Big Books of 2026
A Goodreads user asked this question about Salvage the Bones:
I'm looking for a Katrina-related novel to read with high school freshmen. Any idea if this one would keep their interest? How intense is the sexual content?
Rachel Barr It has been a few years since I read this book. Surprisingly, I didn't remember until I visited this site that the book is set against the backdrop of…moreIt has been a few years since I read this book. Surprisingly, I didn't remember until I visited this site that the book is set against the backdrop of a hurricane. The themes that stuck in my memory were unrelated to natural disaster. How I could have forgotten the storm is downright bumfuzzling. The story is filled with portents of the impending hurricane, its immediate fury, and then the catastrophic aftermath with which the main character and her family contend.

There is one brief episode in the story that contains a sexual encounter which I would anticipate as a sticking point for some parents. However, the way it came across to me, the main character is remembering the moment when she is taken advantage of by a young man that she admires. It's not a randy scene. It is one that conveys how subtle sexual abuse and even rape can be - the main character is remembering such an incident, but she hasn't yet realized that what has played out is not her fault, much less that she is the victim of an unprovoked assault. Rather, she sees it as an awkward, disappointing incident which got her into trouble - she is now pregnant at 14, and there is no one to support her physically or emotionally.

Although it was 50 years ago, I still remember quite a bit of what I was reading in ninth grade. I would have particularly relished this book - and I'll warrant I would have still remembered that the story is set against the backdrop of a hurricane. It truly is a great literary work with unforgettable characters and events pertinent to any student coming of age.(less)
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Salvage the Bones
by Jesmyn Ward (Goodreads Author)
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