Heather Kirk – författare

Eva is a seventeen-year-old from Edmonton in 1979 who is experiencing a world of trouble at home. To escape the trouble, she decides to visit her family’s homeland of Poland for the summer, staying with an older half-sister, Hanna, whose existence Eva has only recently discovered. In Communist Poland, she experiences a different way of living, one where the conveniences she has taken for granted do not exist. She finds, however, the rich cultural traditions both fascinating and compelling. She meets a mysterious, charming young man named Mark, who shows her around the city, but his anger and disenchantment disturb her. The first seeds of the Solidarity Uprising are starting to grow and the workers, peasants and intellectuals are beginning to unite under the leadership of the church. Eva’s visit also takes place during the Papal visit to Poland which galvanized the people to strike their blow for freedom. Against this tumultuous backdrop, Eva learns about the resilience in herself and her politically maturing people.

In this dark and moving young adult novel, sixteen-year-old Naomi’s best friend has moved away, and Naomi herself is starting at a new high school. Curtis, the artistic guy she likes, seems to be avoiding her, making her feel alone and lonely. On top of lots of difficult homework and an awful part-time job, she also has problems at home. Her dying aunt has come to live with her family, Naomi’s mother seems to be on the verge of a breakdown, and her Polish father is absent and unsupportive. How can Naomi overcome all these negatives in her life? Over three harrowing months on the eve of the new millennium, the story emerges of a young woman finding strength and of a broken family mending. The action and circumstances of the book are laid bare in a series of diary entries, not only by Naomi, but also by her boyfriend, her mother, her mothers boyfriend, and Naomi’s employer, giving the reader a much fuller understanding of what brings Naomi and her mother to the brink of despair - and back.

Eva is a seventeen-year-old from Edmonton in 1979 who is experiencing a world of trouble at home. To escape the trouble, she decides to visit her family’s homeland of Poland for the summer, staying with an older half-sister, Hanna, whose existence Eva has only recently discovered. In Communist Poland, she experiences a different way of living, one where the conveniences she has taken for granted do not exist. She finds, however, the rich cultural traditions both fascinating and compelling. She meets a mysterious, charming young man named Mark, who shows her around the city, but his anger and disenchantment disturb her. The first seeds of the Solidarity Uprising are starting to grow and the workers, peasants and intellectuals are beginning to unite under the leadership of the church. Eva’s visit also takes place during the Papal visit to Poland which galvanized the people to strike their blow for freedom. Against this tumultuous backdrop, Eva learns about the resilience in herself and her politically maturing people.

In this dark and moving young adult novel, sixteen-year-old Naomi’s best friend has moved away, and Naomi herself is starting at a new high school. Curtis, the artistic guy she likes, seems to be avoiding her, making her feel alone and lonely. On top of lots of difficult homework and an awful part-time job, she also has problems at home. Her dying aunt has come to live with her family, Naomi’s mother seems to be on the verge of a breakdown, and her Polish father is absent and unsupportive. How can Naomi overcome all these negatives in her life? Over three harrowing months on the eve of the new millennium, the story emerges of a young woman finding strength and of a broken family mending. The action and circumstances of the book are laid bare in a series of diary entries, not only by Naomi, but also by her boyfriend, her mother, her mothers boyfriend, and Naomi’s employer, giving the reader a much fuller understanding of what brings Naomi and her mother to the brink of despair - and back.