The book Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson is a realistic fiction novel that could also be considered historical fiction because it examines what it is like to grow up during times of indirect segregation. The story takes place in the 1970s somewhere on the border of Brooklyn and Queens in an urban African American school. There is a war going in Vietnam but the conflict is about skin color not religion. It highlights important issues such as racism, faith, hope, and understanding. It is about a sixth grade girl named Frannie who initially has trouble understanding the poem she reads in class called “Hope is the thing with Feathers” but slowly begins to grasp the concept of hope. Throughout the story, she tries to protect her deaf brother, Sean, who she believes is misunderstood by the world. …show more content…
Soon after his arrival he is given the name Jesus Boy because some people believe he is Jesus and others hope he is. He also attracts the attention of the class bully, Trevor, who hates him because Jesus Boy is the only kid lighter skinned than him. However he is very quiet and does not let Trevor’s insults hurt him. Frannie, like many other students in the sixth grade, did not understand why Jesus boy would cross over “the bridge” that separates white people from black people. She is surprised to find that Jesus boy was adopted by African American parents which is the reason they moved from the “White side”. When Trevor breaks his arm, he blames Jesus boy and attempts to fight him with one arm. Jesus boy is about to fight back when Trevor falls in the snow. This is when the class realizes that Jesus boy is not really Jesus Christ because he would never hit anyone. They also realize that Trevor is just a normal boy that they should not be afraid of. This is the incident that causes Frannie’s best friend Samantha to lose her faith in God and Jesus’s