LS 5623 Advanced Literature for Young Adults

Schmidt, Gary D. 2007. The Wednesday Wars. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt: Boston.
ISBN: 9780547237602

As the only student in his class not to have religious instruction on Wednesday afternoons, Holling Hoodhood was all that stood between Mrs. Baker and an afternoon off. For that reason he knows that she's out to get him. Enlisting the help of his parents is impossible. His father places business over everything and expects Holling to not cause any trouble that may damage their reputation. It's 1967 and there's a war going on in Vietnam, on college campuses across America, and in the Hoodhood household between Hollings parents and his sister, Heather. After a few rough Wednesdays in which chalk dust ruins some dessert, and two killer rats are set loose, Holling and Mrs. Baker settle in to reading Shakespeare each week, ultimately creating a rapport that guides Holling through life's obstacles and gives Mrs. Baker, whose husband is away at war, something to focus on.

For people in America today who feel unaffected by what's going on in the world, this novel does of great job of showing how major world events can affect every family in even the smallest neighborhood. The Vietnam war has not only taken the husbands of women like Mrs. Baker, it has also brought children like Mai Thi, a Vietnamese orphan, to America where she periodically experiences prejudice and cruelty. The unrest in the country divided households like Holling's as his sister followed the 'flower child' political view despite the disapproval and disgust of their father. Essentially, Schmidt brings us to 1967 and makes us feel as though we've now lived through part of it.

Also well done in this story is the coming of age transformation of Holling. Each month, each play, each major event and decision he makes lead him to exchange between him and his father in which they debate what makes a man a man, and his father asks the question, "so who are you Holling?" The reply is that he doesn't know yet, but you can be sure that whoever he turns out to be, he will have chosen that path for himself.

Each chapter of this book represents the events of one month, giving readers not as strong as others good places to leave off. The story is continuous, but each month is dominated by a major theme or event, such as Holling's relationship with Meryl Lee, or Holling joining the track team. Each set of events in Holling's life also mimic the Shakespeare plays he is reading with Mrs. Baker, making this novel a better read for high school students who've been exposed to Shakespeare.






Image taken from: http://www.melissacwalker.com/blog/wednesday%20wars.jpg