Wingshooters Paperback – February 8, 2011

I love the writing of Nina Revoyr. This is the fourth book by her that I have read, one after the other, just totally in love with her voice. I want to believe this is at least semi-autobiographical, because it rings so true. I identified with so much of her childhood experience. The love of nature, dogs, a need to be loved, heartbreak at the mistreatment of others, particularly because of race, which she has experienced as well as having witnessed in others’ experience. I have always hated racism of any kind. All these decades later and we still see it, perhaps less obvious in urban settings, but it is present. I wonder, if the planet survives, if we will ultimately see people as people and not the shade of their skin, or accent or country of origin. At this moment in time we are caging people at the border and separating children and families, so it is difficult to be hopeful.I can’t recall the last time a book brought me to tears. But this one did and not just a few tears but actual crying.I could not recommend this book more highly! It is a little gem. All of her books are fabulous, but this one stands above the others. Keep writing Ms. Revoyr and we will be here to gobble them up!

Auther very good; she writes so well you feel like the main character who grows up in a racially biased small Wisconsin town. She is a 9 year old American/Japanese child who's father leaves her with his parents.She is alone because the other children bully her; her grandmother cares for her needs, but not emotionally. The grandfather takes her under his wing and as he is a respected part of the community she treated well by his friends. Nobody gives her a hug, no emotional support. Things happen as expected, but not at all good for her.It seems this is a true story of the writer, who must be still angry as an adult. It's tough to go thru this story with the author. I hope she can on with her life and learn to enjoy it.I grew up in a neighboring state and a lot of the small town in 1974 is true. All has changed now, but it didn't change for her. I wonder if she's ever gone back to look at the place and all it's changes. It might help.JEM

I was born and raised in Wisconsin and recognized many of the towns she referred to along with the football and baseball teams. This is a fast reading book and very much like the Wisconsin life I was use to. I never experienced the race issue, but the other areas she wrote about such as hunting, gardening, family and school etc. was fantastic. She creates her story in details that are easy to read. I couldn't put it down after I got into the book. Loved it. We are reading it for our Book Club and can't wait to see what the others have to say.

For some time now I have struggled with every book I have tried to read. I read this for a book discussion group and really enjoyed it, finding it easily read, and full of wonderful thoughts. I was underlining sentences and taking notes, something else I rarely do, and think I would like to explore the rest of the author's works. I found myself crying at the end of the book, and was sorry when it ended. I wonder how much of this story is autobiographical?

People are so mean to each other, esp. children, and esp. if we are different than everyone else. I think that the main charater's grandparents did the best they could raising a child who was biracial, in an otherwise racist, redneck town. How many of use grew up in a conservative, country town, only to realize later that the "values" of the town are not the "values" of the greater society. I'm glad the main character escaped. I may read some of Ms. Revoyr's other books!

I've read Revoyr's other books,and admired how well she captures the soul and history of neighborhoods and times in LA history that non LA citizens often don't know about. Reading Wingshooters I was impressed that Revoyr is equally graceful at capturing the problems and pleasures of living somewhere small and familiar. Pieces of this novel will stick with me for a long time. I admire Revoyr for continuing to think and write with such direct intelligence about bi-racial identity, and now using that same thoughtfulness to bridge the gap between what "city" people and "country" people consider beautiful and important.

I thought the book was well written, the characters were engaging, the plot was believable, more or less, and the messages were important. I read the book in only a few sittings, because I really wanted to know what was going to happen. I would say this is a book most people would enjoy reading.

A good primer into the subtleties and not-so-subtle forms of prejudice. The Japanese-American girl is "kinda, sorta" accepted by many in a fictitious rural Wisconsin town only because of her charming and popular grandfather who, along with the grandmother, is suddenly raising her. Meanwhile, neither acceptance nor even tolerance is afforded the highly educated African-American couple who move to this 1970s town - still mired in the bigotry of the past and present.