I will always carry with me a love for comic books. As a child I remember waiting for new editions to come out. Over the years I have read fewer and fewer comics, but I will always hold them in my heart. I do like the fact that comic have brought out a while new genre in writing. While growing up I had to hide the fact that I enjoyed comic books from my friends because it was something geeks did. This is no longer the case (well comic books this still might be the case). There is a new genre that stems from the comic book genre: graphic novels. Whereas comic books are usually about some sort of superhero of villain, graphic novels are simply that, novels told through one long, or many shorter comics. While this genre has been out for a while, until this week I had yet to read a graphic novel. Not because I had not wanted to, it was because I had not had the time. However, after reading Persepolis I realize why this is becoming such a popular genre among teens.
I would be very interested to sit down with Marjane Satrapi to discuss how she went about writing Persepolis. One of the parts that I loved so much about the text was the story itself. It is a story that I feel would also be a great novel, so I found myself wondering if she wrote this story before creating a graphic novel out of it. Satrapi does a great job weaving this wonderful story and mixing-in the beautiful graphic artwork. It is a story that I feel many students have not heard, and told through the eyes of a person that they can relate to. Being from America brings with it a great deal of benefits, but it does also have some downfalls. One area that I feel we need to do better is learning about other cultures. I fear that many young students know nothing about Iran other than the fact it is in the Middle East, and some students may not even know that. And for the students of this generation the words Middle East bring with it a wide array of emotions, and almost all of those negative. While Persepolis may not be a way to get students to fall in love with the Middle East or the governments that run countries like Iran, it does give students a great view of the way that many of the citizens feel living in the countries. It is a lot easier to dislike another culture when we know nothing about them, Satrapi changed that for me, and I feel she would for many students.
Through Satrapi’s (Marji) eyes I was able to see the beauty of the culture, both in the pictures and the words. One of the things that stuck out for me was the closeness of family and friends. Satrapi’s uncle Anoosh was a person that I was able to connect with immediately, even though he has such a small role in the story. It was cute to see how much Marji loved her uncle Anoosh even though she had never met him. It is the idea that he was a hero to her because of everything that he had to live though as a political prisoner. He was a person though that I feel told an important story himself about what it was like for people who spoke out against his government. Another person that I loved was Satrapi’s grandmother. She reminded me a great deal of my own grandmother. That lady who is always there for you, and always seems to show up when you need them the most and know exactly what to say.
Satrapi was another person I found myself caring deeply about. She had the ability to keep her sense of humor amidst the chaos that was happening around her. She was also the voice that I wanted her to be. She stood up for herself and fought for what she believed, even when at times it might have been smarter for herself if she had not. When she was stopped by the Guardians of the Revolution, she was able to show hard it was for people living there. In the briefest of instances a person can stop you and arrest you without even letting your parents know. I cannot imagine what it must have been like to live in fear everyday wondering if a person who did not like you would turn you in.
Overall, this was a book that I feel many students would really enjoy, especially women. It was a true coming of age story, in a place that many children in America could never imagine. Hopefully it would give them the opportunity to see what growing up in a place like that would be like. There was one minor issue that I had with the text, the fact that it was hard to keep track of who was who in terms of governments, and ‘bad’ people. It was confusing because it seemed that everybody in power was bad, which may be true, but because it was told through the eyes of a girl it is not always clear who is who. But with that said, that minor detail is not enough reason to put this book away. It is a book that I feel is important for all ages, races and genders. Like all good literature, even though this is a graphic novel it still tells an important story.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
I know that I went into reading graphic novels with a little bit of hesitancy. I did not know if they would live up to my expectations. Because I loved comics so much growing up, I was hoping that the graphic novel would be able to use this format to tell a story in a new and creative way. I was not let down. It included many of the parts that I love about both novels and comic and developed a story that was fun to read but did not lose the meaning in the process.
This graphic novel did take a little bit for me to get into. I thought it was funny; however, the multiple stories seemed random at first. It was not until about half way through the text that I realized that there was a connection between all of the stories. When I realized this I read frantically to get to the end so I could figure out what that connection was. It was not until I read the story of Wong Lai-Tsao that I realized the meaning of the story. When that happened I saw American Born Chinese in a whole new light. I actually went back and read through portions again so that the confusing parts that I glanced over would actually make sense this time.
