Book description
Although it is 1969 and the end of a decade that has brought
tremendous social change even in southweatern Ontario, 14-year-old
Annie Ward has experienced little of "love, peace, and
understanding." A diehard Beatles fan and highly intelligent but
lacking in social graces, Annie is still grieving over the death of
her father and also misses Zoe, the one "best" friend she
ever had, who has moved away due to less-than-friendly circumstances.
Lonely but proud, Annie has distanced herself from everyone, even
her mother. then, amid highschool rumours of her supposed
homosexuality, Annie is challenged by her guidance counsellor to
confront her "problems" by writing about them. In an awkward
attempt to make friends, she is drawn to a group of ragtag local
hippies. One of them, Sweet William, is even more bereft than Annie,
and not by choice. The 1960s may have jump-started a cultural
revolution, but for many people the old prejudices are slow to let go.
Still, perhaps "all you really need is love ..."
Canadian Batchelor serves up a complex tale about a strong girl
living among confused friends and judgmental bullying ... The book is a
relaxing cultural-immersion into the late 1960s, reveling in the way art
can tie us all together. But it is embedded with a harrowing truth that
continues today: some friends and lovers won't always be on your side.
Rhonda Batchelor is best known as a poet, with titles that include
Bearings (Brick Books) and Interpreting Silence and
Weather Report (both Beach Holme/Dundurn). Her poetry, short
fiction, reviews, and essays have appeared in numerous journals and
anthologies. Born in Brantford, Ontario, Rhonda has lived on Vancouver
Island since 1971. She is currently the assistant editor of The
Malahat Review. This is her first children's book.
