Guest Post: Sara Greenwood on My Brother is Away

In My Brother is Away, a young girl speaks her truth about her relationship with her brother, which has been fractured by his incarceration and its impact on family and community.

Thank you to author Sara Greenwood for these thoughts on the writing of this wistfully tender book.

My Brother is Away is a deeply personal book. It was inspired by my experiences as a first grader when my brother was arrested and sent to prison. As a child, I never discussed this with anyone. I’d lie if asked about him directly. He’s busy, I’d say. Or he’s gone away to school (a story that was partially true, as he was able to work on his GED while incarcerated). A few years ago, when I told my oldest friend I was writing this story, she stared at me in shock. She’d never known my brother had been in prison during our girlhood days. I was surprised by this, but not surprised, too. Back then, silence had been my shield. Why would I have told her anything?

Writing this book was, in some ways, an opportunity for me to break that childhood silence. It was my effort to bring hope, healing, love, and light (as I wrote in the dedication) to children who are facing similar circumstances. It was also a gift to my younger self. I knew the book might be difficult for some in its directness. How could I keep it from being too stark? How could I help a child feel comfortable when listening to it read aloud? To help children feel reassured, I realized I had to focus on sound. 

Years ago I remember listening to a podcast that talked about the sounds of words and our associations with them. I remember people feeling the word “circle” was soft (perhaps from the smooth curves of the letter “c”?) while “triangle” was, well, angular. Perhaps I could soothe young listeners with the words I chose. The word “soothe,” with its long o’s, reminded me of those gentle associations people had made with “circle.” So that’s where I entered in.

I started with words that rhymed with “soothe”: Room / home soon. Truth / hot-air balloon.

I played with phrases that echoed its sound:

He used to carry me on his shoulders, the thump of his footsteps firm on the the road as moonlight brightened our path. The sky stretched above, a field where stars bloomed.

I never told my critique group, my agent, or even my editor that this was what I was doing, but across the board I heard the book was gentle and tender and loving. I’m convinced sound played a major role in conveying those responses.

Picture books are so much more than a collection of words and pictures. They are an experience created through listening and seeing. They are communities formed as one person reads to another. Perhaps one of the superpowers of picture books is that the words and sounds that make and build meaning can also subconsciously communicate feelings of comfort and calm. It was true for me in crafting this book. I hope children feel the same when they listen.