The Blue Star - Tony Earley

Last year, I read Earley's novel, Jim the Boy, about a 10-year boy growing up in North Carolina in the 1930s. In The Blue Star, Jim is in his senior year of high school, and the country is on the verge of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Jim finds himself struggling against what his family assumes he will do with his life - marry the school goodie two shoes and get a job nearby - and what he wants from life. He falls inexplicably in love with a mysterious half-Indian girl and learns that sometimes life does not always give you what you think you deserve. Earley's novel contains adult themes, but is written with the language and straight-forwardness of a young adult novel. This is a nice easy coming-of-age story about choices (or lack thereof), regret, and learning how to stand on your own - even after choosing the wrong path.