Young Adult Literature; Historical Fiction
Young Adult Literature
Feathers is definitely a book that's meant for a younger crowd. It's narrated by a sixth grader and comes with all of the dramatic school yard events that kids are used to—playground fights, boys and girls being teased for being friends, trying to decide who you're going to sit next to at the cafeteria, and all that good stuff. This doesn't mean that there aren't serious themes discussed as well, but the story is set up so that a young reader can slide into the protagonist's shoes with perfect ease.
Historical Fiction
Set in the early 1970s, Feathers captures a very particular time period in American history, when segregation was technically over but practically still in place in many ways (hey there, highway). The book transports readers to this time period to show them what it was like to grow up in an African American community during this time period, complete with racial tension. Things get awkward when Jesus Boy, a white kid, shows up in the classroom of an all-black school—and when they do, readers get to examine racism up close.