I think the part that I enjoyed the most about this novel is the idea of trying to be something you are not. I think that in high school many students are put in the position where they feel they need to act like someone they are not simply to fit in with the crowd. I see it every day in my high school; kids who act one way with one group and another way with another group. That is why I like working with seniors so much. They are much like Jin at the end. They have lived their whole life trying to hide who they are so they can fit in. Finally, like Jin at the end when he realizes that it is more important to be who he is the seniors start to step out of their shell as they realize that high school is about to end. I do not begin to believe that it is same to be a white suburban student as a minority, but I truly believe that in adolescents there are some real similarities. I feel that it is hard for all students to find themselves when so much of our society says they need to be like everyone else. It is because of this that I feel this book would be great for everybody, not just male students or minority students.
Another part that I really enjoyed about the story, even more so after finishing the book, was the story of the monkey king. In the dedications at the beginning of the book, Gene Luen Yang thanks his mother for the monkey stories. I do not know whether or not this was one of the stories that his mother told him as a child, but I know that no matter what, it was a story that perfectly intertwined with the story of Jin. I felt that it was a beautiful way to tell the story of being who you are. At first I was cheering for the Monkey King when nobody gave him any respect. Then as he gained his knowledge, he became more arrogant and stubborn. This sounds like so many people in life, and in high schools.
As a graphic novel I feel that this was a great book. But I also feel that even as a novel it would have been a good book. I think that the themes that Yang talks about are universal themes that everyone can relate to. On top of that, the story itself is very entertaining. It is both funny and meaningful. Knowing that this is such a good story, made the fact that it is a graphic novel even better. The artwork was a story into itself. Like many great comic books, the pictures themselves tell the whole story. The colors and the graphics seem to fit perfectly with the story itself. One image that I will never be able to get out of my head will be the image of Jin’s hair when he decides he wants to try to fit in more, especially when the lightning shoots out of it. Another is the image of the soap on his armpits because he was afraid that he smelled. It was the use of the images that allowed the text to carry with it so much humor.
Overall, I think this is a great graphic novel, and one that many students would love to read. It has messages that I feel most students in today’s society can relate to no matter their background. As a graphic novel, I think that it will draw in readers that might not actually want to read. The idea that they are looking at pictures makes it seems more assessable to them, they don’t lose their coolness because they are enjoying reading a graphic novel. The ironic part is that if they find themselves reading American Born Chinese they will be reading a text about staying true to themselves and not worrying about what someone else is saying about them.
This graphic novel did take a little bit for me to get into. I thought it was funny; however, the multiple stories seemed random at first. It was not until about half way through the text that I realized that there was a connection between all of the stories. When I realized this I read frantically to get to the end so I could figure out what that connection was. It was not until I read the story of Wong Lai-Tsao that I realized the meaning of the story. When that happened I saw American Born Chinese in a whole new light. I actually went back and read through portions again so that the confusing parts that I glanced over would actually make sense this time.
I think the part that I enjoyed the most about this novel is the idea of trying to be something you are not. I think that in high school many students are put in the position where they feel they need to act like someone they are not simply to fit in with the crowd. I see it every day in my high school; kids who act one way with one group and another way with another group. That is why I like working with seniors so much. They are much like Jin at the end. They have lived their whole life trying to hide who they are so they can fit in. Finally, like Jin at the end when he realizes that it is more important to be who he is the seniors start to step out of their shell as they realize that high school is about to end. I do not begin to believe that it is same to be a white suburban student as a minority, but I truly believe that in adolescents there are some real similarities. I feel that it is hard for all students to find themselves when so much of our society says they need to be like everyone else. It is because of this that I feel this book would be great for everybody, not just male students or minority students.
Another part that I really enjoyed about the story, even more so after finishing the book, was the story of the monkey king. In the dedications at the beginning of the book, Gene Luen Yang thanks his mother for the monkey stories. I do not know whether or not this was one of the stories that his mother told him as a child, but I know that no matter what, it was a story that perfectly intertwined with the story of Jin. I felt that it was a beautiful way to tell the story of being who you are. At first I was cheering for the Monkey King when nobody gave him any respect. Then as he gained his knowledge, he became more arrogant and stubborn. This sounds like so many people in life, and in high schools.
