Jordan Harris

“In the Unlikely Event”

by Judy Blume I am a huge fan of Judy Blume.

Her novel “Summer Sisters” is my favorite book, so I was very interested in reading this book when I came across it at a bookstore. Told through many characters’ point of view as several freak accidents happen in the small town of Elizabeth New Jersey in the 1950s, the novel explores the story of Miri Ammerman at a turning point in her life where she finds love, discovers the importance of friendship and what it means to be family.

Plot: Miri Ammerman has it all, best friends, a cashmere sweater, and a first love. Then one day that all changed when a plane came crashing down in front of her. In the “Unlikely Event” follows Miri, her friends, family, and the small town of Elizabeth as they grapple with the three unexplained plane crashes that leaves the community confused, devastated and almost broken. Each chapter is told from a different character with newspaper clippings from Miri’s Uncle Henry at the beginning that help further tell the impact the accidents have had on the town and even on air travel in the North East.

The novel paints a picture of what life was like in the early 1950s when air travel was new and exciting, A-bomb hysteria was widespread and when Elizabeth Taylor haircuts were all the rage. But some things stand the test of time which makes this book relevant today and that is the affect that love, friendships and family can have on a person and how a community can stand together in the face of tragedy.

Why would you recommend this book: I loved that this book kept me wanting more, and I couldn’t put it down because I wanted to know what happened next. My favorite novel structure is when it’s told from the different perspectives of several different characters and how all of their lives intertwine. This book not only did this in an interesting way, but the reader was kept informed of national and local events as told through newspaper stories at the beginning of each chapter.

I found that the innocent view form the main character Miri was also very interesting as you get to see her grow not only in age, but also in maturity as she tries to find who she is, where she comes from, and what she wants out of life. She has many things happen to her in a short period of time, and the way she handles all of the changes with grace and humor is admirable.

That moment you were on the edge of your seat: I was hooked from the beginning, but by the third plane crash, I just couldn’t put the book down. Why were so many planes crashing? What did the planes all have to do together? How was this community going to bounce back from all of this? Where was Blume taking us next? These were all the questions I had as I was reading the novel and literally couldn’t put it down.

Lasting impressions: I am a huge Judy Blume fan, but as I read more about Blume and the time it took for her to write this book, I discovered the book is based on true events that happened in her hometown of Elizabeth, N.J.

What are you reading next?

“Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things” by Jenny Lawson (of www.blogess.com fame).

Jordan Harris is the marketing/ PR coordinator for CHRISTUS Health Shreveport-Bossier.