"Catherine, Called Birdy" Karen Cushman

"Never have I seen books so beautiful or so plentiful."

Catherine upon seeing the monks working on manuscripts

“. . . . I cannot escape my life but can only use my determination and courage to make it the best I can.” 

― Karen Cushman, Catherine, Called Birdy

This is the first book written by Karen Cushman for children. Set in the 13th century in England, it is a diary of one year of Catherine's life.  Because of her love of birds, which she keeps caged in the room where she sleeps, she is called Birdy.

This award winning book published in 1994 and intended for young readers has an appeal for readers of all ages.  Well researched, it depicts everyday life at the time in a knight's manor house with all the fleas and dirt typical of the era.  Birdy describes the eating habits of her family and guests, the sleeping arrangements and how many other people in the household she shares her bed, and the health of her mother as she continues to become pregnant year after year.

Cushman takes liberties with Birdy's character to provide connections between her life and that of her readers.  Birdy is a willful daughter who wants to marry for love, not money, property or position, but her father, a minor knight who needs the advantages that a good marriage for Birdy will bring, insists on bringing possible suitors to the manor.  Birdy sabotages these relationships as best she can, including destroying the privy with one suitor inside.  She also describes the loves and marriages of her friends and brothers.  It bothers her that they not only can't marry who they love, and she doesn't want the same fate.

Birdy can read and write, unusual for many, especially girls, of the time.  It is this ability that allows her to write the journal we are reading, but also allows her to read to her mother who is almost always in bed depressed from the loss of a child or protecting the current pregnancy.  She is encouraged to write the journal by a brother who is a monk, and when she visits the monastery she falls in love with the work of the manuscript copiers and illuminators.

In the introduction and afterword, Cushman explains that she did not expect children who read the book to connect with Birdy so much.  She received letters and e-mails from readers that said they also knew what it was like to be required to do something because it was the wish of the family rather than what the child wished, and reading about Birdy's struggles helped them.  On the other hand, Cushman explains that Birdy's grievances with her life do not reflect that of girls of the time, and that they were more likely to accept arranged marriages at a young age, training to be a wife and helpmate, and the social behaviors of their suitors because those were the norms of the time.

I think this would be a great book for families to read and discuss together.  The distance of the life of a girl in the middle ages from the current day might provide the ability for parents to discuss issues with their children in a less intimidating way.  This is definitely a book I would have loved to have read as a child.