Module 7: The Other Half of My Heart

Citation
Frazier, S.  (2010).  The Other Half of My Heart.  New York: Delacorte Press.
 
Summary
The daughters of an African-American mother and white father, Minni and Keira are twin sisters from Port Townsend, WA.  However, shy, animal-loving Minni's skin is light enough to pass as white; outgoing, athletic Keira's skin is dark, like her mother's.  After an opportunity arises for the girls to compete in the Black Pearl competition in North Carolina, they have the opportunity to visit their African-American grandmother and discover their identity beyond the color of their skin.

Impressions
I sincerely enjoyed this book and its characterization of Minni, Keira, their parents, their socially conscious grandmother, and Ms. Oliphant, her neighbor.  Frazier's sensitive exploration of race, family, and belonging prompts the reader to consider these issues, beginning with a scene in which the girls choose dresses for the competition: Minni is encouraged to make herself at home in the dress shop, but the owner scolds Keira for doing the same thing.  They begin to fear that their different skin color will divide them not only socially, but also personally.  Frazier's depiction of Ms. Oliphant makes me want to sit down at her table for hot chocolate. 

Review

Cruze, K.  (2010).  The other half of my heart [book review].  Booklist, 106(22), 55.  Retrieved from EBSCOhost

Starred Review* The idea of being a twin has built-in appeal—a sibling who has almost identical experiences of the world can be an instant BFF. That ideal informs the lives of sisters Minni and Keira, but the differences between the biracial siblings may be vaster than they’d like to think, because Minni’s coloring is white like their father’s, while Keira’s is black like their mother’s. During the summer when the girls turn 11, awareness of how they’re perceived is driven home when a storekeeper in their home state of Washington has a widely disparate reaction to the girls’ browsing through fancy dresses. Later, when the girls visit their prickly maternal grandmother in North Carolina and compete in a beauty contest for African Americans, Minni feels she is the focus of skeptical attention. Not only does Frazier raise questions worth pondering but her ability to round out each character, looking past easy explanations for attitude, is impressive. She also leavens the whole with easy humor and builds suspense over the pageant itself. Will the talented and outgoing Keira win the prize? Will Minni be able to overcome her shyness and shine? A novel with a great deal of heart indeed, from the winner of the John Steptoe New Talent Award for Brendan Buckley’s Universe and Everything in It (2007). Grades 4-6

Suggestions for Use

Upon considering this novel, I began to think of other books which explore this concept.  Puddin' Head Wilson came to mind, as did Zora and Me, which I recently read for this class.  I also enjoyed The Green Book recently -- a Bluebonnet selection for 2012-2013.  Because it explores the concept of race from 2010, I think that this book would be a great fifth grade introduction to the Civil Rights struggle.   Minni and Keira visited Raleigh's African American Museum of History and Civil Rights.  Perhaps students could be encouraged to research, identify, visit, and report upon local landmarks for their town's own civil rights historic places.