Praise Song for the Butterflies

TONY LINDSAY, AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERATURE

"McFadden expertly illustrates how a family could justify the sacrifice of an innocent child for [the] greater good of the family. But the reader is forced ask what about child? What sense of understanding does she have? None—is the answer McFadden gives ... McFadden's talent is apparent in her presentation of the community's acceptance of a child's disappearance ... McFadden's innocent girl child's journey through trokoski, insanity, rehabilitation, and forgiveness to reach a point of self-awareness and strength—is a literary treasure. Praise Song for the Butterflies is a well-crafted story about an injustice that can be changed."

POORNIMA APTE, BOOKLIST

"The prepubescent Abeo faces endless horrors in a life of ritual servitude, and McFadden...pulls no punches in immersing the reader in the utter darkness of Abeo's suffering. Even more terrifying than Abeo's trials is the revelation that even the educated can be swayed, under pressure, to commit the most brutal acts. This harrowing yet compelling tale is not for the faint of heart but does promise redemption in the most trying of circumstances."