belle-myworldmylife: Ebook Jewel (Oprah's Book Club), by Bret Lott

Ebook Jewel (Oprah's Book Club), by Bret Lott

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Jewel (Oprah's Book Club), by Bret Lott

Ebook Jewel (Oprah's Book Club), by Bret Lott

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Amazon.com Review

Oprah Book Club® Selection, January 1999: The year is 1943 and life is good for Jewel Hilburn, her husband, Leston, and their five children. Although there's a war on, the Mississippi economy is booming, providing plenty of business for the hardworking family. And even the news that eldest son James has enlisted is mitigated by the fact that Jewel, now pushing 40, is pregnant with one last child. Her joy is slightly clouded, however, when her childhood friend Cathedral arrives at the door with a troubling prophecy: "I say unto you that the baby you be carrying be yo' hardship, be yo' test in this world. This be my prophesying unto you, Miss Jewel." When the child is finally born, it seems that Cathedral's prediction was empty: the baby appears normal in every way. As the months go by, however, Jewel becomes increasingly afraid that something is wrong with little Brenda Kay--she doesn't cry, she doesn't roll over, she's hardly ever awake. Eventually husband and wife take the baby to the doctor and are informed that she is a "Mongolian Idiot," not expected to live past the age of 2. Jewel angrily rebuffs the doctor's suggestion that they institutionalize Brenda Kay. Instead the Hilburns shoulder the burdens--and discover the unexpected joys--of living with a Down's syndrome child. Bret Lott has written a novel that spans decades, follows the lives of several characters, and cuts back and forth between Mississippi and California. Given these challenges, a lesser writer might lose focus. Lott, however, has wisely chosen to keep his eye trained on Jewel--a narrator who is smart, perceptive, and above all, honest. He has also bucked the trend toward political correctness by allowing his characters to think, feel, and talk the way white Mississippians of that era would have. ("Mongolian Idiot," "nigger," "cracker," and "buck" are just a few of the epithets sprinkled throughout the text.) The language may be discomforting to some readers. Few will deny, however, that Bret Lott has crafted a clan that is all heart in this bittersweet paean to the enduring strength of familial love. --Margaret Prior

Review

The New York Times Book Review Sweeping and beautifully written....a parable for our age.The Chicago Tribune Bret Lott's Jewel is a beautifully crafted first-person epic of one poor southern woman's personal duel with God....This is a voice we don't want to stop hearing....Some of the tenderest scenes of family love since those in Dickens....The Los Angeles Times Lott is one of the most important and imaginative writers in America today. His eye for detail is unparalleled; his vision -- where he looks -- is like no one else's in this country.The Boston Globe Bret Lott has a gift for making the ordinary seem luminous. In Jewel, he applies his art to a broad canvas and produces what may stand as his masterpiece....Lott matches the honest strength of his characters with that of his prose. His Jewel is a force of nature, her story rising out of a perfect, seamless union of teller and tale.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product details

Series: Oprah's Book Club

Paperback: 368 pages

Publisher: Washington Square Press (January 19, 1999)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 9780671038182

ISBN-13: 978-0671038182

ASIN: 0671038184

Product Dimensions:

5.3 x 1 x 8.2 inches

Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review:

4.1 out of 5 stars

216 customer reviews

Amazon Best Sellers Rank:

