“An Uninterrupted View of the Sky” is a book written by Melanie Crowder about life in Bolivia in 1999. It follows the story of Francisco, a seventeen-year-old boy, and his family who have to live in prison after Francisco’s father gets arrested. The prison is in bad shape and it is unsafe, especially for children.

Throughout the book, Francisco struggles between his father’s wishes and doing what he thinks is the right thing for his family. Another thing that he debates with his father about is his education and whether he should finish high school. His attitude resembles teenage angst, but in a very bizarre and serious situation.

The book is very eye-opening as it explains what the family lives are like before they move into the prison, and it seems like they do not have anything to lose because they live so poorly. But then they move into the prison and lose the things that they didn’t realize they could lose.

“How frightening an experience that would be,” said Mrs. Zelencik, the MVHS librarian, “Although the novel itself is a work of fiction, the author Melanie Crowder conducted research to shed light on the corrupt system.”

Mrs. Zelencik explained that although the characters in the story are not real, they are based upon real circumstances and real things that have happened. It is surprising that the book is set in 1999, a fairly recent date considering the harshly undeveloped area that they live in. Many people are not aware of how bad it is in other countries, like Bolivia, and this book shows what it is truly like.

Mrs. Zelencik also said, “It was heart-wrenching and hopeful at the same time.”

It is clear what the heart-wrenching parts are, but what might not be guessed is how it is hopeful. It makes the reader grateful for what they have because they could lose it like Francisco and his family did. By losing everything, the characters in the book were able to be thankful for the little that they had.

“An Uninterrupted View of the Sky” was nominated for the Eliot Rosewater Award. The award was named after a character who appears in several of Kurt Vonnegut’s books. Kurt Vonnegut is a famous Indiana author, and this award was created to celebrate him and now it is awarded to new authors each year.

Melanie Crowder was scheduled to come to Mt. Vernon High School to visit with the students, talk about her book, and sign copies. This has been canceled due to the unfortunate circumstances of COVID-19, but students can still vote for their favorite book for the Eliot Rosewater Awards online at the link. http://www.rosiebookaward.com/2019-2020-nominees.html