Because of Winn-Dixie

Author: Kate DiCamillo

Published: In 2000 by Candlewick Press

ISBN: 978-0763616052

Synopsis: 

   India Opal Buloni knows what it's like to be alone.  Her mother left when she was three years old and now she lives with her father --a man who works so hard on his ministerial work that even his own daughter thinks of him as "the preacher."  When ten-year-old Opal and her father move to Naomi Florida she once again finds herself alone.  Friends can be hard to find in a new place.  But things start to changes after she spontaneously adopts Winn-Dixie, a loveable dog who never leaves her side.  Because of Winn-Dixie, Opal finds herself surrounded by interesting people and their life stories.  This is a beautiful book about the bittersweet nature of friendship, loss and love.

My Reaction:

     This is one of those stories that make you want to talk about it as soon as you finish reading it, but at the same time it is difficult to describe.  I found myself sitting on the phone trying to explain what exactly it was about this book that resonated so strongly with me.  But I couldn't quite put my finger on it.  The story is illusive, just like the flavor of the Littmus Lozenge.  It emits a feeling, something you can taste but have difficulty identifying.  That's when it hit me!  This is a story about understanding the bittersweet nature of life.  It's about accepting the fact that life is like a Littmus Lozenge, where "the sweet and the sad [are] all mixed up together," and hard to separate.  Things are not as black and white or good and bad as they may originally appear.  Everyone has a past and everyone has a future.  And everyone will feel loss because leaving something behind is an essential part of moving forward. 
     I think this book really spoke to me because I felt the same bitter-sweetness Opal discovers when I was a child.  Everything beautiful in life seemed tinged by the sorrow that it had to end. Everything painful was lightened by the hope that it would eventually, and all of these experiences were jumbled together.  In this way I think the book is wonderful realistic fiction.  It doesn't tell an extravagant tale.  Instead it depicts the subtle moments of enlightenment as a person begins to understand the complexities of living.
    Furthermore, the multidimensional nature of each of the characters helps make the story more believable.  In the book the readers come to realize that everyone Opal encounters has a hidden story that affects how she views them.  The character Amanda is the clearest example of this, initially Opal doesn't like her pinched-faced and haughty attitude, however after she learns more about Amanda's past she begins to understand why Amanda is the way she is.  At this point, both Opal and the reader begin to sympathize with Amanda.  I think this theme of accepting and respecting others is universal.  Its evolution throughout the book is something many people can relate too.  

 

My Rating (1-5 stars):

 

Still Curious: 

 

Because of Winn-Dixie is now a movie!  I haven't seen it myself, but based on the trailer it looks as though it may follow the book pretty closely.  

 

Want to try Opal's Egg Salad or Miss. Franny's great-grandfather's Littmus Lozenges?  Follow this recipe and try making either of them yourself.  You can also check out the other Because of Winn-Dixie related projects these students did when you visit their site.