WINTER 2006

Al Capone Does My Shirts

Insights from author Gennifer Choldenko by Susan Chanley

Al Capone Does My Shirts is a delightful, funny and perceptive book written by Gennifer Choldenko. Set in 1935, the story revolves around 12-year-old Moose Flanagan and his family who move to Alcatraz Island so that his father can work as a prison guard while Moose’s sister, Natalie, attends a special school in San Francisco. At that time, there was not a name for Natalie’s condition or an understanding of how to treat her. Today, it would be called autism.

The book focuses on a young boy’s struggle to fit into a new place combined with the complex family’s dynamics when one of the children has special needs. With Moose’s father constantly busy and his mother’s preoccupation with Natalie, Moose has to negotiate the many challenges of moving to a new school and making friends while protecting his sister. Gennifer’s style is refreshing, humorous and sensitive as she weaves a tale of frustration, hope and love within the unique background of Alcatraz prison where trouble is never far away.

Gennifer drew from her own personal experiences to write this book and shares some insights into growing up with a sibling who has a disability:

Confusion & Frustration

Gennifer’s older sister was severely autistic and Gennifer commented that she always had the feeling that her sister felt things deeply and was really unhappy. Yet, growing up with a sibling who has a disability is very complicated and confusing. There are so many questions of how do I deal with my sibling? Do I ignore her? Take responsibility for helping and protecting her? Or, do something in between those two extremes?

Gennifer also discussed the sense of frustration many siblings of children with special needs feel. Siblings may get frustrated with the brother or sister with special needs who, despite all their efforts to play or interact, just shuts everyone out. Children may get discouraged with their parents who focus so much attention on the sibling with special needs that the child without special needs feels left out. “Kids may feel irritated with their other siblings -- either because they have figured out how to bond with the sibling with special needs or because they simply ignore the situation, leaving the other child to deal with all the problems alone. And kids may feel extremely guilty because they are doing well, yet a sibling with a disability is not. The family dynamics can be challenging for a child to handle,” she says.

Prison Break

The setting of Alcatraz Island is a fascinating one in the book. The island itself is a prison, and the reader senses Moose’s feelings of being a prisoner within his own family because of his parent’s expectations that he care for Natalie. Gennifer got the idea from an article she read about kids who lived on Alcatraz. These children were the sons and daughters of the guards who worked in the cell house that housed some of America’s most notorious criminals. She was so intrigued by this topic that she signed up to work as a docent on Alcatraz and spent a year there doing research, reading everything, and roaming the island. The prison theme is one that resonated loudly to Gennifer. Her sister once drew a picture of herself in prison. “My sister’s drawing was saying ‘this is me’. She was very much aware of her crisis, and this brought it all home to me,” explains Gennifer.

Friendship, Love & Hope

When Moose moves to Alcatraz, he quickly meets the children living there and begins to develop a circle of friends. Making new friends is often awkward and difficult for some kids, especially at Moose’s age. Explaining about a sibling with special needs can make it even more so. Again, Gennifer brought this storyline to life with her own experiences. “It’s not easy talking about a disability to your friends, especially if your sibling behaves in strange ways or even violently.” Some kids are accepting. Others are unkind. Others are confused. Al Capone Does My Shirts shares wonderful characters that represent the gamut of reactions and personalities of a group of friends… from Theresa, a 7 ½ year-old neighbor who gets along with Natalie very well to Piper, the beautiful, smart, callous daughter of the warden who has a talent for trouble-making.

Creating a new life in a new place is an important theme in the book, but Gennifer also shows how the children are often more perceptive than the adults are. While Moose’s mom obsesses over schools, tests and treatments for Natalie, Moose and several of his new found friends seem to know that radical changes to Natalie’s behaviors, almost forcing her to be ‘normal’, are not the answer. By accepting Natalie as she is, the kids bring a depth of understanding and unconditional love to the table. Through all the plot twists and adventures, Gennifer shares the truths of growing up with a sibling with special needs where friendship, love and hope shine through.