I decided to read 'I am not Esther' because it was highly recommended by friends as they had previously read it at school and it was apparently an excellent read.This book falls into the category of 'a book written by a New Zealander'. This category was interesting for me because I usually don't read books by New Zealanders as I usually can't find ones I can enjoy but this book was fantastic and was new for me.My favourite quote from this book is "It still isn't easy. I still cry a lot, but mostly I've stopped wondering if I was right to run away.". I liked this quote as it really showed the conflict Kirby (the protagonist) was experiencing. Her mother lies to her and she gets sent away to her extended family who are really strict and she has never met before. I can understand how uncomfortable and home sick she is. It is understandable that she's upset. I believe the only way out of the internal conflict and struggle she is going through is moving on and letting go. She is still sitting on the fence deciding whether her choice of running away was right.This book taught me that no matter what happens between you and your family they will always be there for. In this novel Kirby's mother is mentally unstable. She lies to her daughter and sends her to an unfamiliar family to look after her so she can get help. I believe her mother had good intentions and was just trying to get help to become better mentally, as a person and a mother. Even though Kirby believes her mum did something horrible leaving her with a family who are extremely religious and have strict rules, her mother was doing her best to help. In the end Kirby finds her mother and has mixed emotions but she then puts the conflict behind her. Kirby decides that even though her mother abandoned her, she is still family and will always love her no matter whatA character in this book that was interesting to me was Kirby Greenland. In this novel the strange relatives she is staying with insist on calling her Esther. She continuously says throughout the novel "I am not Esther". I admire her as she never gives up and no matter what happens to her she will always hold onto her true identity. She is a strong and independent girl. Her determination to hold onto herself, not let anybody change her and make her something she is not, is outstanding.
I really enjoyed this book, I thought the plot was great and enjoyed the characters even "grey Uncle Caleb."Too often I have found that YA books are full of doom and gloom and angst. They try to tackle very heavy subjects, without entertainment or a satisfactory conclusion. I picked up this book after hearing a great book-talk about it and after scanning the blurb was reluctant to read it, but I was very pleasantly surprised. Although it did deal with a fairly heavy subject (religion/cult), it was done with a 'light' touch. I don't mean that it was fluffy, I just mean it was never bogged down with detail of either the subject or Kirby's feelings.I thought the NZ content in the book was ok even though they even stopped for a coffee in the town I live in - Foxton!. It wasn't pushed as a kiwi book, and apart from the names of the towns, it didn't reflect much of our country. Very generic in the way of most books nowadays.The thing that impressed me most about this book, is the feelings portrayed by Kirby towards her mother. I felt the writer did extremely well to help Kirby express her negative feelings towards her mother and the battle and guilt that went on inside her about those feelings. I liked that a lot and could relate to it. Too many books today have such negative things to say or portray about relationships between parents and their teens, but this book showed a realism that I think kept the book honest. As far as the cult/religion theme went, I actually enjoyed it. I didn't find it 'anti-christian' or 'anti-God' at all (and I particularly watch for this). Overall I felt it showed how people can easily be influenced by the 'society' around them whether they want to or not. Kirby's struggle to keep being Kirby and not Esther was portrayed excellently. Her doubts, anxieties and angry feelings were something we can all relate to when we feel bits of us chipping away when we least want it. Thoroughly enjoyable YA book.
What do You think about I Am Not Esther (2004)?
Prizewinner review - Honour Award in the 1990 New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards. - Won the Storylines Gaelyn Gordon Award for a Much-Loved Book in 2009.1. I chose to read this book because my mum suggested it to me, and it was written by a NZ author, I also chse to read it because the sypnosis sounded relly intersting. I haven't read this type of book before but i'm glad I did.2. A character I found interesting was Daniel. He was most closest to Kirby (Esther) when she came to live with them, and often gave her advice on how to get through the daily life of living in a cult. His ambition/dream to become a doctor was suprising to me as at first he came across as an obiedient young man. Kirby effected him in positive ways because he delevoped the courage to stand up to his family (who belonged to a extremly strict religious community) and tell them his wishes of becoming a doctor instead of just marrying young and becoming 'A Child of the Faith'. Daniel was a strong, kind-hearted character who was always sheltered and told what to wear, how to act and what to do. The independence he gains and the courage to 'rebel' against the cult was admirable. 3. A quote I liked from the book was “Thanks to what you did to me I don’t know who I am any longer. I have dreams at night and I’m Esther again and I’m happy because I’m living the Rule.” Kirby says this to hear mother in the physologist's office. I think this is a very powerful quote, as it relates to one of the main themes and the struggles Esther/Kirby goes through after her and Daniel have left the 'children of the Faith' with knowing who she truly is.4. Something I learn't from the book was about the importance of self-identification and how you truly need to know who you are in order to live your life. I learn't this through how Esther/Kirby tells of her experiences of trying to find her true identity and the confusion she experiences trying to find herself. It made me think of how important it is to be happy and secure with who you are before you try to help others define who they are.
—Nicole Mettam
Why I decided to read this book?I decided to read I am not Esther because of the task of reading a classic or prize winner, normally a classic wouldn't appeal to me.i was told that this book is worth reading so I gave it a go expecting the worse but I loved it.Why I liked it/didn't like it?I liked it because the main characters life was so different to mine and it was interesting reading about it as I wanted to know how she got through it seeing she had to shortly adjust to uncle Caleb's rules and also her mum leaving her.Something new I learnt from the book?I learnt that there are people that live that way in New Zealand, Because I was born in my family I never thought there would be a family living the way they did and there family probably thought the same.A character or setting that interested me?I found uncle Caleb to be an interesting character in the book as he is a family man but he never shows much love to his family but only in preys.
—Abby
Last year we had a brief reading time at the school where I work a few times a week. I didn't have any YA in my art classroom, so I went to buy some books on sale and "I Am Not Esther" was one of them. A student read the book and said that it was really good, so I decided to check it out. I'm glad that I did. I imagined that this book would be dark and maybe slightly depressing because it is about a girl stuck with a strict religious community against her will, but it actually wasn't as dark as most YA books tend to be these days. I think that "Esther" is a fair portrayal of the "I shall not..."lifestyle. I was reminded of the many other communities, religions and groups that live in a similar restrictive fashion. I cannot imagine being in the situation that Daniel was in. The book chose to focus on the happiness that he found in his newfound freedom after leaving his family, but I think that the guilt of hurting his family members would have plagued him for the rest of his days. I feel for young people who have to make that decision. I would rate this 4.5 stars.
—Lise
