Bibliography: Letts, B. (1998). Where the heart is. New York: Warner Books.
ISBN: 0446672211
Genre: drama
Reading Level/Interest Age: 12+/15+
Plot Summary: 17 year-old Novalee Nation couldn’t wait for the future. Her picket fence dreams for her boyfriend and their soon-to-born baby kept her going through long hours on their way to California and their new life. He got spooked, though, and abandoned her at a Walmart deep in Oklahoma. With only a few cents in her pocket and no one to call, Novalee makes Walmart her home. Each evening, she hides in a closet until the employees leave, then gathers supplies from around the store to create a comfortable place to sleep. She knows it can’t be permanent, but it’s her only option. Her baby girl is born on Aisle 7 a few weeks later. With her secret out, Novalee finds that she’s made headlines around the nation and that Sam Walton himself has offered her a job. Sister Husband, a recovering alcoholic with a streak of kindness a mile long, offer Novalee and her baby not just a home, but a chance at security. Life is starting to fall into place for Novalee, but she still has dreams to fulfill. The friends she finds, the mistakes she makes, the courage she finds will all weave together to give Novalee the confidence she needs to make those dreams come true.
Critical Evaluation: From the very first sentence, Billie Letts harnesses the power of each and every word. With brilliant description, the reader is instantly drawn into Novalee Nation’s world. Letts involves all the senses to place the reader in the scene… from the scent of Novalee’s skin (“soap and milk and roses”) to the movement of her eyelids “like the heartbeats of baby birds” and onto feeling the catch of breath “just below the hollow of his throat” (102). Even taste is included, one specific example so beautiful it brought tears to my eyes: “...he bent and kissed Americus, tasting straw and tears and lips…” (203). Letts is also a master at pacing the story. Each scene, each chapter, answers a few questions, poses even more. Conflict and events tumble through, not giving the reader a single pause to even try to put the book down. But as continuous as the plot development is, it’s not overwhelming. One thing happens, then another and another. Multiple events aren’t piled on top of each other completing for attention, so the reader can concentrate fully on the immediate drama unfolding. Where the Heart Is gave me every single thing I could possibly want in a novel: excitement, surprise, romance, laughter, joy, fear, heartbreak, determination and best of all, the feeling that the characters had become my friends.
Reader’s Annotation: When the community of Sequoia, OK, discovers Novalee Nation’s secret--that she’s been living in the Walmart for weeks--a quirky band of neighbors come together to help her get back on her feet. As they quickly become like family, Novalee realizes that her dreams are closer than she thought possible.
Author Information: Billie Letts (born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1928) is an American author. Earlier she worked as a professor at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. She was married to Dennis Letts until his death in 2008, and is the mother of playwright and actor Tracy Letts and jazz musician and composer Shawn Letts.¹ She passed away in 2014.
Billie Letts is the author of numerous highly acclaimed short stories and screenplay, and a former professor at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. Her first novel, Where The Heart Is, won the Walker Percy Award, sold more than three million copies, and became a major motion picture. Her second novel, The Honk and Holler Opening Soon, was named the first "Oklahoma Reads Oklahoma" selection. Her third novel, Shoot the Moon and her fourth novel, Made in the U.S.A. were both New York Times bestsellers. Billie Letts is a native Oklahoman, and currently lives in Tulsa. (From the publisher.)²
Curriculum ties: none
Booktalks: If you could give a stranger a meaningful gift, what would it be?
Challenge issues: teen pregnancy, homelessness
Challenge Issue Resources:
- Library Selection Policy
- Rationale explaining why the item was chosen for the collection
- Active listening skills
- Awards
- Reconsideration form (as a last resort)
- Illinois Library Association (Banned Books Listings)
- National Council of Teachers of English “Right to Read”
- Positive and negative reviews: expert, parent, student
- ALA Strategies and Tips for Dealing with Challenges to Library Materials
- ALA Bill of Rights on Intellectual Freedom
- Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation.
- Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.
Reasoning: Billie Letts is typically an author of adult fiction, but because this book revolves around the coming-of-age tale of a seventeen year old girl, it can be considered a cross-over into the Young Adult genre. Familiarizing young adult readers with authors they will also see in the adult section can help direct their interests and encourage them to peruse other titles outside the Young Adult section.
References:
²Where the Heart Is (Letts) - Author Bio. (n.d.). Retrieved December 3, 2015, from http://www.litlovers.com/reading-guides/13-fiction/1137-where-the-heart-is-letts?start=1
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