As a graphic novel I feel that this was a great book. But I also feel that even as a novel it would have been a good book. I think that the themes that Yang talks about are universal themes that everyone can relate to. On top of that, the story itself is very entertaining. It is both funny and meaningful. Knowing that this is such a good story, made the fact that it is a graphic novel even better. The artwork was a story into itself. Like many great comic books, the pictures themselves tell the whole story. The colors and the graphics seem to fit perfectly with the story itself. One image that I will never be able to get out of my head will be the image of Jin’s hair when he decides he wants to try to fit in more, especially when the lightning shoots out of it. Another is the image of the soap on his armpits because he was afraid that he smelled. It was the use of the images that allowed the text to carry with it so much humor.
Overall, I think this is a great graphic novel, and one that many students would love to read. It has messages that I feel most students in today’s society can relate to no matter their background. As a graphic novel, I think that it will draw in readers that might not actually want to read. The idea that they are looking at pictures makes it seems more assessable to them, they don’t lose their coolness because they are enjoying reading a graphic novel. The ironic part is that if they find themselves reading American Born Chinese they will be reading a text about staying true to themselves and not worrying about what someone else is saying about them.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Luna by Julie Anne Peters
When I think of multicultural literature the first thing that comes to mind is books about minorities, or foreign cultures. After reading Luna I realize why multicultural literature extends beyond my preconceived notions. Luna also had to grow up in a reality that is different than one most people know. She has to grow up as an outsider both in her body and in her community.
We live in a society that I would like to think has come a long way in terms of sexual preference/identity, but I also realize that we still have a ways to go. I teach at a school where very few GLBT members come out of the closet. The GLBT club holds their meetings at odd hours and do not publicize the information so as draw attention to those that are part of the group. While I know that this is not true for all schools across the board, it is true for many suburban schools. I know that there are students at my school that come out to only a few because they are afraid of how everyone will react and treat them. They are afraid of the hate that so many in our society still have for GLBTer’s. I also have my share of gay friends, and I have heard stories crossing all spectrums. My best friend was afraid to come out to me because I was a Christian, and he thought I would hate him. He was lucky though, he has been accepted by most of his close friends and today lives a happy life out of the closet. That is not the happy ending for all of my friends though. I have friends that have been disowned by their parents, grandparents and community. They have had to start their life over again. Reading Luna gave me a better understanding of what they went through.
One thing that really stuck out to me while reading the story was the talk about gender expectations. In college I minored in Psychology and in Human Sexuality we talked at great length about how gender expectations shape children. Her whole life Luna was pressured by her father, and society, to be a ‘man’. Jack, the father, thought that he was helping Luna/Liam because he thought that if Luna/Liam acted ‘different’ then he would not fit in. He wanted Luna/Liam to be ‘normal’, without a thought as to how forcing her to be someone she was not made her whole life more difficult. Peters I feel did a good job making Luna a sympathetic character. It was easy to see the pain that Luna felt as Liam. I think it would be hard for anyone to read her character and not feel a want for her to find happiness. I cannot imagine what it would be like to have to live the life that Luna/Liam had to live; wanting so much to be the person you were born to be, but afraid of what society might have to say to about it. The only one that Luna/Liam had was Regan.
Regan was another character that I felt Peters did a good job developing. It is one thing to look at the affects of being a Transgender in today’s society, but rarely would we have the opportunity to look through the eyes of the sibling and how she/he is affected by it. First, she wants what is best for her brother. This means that she wants her to be happy, but she also wants her to be accepted. At times these things come into conflict, and much like I am sure it would be in the real world, Regan did not know how to handle the situation. Second, she wanted her own life to be normal, which she found exceedingly difficult with her brother transitioning right before her eyes. Every choice that Luna made also affected her own life, maybe not as much as she felt, but it did. She wanted to remain invisible, but with her brother coming out she was not able to because she was the only one that Luna could go to for help. In the end though, Luna going out in the light also made Regan go out into the ‘light’ and both of them were able to change for the better.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. I think the Peters did a good job getting me the reader to feel what both Luna and Regan were having to deal with. The one thing that bothered me at times was the voice of Regan. I guess having to deal with teens on an everyday basis gives me enough teen dialogue without having to read it in novels as well. However, with that said, I think that it is a voice that many of the teens who will be reading this book will be able to connect with. They will see a girl just like themselves with all of the insecurities and wants and desires.
