Beneath a Meth Moon: An Elegy
Written by Jacqueline Woodson
Grades 7 an up
SUMMARY: A stunning new novel from threetime Newbery Honor–winning
author Jacqueline Woodson.Laurel Daneau has moved on to a new life, in a new town, but inside she’s still reeling from the loss of her beloved mother and grandmother after Hurricane Katrina washed away their home. Laurel’s new life is going well, with a new best friend, a place on the cheerleading squad and T-Boom, co-captain of the basketball team, for a boyfriend. Yet Laurel is haunted by voices and memories from her past.
When T-Boom introduces Laurel to meth, she immediately falls under its spell, loving the way it erases, even if only briefly, her past. But as she becomes alienated from her friends and family, she becomes a shell of her former self, and longs to be whole again. With help from an artist named Moses and her friend Kaylee, she’s able to begin to rewrite her story and start to move on from her addiction.
Incorporating Laurel’s bittersweet memories of life before and during the hurricane, this is a stunning novel by one of our finest writers. Jacqueline Woodson’s haunting—but ultimately hopeful—story is beautifully told and one readers will not
want to miss.
GENRE: Young Adult Fiction, Realistic Fiction
Motivational Activities:
- Jacqueline Woodson Author Study. Gather together, with the help of your school or public librarian, all of Jacqueline Woodson’s novels and picture books (see her website below for a complete listing). Have students in pairs reading one of her novels, to try and cover as many as possible within the class. Have each pair read at least two picture books as well. Collectively, as a class, try to answer the following questions about her work. What subjects does she explore? What role do families play in her books? What relationships exist between parents and children, grandparents and grandchildren? What kinds of loss do the protagonists of each book experience? What joys? What kinds of friendships are formed? What voice(s) does Woodson take on as a writer? How are multiple perspectives embraced within each book’s format? How has her work changed over time?
- Exploring Hurricane Katrina. Put students in literature circles, with each group reading one of the following novels that address Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath: Beneath the Meth Moon, The Ninth Ward, Saint Louis Armstrong Beach, and A Storm Called Katrina. Explore the resources available via the online digital portal, “Teaching the Levees.” Have students compare and contrast the experiences of the different protagonists and the real life experiences of Katrina victims and survivors. How “true” is the fiction? What lessons do the characters learn about survival and loss? Do those same lessons ring true for actual survivors of the storm? How are residents of Mississippi and Louisiana faring now? All the stories are set in actual places: New Orleans or Pass Christian, Mississippi. How are citizens of those places coping now? Who moved to other cities and states, and what are their lives like? For a further extension, students might want to also explore The New York Times archive on Hurricane Sandy, to compare experiences more recently in New York and New Jersey and the “Katrina” lessons learned by local, state, and federal officials.
- Crystal Meth. After reading Beneath a Meth Moon, have your students explore resources on crystal meth. How has is spread so rapidly throughout the United States and all over the world? What are some of the triggers? Is it really as easy to get hooked as the book portrays? What happens to teenagers, like Laurel, who become addicted? Does crystal meth have any boundaries? Are there any “typical” addicts who share common experiences? What can be done to prevent the further spread of its impact?
Discussion Questions:
Why did Laurel have to move to a new town?
What is the name of the storm that damaged her city?
What happened to her grandmother?
PERSONAL COMMENTS:
I saw the review for "Beneath a Meth Moon" in the Sunday LA Times, bought the book on a Monday and finished the book on a Tuesday the same week. What a rush from the words of the gifted author, Jacqueline Woodson.
The book is presented in short chapters, giving the feeling of the jumpiness meth induces in its users. The main character, Laurel, calls meth "the moon," because it takes her over the moon beyond her troubles. After losing loved ones in a flood, she thinks she can go on, for she has a baby brother and a good father. But the moving around, the new high school, the influence of first love, these things lead her to experiment with meth. The experiment becomes the only thing that matters in her life, how to get meth, how to find meth, where to get enough money to buy meth. Meth, meth, meth, meth (always called "moon" by Laurel.)
Woodson, I felt, did an extraordinary job of making Laurel both believable and sympathetic. While most people have no patience with addicts or their problems, Woodson reveals the body's reaction to the first experience and the mental relief Laurel feels to have something new to drown her unhappiness. Laurel at that point does not know or care that the other side of addiction is ugly and destructive.
A book I would recommend to all parents and all teens, including early teens. It's a warning without being a sermon.
The book is presented in short chapters, giving the feeling of the jumpiness meth induces in its users. The main character, Laurel, calls meth "the moon," because it takes her over the moon beyond her troubles. After losing loved ones in a flood, she thinks she can go on, for she has a baby brother and a good father. But the moving around, the new high school, the influence of first love, these things lead her to experiment with meth. The experiment becomes the only thing that matters in her life, how to get meth, how to find meth, where to get enough money to buy meth. Meth, meth, meth, meth (always called "moon" by Laurel.)
Woodson, I felt, did an extraordinary job of making Laurel both believable and sympathetic. While most people have no patience with addicts or their problems, Woodson reveals the body's reaction to the first experience and the mental relief Laurel feels to have something new to drown her unhappiness. Laurel at that point does not know or care that the other side of addiction is ugly and destructive.
A book I would recommend to all parents and all teens, including early teens. It's a warning without being a sermon.
Online Resources
Jacqueline Woodson’s Official Webpage
E.B. Lewis Official Webpage
School Library Journal Interview, October 2012
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