The War That Saved My Life

Read this book for class in elementary school, great book I think it has a great storyline.

I enjoyed this overall, but I was expecting something on another level based on the rave reviews. Ada at times seemed more of an object lesson in trauma response than a real person, and Mam was simply a cartoon character. Wish that she in particular had received a more nuanced treatment, as she surely had pressures and traumas of her own that made her the way she was. I also wonder if characters at this time and place would really say “okay” as much as they do.

What I really liked about this book is that it didn't explain too much. What 10-year old actually understands their own reactions and emotions? For that matter, what 40-year old does? And yet, book after book we get people perfectly and eloquently explaining their every motivation. This book didn't do that. It let its narrator feel things and react to things without knowing why. We got to experience Ada as Ada might have. Because of this, her sadness & anger & frustration felt so much more affecting and real.