| Author: | Han Nolan | ISBN: | 9780547351476 |
| Publisher: | Houghton Mifflin Harcourt | Publication: | May 1, 2003 |
| Imprint: | Mariner Books | Language: | English |
| Author: | Han Nolan |
| ISBN: | 9780547351476 |
| Publisher: | Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |
| Publication: | May 1, 2003 |
| Imprint: | Mariner Books |
| Language: | English |
A white girl from the South dreams of becoming a blues singer in this novel by the National Book Award-winning author of Dancing on the Edge.
Janie has seen a lot of trouble as the daughter of a heroin addict—revolving foster homes, physical abuse, and more. There’s not a soul on earth she can really trust. But her “ladies”—Etta James, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan—help to keep her going. She may be white, but she finds a sense of identity in the music and culture of her African-American foster brother, Harmon.
At sixteen, she’s renamed herself Leshaya, and considers herself a survivor—though the tumult of her childhood has taken a fierce emotional toll. Nevertheless, she’s determined to make a life for herself, by taking her own blues on the road and doing the only thing that makes her feel whole . . . singing.
Born at the bottom, and dreaming of the top, Leshaya will need to confront everything that has come before. But the draw of the only life she’s ever known could take more than a song to beat.
A YALSA Best Book for Young Adults and a Kentucky Bluegrass Award Nominee, “this searing novel . . . asks essential questions about how to reclaim oneself and build a life.” —Booklist
“This novel is raw, rough, and riveting. The writing is superb; like the blues, it bores down through the soul, probing at unpleasant truths and wringing out compassion. Readers will be absorbed.” —School Library Journal
“Absolutely riveting . . . Leshaya captivates with her strength and determination.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred)
A white girl from the South dreams of becoming a blues singer in this novel by the National Book Award-winning author of Dancing on the Edge.
Janie has seen a lot of trouble as the daughter of a heroin addict—revolving foster homes, physical abuse, and more. There’s not a soul on earth she can really trust. But her “ladies”—Etta James, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan—help to keep her going. She may be white, but she finds a sense of identity in the music and culture of her African-American foster brother, Harmon.
At sixteen, she’s renamed herself Leshaya, and considers herself a survivor—though the tumult of her childhood has taken a fierce emotional toll. Nevertheless, she’s determined to make a life for herself, by taking her own blues on the road and doing the only thing that makes her feel whole . . . singing.
Born at the bottom, and dreaming of the top, Leshaya will need to confront everything that has come before. But the draw of the only life she’s ever known could take more than a song to beat.
A YALSA Best Book for Young Adults and a Kentucky Bluegrass Award Nominee, “this searing novel . . . asks essential questions about how to reclaim oneself and build a life.” —Booklist
“This novel is raw, rough, and riveting. The writing is superb; like the blues, it bores down through the soul, probing at unpleasant truths and wringing out compassion. Readers will be absorbed.” —School Library Journal
“Absolutely riveting . . . Leshaya captivates with her strength and determination.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred)
