Every Time a Rainbow Dies

January 1, 2001
Williams-Garcia (Like Sisters on the Homefront) paints a remarkably sympathetic portrait of 16-year-old Thulani, who came to Brooklyn from Jamaica with his mother and brother. As the novel opens, he is tending his beloved rock doves on the roof of his townhouse when he witnesses a rape. After he helps the young woman home, he cannot stop thinking of her; the author honestly conveys the mix of emotions the hero feels (sorrow, titillation, compassion, anger). Revisiting the scene of her assault, he discovers a rainbow-colored skirt that he knows must be hers, which he keeps and mounts on his bedroom wall. He follows her around until he works up the courage to talk with her, learns her nameDYsaDthen falls in love with her. Through their budding relationship and her passion for life and her studies (textile design), Thulani works up the courage to accomplish his own goals, to break through his brooding silence and to accept his mother's death. Through Ysa's gradual willingness to trust Thulani, she helps him to live with uncertainty and sadness. The rape and, later, a lovemaking scene between Ysa and Thulani, are explicitly drawn, yet the manner in which Williams-Garcia contrasts the violence of one and the gentleness of the other underscores the myriad ways in which their relationship heals old wounds. With its layered yet understated language, including snippets of Jamaican and Haitian "patois" and complex yet truthful characterizations, this novel will hold the rapt attention of sophisticated readers. Ages 14-up.

April 29, 2002

"A remarkably sympathetic portrait of 16-year-old Thulani, who came to Brooklyn from Jamaica with his mother and brother, and aids a rape victim," wrote PW
in a starred review. "With its layered yet understated language, and complex yet truthful characterizations, this novel will hold the rapt attention of sophisticated readers." Ages 14-up. (May)Note:
Additional reviews of children's books can be found in the Children's Religion section (p. 64).

February 1, 2001
Gr 9 Up-Williams-Garcia delivers an insightful, sensitive, and engaging tale where realistic grit fails to swamp the teen characters as they make strong and healthy choices. Thulani is shy and withdrawn when readers meet him on the rooftop of his Brooklyn home, caring for his pigeons. However, the sight of a brutal rape in the street below brings him to life for the first time since his mother's death three years earlier. Thulani rescues the girl who, not surprisingly to either Thulani or readers, fails to show any gratitude. He, however, is smitten by her beauty and self-possession and works hard to gain her recognition over the ensuing weeks and months. A strong subplot pits Thulani against his older married brother and his wife, with whom he lives. Williams-Garcia writes convincingly from Thulani's viewpoint while allowing readers to understand and respect Ysa, the rape victim, in her initial coldness. Minor characters, including Thulani's elderly neighbor, the shopkeeper who employs him, and his sister-in-law, are multidimensional, with motivations that young people can comprehend and consider. Both book lovers and reluctant high school readers will appreciate this story and will find much to discuss during and after reading it.-Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley Public Library, CA

Copyright 2001 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2000
Gr. 9-12. Thulani, 16, is on the roof of his Brooklyn apartment with his beloved pigeons when he witnesses a brutal rape in the alley below. He helps the naked, injured teenager, Ysa, and afterward tries to get to know her. He looks for her at school and follows her on the street; he can't stop thinking of her. This is the first time he's been freed from the grief that has immobilized him, since his mother went home to Jamaica to die three years ago. For a long time Ysa furiously turns him away, but gradually she lets him closer. She tells him her story, including the horror of her boat journey from Haiti, and finally they become friends and lovers. Once again, Williams-Garcia creates characters that are both fierce and gentle. Without graphic language, she portrays violence and anger in contemporary troubled teens who find courage and connection. Ysa's meanness and Thulani's obsession get tiresome, but the scenes between them are electric, almost all in dialogue: her hurt and fury, his stubborn tenderness and passion. There's a strong sense of their Brooklyn neighborhood, a home to immigrants from many places who have left family behind. Ysa gets a college scholarship; Thulani is dropping out. But their intimacy helps him break free.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2000, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2001
Despite its gritty milieu and violent central motif, this is a love story. Sixteen-year-old Jamaican-born Thulani's only friends are the pigeons on the roof of the Brooklyn brownstone he shares with his brother and sister-in-law. He witnesses a rape from the roof; after he intercedes on the victim's behalf, he becomes obsessed with her. Well-observed and subtle, this novel artfully interplays harsh urban realities with adolescent innocence.

(Copyright 2001 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)