Jacob Have I Loved: A Biblical Classic Reborn

The Book of Genesis tells the story of Jacob and Esau, twin sons of Isaac and Rebekah. Their rivalry begins in the womb where they "struggled together (25:22)." When they are grown, Jacob persuades Esau to sell him his birthright, which entitles the firstborn to many blessings. When Isaac lays dying, he tells Esau to bring him venison, and he will bless him. Rebekah overhears, and sends Jacob to impersonate Esau so that he may receive their father's blessings. Jacob is thus blessed to rule over their people. When Esau returns from hunting and finds out that he has been tricked, he wails, "Is not he rightly named Jacob (a supplanter)? for he hath supplanted me these two times (27:36)." Eventually, the twins reconcile, but it is their rivalry that stands out.

"Jacob Have I Loved" (1980), Katherine Paterson's Newbery award-winning novel, modernizes the story, using twin girls as the main characters. Sara Louise ("Wheeze" to all who know her) is the elder twin, Caroline the younger. Like Jacob and Esau, the girls' rivalry begins at birth when Wheeze is shoved aside so that her mother can nurse Caroline back to health. Caroline's frailty endears all to her, leaving Wheeze in the shadows. As they grow, it is Caroline who is coddled and spoiled, always stealing the attention from her older sister. In the novel, Wheeze watches helplessly as Caroline steals her parents' attention, her dreams of an education, and her only friend. It is only when Caroline leaves the island on a scholarship that Wheeze is able to find herself.

The story, a classic bildungsroman, is so universal that readers of all ages can enjoy it. Not only is it beautifully written, but it touches on subjects that all are familiar with. Its appeal is so wide that it has been honored with many awards including a Newbery medal (1981), an ALA Notable Children's Book, Best Book for Young Adults (1980), School Library Journal's Best Book of 1980, and Best of the ‘80s by both English Journal and ALA Booklist.

Katherine Paterson, also the author of award-winning novels "Bridge to Terabithia" and "The Great Gilly Hopkins," is a middle-aged homemaker who began by writing religious manuals for the Presbyterian Church. As a child, her dream was not to become a writer, but a missionary. She fulfilled her childhood desire by proselytizing in Japan. Her religious convictions spill over into her writing (as evidenced in "Jacob Have I Loved"), of which she once said, "I am Christian, so that conviction will pervade the book even when I make no conscious effort to teach or preach."

Go To Page: 1 2