Extreme American Makeover by Perkins Mitali

Author:Perkins, Mitali [Perkins, Mitali]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Young Adult, Adoption, Teen, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Politics, Cultural
Publisher: Penguin USA, Inc.
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

chapter 20

Sameera had underestimated the public’s fickle, unpredictable appetite for news. The Sparrow Hunt, as Uncle Jake dubbed it, started in early August.

One evening after supper, she squeezed herself into the small space still available on a sofa that was already crowded with one grandmother, one aunt, and one cousin. Uncle Jake and Poppa were settled in the recliners. Since Poppa’s no-daytime-television rule was now being even more strictly enforced, the family had been staying up later and later to get their campaign fix. They were all starting to look positively bleary-eyed.

Poppa stood up, yawning. “We need some coffee. I’ll put on a pot. How many takers?”

Everybody raised a hand, including Gran, who added an imploring look. Poppa shook his head, but he ended up bringing her half a mug along with the others. Sameera had just taken a big sip of Poppa’s black, bracing concoction when the evening news came on. The first shot was of a small, whitesteepled country church basking in the sunshine, surrounded by a grove of maple trees. “Oh, my goodness!” Gran said. “That’s our church! How’d they get that photo?”

“Welcome to Maryfield, Ohio. A small dairy-farming town like so many others across America,” the voice-over was saying. Poppa used the remote to turn the volume up. In the background, the tune “America the Beautiful” was playing, and photographs of Maryfield’s scenery kept appearing and fading. “And yet, this summer, something happened to set this town apart. A young woman named Sammy Righton moved in with her grandparents, Matthew and Sarah Campbell, third-generation dairy farmers who live in this quiet community.”

They’d found her! Well, it’s about time, she thought. Aunt Bev was gripping Sameera’s arms so tightly Sameera almost spilled her coffee.

“Sammy is James Righton’s one and only child, adopted from Pakistan when she was only three years old. Tomorrow, travel with us to Maryfield to meet this adorable young lady face-to-face. And now, back to you, Dave.”

The family watched and flipped, and watched and flipped, locked in a channel-surfing trance. By ten o’clock, aerial photos of the Campbell farm had been added to the coverage. At eleven, they saw childhood photos of Elizabeth Campbell with her brother and parents, and even a shot of Miranda as a ten-year-old Girl Scout.

Miranda shrieked at the sight of her preteen face on national television. “Why couldn’t they have picked my junior class photo?” she wailed. “The photographer in Canobie still has that one up in his store window.”

Next, Sammy Righton’s yearbook photo from the International School in Brussels appeared on screen. As the enormous, smiling face lingered in front of the nation, a chipper, perfectly coiffed anchorwoman asked: “Why is the popular Republican candidate rarely seen with his adopted black daughter? Tune in tomorrow when Channel Thirty-four reveals the whole story.”

This must have been the last straw for Poppa, who turned off the television. “Come to bed soon, darling,” he said to Gran. Dropping a kiss on Sameera’s head just like her father often did, he trudged into his room.

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