A Funeral For An Owl by Jane Davis

 

Jim Stevens didn't grow up in a comfortable middle-class home, much less a wealthy one.  No one would have predicted that he would grow up to be a teacher in the same school he went to.  With his father gone and his brother lost to gangs and drugs, Jim and his mother lived in a project.  Jim was determined not to go the same route as his brother so he spent his time on his hobby, bird-watching, and drawing the birds he saw.

One day while out and about, he met Aimee, a girl who came from the upscale neighborhood on the other side of the railroad tracks.  The two develop a friendship and he teaches her about the birds, especially the owls.  Aimee claims a white owl as her personal totem.  When she disappears, no one can explain why she left or where she was and the case was never solved.

Now as an adult, Jim tries to look out for the children in his class in whom he sees the same spark he had.  Shamayal Thomas is one of those.  When Jim sees him out roaming the streets in the rain at 3 a.m., he throws the academic rules aside and takes him home to feed him and warm him up.  He learns that Shamayal lives with an alcoholic father who doesn't take care of him and often beats him.  Shamayal has also run afoul of the gangs in the neighborhood.

Ayisha Emmanuelle is another teacher at the school.  When Jim is knifed in a fight at school and ends up at the hospital, she uncovers the story of Shamayal and how Jim is helping him.  Afraid for her job but also full of pity for the boy and Jim, she takes over the care of Shamayal.  

This is my first read of this author.  Like Jim, Jane Davis loves photography.  Her books center around people who are facing moral dilemmas and how they act in these situations.  This book will leave the reader wondering about what happened to Aimee in the past and what will happen to Jim, Ayisha and Shamayal in the present.  It is recommended for readers of literary fiction.