Starstruck by a dime-store picture of Jesus, Avocet Abigail "Bird" Jackson fancies herself "His girlfriend" and embarks upon a ...
read full description
reviews
Mar 17, 2008
Gayle
rated it: 
I LOVED this book! It takes place in the mid sixies in Florida and is narrated by a young girl who was the same age I was when I lived in Florida then. I could just breathe that humid, salty clime that was part and parcel of my childhood! But this book has a serious theme--the abuse, alcoholism, and poverty that children are victims to through no fault of their own. It is painful to visit such themes but the wonderful "grace-note" of a surprising savior to the protaganist, Bird (ho
More...
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Dec 17, 2009
Lee
rated it: 
When I started reading this book,it reminded me of Bastard Out of Carolina; I also saw similiarities to Glass Castle. Bird, a young girl, narrates the novel about her dysfunctional highly abusive family. The strength of the book is her voice -- the pain is palpable and the coping mechanisms she employs commendable. Her relationship with an elderly neighbor is an important reminder about how anyone can make a huge difference to a child in our own neighborhoods/communities with relatively small ge
More...
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Dec 12, 2008
Ruby
rated it:
(Autobiographical Novel)—"Back in 1965, on a day so hot that God Almighty should have been writhing with sick-to-the-stomach guilt over driving His children out of the cool green of Eden, my daddy walked into our general store, held a revolver to his head, told my mama that he couldn't take any more and that because of her harsh ways and his many sins he was going to blow his brains out." What an opening sentence! Totally gripping. It demands that you keep reading while deftly estab
More...
Jul 13, 2010
Sonya
rated it:
Before Women Had Wings: Connie May Fowler
Date Finished: February 2010
Snapshot: Bird is young girl from a poor family in the rural south. The first scene takes place in their family-owned store—her dad is threatening to commit suicide. Bird’s father is an alcoholic who regularly beats Bird’s mother; Bird’s mother is a cold woman who criticizes her two daughters and her husband. The couple is only happy when they are drunk. When Bird’s mother gets a little fresh with her husband, More...
Date Finished: February 2010
Snapshot: Bird is young girl from a poor family in the rural south. The first scene takes place in their family-owned store—her dad is threatening to commit suicide. Bird’s father is an alcoholic who regularly beats Bird’s mother; Bird’s mother is a cold woman who criticizes her two daughters and her husband. The couple is only happy when they are drunk. When Bird’s mother gets a little fresh with her husband, More...
Jul 22, 2009
TBML
rated it: 
This was the Branigan BookClub selection for July 2005.
As an avid birder, I have always thrilled at the sight of an avocet. I suppose that that was always in the back of my mind as I read BEFORE WOMEN HAD WINGS. Fowler makes Avocet Jackson, or "Bird" as her mother calls her, fragile yet resilient, small and delicate, but tough and tenacious, just as I have always regarded the bird she is named after. That particular combination of characteristics endears her to me.
More...
As an avid birder, I have always thrilled at the sight of an avocet. I suppose that that was always in the back of my mind as I read BEFORE WOMEN HAD WINGS. Fowler makes Avocet Jackson, or "Bird" as her mother calls her, fragile yet resilient, small and delicate, but tough and tenacious, just as I have always regarded the bird she is named after. That particular combination of characteristics endears her to me.
More...
Apr 13, 2010
Marie
rated it:
Avocet (Bird) Jackson would be described by her childhood peers as "white trash." She and her sister Phoebe are frequent targets of the alcoholic rage and neglect of their parents. When her father dies, her mother goes into a downward spiral of depression, anger, and abuse. Doesn't sound very uplifting, does it?
But Connie May Fowler's talent is that she portrays the story beautifully. She is able to depict the deep humanity of both parents, even in spite of the verbal and More...
But Connie May Fowler's talent is that she portrays the story beautifully. She is able to depict the deep humanity of both parents, even in spite of the verbal and More...
Nov 28, 2011
Madeleine
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Dec 10, 2009
Kristy
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Aug 29, 2011
Lisa
rated it:
This story felt so familiar to me, not because I lived a life like the difficult one described here, but because the language is the language of my childhood. Fowler really captures the rhythms and colorful metaphoric nature of the way people talk and think in the South. I had constant little shocks of recognition as I read, and it made me a little sad because I realized that I don't live immersed in that kind of language any more.
This novel is also one that doesn't sacrifice stark rea More...
This novel is also one that doesn't sacrifice stark rea More...
