Book Review 8

Bibliography

Grimes, Nikki. 2004. What is Goodbye? Ill. by Raul Colon. New York, New York: Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN 30054000277195

Plot Summary

In this emotional verse novel of the journey after losing a loved one, Jerilyn and Jesse share their emotions about the death of their older brother, Jaron. Told in alternating style, poems from each sibling with titles such as “Getting the News” and “Painless”, take the reader from the beginning stages of shock through the emotional quicksand that traps this family and almost takes them under. While Jerilyn tries to bury her pain, Jesse acts out in response to his. Both acknowledge the temporary loss of their parents as they try to navigate their way through the pain, and each sibling shares memories of Jaron that both haunt and comfort them. As time passes, both siblings find ways to cope with their sorrow, and at the end of this book, which is emotionally wrenching, hope ascends as life becomes the acceptance of a new normal. When the family creates a new family picture, “one piece missing” but still whole, the reader knows that Jerilyn and Jesse will find a way to move on while never letting go of Jaron.

Critical Analysis

Grimes has taken a difficult topic and created a book for young adults that deals with raw emotion head on. She helps the reader get to know her characters not only through her clear images of their emotions but by the type of poems that represent each sibling. Jesse’s poems are rhymed, blunt yet not lacking in imagery or emotion that can sometimes take the readers breath away. The rhymes are natural, and it is obvious by reading his poetry that he is the younger sibling. His personality seeps from the page as he makes the logical decision to be bad since he is told in “Why” that “God scoops up the good.” Defiant, he declares, “from now on, I won’t be. Hear that, God? Don’t come for me.” Jerilyn’s poetry has a more lyrical, free verse rhythm that shows a child with enough maturity to try to take on the role of an adult when she feels she needs to. Her guilt is natural for a child yet fitting for an adult as she expresses in “Regrets” that the reason for the fight she had with Jaron the last day she saw him was “small enough to dance on the head of a pin.”

Every word in this book is placed with a purpose, some to make the readers stomach drop with the grief saturating the pages, others to give hope and honor to a life that should not only be mourned but celebrated. Grimes takes the reader on a roller coaster ride that is only possible by putting in the painstaking work of selecting the perfect words and rhythm to represent the desired emotion. The images created by Grimes words are memorable and will not soon be forgotten when the reader finishes this book.

Colon’s illustrations, though they do not appear on every page, add a powerful punch to this emotional ride when they are present. A haze of blue is cast over the characters throughout the first three fourths of the book as they find ways to tip toe through the landmines of pain, guilt, and anger awaiting them. Characters with wide, grief filled eyes stare out from the pages giving a face to the feelings Grimes writes about. Colon’s picture show the separation created between individuals when a death occurs, with Jerilyn’s grief stricken face at the bottom of a picture and her dad’s heartbreaking expression at the top, an impassible road drawn between them put their by the news of Jaron’s death. Jesse’s blue face dripping down from within an hourglass is the perfect expression for the poem “Rush” when Jesse realizes that grief has an expiration date to those who are not experiencing it. As the book nears its close, the blue fades and the new family picture shows a group of a family smiling cautiously, ready to believe that life can move on, ready to emerge from the haze that has encompassed them since Jaron’s death.


Review Excerpts
“Through the alternating voices of a brother and sister, Nikki Grimes eloquently portrays the grieving process in this gem of a book that is honest, powerful, and ultimately hopeful.” The Publisher

“Grimes handles these two voices fluently and lucidly, shaping her characters through her form.” School Library Journal

Connections

*Read Meet Danitra Brown by Nikki Grimes. Have students compare the emotions presented in Meet Danitra Brown with the ones in What is Goodbye? Ask questions such as how does Grimes handle conveying different kinds of emotions in poetry? Is the rhythm, language, or type of poem different depending on the topic? How are the books similar?

*Read Jazmin's Notebook. Compare Jazmin’s writing and Jesse’s drawings. How do they use these skills? Are they effective coping skills? Have students write about what they do to cope with difficult situations.