197p. c2005. 0-385-73227-9. $15.95. J Ben Delaney claims he was born to fly. The skin of his shoulder blades hides wings waiting to burst forth and lift him aloft. When they do, he will leave home to find others like himself. In the pursuit of his wings, he jumps off roofs and bridges, terrifying ter·ri·fy tr.v. ter·ri·fied, ter·ri·fy·ing, ter·ri·fies 1. To fill with terror; make deeply afraid. See Synonyms at frighten. 2. To menace or threaten; intimidate. his parents and his brother Ian. His parents forbid him access to the attic and make him promise not to climb out on railroad trestles This article is about the surf spots. For the table, see trestle table. For the type of bridge, see trestle. Trestles is a collection of surf spots in San Onofre, CA near the Orange County border. . In all other ways Ben is quite sane, even special, attuned at·tune tr.v. at·tuned, at·tun·ing, at·tunes 1. To bring into a harmonious or responsive relationship: an industry that is not attuned to market demands. 2. to forces in the universe that others miss. His family certainly loves him. He has friends and a girlfriend, all of whom hope that he will outgrow outgrow verb To change the relationship with a condition or structure by dint of ↑ age or size; while children outgrow clothing, and certain behaviors, they rarely outgrow diseases–eg, asthma his delusion delusion, false belief based upon a misinterpretation of reality. It is not, like a hallucination, a false sensory perception, or like an illusion, a distorted perception. . This novel is told in the alternating voices of Ben and his brother Ian, two years older. It follows their relationship from the time of Ben's birth until he is 17. Amazingly, in the end, Ben is proved right. His wings emerge and he flies away, leaving Ben's family and friends to marvel at the power of belief. The theme here seems to be about more, though, than the power of belief. The book suggests that people can know things about their own bodies (such as their true gender) that no one else can objectively prove. Young readers who are convinced of their essential "differentness" will find this book comforting. Myrna Marler, Assoc. Prof. of English, BYU BYU Brigham Young University BYU Bayou BYU Bob's Your Uncle BYU Bayreuth, Germany - Bindlacher Berg (Airport Code) BYU Beyond Your Understanding , Provo, UT J--Recommended for junior high school students. The contents are of particular interest to young adolescent and their teachers. |
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