Wingshooter by Nina Revoyr
By Lena Willis • Aug 29th, 2011 • Category: Book Review 2011 •
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Nina Revoyr once again delivers a compelling portrayal of American racism in her most recent novel, Wingshooters. The protagonist is Michelle, a nine year old girl that is transplanted to Wisconsin to live with her grandparents after being abandoned by her estranged and irresponsible parents. She is the product of her father’s marriage to a Japanese exchange student. This marriage is not accepted by his bigoted father, Charlie. In fact, Charlie is horrified by his son’s decision and it is quite a shock to the reader when Charlie and his wife accept Michelle into their home.
Set in the early 1970s, Deerhorn, Wisconsin is a small town with a small town mentality. As Deerhorn’s first and only person of color, Michelle is constantly ridiculed and insulted by her peers as well as adults. In order to defend herself, Charlie teaches her to fight and to shoot a gun and this time spent together grows into her sharing his appreciation of nature and outdoor sports, like hunting and baseball. He calls her Mike, as she has grown into quite the tomboy, sharing most of her afternoons with the family dog, the only friend she has. Things begin to change when the Garretts, an African-American couple arrive and stir up the town’s fears of anyone that looks differently than they do. Michelle acquires a secret fondness of both Mr. & Mrs. Garrett sharing with them a commonality that only the three of them can.
Ms. Revoyr’s writing immediately drew me in and allowed me to connect to the character of Michelle as I empathized with her daily trials and wanted to jump into the pages and help her, especially when she had to witness senseless acts of violence and experience the failings of parental responsibilities and human character. The author also did a fantastic job of describing this town that could very well have existed in Middle America, abiding by its own rules and never wanting to accept the change that was happening all over the country during this time. If you are not familiar with Nina Revoyr’s previous publications and not yet a fan, you will be after reading Wingshooters. I recommend to readers who enjoy historical American fiction or coming-of-age reads.
Reviewed by: Lena Willis
APOOO Literary Zone
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Lena Willis is a single mother to two who recently moved to Atlanta, GA from the San Francisco Bay Area. Professionally, she works as a health care administrator and also has her own business, Imani Non-Profit Consulting Services where she primarily does grant writing and reviews federal grant applications. She has been reviewing for APOOO for about 2 1/2 years. She enjoys exploring other cultures, reading a range of genres, and taking road trips.
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