The Good Braider - by Terry Farish (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The Good Braider was selected as the Bank Street College of Education Best Book of the Year and a Book of Outstanding Merit.

In spare free verse laced with unforgettable images, Viola's strikingly original voice sings out the story of her family's journey from war-torn Sudan, to Cairo, and finally to Portland, Maine. Here, in the sometimes too close embrace of the local Southern Sudanese Community, she dreams of South Sudan while she tries to navigate the strange world of America--a world where a girl can wear a short skirt, get a tattoo, or even date a boy; a world that puts her into sharp conflict with her traditional mother who, like Viola, is struggling to braid together the strands of a displaced life. Terry Farish's haunting novel is not only a riveting story of escape and survival, but the universal tale of a young immigrant's struggle to build a life on the cusp of two cultures.

The author of The Good Braider has donated this book to the Worldreader program.

Review Quotes

"In The Good Braider, Terry Farish creates a masterful triumph of character and story. Her Viola--strong, frank, tenderly wistful, and brave--is so expressive and endearing, that you will never again encounter a refugee from anywhere without remembering Viola and her family. This is a book of deep understanding and unforgettable empathy." --NAOMI SHIHAB NYE, author of There Is No Long Distance

"Terry Farish seems to breathe the reader into the emotional spaces of war, exile, and refugee life. Teenaged Viola's flight with her family from Sudan spirals into a search for hope in the face of irredeemable loss. The Good Braider is a delicate, stunning exploration of its young protagonist's life and heart." --UMA KRISHNASWAMI, author of The Grand Plan to Fix Everything