Review: HEAVEN by Angela Johnson

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Johnson, Angela. 1998. Heaven. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0689822294.

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Marley, a fourteen year old African American girl who has always been surrounded by the love and comfort of her family faces a dilemma when she finds out her life is not what it seems. Marley has to face the fact that her life will never be the same and has to decide how she will deal with this new revelation

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
In Heaven, Angela Johnson recounts a story of family love and a teenager’s need to belong. She illustrates the loving bonds of family which are often evident in African American families. Marley’s struggle between the loyalty she feels for the parents who raised her and the betrayal she experiences when she finds out the truth about their identities is indicative of many of the emotional struggles with which many teens have to cope. The foreshadowing of the significance of the church fires adds a certain depth to the storyline. Furthermore, Johnson’s ability to meld together the stories of three diverse characters; Marley, Shoogy, and Bobby allow the reader to experience various types of relationships which are apparent in the African American culture. They are authentic to the setting which is a small Ohio town in the mid-1990s.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL review: “In spare, often poetic prose reminiscent of Patricia MacLachlan's work, Johnson relates Marley's insightful quest into what makes a family... The various examples of ‘family’ Marley encounters make her question what's real, what's true, what makes sense, and if any of that really matters as much as the love she continues to feel for her parents in spite of their seeming betrayal. Johnson exhibits admirable stylistic control over Marley's struggle to understand a concept that is often impossible to understand or even to define.”

PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY review: “The author's poetic metaphors describe a child grasping desperately for a hold on her reality ("It was one of those nights that started to go down before the sun did," she says of the evening the fateful letter arrives). The melding of flashbacks and present-day story line may be confusing initially, but readers who follow Marley's winding path toward revelation will be well rewarded.”

5. CONNECTIONS
The main theme of Heaven makes a great discussion starter for young adults about how to deal with family secrets. Students could place themselves in Marley’s position and write/talk about how they would react to hearing such news.

Other books in the Heaven trilogy:
Johnson, Angela. The First Part Last. ISBN 1442403438.
Johnson, Angela. Sweet, Hereafter. ISBN 0689873859.