Behar, R. (2017). Lucky broken girl. NY: Nancy Paulsen.
As the story opens, Ruth Mizrahi explains that she is
in the remedial class at her school in New York City not because she is dumb,
but because when she arrived in the country with her family, she did not speak
English. She and her friend, Ramu, practice their English, and she expects to
“graduate” from this class into the regular class as a result of her mastery of
the language. Although Ruth misses her old life in Cuba, which her family fled
after Castro’s revolution, she is grateful they are alive and well.
Ruthie receives the news that she is going to be promoted into the regular
class. At home, her father purchases a new car, a big Oldsmobile, and gives her
a pair of Go-Go boots as a present. The family goes for a drive with Papi driving
the car, but there is a car accident that leaves a young boy dead and Ruth’s
leg broken in several places. The doctor informs Ruthie and her family that the
best thing to do is to immobilize both of Ruthie’s legs, and so, she is put
into a body cast that covers her from her chest to her toes, and she will be
stuck in bed for many months.
Ruthie sees her bed as a prison. She hates the boy
who caused the accident even though he died as a result. She has a lot of anger
inside of her and she prays that it will go away. Meanwhile, the school sends
her a teacher, Joy. Joy describes herself as “a bit of a hippie.”
Ramu wants to visit Ruthie, but his family will not
allow it. Ruthie keeps up with him
through her little brother. One day tragedy
strikes Ramu’s family. His little
brother ends up falling out of a window.
Ruthie morns for her friends. Ramu
moves to India with his family, and he and Ruthie begin to exchange letters.
Bored, Ruthie begins talking with her “Jewban” grandparents about her faith
while Joy teaches her academic subjects. Ruthie begins praying and writing
letters to God, as well as other deities—Ramu gives her a pendant with Shiva on
it, and so she prays to Shiva (and writes letters to Shiva as well), reasoning
that since America has freedom of religion, it’s okay to pray to everyone. She
also welcomes visits from her neighbor, Chicho, who is Mexican and educates her
about art and Frida Kahlo. Ruthie decides to write a letter to Kahlo as well.
Ruthie’s life is no fun; she has to go to the
bathroom in a bedpan, and her diet includes things like prune juice to
counteract the effects of being bedridden. Her family struggles to pay the
bills her convalescence generates, and her mother becomes extremely stressed
and unhappy dealing with these issues. Ruthie resents her friend, Danielle, not
coming to visit her, leaving her very lonely and unhappy. One day Danielle does come to see her, but
she runs out crying, leaving Ruthie angry and sad.
Ruthie begins to read and draw more, becoming intellectually curious to
counteract the boredom. Joy and Chicho both encourage this, and Ruthie slowly
begins to come to terms with her situation. She forgives both the boys who
caused the accident, as well as the classmates who didn’t come to visit her,
realizing her own flaws and faults and that not everyone is able to do the
right thing all the time.
Ruthie continues to have conversations with her grandparents, and she begins to
write down what they tell her. Her grandmother tells her about being a young
woman and fleeing Europe to escape the anti-Semitism growing there. Ruthie
begins to have a better understanding of what her family has gone through, and
what they’ve lost by seeking a better life for her. After almost a year, Ruthie’s body cast is
removed and now she has to learn to walk again.
Amara, a nurse, begins to visit to help Ruthie. Amara, extremely strict and
no-nonsense, insists that Ruthie begin physical therapy and learn to walk
again. After so long in bed, Ruthie’s leg muscles are weak, and she struggles;
when Amara has to skip a few days, Ruthie retreats to bed again, refusing to
try. Amara returns and begins working Ruthie again.
Ruthie returns to school on crutches. She is in the smart class with Danielle. The teacher asks for a volunteer to help
Ruthie home every day. Danielle
volunteers. She and Ruthie have a talk and Ruthie learns how upset Danielle has
been because she couldn’t bare to see Ruthie in the cast. Ruthie forgives Danielle.
She slowly regains the ability to walk, but with a
limp. Ruthie worries that her doctor
will feel bad if she has a limp, as the whole point of the body cast was to
prevent this from happening.
One day while over at her house, Danielle gives
Ruthie a gift, her black go-go boots.
Ruthie puts them on and tries to walk.
As if by magic, Ruthie begins walking without a limp. She trusts her leg!
Behar ends the book with a note explaining how closely the story hues to her
real-life experience, and that now and again she feels like little Ruthie
again, the broken girl trapped in her bed, but then she grows up again and
faces life with all its dangers.
I have a personal connection with Ruthie in this
story. I fell off a ladder and broke my
ankle completely in half and had to wear an external fixture for four months,
then a regular cast for two months, then a month of physical therapy. I wasn’t
bedridden like Ruthie, but I know the frustration of not being able to walk, not
being able to do for yourself. I too
counted the days and tore off the months of the calendar.
I found a teacher’s guide to the book put out by the
publisher. It is for 6th
grade level. It covers the themes of the
immigrant experience, our complicated identities, and influences that help us
grow. The link is below.
https://www.ruthbehar.com/images/LuckyBrokenGirl_EducatorsGuide_16_5p.pdf
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