Review of SO B. IT

Bibliography:

Weeks, Sarah. 2004. So B. It: A novel. Narrated by Cherry Jones. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 0060754818

Review:

So B. It opens with a revelation made by the twelve year old narrator: “The truth is, whether you know something or not doesn’t change what was.” This simple statement expresses the message behind Sara Week’s novel. Although Heidi reveals that she desperately wants to discover her history (“Who am I really?”) so she doesn’t “end up like Mama – full of missing pieces”, in the end, her discovery of her mother’s true identity doesn’t change the life she had led to that point. The author weaves a heartwarming story about Heidi; her mentally disabled mother, So B. It; and her generous, agoraphobic neighbor, Bernadette that draws readers in to their daily lives. One of the weaknesses of the story is that Heidi is able to go through her life unnoticed. She and her mother seem to have “fallen through the cracks” after Diane’s death, and Heidi is able to make a cross-country bus trip with no questions asked. However, readers are willing to overlook these indiscrepancies because they are drawn into the central character’s thoughts and, ultimately, her life through the revealing narration that provides a clear picture of Heidi's frustration with her life as it is. The first person narrative also allows readers to see the other characters through Heidi’s eyes – as human beings and not by the labels that society often places on them of being mentally handicapped or, in Bernadette’s case, of being an extreme phobic. Instead, Heidi reveals their true nature – her mama “who loved me in her own special way, but couldn’t take care of me herself because of her bum brain” and Bernie who “wouldn’t have hesitated to give me or Mama the last drop of water she had if we’d all been dying of thirst in the desert.” The characters become family, and readers feel they have a stake in Heidi’s quest to uncover the meaning of “soof”, her mother’s special word. The young girl’s determination to venture cross country on her own for answers serves as an inspiration to readers that they, too, can meet and overcome challenges they face. So B. It is a unique novel for preteens that combines mystery and adventure in a manner that will keep the characters alive long after the book is returned to the shelf. In the end, readers will find themselves applauding Heidi’s success while at the same time crying for the loss of her mother and for her realization that “There are some things in life a person just can’t know”.