Module 10: Breathing Room

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Book Summary: The book begins as Evvy, the protagonist, is taken to TB sanatorium in Minnesota by her father. She is coughing ferociously and has trouble making it up the steps. Upon arrival, Evvy and her father are barely allowed to say goodbye to each other before Evvy is wheeled away by a harsh nurse. None of the nurses or doctors who give Evvy her preliminary exam have much of a bedside manner. Evvy is taken to the room she will share with three other girls: Dena, who knows the most about TB and is cynical about the whole process; Pearl, who is overly optimistic, loves movie stars, and talks about how she will be home in time for homecoming; and Beverly, the oldest, who is kind and motherly. For several weeks, Evvy is not even allowed to sit up and is not given her mail. After awhile, a new roommate, Sarah, arrives, and she and Evvy become close friends. However, Sarah is sicker than Evvy and eventually undergoes an operation to remove one of her ribs (thought to allow the lung to heal). Meanwhile, Beverly gets better and is discharged, but Pearl suffers a hemorrhage and dies from it after being granted a day out with her brother and receiving a letter from her best friend's mother asking her to cease contact. Because Sarah has been taken to a private room to recover, Evvy becomes close with Dena, and the two sneak out to visit their beloved Nurse Gunderson, also a TB patient, in the adult ward. Evvy secretly visits Sarah on Christmas day as well, and is caught by the kind Dr. Keith, who doesn't punish her. After some time, Evvy is granted activity privileges, Dena ages up to the adult ward, and Sarah moves back into the shared room. Late one night, Dr. Keith wakes up Evvy and Sarah and rushes them to the adult ward, where they arrive just in time to hold Dena's hand while she dies (the TB has spread to her brain). A short time later, Evvy's TB is declared no longer active, and she is released to go home.

APA Reference:
Hayles, M. (2012). Breathing room. New York: Henry Holt.

Impressions: I really enjoyed this book. It gave a lot of information about a topic that most people have vaguely heard of and made it more clear through a human story. The book remained optimistic while not masking or sugarcoating the facts that many people admitted to TB sanatoriums in the early 20th century died. It also gave a lot of information about the medical procedures they used back then and how bizarre they seem now without actually commenting on them until the nonfiction information at the end of the book (in other words, the author did a good job of treating them like they were perfectly normal and safe within the fictional story). I also appreciated the information at the end about real sanatoriums in the U.S. There was also a good bit of detail given about the impact the beginning of World War II had on these patients, adding to their humanity. Overall, this was an interesting, engaging, and informative read that I think is great for anyone middle school age or older.

Professional Review (from Horn Book Guide):
"In 1940, thirteen-year-old Evvy Hoffmeister is sent to Loon Lake Sanatorium to recover from tuberculosis. Evvy's natural inquisitiveness gradually overcomes her fear and isolation, creating an evenly paced story in which she learns about people and herself against the backdrop of sanatorium life. Hayles succeeds admirably in showing, rather than telling, Evvy's character and growth."

Baker-Gibbs, A. (2012). Hayles, Marsha: Breathing room [Review of the book, Breathing room by M. Hayles]. Horn Book Guide, 23(2), 69.

Library Uses: This book, and others like it, could be introduced as a companion to a science or health class studying communicable diseases, or, of course, to a history class studying this time period. Sometimes, it's difficult to find ways for the library to support the science curriculum, so using fiction books to give a human element to something like the spread of bacteria could be a good choice to keep students interested. After reading this book (or other fiction stories that deal with disease), students could research the disease using informational texts and historical texts from the time period, and create informational reports, presentations, or visual materials to educate others about the disease, including its science and history.