Birdland

by Tracy Mack Narrated by Dion Graham

Overview

Swirling riffs of language and a propulsive beat set this gritty, transcendent novel in motion.

Amid the sparkle and hum of a New York City winter, Jed and his best friend, Flyer, are filming a documentary of their neighborhood. All around them are images that Jed's older brother Zeke wrote about: drummers, drunks, dog walkers, and the beautiful water towers that dot the city's skyline. But what Jed is really in search of is Zeke, a poet who loved jazzman Charlie “Bird” Parker and who left behind his CDs, a notebook, and a lot of unanswered questions.

When Jed encounters a mysterious homeless girl he thinks holds the key to connecting him to Zeke, it could be his only way to unlock his deepest sorrow and discover how to be-who to be-on his own.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

Eighth-grader Joseph Eli Diamond (or Jed) feels responsible for not being home when his older brother, a diabetic, went into insulin shock after drinking half a bottle of vodka, and he wonders if Zeke's death was accidental. Now Jed's having trouble speaking, and his uncommunicative family is falling apart. While making a movie about his New York City neighborhood for a school project, Jed sees many of the images his poet brother wrote about in his notebook, including a homeless girl whose "hard-soft eyes haunt my dreams." Though his growing friendship with the girl strains credibility somewhat, it does provide Jed a chance to save her in a way he couldn't save Zeke and to begin talking again. Through Jed's eyes-and camera-Mack (Drawing Lessons) paints a vivid picture of Jed's East Village neighborhood, full of characters who struggle on, despite both personal tragedies and the aftereffects of September 11. The author offers a realistic portrayal of a grieving family as well as other characters grappling with hardships, such as Jed's best friend, whose mother recently moved out. Some touches, such as Jed's younger brother's obsession with ambulances, seem scripted, and both Jed's speaking problem and Kiki's self-injuring never feel fully developed (conversely, readers may well appreciate the information on diabetes). Overall, despite a few rough edges, readers will find it easy to relate to Jed and many of the other brave characters in his corner of the world. Ages 14-up. (Oct.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Gr 7-10-Haunted by the death of his older brother, 14-year-old New York City-native Jed spends his winter break filming a documentary of his East Village neighborhood. Following clues left behind in Zeke's poetry journal, he finds himself going deep into his brother's psyche. The painful memories and emotions that surface bring Jed face-to-face with the destitute, homeless girl mentioned in one of the poems. Jed's efforts to reach out to her, and the ensuing near tragedy, galvanize his grieving parents into action and into recognizing his needs. Mack's expressively visual prose interspersed with fragments of candid poetry realistically captures the anger and frustration of a boy coping with the loss of a sibling and the possible disintegration of his family. Colorful, well-drawn characters add to the story's painful sense of realism. And while some readers may find it hard to balance Birdland's sophisticated style with its young protagonist, others will be drawn into Jed's unique and spontaneous East Village world of skateboards, sidewalk musicians, and coffee houses.-Hillias J. Martin, New York Public Library Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

The setting is the star in this moving portrayal of a boy coming to terms with his brother's death set in New York's East Village. Mack reveals Joseph's story gradually: he has developed a speech impediment, his father has become withdrawn, and his Jewish family has renounced religion. Details about Zeke's life and death from diabetes are also parceled out bit by bit in a beautifully subtle manner. Joseph deals with the loss in several ways, none of which he immediately recognizes as vehicles for processing grief: creating a video documentary of the neighborhood for a school project, inspired by Zeke's poetry; befriending and ultimately saving the life of a homeless girl he believes also knew Zeke; and simply being himself with his best friend Flyer. Loss, compassion, and forgiveness are primary themes, realistically and sometimes painfully drawn through the interactions of Joseph's family. This remarkable work culminates with scenes from Joseph's documentary, signaling the end of his helplessness in the face of his grief and the beginning of his success in dealing with it. (Fiction. 12+)

From the Publisher

Voice of Youth Advocates
(February 1, 2004; 0-439-53590-5)

