Jacob Have I Loved

Paterson, K. (1980). Jacob have I loved. New York: Crowell. ISBN 0064403688

Plot Summary

                      Louise, nicknamed Wheeze, has lived her live in the shadow of her beautiful and talented twin sister Caroline, who was born sick, taking all the attention from healthy and hardy Louise. Caroline has a wonderful singing voice and is beloved by everyone. Louise is a tomboy who wishes she could do man’s work on her father’s boat. Instead, she goes out crabbing on a raft with her best friend Call, the proceeds of which she is compelled to donate towards Caroline’s singing lessons off the island where they live. Louise feels invisible much of the time, and is isolated when Call leaves the island for the navy and Caroline for music school. Her only other friend is the Captain, a mysterious resident of the island on whom she develops a crush. When a secret relationship between Caroline and Call is revealed, Louise hits bottom. She feels frantic to escape but does not know how. She must discover what she wants and understand how to achieve it, despite a lifetime of limitations and hardship. This is a story, set against the backdrop of World War II, not only about love and family relationships, but about the search for self.

Critical Analysis

                           This story is not a lightweight tale of family life. It is steeped in unfairness and melancholy, futility, and anger. Contrast is key in this story, as Louise and Caroline are exact opposites. Louise is a dark character. She is bitter and furious at her sister, both for elements out of Caroline’s control, such as her beauty and talent, as well as the arrogance and entitlement that are central to Caroline’s personality. The truth is that neither sister is easy to like, but this is what works about the book. Paterson is not spoon-feeding her readers standard characters, obvious villains and heroes. She creates a world of discomfort and struggle and her characters react in realistic, if sometimes frustrating, ways. Caroline is infuriating but in many regards innocent, a product of the favoritism resulting from her birth circumstances. Her life is easy. She can’t be expected to understand Louise’s daily responsibilities. Conversely, Louise has ample reason to be bitter. She is not treated the same by any stretch of the imagination, and this is through no fault of her own. Both of these characters are products of their environment. Louise’s character goes through massive transformation towards the end of the book, as she comes to terms with her mother, who encourages her to leave the island in search of more, and ultimately finds love and satisfaction. The setting of Rass Island itself is clearly and beautifully described. The cold, the wind, the water, the reeds, the struggle to make a living through fishing, the backdrop of odd residents who live there – all of it rises off the page and arrests the reader, coinciding with the distant but terrifying backdrop of World War II. The island is almost a character itself, even a family member, often loved but sometimes hated by Louise. On the whole, this is not an easy book with its overarching themes of anger, jealousy, and resentment that are never fully resolved, but the story is rich and satisfying and the characters are memorable. This book will stay with readers long after its conclusion.

Reader’s Annotation

                                 Tomboy Louise is jealous and resentful of her beautiful, talented twin sister Caroline. She must find a way to come to terms with the differences in how they are treated and find herself and her way to happiness.

About the Author

                             Katherine Paterson spent much of her childhood in China. Her family came back to the United States during World War II, where she remained throughout college. She studied English and American literature at King College in Bristol, Tennessee and then made plans to return to China to do missionary work. She could not get a visa to go to China, however, so she moved to Japan instead and lived and worked there for four years. Despite her intention to live there permanently, she met a pastor during a year of study in the U.S. and they were married. They had four children, two adopted and two biological, and it was at this time, after being asked to write a curriculum for a school, that she caught the writing bug. In and among the childrens' busy schedule, she wrote constantly but didn't publish much. After taking a night class in creative writing, she completed a novel which was eventually published, and her career took off from there. Currently she lives in Vermont with her husband; together they have four grown children, seven grandchildren, and a Golden Retriever.

                            Paterson has won many awards, such as more than one Newbery Medal, the National Book Award for Children's Literature, and several Parents' Choice Awards. In 2007 she became the Vice President of the National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance. She has also been awarded a number of honorary degrees both in the U.S. and Canada.

Genre

         Historical – World War II

Challenge Issues

                          There do not seem to be any obvious challenge issues in this book. However, in the event of a challenge, I would create a challenge defense file. The challenge defense file would include: positive reviews from credible sources for the purpose of proving merit to the challenger; negative reviews in order to inform me on what might be challenged; a written explanation of my own rationale for including the book in the collection as well as a summary of the plot; the American Library Association Bill of Rights; a review of my branch’s selection policy; and, as a last resort, an explanation of the reconsideration policy for my library and an official reconsideration form.

Curriculum Ties

                           English and Writing: place, contrast, and character development.

Booktalk

             Have you ever felt invisible? That’s how Louise lives her life, under the shadow of her talented and lovely twin. They are complete opposites and Louise struggles with finding her own identity against the shining light of her sister. Set against the backdrop of harsh and beautiful Rass Island, with World War II raging on, this tale of two sisters is fraught with sadness, anger, and the search for love and self.

Reading Level and Interest Age

                                                    Grades 9-12.

Why I Included This Book

                                           As a teenager I absolutely loved this book. The characters were real, they had faults and weaknesses and as a reader I was sometimes unsure of whose side I was on. In contrast to some of the other books available to me at the time – such as Sweet Valley High – this book was absolutely a breath of fresh (dark, realistic) air. The sibling rivalry elements should resonate with many teens, as well as Louise’s quest to find and express herself, which is a struggle that teens face on a daily basis, in varying degrees.

References

Paterson, K. (2011). About Katherine. Retrieved from http://terabithia.com/about-katherine/

Paterson, K. (2011). Awards. Retrieved from http://terabithia.com/awards/