Aug 17, 2010
Shaindel
rated it:
I had always wanted to read this book because Connie May Fowler was a member of the writing community where I lived in Central Florida from 2004-2006, and I saw her frequently at literary events, and I'd heard great things about this book. I finally decided that this was the summer off from teaching that I would read it, and I'm so pleased that I did.
Connie May Fowler can create sympathy in dysfunctional characters in a way that few other writers can. I really enjoyed her portrayal o More...
Connie May Fowler can create sympathy in dysfunctional characters in a way that few other writers can. I really enjoyed her portrayal o More...
3 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Feb 07, 2010
Rebecca
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Jan 22, 2010
Rebekah
rated it:
I had a definite "experience" reading this book. It's about an abusive, alcoholic mother and her two young daughters. She terrorizes them emotionally and abuses them physically. Having grown up with the first half of that particular equation, I was not able to put the book down. At one a.m. I finished the book in tears and cried for an hour. The part that broke me was when (spoiler alert) the mother sends her kids away with a friend to save them from herself and vows to get better and
More...
Apr 05, 2011
Sharon
rated it:
This is the first book I have read by Connie May Fowler. The protagonist is a young girl left to make sense of the life she has been dealt by abusive and alcoholic parents. The story draws you quickly -- from the opening sentence -- and you find yourself praying for some kind of help to find its way to the little girl and her sister. In the end, help and "wings" come in the form of an elderly woman. The book is a sonnet to the resilience of the human spirit and to the difference on
More...
Aug 30, 2011
Maria
rated it:
This is my favorite book, hands down. It is not an easy novel to read. Heartbreaking hope winds through unrelenting misery in the novel. The child narrator, Avocet, called "Bird," has many reasons to yearn to fly away. Poverty, abuse, her father's suicide. But the child's spirit soars.
I have cried my way through this book many times, yet always still surprised by Connie May Fowler's mastery of language and symbolism. While the circumstances of Bird's life break your heart, they also li More...
I have cried my way through this book many times, yet always still surprised by Connie May Fowler's mastery of language and symbolism. While the circumstances of Bird's life break your heart, they also li More...
Feb 03, 2010
Mark
rated it:
This was the Branigan BookClub selection for July 2005.
As an avid birder, I have always thrilled at the sight of an avocet. I suppose that that was always in the back of my mind as I read BEFORE WOMEN HAD WINGS. Fowler makes Avocet Jackson, or "Bird" as her mother calls her, fragile yet resilient, small and delicate, but tough and tenacious, just as I have always regarded the bird she is named after. That particular combination of characteristics endears her to me.
More...
As an avid birder, I have always thrilled at the sight of an avocet. I suppose that that was always in the back of my mind as I read BEFORE WOMEN HAD WINGS. Fowler makes Avocet Jackson, or "Bird" as her mother calls her, fragile yet resilient, small and delicate, but tough and tenacious, just as I have always regarded the bird she is named after. That particular combination of characteristics endears her to me.
More...
Nov 25, 2010
Allison
rated it:
I just think this is such a powerful passage, I have been able to relate to this many times in my own life.
"I used to suffer craving spells . . . Could it be that my deep yearning was caused by a sadness bred in the womb, a dark past we're helpless to undo or make right, a history we have no memory of once we're birthed into thes world? Are there events so ancient and awful that our fresh lives are spoiled even before the cord is cut, so we keep craving?"
Conni
"I used to suffer craving spells . . . Could it be that my deep yearning was caused by a sadness bred in the womb, a dark past we're helpless to undo or make right, a history we have no memory of once we're birthed into thes world? Are there events so ancient and awful that our fresh lives are spoiled even before the cord is cut, so we keep craving?"
Conni
Feb 20, 2010
Heather
rated it:
This book was pretty heartbreaking. It was written from a little girl's perspective and it is hard to read about the abuse she endured. The writing is vivid and it is easy to imagine everything going on. I read this book in 3 days, mostly because I couldn't stand reading something that sad for too long.
After I read it, I found out it was based on the authors life which made me even more sad. I would recommend this book, but be prepared to cry.
After I read it, I found out it was based on the authors life which made me even more sad. I would recommend this book, but be prepared to cry.
Oct 26, 2011
Ellie ♥
rated it:
I had always loved this book. It is one of those reads that you can't help but touch your heart, show you how things really are, and even make you cry. It is inspiring, yet heartbreaking at the same time.
It is sometimes hard to read through the depressing and abusive moments our child orotagonist, Bird, experiences because everything is described so vividly.
