The Loud Silence of Francine Green

In 1949-50, eighth-grader and nice Catholic girl Francine Green makes friends with outspoken, politically-minded Sophie Bowman. Sophie makes Francine think about the conformity imposed on her, while she worries about the Red Scare, the bomb, and communists. A marvelous evolution of a young mind from unthinking to thinking and wondering, and even, possibly, speaking out against injustices she sees around her. Sophie Great characterizations that make the feelings and fears of the period very real and understandable. I did feel a little let down that we didn't get to witness what she said to Sister Basil in the end.

This book provides a good look at how confused, paranoid and misleading the US government and education system was, concerning the threat of communism and nuclear war in the 1950s. Communism: bad to the point of being satanic. Nuclear weapons: good if we have them; bad if the commies have them; easy......more

I have mixed feelings about this book. I usually love Karen Cushman, but felt the research was sloppy in this one. Would a K-8 Catholic school for girls in 1949 have a copy of A Tree Grow in Brooklyn in its library, and would it be considered a safe alternative for book reports? Would a Catholic hig......more

First read: A little slow but very thought provoking! Second read: I read this again because I knew it had an interesting theme and that I may "get" more of it now. Some of it is cringe-ey middle school celebrity crushes and such which is why I rated it a 3. Otherwise, the book is a great story that......more

Definitely more enjoyable as an adult than when I was twelve.......more

Right before I read The Loud Silence of Francine Green, my boyfriend shared with me a selection from Francis Spufford's The Child That Books Built: A Life in Reading, which stuck with me as I read and critiqued this book. Spufford, in describing his early experiences with books written for adults, wr......more