The Unexpected Lives of Ordinary Girls by J. Anderson Coats
At the turn of the twentieth century, as European immigration increased, many Slovenian immigrants landed in small mining towns outside of Denver, Colorado. Twelve-year-old Stanislava, who was born in Colorado to immigrant parents, speaks Slovenian at home, goes to a Slovenian church, and attends cultural meetings after school and on the weekends. Her favorite things, however, are to go to school and borrow as many books as she can from the penny library. She is able to do these things because her older sister, Stina, stays home, cleaning and caring for her youngest siblings. When she accidentally borrows a book about a young immigrant girl moving away for college, Stanislava realizes her dream: she wants to go to college.
Soon after discovering this dream, Stanislava’s life takes a dramatic turn. Her sister Stina runs off to marry a man of whom her parents do not approve. As the second oldest sister, Stanislava must take her place. Her parents force her to leave school and give up reading in exchange for cleaning and caregiving duties. Suddenly, her culture and its traditional roles feel like too much. Her father has always told her that he moved from Slovenia for a chance at a new life where he was free to make his own choices. Why doesn’t Stanislava (or “Sylvia,” as she prefers to be called), get to use the same justifications to make choices about her own future?
The Unexpected Lives of Ordinary Girls by J. Anderson Coats is undoubtedly one of the best books I have read in a while. This book has elements that any reader, young or old, could enjoy. The novel is historical fiction and analyzes the tension between the new world and the old world, as well as how to successfully blend the two. Coats also criticizes traditional gender roles, and creates a heroine (and secondary characters) who push against those boundaries in believable ways.
Stanislava, or Sylvia, is a young teen and there are no heavy themes or language in the novel. It is shelved in the Children’s Department and is geared toward 8 to 12 year olds. However, The Unexpected Lives of Ordinary Girls is a universal story that readers of various ages and fans of many genres will appreciate.
On a personal note, my own family history mirrors much of Sylvia’s. In the author’s note, Coats shares that Sylvia’s story is inspired by her actual grandmother. I found that my paternal grandfather grew up in the same town as her grandmother and even went to the same church that is mentioned in the book. I enjoyed the book very much on its own merits, but I was especially excited by this discovery. I hope future readers enjoy this book as much as I have. You can find The Unexpected Lives of Ordinary Girls at the Joplin Public Library. Happy reading!
