Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Search - Before Women Had Wings

Before Women Had Wings
Before Women Had Wings
Author: Connie May Fowler
My name is Avocet Abigail Jackson. But because Mama couldn't find anyone who thought Avocet was a fine name for a child, she called me Bird. Which is okay by me. She named both her children after birds, her logic being that if we were named for something with wings then maybe we'd be able to fly above the shit in our lives.... — So says Bird Jack...  more »
Info icon
ISBN-13: 9780449911440
ISBN-10: 0449911446
Publication Date: 5/1997
Pages: 304
Rating:
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 147

3.7 stars, based on 147 ratings
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed Before Women Had Wings on + 137 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 6
I never put this book down. The protagonist, a 6 year old girl raised in poverty during the 60's in the South, spins a story similar to that of my own childhood, only much worse. Connie May Fowler weaves a magical story, rich with imagery and strong characterization, in this autobiograpical story. Ms. Fowler possesses a rare gift, and is an author destined to have each of her stories avidly devoured by those who want something stronger than pablum to read.
reviewed Before Women Had Wings on + 14 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
Although this book is now a movie, I must say that the book is much better. You can picture what is going on so much better in your mind than when watching the movie. It's a book filled with hardships and abuse. Physically and emotionally abused, the main character in this book is a little girl who finds protection and comfort from and odd old woman living in a trailer by the hotel she is living at. Starts off very sad but has a great, happy ending. Loved it!
heathlover avatar reviewed Before Women Had Wings on + 7 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
What an awsome story of dealing with neglect and abuse. This little girl is amazing. Can't wait till I can read another book by this author.
curledupwithabook avatar reviewed Before Women Had Wings on + 169 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
Told from the perspective of the youngest daughter, this book provides a heartbreaking account of the legacy of child-battering and the unbearable weight of poverty on this broken family. A very believable story and highly readable book made less weighty by the good deeds of others and the wonderful imagination of this precocious child.
bookluver-in-sc avatar reviewed Before Women Had Wings on + 229 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
A early Oprah book club selection. A great story about a girl growing up in 1965 and her struggle to survive.
Read All 33 Book Reviews of "Before Women Had Wings"

Please Log in to Rate these Book Reviews

reviewed Before Women Had Wings on + 308 more book reviews
story of young girl struggling to survive life learning what others can teach her or how to avoid trouble
reviewed Before Women Had Wings on + 628 more book reviews
Ecellent Southern lit child abuse. About love and loss, violence and grief.
Readnmachine avatar reviewed Before Women Had Wings on + 1472 more book reviews
Difficult and depressing read -- particularly if you know the story is a fictionalized version of the author's traumatic childhood. As children of alcoholics, Bird and her sister Phoebe suffer random beatings, the scorn of their peers, and the trauma of their father's suicide. Even though it ends on a note of hope, it's a tough climb to get there. I honestly think Sue Monk Kidd handled it better in "The Secret Life of Bees", perhaps because Kidd wasn't exorcising her personal demons as she tailored her novel.
reviewed Before Women Had Wings on + 23 more book reviews
Raw, gritty, and from a child's point of view, Bird tells us of her life in poverty, with drunken and violent parents, and an uncaring society during the 1960's.
ferretlover avatar reviewed Before Women Had Wings on
I really enjoyed this story. It is told by the little girl.
reviewed Before Women Had Wings on + 11 more book reviews
This has many excellent reviews and of course it was an Oprah book. It was also made into an Oprah movie. Good stuff!


Genres: