Bog Child

Bibliography: Dowd, S. Bog child. New York: David Fickling Books.

Genre: Historical Fiction

Reading Level/Interest Age: 16-19

Reader's Annotation: 18 year-old Fergus is studying for his graduation exams while also worrying about his brother, who is on hunger strike in the prison where he is being held for IRA activity. Fergus's life changes when he discovers a child's body in a bog in the Wicklow Mountains of Northern Ireland.

Author: Siobhan Dowd was born February 4, 1960 in London, England to Irish parents. For several years Dowd acted as Program Director of PEN American Center's Freedom-to-Write Committee in New York City before writing her first novel, A Swift Pure Cry, published in 2003. She died of breast cancer on August 21, 2007 and was the posthumous recipient of the prestigious Carnegie Medal for Bog Child in 2009. Before she died, Dowd set up The Siobhan Dowd Trust to support disadvantaged young readers from the proceeds from the sale of her books.


Plot Summary: "It is 1981, and 18-year-old Fergus lives on the border between Northern Ireland and the south. His older brother, Joe, a member of the Provisional IRA, is jailed at Long Kesh and joins a hunger strike. The family is traumatized, and Fergus does his best to comfort his mother and to convince Joe that his 'sacrifice' for the cause is not worth it. Fergus has been pressured to smuggle packages for the IRA, but wants nothing more than to leave Ireland and study to become a doctor. His life becomes even more complicated when he and his uncle discover the body of a young girl while pilfering peat. It turns out to be 2000 years old. Thus begins a double narrative that involves a love story and a discussion of destiny and self-sacrifice. Fergus's story includes his struggle to understand his brother's actions and his growing love for the daughter of the archaeologist called in to investigate the Iron Age discovery. Interspersed is the story of Mel, the bog child, who makes the ultimate sacrifice to unite her people, and who finds love at the end of her life." (Jennifer Ralston, Library School Journal)

Critical Evaluation: Being woefully ignorant of the political situation in Northern Ireland in the early 1980s as well as of the geography of Ireland, I was a little lost at first, but Dowd enlivens Fergus with such realistic thoughts and dreams that I soon found my footing in the novel. As Fergus struggles with the contradictory feelings of love for his family and distaste for the violence that is all around him, I felt myself becoming wrapped up in his tale with ever-increasing strength. In addition, the unfolding story of Mel, the bog child, adds an interesting parallel that had me fearing the worst for Fergus while simultaneously longing for the best. Dowd's skillful narrative brought the circumstances of her setting home to me as nothing I've ever experienced before, and I felt as though I really knew both Fergus and Mel before I was halfway through the novel. Even those who have no interest in Northern Ireland or its plight cannot help but sympathize with young Fergus as he finds his first love and strives to remain his own person in the face of pressure and outright threats to join in a fight that he has no interest in.

Curriculum Ties:

Book Talk Ideas:
• describe the moment Fergus finds Mel
• read Fergus's conversation with Joe during the hunger strike
• focus on Fergus's courier activities

Challenge Issues: violence, sex, cursing

Challenge Defense:
• Be familiar with the context of the issues
• Explain library selection policies
• Provide reviews of the book from reputable sources
• Explain library challenge procedures
• Offer challenge form

Why was this text included in this project? I wanted to include as much breadth of subject material and genre as possible. This award-winning novel about the recent past provided something that I had not covered so far.