The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
“Ada! Get back from that window!” Mam’s voice, shouting. Mam’s arm, grabbing mine, yanking me so I toppled off my chair and fell hard to the floor.
“I was only saying hello to Stephen White.” I knew better than to talk back, but sometimes my mouth was faster than my brain. I’d become a fighter, that summer.
Mam smacked me. Hard. My head snapped back against the chair leg and for a moment I saw stars. “Don’t you be talkin’ to nobody!” Mam said. “I let you look out that window out a’ the kindness of my heart, but I’ll board it over if you go stickin’ your nose out, much less talkin’ to anyone!”
“Jamie’s out there,” I mumbled.
“And why shouldn’t he be? Mam said. “He ain’t a cripple. Not like you.” [p. 1]
A combination of Mommie Dearest and Medea and nominated for “The Worst Mother in the World Award” for any year, Mam kicks off this historical fiction novel. She is the mother of the novel’s narrator Ada and her brother Jamie and the reason that World War II saved the two siblings’ lives.
World War II is the backdrop of this 2016 Newbery Honor book, but it is far from the only war faced by the characters. Ada explains:
There are all kinds of wars.
This story I’m telling starts out four years ago, at the beginning of the summer of 1939. England stood on the edge of another Great War then, the war we’re in the middle of now. Most people were afraid. I was ten years old (though I didn’t know my age at the time), and while I’d heard of Hitler — little bits and pieces and swear words that floated from the lane to my third-floor window — I wasn’t the least concerned about him or any other war fought between nations. You’d think from what I’ve already told you that I was at war with my mother, but my first war, the one I waged that June, was between my brother and me. [p. 3]
Because Ada’s right foot is “small and twisted,” her mother has kept her locked up in one room her whole life.
I didn’t protest staying in one room so long as it held both Jamie and me. But as Jamie grew older he wanted to be with the other children, playing in the street. “Why shouldn’t he?” Mam said. “He’s normal enough.” To Jamie she said, “You’re not like Ada. You can go wherever you like.” [p. 5]
Ada is afraid of being alone and begs Jamie to stay with her. Despite their closeness in the past, he enjoys making friends and stays away from home more frequently. In contrast, because Ada’s mother is humiliated at the thought of people knowing she has a disabled daughter (Ada was born with a clubfoot and gets around by crawling), she forces her to stay inside so she experiences no dealings with other people, except to observe and wave from her window. Although Jamie is gone more often than not, Mam continues to abuse both children physically, emotionally, and verbally until a possible German invasion threatens England. Their environment changes drastically when they are evacuated to the countryside with other children because of this. There, they are put into the care of Susan Smith, a lonely, grief-stricken individual who quickly grows into the role of caretaker and protector.
An element that makes this book unique (and appreciated) is the way the author casts doubt on what I consider the delusional myth that love conquers all, heals all, and cures all ills. This belief has been a part of our culture for years. Take the musical “Annie,” for instance. Brought up unloved in an orphanage offering nothing but abuse — kidnapped and threatened — Little Orphan Annie’s dreams finally come true at age eleven, when she is adopted by a guy with oodles of dough and loved by all because of her resilience and never-ending optimism. (Cue: “You’re Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile) We are led to believe that the strength of new parents’ love immediately transforms Annie and those around her so that everything is just perfect. AWESOME!!! (Cue: “I Don’t Need Anything But You.”)
Thanks to recent research, we now know that child abuse can cause both psychological and physical difficulties long after the abuse has ended no matter how much love and care those around them offer. Bradley shows this brilliantly through Ada’s behavior when she leaves her home and experiences a life in which fairy tales would have her living happily ever after. There is no such thing as a “quick fix” in The War That Saved My Life, no deus ex machina. Ada demonstrates some of the symptoms we now associate with childhood abuse even after she experiences a safe and caring environment. She endures nightmares, flashbacks, and disassociation. She goes away in her head when things get hard and has panic attacks and anxiety. Among the many wars being fought in the story, I thought the most poignant and honest was Ada’s war against herself and those trying to help her.
With detailed historic descriptions and both powerful and emotional scenes, The War That Saved My Life represents Middle Grade reading at its finest! And there IS a wonderful sequel as well, titled The War I Finally Won.
Readers might enjoy the YouTube videos below:
The War that Saved My Life book trailer: This trailer offers a summary of the plot with pictures.
Fifth Grade Production of The War That Saved My Life: Providing scenes from the book, this video is produced by Molly Callendar and acted out by those in middle grades.
Book Trailer: The War That Saved My Life: Told in first person from Ada’s point of view, this trailer gives us a view into Ada’s feelings.
The War that Saved My Life Book Trailer: This trailer provides images and a brief description of the novel.
