NONFICTION

The Strange Birds of Flannery O’Connor: A Life

by Amy Alznauer (text) & illus. by Ping Zhu
Enchanted Lion. Jun. 2020. 64p. Tr $18.95. ISBN 9781592702954.
COPY ISBN
Gr 2-5–This colorful book describes Flannery O’Connor’s relatively short life (1925–1964) with large, sometimes abstract artwork. The illustrations take up the majority of each page and provide visual details to the text. The Southern Gothic author’s life is traced from childhood to her death. Alznauer captures O’Connor’s experiences on her farm, moving, losing her father, attending school, and returning back home to Georgia to live on the family farm. O’Connor’s own writing appears throughout the pages. For a reader without much background knowledge on O’Connor, the flow of the narrative may seem detached and difficult to follow. An author’s note includes photographs and illustrations from O’Connor’s archives, as well as biographical notes and additional resources.
VERDICT This title would best serve libraries that already have a variety of bibliographic titles for young readers and patrons who have curricular interests in the humanities.
Reviewed by ­Samantha Hull, Ephrata High School, PA , May 01, 2020

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