6/8/2023 0 Comments Being Fishkill by Ruth LehrerPoet Ruth Lehrer's young adult debut is a stunning, revelatory look at what defines and sustains "family." And, just as it does for Fishkill, meeting Duck-Duck Farina and her mother will leave readers forever changed.Ī desperately sad story of profound abuse is softened somewhat by the highly intelligent Duck-Duck and her loving mother. This fragile new beginning is threatened by the reappearance of Fishkill's unstable mother - and by unfathomable tragedy. But Fishkill's fierce defenses falter when she meets eccentric optimist Duck-Duck Farina, and soon they, along with Duck-Duck's mother, Molly, form a tentative family, even as Fishkill struggles to understand her place in it. Carmel Fishkill becomes Fishkill Carmel, who deflects her tormenters with a strong left hook and conceals her secrets from teachers and social workers. At age thirteen, she begins to fight back. Born in the backseat of a moving car, Carmel Fishkill was unceremoniously pushed into a world that refuses to offer her security, stability, love. Fishkill Carmel fends for herself, with her fists if need be - until a thwarted lunch theft introduces her to strange, sunny Duck-Duck and a chance for a new start.
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