Earthshine

by Theresa Nelson

Book Overview

Slim's father, a charismatic actor named Mack, is dying of AIDS.??Slim and Mack's companion, Larry, help care for Mack.??Soon Slim joins a support group for family members who live with people who... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Library Binding
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0531087174
• ISBN13: 9780531087176
• Release Date: January 1994
• Publisher: Orchard Books (NY)
• Length: 182 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.7" x 8.4"
• Age Range: 9 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 7

Customer Reviews

Quick Read

A young girl Margery McGranahan, also known as Slim, has a father, Mack, who is dying of AIDS. Mack has a companion, Larry, who helps take care of Mack. But Slim's problems are too much for her and her father sends her to join a support group for family members who live with people who have AIDS. Here she meets Isaiah, whose father has already died of the disease and whose pregnant mother is now sick and worried about her unborn child. Isaiah believes the Miracle Man in the "Hungry Valley" north of Los Angeles can cure her mother. Slim doesn't believe in miracles, she only knows that her father is dying and no one is attempting to prevent it. But Isaiah's soon starts to rub off on Slim and she starts to believe that her father can be saved. This book is as much about mortality as it is about homosexuality. We are taken through the emotions that Slim has while her father is dying. Through it all, Slim is still left with hope for the future.

Affecting and Tearjerking

Earthshine was incredibly moving and touching; changing the way I think and feel about many serious issues that are dealt with in this novel. The main character, Slim, is a confused, unstable and hurting twelve year old. She narrates to her diary, and her feelings were so well expressed I felt as if I had always known her. When she hurt, I hurt, when she suffered, I suffered. And so when she changed and grew, so did I.The main conflict is that Slim's father has been diagnosed with AIDS. He is upbeat and hilarious, with a good natured attitude toward life. But as the fatal virus takes over his body, he becomes weak and feeble. The book deals with Slim's journey through grief--showing her pain and worry, her anxiousness and confusion, and finally her resolutions and growths. After many agonizing, pain-filled months, Slim's father finally passes away. But not without leaving Slim with hope for the future, a love-filled heart and strong values that I as the reader also acquired from this book. Overall, I found this book to be incredible, eye opening and profound; changing the way I feel about those with AIDS. By all means, it is worth your time to read.

This is a wonderful novel

We empathise with 12 year old Slim as her father's condition inexorably proceeds through the closing stages of AIDS, with the various effects honestly outlined. The tension inherent in the situation leads us to share the unrealistic sense of hope posed by a supposed miracle man - though the miracle proves to be emotional peace for Slim's dad and his partner. A fascinating secondary character is Isaiah,  whose pregnant mother has AIDS while his late father died from the disease. Both Isaiah and Slim belong to a group for relatives of AIDS patients run by a liberal church. There are no "happy endings," yet Earthshine reflects the force of human love, the diverse meanings of "family," and the resilience of the human spirit.

A Great Book!!!!

Earthshine is a great book that teaches how people sufer with AIDS. Slim is leaving with her father (Mack) Her father is sick with AIDS and he will die soon. Each day Mack gets more and more sick when Slim goes to school Larry(Larry lives with Slim and Mack) takes Mack to the hospital.A novel that wil break your heart. A GREAT BOOK!!!!!!!!!!

Childhood isn't what we thought it use to be.

Twelve year old Margery Grace McGranahan, or Slim, was not happy living with her mother and her stepfather. Instead, she decides to move to Hollywood to live with her father, Mack, and his friend, Larry. Because her father is a PWA, or person with AIDS, Slim's time with her father even more precious than usual. Her friend Isaiah is constantly trying to provide hope to the "doubting Thomasina" who would rather stop time than discover what life may hold for her. This is a griping novel that not only exposes children to life with a PWA, but allows adults a glimpse inside a child's head. Through her inner thoughts and journal writings, we discover how much Slim suffers and finally accepts her father's condition. While the novel is fascinating, it becomes intense, suggesting an older audience of readers who are mature enough to handle the topics and issues raised