We live in a society that I would like to think has come a long way in terms of sexual preference/identity, but I also realize that we still have a ways to go. I teach at a school where very few GLBT members come out of the closet. The GLBT club holds their meetings at odd hours and do not publicize the information so as draw attention to those that are part of the group. While I know that this is not true for all schools across the board, it is true for many suburban schools. I know that there are students at my school that come out to only a few because they are afraid of how everyone will react and treat them. They are afraid of the hate that so many in our society still have for GLBTer’s. I also have my share of gay friends, and I have heard stories crossing all spectrums. My best friend was afraid to come out to me because I was a Christian, and he thought I would hate him. He was lucky though, he has been accepted by most of his close friends and today lives a happy life out of the closet. That is not the happy ending for all of my friends though. I have friends that have been disowned by their parents, grandparents and community. They have had to start their life over again. Reading Luna gave me a better understanding of what they went through.
One thing that really stuck out to me while reading the story was the talk about gender expectations. In college I minored in Psychology and in Human Sexuality we talked at great length about how gender expectations shape children. Her whole life Luna was pressured by her father, and society, to be a ‘man’. Jack, the father, thought that he was helping Luna/Liam because he thought that if Luna/Liam acted ‘different’ then he would not fit in. He wanted Luna/Liam to be ‘normal’, without a thought as to how forcing her to be someone she was not made her whole life more difficult. Peters I feel did a good job making Luna a sympathetic character. It was easy to see the pain that Luna felt as Liam. I think it would be hard for anyone to read her character and not feel a want for her to find happiness. I cannot imagine what it would be like to have to live the life that Luna/Liam had to live; wanting so much to be the person you were born to be, but afraid of what society might have to say to about it. The only one that Luna/Liam had was Regan.
Regan was another character that I felt Peters did a good job developing. It is one thing to look at the affects of being a Transgender in today’s society, but rarely would we have the opportunity to look through the eyes of the sibling and how she/he is affected by it. First, she wants what is best for her brother. This means that she wants her to be happy, but she also wants her to be accepted. At times these things come into conflict, and much like I am sure it would be in the real world, Regan did not know how to handle the situation. Second, she wanted her own life to be normal, which she found exceedingly difficult with her brother transitioning right before her eyes. Every choice that Luna made also affected her own life, maybe not as much as she felt, but it did. She wanted to remain invisible, but with her brother coming out she was not able to because she was the only one that Luna could go to for help. In the end though, Luna going out in the light also made Regan go out into the ‘light’ and both of them were able to change for the better.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. I think the Peters did a good job getting me the reader to feel what both Luna and Regan were having to deal with. The one thing that bothered me at times was the voice of Regan. I guess having to deal with teens on an everyday basis gives me enough teen dialogue without having to read it in novels as well. However, with that said, I think that it is a voice that many of the teens who will be reading this book will be able to connect with. They will see a girl just like themselves with all of the insecurities and wants and desires.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
The Circuit by Fancisco Jimenez
The more that I read the more I am finding books that I find well written and interesting books points that I do not enjoy. It is usually hard for me to find a reason behind it other than just personal preference. Maybe I am a product of the fast paced society that I grew up in? Maybe it is because I have found out that I have a limited amount of time on this earth and I do not want to spend that time reading books that do not captivate me? But there are times that very much like my own students, I have to read a book because it is an assignment. That was the case with The Circuit by Fancisco Jimenez. I do not want anybody to believe that I hated the book, it was just a book that I read because I had too. While reading the book I could see why it has won awards, but for me it just did not do much.
