M. C. Higgins The Great by Virginia Hamilton
Winner, 1975 Newbery Award
Quick Summary
Living in the shadow of a strip mining site in the hills of southern Ohio, fifteen-year-old M. C. Higgins is torn between trying to get his family away and fighting to save their home.
Favorite Quote
"To leave a place," he said gently, "you'd best leave everything behind; all your possessions, including memory. Traveling's not as easy as it's made out to be."
About the Author
Virginia Hamilton is the author of more than 40 books. She won every major award in youth literature, including the Hans Christian Andersen Award for Writing in 1992, the fourth American to win the award. She was also the first African American author to with the Newbery Award. The Virginia Hamilton Conference, established in 1984, is the longest running event in the U.S. to focus solely on multicultural literature for children and young adults. Virginia Hamilton died in 2002.
My Project
For my project, I wanted to create the junk pile near the family's home and the steel pole that MC Higgins won in a swimming contest. I used a bunch of random parts from my worktable (metal gears, scraps of copper, ball chain, flat watch hands) and then covered them in a mix of brown paints. I used a little alcohol ink and paint for the sky. The steel pole is a piece of aluminum. I like how shiny and bright it is compared to the rest of the piece. As in the book, the unlikely pole seems to be a beacon in a dark, rather depressing setting.
Final Thoughts
This is a slower paced book with lots of internal musings by the main character, a teenage boy who comes of age in a remote setting. Oddly, I identified more with the outsiders in the book, the travelers and the witchy Killburns, than the central characters. While M.C. Higgins felt real, I found it hard to relate to him, especially in his relationship to his parents and the hunting mentality he espouses when he encounters a strange girl.
Your Turn
If you read this book, I'd love to hear what you think in the comments.