Hannah, Divided by Adele Griffin

It’s not so much that Hannah is divided. It is more that she can divide. And she can do just about any kind of math which is a skill of little use for a girl in 1934.

Hannah, however, receives a rare chance to study at a prestigious school in Philadelphia, a big city quite different from her small farm community.

At this school, she has to study for and earn a scholarship in order to go on to college.

Hannah has no small amount of adversity to overcome. She has to deal with homesickness, the lack of support for women in education (esp. for math), and the competition for scholarships, as well as the fact that she manifests OCD symptoms in a time where there was no treatment for such a thing.

In the end, she is divided by all these issues and faces them with integrity and strength.

The book has no safety issues that raise significant flags. It is of note that while the girls in the school attend church services, it it merely background that fits the story. And no one in the book exercises much in the way of Christian charity until the end of the story when one girl finally extends an invitation to Hannah for a party. Up until then, all the "Christian" girls were snooty and mean to her.

SAFETY RATING: 3 Vatican Flags

Historical Fiction: 1930's; America; Great Depression