Farewell Friday- Light a Single Candle

Butler, Beverly. Light a Single Candle
January 1, 1962 by Dodd Mead & Company

Personal copy, Library copy
 

Kathy celebrates her 14th birthday by going to the eye doctor, hoping that she will get a new pair of glasses that will allow her to continue drawing, and to use the new pastels she has gotten as a gift. Instead, a specialist examines her, and she overhears her doctor suggesting to her father that she learn Braille. Glaucoma has damaged the nerves in her eyes, but the doctors are hopeful that an operation might help. Afterwards, Kathy can't see, and is sent home to rest and see if the blood clots in her eyes clear up. While resting under doctor's orders, she is visited by an administrator from the state school for the blind, Mrs. Creel. Mrs. Creel thinks taht Kathy shouldn't be pampered and "lazing around" and scoffs that she will be able to start her local high school. Kathy's mother is very firm and advocates for Kathy, and sends Mrs. Creel packing. Kathy starts school, but the classes are very basic, and she decides to start at the school for the blind after winter break. There, she rooms with several other girls, and there is a lot of drama. The food isn't good, the education isn't great, and the attitude of the teachers is also lacking. Kathy is lucky enough to be able to go home on weekends, and she and her parents decide to apply for a guide dog and have her return to the local high school. Mrs. Creel sends her with dire warnings, but things go fairly well. She is hampered a bit by a well meaning classmate, Joan, who doesn't want her to bring her guide dog, Trudy, and who is overly involved in helping her with classwork. There are tough moments, like dealing with a strict teacher, but good ones as well, like catching the attention of school announcer and news writer Steve. In the end, Kathy does better than she expects with the support of her family and her school. 

Strengths: This book is based on Butler's own experiences, and I read and loved this when I was in middle school, not realizing that Butler was just my mother's age. I feel like I met this book around the same time I read Killilea's Karen. The details of what it was like to lose one's sight and have to cope were fascinating to me, and I especially loved the fact that Kathy didn't feel sorry for herself for very long, and she was determined to succeed and to prove people like Mrs. Creel wrong. Reading it now, I am glad that there is boarding school drama (and even a little romance), and the books follows the general layout of other 1960s realistic fiction books. Kathy does well in school, her family is supportive, and no one "makes fun" of her for her blindness. Still a very interesting and enjoyable book. 
Weaknesses: Things have changed dramatically in the last 60 years as far as the technology available to help blind students, so modern readers might find the mailing of book records back and forth unusual. There are also a few dated attitudes toward dating and marriage, as well as some spectacular 1960s style dresses. Of course, this just made me love it even more. 
What I really think: I think the time has come for this book to leave my school collection and to be replaced with books like Vrabel's A Blind Guide to Stinkville, but I also think that it will be coming to live at my house now! I am sad to report that Butler passed away in 2007, but glad that she was a prolific author who lead a very successful life. 

Butler, Beverly. The Gift of Gold

September 28, 1972 by Dodd Mead

Library Copy

Kathy is now enrolled in the speech pathology program at St. Chystosome College, and having to deal with a new department hear, Dr. Paulus, who has replaced Sister Bernard. Dr. Paulus doesn't think that Kathy should pursue working with children on their speech, but, because she is blind, should stick to working with blind students. Kathy, who has excelled academically, is rather angry, and determined to prove Dr. Paulus wrong. When one of her students is withdrawn from her caseload because the mother doesn't want him to work with a blind therapist, Leonard, a five year old boy who doesn't speak, is added to her caseload. Kathy is dating Greg, who is a bit self centered, and is asked to be in the wedding of Joan, whom she knew in high school. Joan is no better at dealing with Kathy's blindness than she was in high school, and the wedding planning is one debacle after another. Kathy makes some strides with Leonard's speech, and is able to deal with Dr. Paulus. She is glad to reconnect with Steve, whom she knew in high school and who is also in Joan's wedding. How will things work out as she progresses through college?
Strengths: Kathy continues to make good progress and to stand up to people who think that her blindness is holding her back. I didn't remember a lot of this book except for the Braille watch that Kathy wore, but I was glad to see that she still had a good group of friends and classmates who were supportive. I was also glad to see Steve back. While Kathy's blindness is certainly mentioned frequently, the book is not about her being blind, but more about her progress through school and her struggles with her clients, especially Leonard. Why is it that mid century young adult books often depicted girls getting married but were read by middle school students? Now, when I see characters applying for college, their experiences seem so far off from middle school concerns. 
Weaknesses: Leonard is repeatedly referred to as "retarded", which would have been the terminology at the time but is not used now. This was written ten years after Light a Single Candle, and those ten years saw a lot of change. There was a slight air of the book not completely reflecting 1972, but that might just be me. It's a little alarming to think that I read this when it was fairly new!
What I really think: This one is also being deaccessioned; I'm not sure I will keep it forever because it's not quite as interesting as the first book.