Me and Momma and Big John
Mara Rockliff, illustrated by William Low
ISBN: 9780763643591
Read February 18, 2015
A fictionalized story of a mother and stonecutter working on St John the Divine in New York in the 1970s.
Truly beautiful story about a part of American history that I didn't know about before. St John the Divine has never been finished, but for a while in the 1970s and 1980s, a program existed that took master stonemasons from Europe, brought them over to New York, and taught local workers the stonecutting trade. Among them was a young mother, and this story is from the point of view of her young son, who is both proud of his mother's important work, and worried that she won't have her artistic creation honored like the people in the museum. He's comforted by the imposing stature of the building, realizing that architecture is created to be used, not set back and admired.
Stunning combination of story and illustrations, but a touch on the slight side. A beefy author's note at the end gives context and history, and explains that the church is even now unfinished, but is used constantly by many people of many faiths as a community center.
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