Six months after his older brother, Zeke, died, thirteen-year-old Jed can hardly find the words to express his feelings. His parents refuse to talk about Zeke, and Jed's loss of voice might be complete if not for his best friend, Flyer. When the two boys collaborate on a school assignment to tell the story of their New York neighborhood, Jed begins to see the world again through the lens of his video camera. During the week of Christmas vacation, Jed walks the streets of the East Village, finding comfort, companionship, and a creative outlet. As in her first novel, Drawing Lessons (Scholastic, 2000/VOYA April 2000), Mack's prose is lyrical and hauntingly beautiful. She uses vibrant images to illustrate Jed's world, drawing the reader's attention to everyday objects and occurrences that might normally escape notice. As Jed studies Zeke's notebook filled with poetry about the city, he finds his brother's Ode on a Wooden Water Tower: O lost cousin of nature and waters deep / woodland historian who cannot exude / the story of your journey here, lest we weep. With its striking language, convincing yet original characterizations, and satisfying plot resolutions, this book is to be treasured. Much like Jed at the end of the novel, Mack finds her voice here, and it is truly something to celebrate.-Deborah Fisher.

Publishers Weekly
(November 17, 2003; 0-439-53590-5)

Eighth-grader Joseph Eli Diamond (or Jed) feels responsible for not being home when his older brother, a diabetic, went into insulin shock after drinking half a bottle of vodka, and he wonders if Zeke's death was accidental. Now Jed's having trouble speaking, and his uncommunicative family is falling apart. While making a movie about his New York City neighborhood for a school project, Jed sees many of the images his poet brother wrote about in his notebook, including a homeless girl whose "hard-soft eyes haunt my dreams." Though his growing friendship with the girl strains credibility somewhat, it does provide Jed a chance to save her in a way he couldn't save Zeke and to begin talking again. Through Jed's eyes-and camera-Mack (Drawing Lessons) paints a vivid picture of Jed's East Village neighborhood, full of characters who struggle on, despite both personal tragedies and the aftereffects of September 11. The author offers a realistic portrayal of a grieving family as well as other characters grappling with hardships, such as Jed's best friend, whose mother recently moved out. Some touches, such as Jed's younger brother's obsession with ambulances, seem scripted, and both Jed's speaking problem and Kiki's self-injuring never feel fully developed (conversely, readers may well appreciate the information on diabetes). Overall, despite a few rough edges, readers will find it easy to relate to Jed and many of the other brave characters in his corner of the world. Ages 14-up. (Oct.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Booklist
(October 15, 2003; STARRED)
Gr. 7-10. True healing, ed's English teacher declaims, begins with imagination. Buted, displaying that bedrock realism with which teens so often see through the idealistic preenings of adults, isn't quite buying it: So what if you imagine something to be healed. It's still the same broken thing, isn't it? The beauty of this rigorously unsentimental novel about a family in crisis is the way that Mack, even as she lets her characters' imaginations soar, keeps her story grounded in the pain of broken things.ed is the middle child in a family torn asunder by the death of Zeke,ed's jazz-loving older brother. To fulfill an assignment for English class,ed, with his friend, Flyer, sets out to videotape the sights and sounds of Lower East Side Manhattan, as recorded in Zeke's journals and poems. Along the way,ed encounters a mysterious homeless girl who may hold the key to

JUN/JUL 06 - AudioFile

It's winter break, and Jed's family continues to grieve the death of his older brother, Zeke, from complications of diabetes. Zeke was a poet, a lover of jazz (especially Charlie "Bird" Parker), and of life on the edge. Thanks to a found and treasured journal of his brother's poetry, Jed is now seeing the world through Zeke's eyes. This production is an example of how an audiobook can surpass its print parent. Dion Graham's first-person narration captures the grief, confusion, and search for meaning that Jed wrestles with. Along with the jazz licks that introduce and conclude the story, he brings to life a novel that doesn't fully breathe on the page. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169550429
Publisher:	Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Publication date:	06/27/2005
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	10 - 13 Years

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