One of the questions in the back of the book says: Using the phrase "This is a story about...", supply five words to describe Mockingbird. Explain your choices. I am going to try and do that here.
This is a story about grief, hope, love and self-discovery (and emotions).
First, let me say, I wish I had a Mrs. Brook to help me sort through my life. Although, I guess in many ways I do, because I am blessed with wonderful friends and family that I can talk to about things that worry me.
Grief: This story was about the grieving of Caitlin and her father as well as her entire community. It is so difficult to understand why bad things happen and to figure out how to go on even when you miss someone.
Hope: Caitlin so wanted to be happy and to have her father be happy. I loved when she learned the word 'closure' and how it became her quest to find it. She knew if she could find it everything would be okay. In spite of the trama they went through, she was an optimistic person. Mrs. Black had such confidence in Caitlin's potential. That is hope.
Love: I felt the story was encompassed by Devon's selfless love for Caitlin. Because of how he had treated her and helped her, she missed his companionship. That loss in her life drove her to try and figure things out which helped work the miracle in herself, her family and in her community.
Self-discovery: Mrs. Black was such a gentle life coach for Caitlin. She helped her have the courage to try--to try to be a friend, to try and help her father, to try and recognize and feel emotion, to try new things like group work. Caitlin's growth process is not that different from my own.
Do I have to count the word 'and?' If not, I would add emotions. This book is about emotions and the nuances and subtleties of how we experience and recognize our feelings and those of others. We actually used one of those facial expression charts when our children were young to help us talk about our feelings.
This is the second book I have read recently that focuses on the definitions of words (see A Northern Light below). Here are some of the words used in this book: closure, finesse, and empathy. These are difficult concepts for an adult to come to terms with. It was enlightening to follow Caitlin's journey to understand these words.