Coming-of-age tale about what constitutes love and hate. Child narrator reminiscient of Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird.

The story was a little confusing at first. I thought that the child was a boy until chapter three when the name Michelle was used. Other than that initial confusion, the story was easy to follow. Maybe because I grew up in a small southern town where segregation was a part of the school system, I did not find the grandfather and the other townspeople repugnant, just ignorant. This book catches the atmosphere, the fear, and the ignorance that surrounds and nourishes racism. The title is understood when Charlie fatally shoots Earl. He is being Earl's wing shooter. The book shows the struggle that many people and towns have gone through and continue to go through as this world becomes more and more diverse. I didn't thing the author gave any new insights or lessons in regard to race relations; he simply tells a story that has played out many, many times in real life.

I have heard this book compared to To Kill a Mockingbird; I think that comparison holds up pretty well.

Michelle LeBeau has a white father and a Japanese mother, but lives with her grandparents in Deerhorn, Wisconsin, where she is the only “colored” person in town. Her grandfather, Charlie LeBeau, is one of the town’s most respected men. A bigot who strongly disapproves of his son’s interracial marriage, he nevertheless dotes on his only grandchild. Everything changes in the summer of 1974 when the local clinic expands, resulting in the arrival of Mr and Mrs Garrett – a young black couple from Chicago. Charlie and his friends are incensed and voice their prejudice at every opportunity. Mikey is uniquely able to understand the isolation the Garretts feel, and is drawn to them.

The beauty of this novel is that while it deals with tragedy, Revoyr also is writing about a young child who feels loved and protected by her grandparents, a child who enjoys the outdoors and the freedom to explore the sights, sounds and smells of the country. Michelle has a front-row seat to the happenings in town, and observes the people she knows and loves as their darkest faults come to light. She also begins to recognize what true courage looks like, and the reader can only hope that she will chose carefully which traits to emulate.

Revoyr mines her own childhood for this exploration of family values as much as it is of racism in America. Clearly the isolation her character feels is what Revoyr herself felt in the few years she spent in central Wisconsin as a child (See this story – http://scottkennethnoble.blogspot.com/2011/07/foreigner-in-marshfieldwingshooters-by.html)

This is a beautifully written story. It will make for a great discussion for book clubs. From page 1 to the end, the author does a great job of telling a beautiful story from the eyes of a a young girl named Michelle LeBeau. Michelle faces hard subjects like racism, broken families, and love and loss. This book won't disappoint.

The book is a great book club book as there are quite a few personalities to unravel and issues to discuss. At one point in reading, I was "Oh My!"