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Heddi Rook's parents—both members of the Iowa National
Guard—are sent to Iraq in the spring of 2003, her sophomore
year of high school. Heddi's temporary guardian, a childless
aunt, joins Plum Creek Community in order to find a "village"
to help her deal with her willful niece. Heddi, however, has
grown up in a white Protestant, politically conservative neighborhood,
while Plum Creek members are diverse in religion and race,
progressive in politics. Heddi is suddenly bereft of everything
familiar to her.
With energy and spirit, Heddi fights back, but her rebellion
creates new problems, including a dangerous liaison with a
violent classmate. Meanwhile, war violence in Iraq emotionally
devastates Heddi's father, who is sent home with post trauma
stress disorder, unable to relate to his daughter. Heddi comes
to respect the members of the community, who give her support
when the foundations of her world crumble. She comes through,
to quote Hemingway, "stronger in the broken places."
Athena, another teenage girl at Plum Creek, narrates Heddi's
story, while also telling what happens next to the characters
in Child of the Wild Wind for those readers who want to know.
Illustration below, from chapter 7.
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from Chapter 1:
I couldn't move, could hardly draw a breath. Heddi was dragging
away the big shepherd by the collar when Mockingbird got to Sport.
He went down on his knees to gather the injured dog in his arms,
his longish dark hair falling forward, blending in with Sport's
big brown spots. Funny, the things you notice when you feel frozen
in time. I could hear him yelling, but couldn't make out his words
through the triple pane windows and thick, straw-bale-and-stucco
walls. With a jerk, I turned from the window and ran for my jacket.
Mockingbird was still yelling when I got out there. "He's bleeding!
Look what your dog did! You can't bring pets here! Hermes told you
that!" Sport was our community dog, but everyone knew he really
belonged to Mockingbird, who fed him and spent the most time with
him.
"Hang on to Max, Heddi. Don't let her go, no matter what."
Lida examined the big gash in Sport's neck as Mockingbird held him.
"Looks like Max slashed a vein. Let's get him into my car
so I can drive him to the vet."
I helped Mockingbird carry Sport and gently lay him in the back
seat of the car. Blood got on the new upholstery, but Lida didn't
make a fuss about it. She got into the driver's seat as Mockingbird
climbed in beside Sport. Lida rolled down the window. "Athena,
could you find some rope to tie up Max?" I nodded, but she
was looking at Heddi now, frowning. "I told you we had to board
her in a kennel during our visitor period here. But no, you wouldn't
hear of it. Now look what happened!" She blew out her breath
in a puff of anger, rolled up the window and started the engine.
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