#214,067 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

I saw dozens of copies of Jewel on thrift store shelves so I had to wonder why. Once I started this book, I could not put it down. The story is gripping and very true-to-life. Jewel starts out as a poor woman from Mississippi expecting her sixth child in 1943--in other words, a very ordinary, average person living like so many others at the time. When Brenda Kay is born, everything changes and Jewel must face the challenge of raising what today we call a "special needs" child. This euphemism had not been invented in the 1940's, so the doctors tell the parents their daughter is a "Mongoloid idiot." Jewel rejects the advice of experts to put Brenda Kay in an institution, even though at the time it was advice most parents of children with Down Syndrome and other disabilities followed. Most families did not attempt to care for their disabled children on their own, or they gave up when the lack of community support systems proved to be too much. Schools could legally turn away disabled children. Easter Seals, United Cerebral Palsy, the ARC and other organizations providing services parents could not manage on their own were still years in the future. The turning point for Jewel is an article she finds in a third-hand copy of Reader's Digest that describes a program in California to help children like Brenda Kay. Jewel then becomes totally focused on moving to California and we see what a determined woman will do for her daughter. The plot takes many twists and turns over the years and at the end of the book I am laughing in disbelief. Jewel and Brenda Kay live in California where there are many services for adults as well as children with developmental disabilities. In fact, Jewel feels over scheduled with options like dances, outings and other events! The book has come full circle, bringing Jewel and Brenda Kay along. Jewel's final decision is making sure Brenda Kay will be safe, secure and able to carry on her life when Jewel dies. She finds the right place, for when the right time comes. Jewel is brave, single-minded, committed and tireless in ways that parents of special needs children must be. This story chronicles the massive changes in public attitudes towards the disabled that took place over the period from the '40's when Brenda Kay was born to the present, and how parents drove these changes. Full disclosure: yes, I am the mother of a child with developmental and physical disabilities and I know all the services my daughter benefits from today at age 36 are available because of the parents like Jewel who refused to give up on their children. And those copies of Jewel I see in thrift stores? I buy them and give them away, mostly to parents of kids with special needs who are walking on the road that others have paved. It is a reminder thst we are not the first, and we are not alone

Goodness such pain this poor woman suffered. How she had the strength to face the horrors she had heaped on her. How she persevered is amazing to say the least. People were so poor and they made do with what they had, such a different world we live in today.

This was a good story, and I know that because I sat for hours on a snowy day reading. Boring stories bounce me off the couch even in the bad weather. I liked the length of the tale.... don't like it when stories end too soon and I am left wondering what happened to everyone. This story makes a person who has been lucky enough to have children without any handicaps appreciate the love and dedication of a mother who will do whatever it takes to get the best for a child whose needs are not considered a priority by the society in which they live.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is not a quick read and is not for a young crowd. But for those of us who have lived long enough to confront our own flawed selves, it is a tender , warm and familiar tale. The metaphors are powerful,the emotions intense. The relationship between Jewel and Leston is a beautiful mental/emotional dance of two people who are blessed or cursed to understand the real meaning of Love.I suppose some may fault the ending as not exciting enough. . . to me, it was a simple humble statement, of how big our emotional journey can feel,and yet really in the grand scope of things, how very small we really are.

....for several reasons. First, though the main character is a woman, the author is a man - yet you completely believe that a woman is telling this story.Second, Lott's writing style makes it seem as though "Jewel" was written in the 1950's - yet, according to the copyright page it was published in 1991. The country was just starting to get into political correctness around that time, and it's hard to believe that a book that uses this sort of language (implied and explicit) could have been written in 1991. But the fact remains that it was - and it's one of the best books I've read so far in 2003.Yes, a good deal of the book is depressing - considering the major plotline it can't help but be depressing. But while not every thread of the story is resolved, there's a lot more positive than negative feelings when you finish the last page.I'm not exactly a fan of Oprah Winfrey's book club, but in "Jewel" she picked a winner.

I found the story of Jewel and her family beautifully told in rhythm and love. It was amazing to me how Bret Lott could steep himself in the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of a devoted mother and wife. Those who know of the heartbreak and struggles of having a mentally challenged child will appreciate Jewel's determination to fight for a better life for her child. The author showed the deepest meaning of love and commitment for this family, and especially this mother. I highly recommend this!

The subject matter is one of importance. It is always a struggle when a family has a handicapped child. The author handled the subject well relating to the problem with acceptance and socializing and educating the downs syndrome child to it's best advantage. What I didn't like was the lengthy rehash by Jewel of her repeated and sometimes selfish approach at a cost to the rest of her children and especially to her husband.

I grew up in those times, but never used the N word then or now. A shock went through me each time I read that word. I hope things have changed, but wonder. So many other things made me question why!

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