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The Loud Silence of Francine Green | 
 enlarge | Author: Karen Cushman
Publisher: Laurel Leaf
Category: Book
Buy New: $6.99
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Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 255060
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Edition: Reprint
Reading Level: Young Adult
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 240
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0
Dimensions (in): 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.8
ISBN: 0375841172
EAN: 9780375841170
ASIN: 0375841172
Publication Date: September 9, 2008
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Product Description
FRANCINE GREEN’S FATHER says it’s best not to speak up or get involved. But then she meets the outspoken Sophie Bowman, a newcomer to All Saints School for Girls. The nuns dislike her friendship with Sophie, who protests injustice in and out of school. But their friendship leads Francine to thinking outside the box of her trouble-free life.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 5 more reviews...
 Thought provoking October 22, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I found this book particularly relevant for my library, which is housed within a Christian school. Children need to know that it is okay to ask questions, it is good to think for yourself, and it is not necessary to follow along blindly. A book like this makes them work out for themselves what they truly believe.
Two Thumbs Up! April 9, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
The Loud Silence of Francine Green is a great story about a young girl named Francine and her friend Sophie who live blocks away from the studios of Hollywood. Personally, after reading every Karen Cushman book and disliking most of them, I was hesitant to read this new one. However, I was surprised to find that this book was very detailed, descriptive and most of all interesting! The Loud Silence of Francine Green was so good that in fact I finished it in one day. At the end of the book however, I was very disappointed. Karen Cushman threw in too many events that she did not clear up and left bold questions in my mind. She also left suspense at the end of the story where there could be a sequel but it would not have a point. Although the Loud Silence of Francine Green's ending was not impressive I still thought the book a friends who live in the world of Hollywood was an excellent story and I highly recommend for the [...] age.
 The Loud Silence of Francine Green March 26, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Francine Green wishes she could be like the Hollywood movie stars she adores because "they always knew what to say." Francine however, never knows what to say and in Los Angeles in 1949, that isn't necessarily a bad thing. That's not to say Francine doesn't have "unplumbed depths". She has a lot on her mind, she's just learning how to put it into words, and when the appropriate time to do so is. Something her new best friend, Sophie Bowman, can't say for herself.
Sophie questions everything about the world around them from the teachings of their mean Catholic school teacher Sister Basil, to the "FBI" hunting down and questioning people based on their political beliefs. Sophie even dangerously questions the existence of God. Francine befriends Sophie when no one else will and the two form a friendship that forces Francine to search inside herself and stand up for what she believes.
Good news first. I don't know much about the 1950s. I learned some in school, I've seen films like The Majestic and Good Night and Good Luck, but upon picking up this book, when it comes to communism and the Red Scare, I was about as clueless as Francine. Ms. Cushman does as good a job as any in describing her era and painting a portrait of what life was like in Los Angeles in the 1950s. I honestly feel as if I understand what some of the people in that time period were going through after reading this and can make sense of some of their actions and fears. I did say "some" of the people though, and I'll get to that later.
The book is absolutely hilarious at times. I found myself laughing out loud quite often, like during Francine's theory on why nuns are bald, or when Francine's little brother Artie pees in her closet, or when Francine's father decides to turn Artie into a man and takes him fishing, or during Francine's mother's cemetery celebration on Mother's Day. But the book isn't all humor and it balances these scenes of comedy nicely with dark, complex scenes of Francine and her family living in fear of the world around them. Francine's father begins digging for a bomb shelter. The girls at school practice "duck and cover" drills in case a bomb is dropped. It's no wonder Francine is confused about the world she lives in.
Now the bad news. I found myself hating Sophie more and more as the book went on. Sophie is not half as clever as she thinks she is, the questions she asks are not even remotely as thought provoking as she'd like them to be, and her timing is selfishly horrible. She's a troublemaker and that's it. She's impulsive and in the worst kind of way. Sure there are some light, touching scenes that reveal there could be more to her, but in the end, there's not.
I've read some reviews that claim this book is not "preachy" (which was half the reason I decided to pick it up) and I would have to strongly disagree. I've already admitted that I have no real knowledge of the 50s and I have no strong opinions on McCarthyism, but I thought it was rather obvious that Ms. Cushman does. I feel it's this "one-sidedness" that causes this coming-of-age tale to lose most of it's appeal. For example, in a book about the effect of McCarthyism on Los Angeles residents in 1950, why does she fail to explain what communism really was? Could that discussion have been conveniently left out?
Lastly, I would strongly urge anyone wanting to read this to, or put this in the hands of a child to tread very carefully. I have no problem with Ms. Cushman's opinions or feelings on the Cold War (however you can't deny the fact that they are littered throughout the book) and I don't doubt that with careful structure, this book could provoke a great discussion about the 1950s if it's approached as a work of fiction depicting one author's point of view. What scares me is a different message lurking through the book that I think children could take away, the message that it's okay to be like Sophie. It's okay for children to ask questions, but Sophie doesn't just ask questions. Sophie provokes people for her own pleasure. I would hope that children would be able to distinguish between the way Sophie acted throughout the book with Francine's powerhouse of an ending. Francine chose an appropriate argument, with an appropriate setting, at an appropriate time. I was glad to see that she had grown from the beginning of the book and had learned from Sophie, that you don't always have to act like Sophie to stand up for what you believe in.
Another Great Cushman Book January 16, 2007
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
Karen Cushman's new historical fiction book is modern compared to her other novels. The Loud Silence of Francine Green takes place in 1950's Los Angeles during the height of the Red Scare and McCarthyism. Thirteen year old Francine attends All Saints School for Girls, and is constantly being told, by her parents, her teachers, and her confessor, to keep quiet and do as she is told. On the other hand, her new best friend, Sophie, encourages her, by example, to speak out against what is wrong and to question authority. Francine is both embarrassed and inspired by Sophie's fearless antics, which often lead to Sophie's standing in the waste basket, Sister Basil's favorite form of punishment. Francine's friendship with Sophie causes her to wonder if the advice of the adults in her life to "keep quiet" and "don't get involved" is really the best advice. We see Francine mature in this book, but not too much - the scene where Francine decides to call the Pope for advice reminds us that she is very much still a child.
Cushman endows Francine with a genuine and endearing voice. It sometimes feels like Cushman is trying too hard to illustrate the effects that the fear of Communism had on people, with Francine's father building a bomb shelter in the backyard, and a family friend of Sophie's being blacklisted for his political beliefs. Altogether though, the book works, and by novels end we see a more mature Sophie that has grown in courage and self-confidence.
period piece November 15, 2006
3 out of 7 found this review helpful
Francine Green is an eighth grader who is coming of age in the McCarthy era. Her Catholic school and strict father do not permit her to challenge authority, at least not until new student Sophie Bowman comes along. Sophie has been raised in a more liberal family, and has a strong nonconformist streak. If she was a character in "Dead Poets Society," she'd probably be the first to leap up on her desk. Not having the luck to have a teacher like Robin Williams, she is frequently punished by the nuns and shunned by the other students, even those who rebel in their own way. However, she and Francine become fast friends and together, they practice dance steps, skip school and attend a movie premiere in hopes of seeing their crush, Montgomery Clift.
When Sophie's father's friend, a Hollywood actor, is blacklisted, Francine
begins to seriously question some of her previously held ideas. As the adults around her worry about nuclear war and Communism, it is left up to her to find her voice on more personal matters. Recommended.
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