Embedded Research: Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers, The Pearl Thief and The Thing with Feathers

In his article “Creating Possibilities: Embedding Research into Creative Writing,” Jason Wirtz coins the term embedded research.  Embedded research is information that is embedded so seamlessly into the story that it enriches the detail and realism in the story without seeming didactic. As we begin another school year, I am reminded of one of my favorite language arts units.  Initially, I would have my students read a book from a suggested list and identify the embedded research in the story.  In literature circles they would discuss how the embedded research enhanced the story. Then they would do their own research and embed it in a story of their own.  This month I would like to recommend three new titles that include embedded research.  Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers is technically a non-fiction book, but it reads like historical fiction in that Deborah Heiligman (Charles and Emma) imagines the brothers' lives based on letters they exchanged. The Pearl Thief by Elizabeth Wein is a prequel to Code Name Verity and tells the story of artifacts buried in the peat bogs of Scotland.   The Thing with Feathers by McCall Hoyle embeds research about Emily Dickinson's poetry into a novel about a girl with a seizure disorder. 

Based on the 658 letters Vincent wrote to Theo during his lifetime, Vincent and Theo is the story of the love and devotion between two brothers.  Theo Van Gogh is an art dealer who champions his brother Vincent's work, as he himself tries to succeed in the art world.  He supports Vincent financially and counsels him to move away from dark dreary paintings toward a more colorful palette, that art lovers now know and love. Vincent's bipolar behavior would try the patience of most, but Theo sticks by him until Vincent commits suicide at age 37. Theo dies a few months later.  Structured like a walk through an art gallery, each section of the book chronicles a period in Vincent's life, creating a vivid examination of art, mental illness, and brotherly love. Heiligman introduces each "gallery" with a black an white reproduction of a representative work and documents her research involving visits to various sites and a list of her sources. This book is a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Winner for 2017.

The Pearl Thief focuses on Julie, a main character from Code Name Verity, and her summer adventures in 1938, when she returns to her family's Scottish Estate, which is soon to be sold and turned into a school.  While wandering the estate, she is knocked unconscious and rescued by two "Travelers" or gypsies, who take her to the hospital.  She can't remember what happened, but Dr. Housman, an antiques scholar cataloging the family's estate is now missing, along with a cache of river pearls.  The bigoted townspeople suspect the Travelers, but Julie knows her new Traveler friends Euan and Ellen McEwen, could have nothing to do with it.  As she works to solve the mystery, she and the McEwens discover ancient artifacts buried in peat, body parts presumed to be the scholar's, as well as the missing pearls.  Adding to her confusion are her conflicted feelings for Frank, the chief contractor on the renovations, and Ellen with whom she shares experimental kisses. Whether they have read Code Name Verity or not, readers will enjoy this complex historical narrative about Julie's formative experiences before she becomes a WWII spy.

In The Thing With Feathers Emilie Day has been home-schooled since her dad died and she was diagnosed with epilepsy.  Her best friend is her seizure dog Hitch, who is a wonderful character in the story.  Then her mother enrolls her in public school, and Emilie is forced to interact with the world, initially without Hitch.  In addition to being befriended by Ayla who wants her to join the staff of the school literary magazine, she is paired with star basketball player Chatham York for a project on Emily Dickinson, and he talks her into tutoring him. Now she must decide whether to confide in her new friends about her condition or keep silent.  As she begins to recognize that everyone has issues (Ayla's mother abandoned her and Chatham's sister is autistic), Emilie takes a leap toward friendship and first love.  Each chapter begins with an applicable quote from an Emily Dickinson poem. It is suggested that Emily Dickinson herself was an epileptic, which might help to explain her famously reclusive existence. This coming-of-age story is told in first person present tense, helping the reader engage with Emilie's plight and ultimate triumph.