The True History of Lyndie B. Hawkins

Starred review from January 28, 2019
Which is more important: telling the truth or “honorable lying” out of loyalty to family? In 1985, this question plagues 11-year-old Lyndon Baines Hawkins (named after the 36th U.S. president), especially now that she and her parents have been living with her paternal grandparents in Love’s Forge, Tenn., since her father, a troubled Vietnam vet, lost his job. Lyndie, a Civil War history buff and a “stubborn, sassy know-it-all,” faces a stiff adversary in her stuffy grandmother, Lady, who values saving face at all costs to preserve the family reputation. The dynamic between the two plays out in Shepherd’s crackling debut, which—in addition to examining the importance of truth on both a personal and a historical level—tackles alcoholism, PTSD, and juvenile crime. The story moves at a quick pace as Lyndie struggles to understand why her father has become so different and her mother so withdrawn; a strong counterpoint to Lyndie’s family troubles is the development of her friendship with the “criminal boy” living with her best friend Dawn’s family. Noteworthy for its strong narrative voice and dramatic character development, including well-drawn secondary figures, this book depicts both the troubling and uplifting vicissitudes of family and camaraderie with unflinching honesty and humor. Ages 10–up.

Narrator Sandy Rustin portrays the innocence of 11-year-old Lyndie B. Hawkins and her puzzlement over the adults in her life. Rustin vividly depicts Lyndie's memories of the idyllic life she once had with her father, a Vietnam vet, and her mother, a pacifist. Then the family moves in with her domineering grandmother, who is strongly portrayed by Rustin. Rustin emphasizes the contrast between Lyndie's two lives. Her mother is now in a near-catatonic depression, her father unsuccessfully hides his alcoholism and PTSD, and her grandmother's sense of pride is overwhelming. School portraits are just as vivid as Rustin depicts Lyndie's shifting relationship with her lifelong friend, Dawn, and with the reform-school boy whom Dawn's family is fostering. S.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine