Magda, Standing

by Christine Fallert Kessides

Overview

When her father pulls her out of high school to care for her invalid mother and little brother, sixteen-year-old Magda is devastated-but the greater challenge is saving her family in the face of a war and pandemic.

In 1916, the world is at war, even if America has not yet joined the effort. But for Magda, the growing hostility her German immigrant family faces hits close to home. Despite her domestic obligations, Magda persists with her education, determined to find an independent role for herself.  Faced with the mounting crises of the war and the Spanish flu, Magda seeks the knowledge and strength to try to protect those she loves most.

Standing up to a war and pandemic, traditions and expectations, Magda embarks on a journey of self-discovery and resilience that leads her back to embracing her family and caring for a wider community.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781954805392
Publisher:	Bold Story Press
Publication date:	06/13/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	380
File size:	670 KB
Age Range:	13 - 18 Years

About the Author

Christine Fallert Kessides was born and raised in a German-American family in Pittsburgh. After a career with an international development agency in Washington, DC, she now lives in suburban Maryland with her husband and spends as much time as possible with her adult children, grandchild, and granddogs. In her spare time, she volunteers with nonprofits that support women and families and especially enjoys reading, travel, yoga, and sharing books with friends. Magda, Standing is her first novel.

Editorial Reviews

2023-05-17
In Kessides’ debut YA historical novel, a young woman confronts xenophobia, her family’s struggles and strictures, the horrors of World War I, and an influenza epidemic.

Pittsburgh resident Magda Augustin is a bright 16-year-old with large ambitions. Unfortunately, her father decrees that she must drop out of high school—and probably give up her college dreams, as well—to take care of her sick mother and toddler brother, Richy. She’s crushed, but she seeks the help of her retired schoolteacher aunts, Minnie and Tillie, who offer not only tutoring, but also wise counsel. The question of the hour in their German enclave is whether the United States will enter the war in Europe; when it finally does, Magda’s brother Fred signs up to fight, as does her brother-in-law, while she volunteers as an assistant nurse with the Red Cross. She’s introduced to Fred’s friend Conrad Hecht, and readers know early on that they’re meant for each other. Between the one-two punch of the war and a flu epidemic, many around Magda don’t survive. But those who do patch together their lives and become stronger for it. Still, it’s a painful spiritual trade-off: “It seemed that if one thought too much about loving someone, they would soon be gone.” Kessides writes in an author’s note that the book was inspired by her own family history as well as the Covid-19 pandemic. Magda is an appealing protagonist, and the book, though told in the third person, presents the character’s sensitive perspective; sometimes she feels sorry for herself, but not for long, and then she feels guilty about it and resolves to do better. Above all, she’s revealed to be resourceful and understanding—a person upon whom no experience is lost. As a result, readers get a good, detailed sense of place as the book explores a brawny town of steel mills and foundries where clear skies were the exception, not the rule: “The usual dirty air had receded a little, allowing the sun to venture out in place of the resident winter gloom.”

An impressive first novel that effectively draws on the author’s family story.

Kirkus Reviews