The Loud Silence of Francine Green

A. Bibliographic Data:

The Loud Silence of Francine Green, by Karen Cushman, read by Anaka Shockley, published by Listening Library in 2006; ISBN: 0739337173

B. Plot Summary:

Francine Green is an eighth grader at All Saints School for Girls in 1949-1950. Readers discover with her the wider world, including frightening concerns about Communism and "the bomb," as she grows into womanhood as McCarthyism runs rampant and the Cold War begins. Francine is quiet and well-behaved until she befriends Sophie Bowman, a motherless neighbor who will attend her school this year after being kicked out of public school. Sophie is passionate about injustice and free speech, and she does not take well to expectations that she will sit down and stay quiet. She questions authority, regardless of the consequences. Francine, however, wants to do all she can to stay out of trouble, and her father's advice of "don't get involved" reminds her to keep her head down and just get by. Spending time with Sophie and her father gets Francine thinking about things more closely, though, and makes it harder to just do what she is told and stay out of trouble. Francine learns that grownups and the government do not always know what is right, especially when questioning by the FBI leads to tragedy for a friend of Sophie's father, and then trouble for Sophie and her father themselves. Although she wishes that life could just be simple again, like when she was younger, Francine discovers her own importance and voice as she struggles to make sense of life in her modern world - one she now must survive without Sophie.

C. Critical Analysis:

Karen Cushman has a knack for creating characters that come to life and pull at readers' heartstrings. She also invokes historical periods well, setting up in detail the time and place to transport readers there. In this book, she brings readers along on Francine's journey of self-discovery as she puzzles out the world around her. Sophie can frustrate readers along with her friend, but she has the bravery to give voice to all the thoughts and questions that authorities do not want to hear. The supporting characters of Francine's family, Sophie's father, Jacob Mendelbaum, and the other students and nuns at school bring depth and variety to the story. Each is so vivid and developed that readers feel like they know every one. The plot is clear and realistic, reflecting the time period in details that do not overwhelm. The time and place are explicitly described, with frequent mention of location and a date beginning each chapter. The themes of growing up and becoming self-aware and of learning to think for oneself and question authority cross settings with ease, and make the story easy to relate to. Cushman's style brings this confusing era to life by incorporating slang and speech patterns, pop culture, and descriptions of everyday life during this period. The reader also effectively communicated the feelings of each character, further drawing audio listeners into Francine's world. Because I listened to the audio book, no suggested reading or resources are listed. Due to the relative recency of this time period, though, many records - including a plethora of first-hand accounts - are available.

D. Review Excerpts:

~ "Cushman creates another introspective female character who is planted firmly in her time and who grows in courage, self-awareness, and conviction. . . . Cushman captures the era well, with references that range from Dragnet to duck and cover drills in schools and her father's aborted attempt to build a bomb shelter in their backyard. . . . Readers will relate to the pervasive fear of the period as it resonates in our post-9/11 world." - Connie Tyrrell Burns, School Library Journal, starred review

~ "Set in Los Angeles in 1949, Cushman's latest historical novel captures the terrors and confusions of the McCarthy era. . . . Cushman adroitly transforms what could have been a didactic story about intellectual freedom into an integrated, affecting novel about friendship and growing up. Described in Francine's authentic voice, which is filled with period slang, the smoothly inserted historical details, from Montgomery Clift to backyard bomb shelters, personalize Francine's adolescent struggles rather than simply marking a place and a time. Readers will . . . savor the story of friends and family tensions, the sly humor, and the questions about patriotism, activism, and freedom, which bring the novel right into today's most polarizing controversies. Sure to provoke lively class discussion, this will easily absorb independent readers in search of a rich, satisfying story about early adolescence." - Gillian Engberg, Booklist, starred review

E. Connections:

~ Use as part of a unit on McCarthyism and the Cold War.

~ Discuss parallels between the time period described and modern fears about terrorism.

~ Have students write short stories continuing after the end of the book - what happened to Sophie and her father, what Francine ended up doing, etc.

~ Discuss with students what they would have done if they had been different characters in different situations - including Francine, Sophie, Sophie's parents, Sister Basil, Sister Pete, Mr. Mendelbaum, etc.