For me, this book is for keeps.
It is sometimes hard to read through the depressing and abusive moments our child orotagonist, Bird, experiences because everything is described so vividly.
For me, this book is for keeps.
Dec 08, 2009
Book Concierge
rated it:
SPOILER ALERT -
Painful to read because of the subjcet matter of abuse and alcoholism. Some excellent descriptive passages.
Bird is the youngest child of Billy and Glory Jackson, two alcoholic, abusive parents. She daydreams she is Jesus' girlfriend and tries to make sense of her world - why she is "so bad" and gets beaten so often. When her father commits suicide her mother moves the family to Tampa, where she "does her best" but sinks into an alcoholic depr More...
Painful to read because of the subjcet matter of abuse and alcoholism. Some excellent descriptive passages.
Bird is the youngest child of Billy and Glory Jackson, two alcoholic, abusive parents. She daydreams she is Jesus' girlfriend and tries to make sense of her world - why she is "so bad" and gets beaten so often. When her father commits suicide her mother moves the family to Tampa, where she "does her best" but sinks into an alcoholic depr More...
Jul 19, 2011
Sandra
rated it:
Through Bird's voice, the reader shares her moments of desperation mixed in with a little joy now and then. We know people live like this; but to have it set on paper so vividly makes the reader a
part of this American tragedy. The reader will never know if Bird survives, but we are pulling
for her as the story ends.
part of this American tragedy. The reader will never know if Bird survives, but we are pulling
for her as the story ends.
Jan 15, 2012
Cindy
rated it:
I loved this book! Can't believe it sat on my bookshelf for probably 10 years before I decided to read it. Bird Jackson is a young girl that tells her story and the history of her being. Well developed characters and a real southern read. Some parts are quite violent and hard to fathom. But an awesome read!
Oct 03, 2009
MicheleinNJ
rated it:
This was a good read, disturbing at parts, but the characters and plot were both interesting -- especially the characters. I really liked Bird, the little girl who is the main character, and her resilience despite her volatile surroundings. I also liked Miss Zora, who is Bird's savior in the end.
Oct 27, 2011
Kristin
rated it:
This book reminded me a lot of The Glass Castle. I really liked the book and read the majority of it in less than a day. What I wasn't crazy about was the ending. Maybe I'm just a sucker for happy endings, but I felt like the end just needed something else for closure. Other than that, great book.
Oct 01, 2011
bookczuk
rated it:
at Charleston, South Carolina USA on Thursday, September 29, 2011
This book has not been rated.
Well written, but incredibly sad. Thank heaven for Miss Zora, even if she is the proverbial wise, loving, Black woman, to help the fractured white girl learn to overcome her dysfunctional family and horrible mother....
This book has not been rated.
Well written, but incredibly sad. Thank heaven for Miss Zora, even if she is the proverbial wise, loving, Black woman, to help the fractured white girl learn to overcome her dysfunctional family and horrible mother....
Mar 29, 2010
Arbkdbarb
rated it:
This was really a gripping, emotional read and I couldn't put it down. I wanted so much for everything to turn out well for this "family" yet didn't really look forward to the finality of it, either way.
Thumbs up! I will be looking more into Ms. Fowler's works.
Thumbs up! I will be looking more into Ms. Fowler's works.
Oct 14, 2010
Connie
rated it:
A very raw look into the life of a family suffering from the effects of alcohol, abuse, and poverty. It is very compelling and I found I had to keep reading until finished. It is not a happy story and I felt the need to read some "fluff" afterward.
Jan 10, 2010
Mary
rated it:
Great book, typical Oprah pick, tears your heart out, makes you appreciate your own life! My 10th graders, mostly minority males, who usually hate to read, loved this book, and begged to power thru and finish this book rather than play a game on a Friday!!!!
Jul 17, 2009
Karen
rated it:
I liked this book but there were parts that were hard to read. I can't even imagine growing up in a family like this one. According to the information at the end about the author, it is somewhat based on her life. Poor girl.
Jan 01, 2009
Michelle
rated it:
Heartwrenching. Sad. Strong. I read this when I was on my "southern streak" reading binge. A good one, especially if you like a story of tenacity in the face of adversity and poverty... Just the kind I like!
Feb 14, 2011
Rebecca
rated it: 
This is an odd story that closely mimics the life of the author. I found myself feeling sympathetic for the little girl Bird and finding myself hating the mother.
I would not read it again but it was...interesting.
I would not read it again but it was...interesting.
