What We Keep is Not Always What Will Stay
Publisher
North Star Editions
Publication Year
2011
ISBN
9780738726151
Pages
264 pages
Genre
magical realism
Format
novel
Item Type
Fiction
Annotation
Angie never used to think much about God—until things started getting strange. Like the statue of St. Felix, her secret confidant, suddenly coming off his pedestal and talking to her. And Jesse Francis, sent home from Afghanistan at age nineteen with his leg blown off. Now he's expected to finish high school and fit right back in. Is God even paying attention to this? Against the advice of St. Felix (who knows a thing or two about war), Angie falls for Jesse—who's a lot deeper than most high school guys. But Jesse is battling some major demons. As his behavior starts to become unpredictable, and even dangerous, Angie finds herself losing control of the situation. And she's starting to wonder...can one person ever make things right for someone else?
Grade Level
6-8; 9-12
Diversity Topics
Family Relationships; Disability and Health; Divorce; Step parent; Physical disability; Mental illness; divorced parents; step father; acquired limb difference/amputation; adult without a leg; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Main Character
female teenager
Race/Ethnicities
White
Family Formation
step father
Awards
Bulletin Blue Ribbons, 2011
Keywords
military; war; toxic relationship; Afghanistan; church; religion; Christianity; searching for answers; spiritual crisis; suicide
Diversity Impact
indirect
STARS Citation
Cockrell, Amanda, "What We Keep is Not Always What Will Stay" (2011). Diverse Families. 1491.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/diversefamilies/1491