So B. It

Rating:
Awards:
Author: Sarah Weeks
Narrator: Cherry Jones
Category: Fiction
Publisher: Harper Audio
Release Date: 2005
Length: 4 hrs and 25 mins
Unabridged

An Overview:
In So B. It Heidi is a twelve year old girl who lives in an apartment in Reno with her mentally retarded mother. Together, they live next door to their dearest friend, Bernadette, who helps to care for both of them. Bernadette met her mother when Heidi was only a few days old, showing up at her door unable to speak or care for her infant. She never was able to determine who they were, since Heidi's mother was only able to say 23 words, but took them under her wing and made them her family.

Out of the young woman's limited vocabulary, Bernadette chose So Be It as the mother's name, making it the family surname. So also was able to tell Bernadette that her infant's name was Heidi.  Her vocabulary, in point of fact, is all comprised of real words, except for one. Her mother uses the word "soof" and neither she nor Bernadette is able to determine what it means.  
 
Heidi's life with her mother and Bernadette was very isolated. Her mother would sit at the kitchen table contentedly and color while she worked on schoolwork, since Bernadette's agoraphobia kept them indoors. When they're short on money, however, Heidi relies on her extraordinary luck to win money from the slot machines to pay for the bills.

Life continues pretty smoothly, all things considered, except for a few questions in Heidi's mind. Heidi desperately would like to* know where she comes from, who her father is and what her mother's mysterious twenty third word means. None of these mysteries were likely to be resolved, but one day, Heidi finds an undeveloped roll of film dating from to before her birth.
 
Once Heidi develops the film, she is compelled to go back to Liberty, NY, the town shown in the photos. On her own, Heidi depends on her preternatural good fortune, her new friends and sheer instinct to guide her to the answers to her questions.
 
The story kept my attention but the truly incredible part is how Sarah Weeks painted an image of So as a loving caring mother who was mentally challenged,  yet without relying on stereotypes. She also was able to discuss the topic of Heidi's conception in such a manner that it's appropriate for children. Great writing, though a little suspension of disbelief is required occasionally over Heidi's luck. 
 
So B. It is a heartwarming story. Technically it's young adult or even children's literature, but I had it recommended to me by a young woman who thought I would enjoy it. It won the Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award in 2007, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it earn many more awards in the future.
 
The Narration:
Cherry Jones does a masterful job narrating this story.

Audiobook reviewed by Sarah Gross

So B. It CD

 

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Resources:
wikipedia: So B. It