Taking Care of Alabama

Darleen R. Golke is a high-school teacher and librarian in Winnipeg.

In Halifax Children’s Hospital, 13-year-old Dara Donnelly, suffering
from an unexplained disorder characterized by dizziness and fainting
spells, feels happier “surrounded by strangers” than in her own home
with her parents, Dad and Alabama. Dara’s friendship with Marianne, an
anorexic, and the kindness of the staff provide special support. Despite
Dara’s insistence that “there’s something at home that makes me
afraid,” and the terrifying dreams she experiences, the doctors send
Dara home to her family for March break. By the end of the week, Dara
takes the unusual step of re-admitting herself to the hospital after
witnessing another parental battle. Back at the hospital, when the
therapist schedules a meeting between Dara and her parents to discuss
family problems, Dara resolves to run to the only safe haven she can
think of, Auntie Alice’s house, in Maine.

Morantz organizes her story in four books, of which two use the
flashback technique to provide background information on Dara’s
family. The first takes the reader south to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to
reveal the circumstances of Alabama’s marriage to the brash young Nova
Scotian, Thomas Donnelly. The second focuses on Dara’s childhood and
shows her growing awareness of the cruelty, the “cat’s eyes,”
beneath the charming facade of her father and the growing timidity of
her mother. Dara insists she will never let anyone hurt her as Alabama
and her Grandma From Down South have allowed themselves to be hurt.

Morantz deftly and realistically portrays the turmoil Dara experiences
as she tries to understand her fears. Youthful exuberance tempered by
the delicate details of personal conflict are neatly and sympathetically
captured in scenes between Dara and Marianne. Dara’s concluding poem,
“Taking Care of Alabama,” suggests she has drawn some painful
personal conclusions, but her subsequent flight draws the story to a
disappointing conclusion. While young-adult readers may relate to the
pain and fear Dara experiences, they may have difficulty with the
symbol-laden concluding chapter.

Recommended for readers Grades 7 and up who appreciate discussions
about dysfunctional families and coming-of-age stories.