With that said, even though I did not enjoy it, I think that it could be right book for some students. Some students will see this book and be able to relate to Jimenez. They will be able to say “I know what that feels like”. Hopefully from it they will be able to say that everyone has the ability to rise from whatever circumstance and know that they can do amazing things in this world. Francisco did not have an easy life, and many students today have to go through same thing. I remember some of the kids on my soccer team that had to miss practice because they need to work for the family. Kids that freedom care only after making sure they could pay rent. These are issues that we still struggle with as teachers for the foreseeable future. How do we make sure that we are conscious of what students are going though? How do we let them feel that they have their future ahead of them? Hopefully this book can help students realize this.
As a teacher I did see some things that could be used in the classroom. For me, this is a book that I could have the kids read, but I am not sure how well they would like it. I see this book more for what it can add to another unit. There are two units that I feel that this text would work very well for. First, right now I am doing a Of Mice and Men unit. While it takes place during the dust bowl, Francisco and his family have to go through much of the same routine that Lenny and George have to go through. They all have to move from place to place looking for work wherever they can find it. I think that many students have a hard time placing Of Mice and Men in the context of “this is something that could ever happen outside of the great depression.” If the students could see that this type of situation is still a possibility and even a reality for people, I think that they may be able to make some deeper connections with the text.
Another unit I feel this memoir might be able to add to a larger unit is when I teach a Latino curriculum later in the year. The district that I teach at is not known for their diversity. To many of the students the people who cross the border are barely human. It is not uncommon to hear my students spout the rhetoric that I am sure their parents have taught them. I feel that Jimenez does a great job creating and humanizing the struggle that so many Latino’s faced and still face today. I find that it is more difficult for students to dehumanize people when they have a face to put with them.
Overall, Jimenez does a great job allowing the reader to put themselves in California, and the labor camps that they had to live through. I could see Papa’s face when he heard the rain during cotton season, as well as the smile on Fancisco’s knowing he was going to sleep in. I could also feel that pain that the parents felt when they could not give their children more than a bag of candy for Christmas. I think that it is hard for my students to understand what abject poverty can be like. Many of my students throw a fit when they do not get the newest Ipod of cell phone, but Jimenez’s memoir might actually show students what poverty really is.
While I am able to look at this book and name so many great qualities, it still is a book that I was not engaged by. My fear for this text is that many students might have the same experience. For some of them it might just be another text that they have to read. I feel that the text moves relatively slowly and will have a hard time keeping the students attention for a long period of time. That is why I feel that this is a text that would be great for a larger unit. Jimenez does such a great job breaking up the text into smaller stories that I could choose these smaller pieces interspersed throughout to give the students a glimpse of what Jimenez and his family (and so many others) had to go through.
With that said, even though I did not enjoy it, I think that it could be right book for some students. Some students will see this book and be able to relate to Jimenez. They will be able to say “I know what that feels like”. Hopefully from it they will be able to say that everyone has the ability to rise from whatever circumstance and know that they can do amazing things in this world. Francisco did not have an easy life, and many students today have to go through same thing. I remember some of the kids on my soccer team that had to miss practice because they need to work for the family. Kids that freedom care only after making sure they could pay rent. These are issues that we still struggle with as teachers for the foreseeable future. How do we make sure that we are conscious of what students are going though? How do we let them feel that they have their future ahead of them? Hopefully this book can help students realize this.
As a teacher I did see some things that could be used in the classroom. For me, this is a book that I could have the kids read, but I am not sure how well they would like it. I see this book more for what it can add to another unit. There are two units that I feel that this text would work very well for. First, right now I am doing a Of Mice and Men unit. While it takes place during the dust bowl, Francisco and his family have to go through much of the same routine that Lenny and George have to go through. They all have to move from place to place looking for work wherever they can find it. I think that many students have a hard time placing Of Mice and Men in the context of “this is something that could ever happen outside of the great depression.” If the students could see that this type of situation is still a possibility and even a reality for people, I think that they may be able to make some deeper connections with the text.
Another unit I feel this memoir might be able to add to a larger unit is when I teach a Latino curriculum later in the year. The district that I teach at is not known for their diversity. To many of the students the people who cross the border are barely human. It is not uncommon to hear my students spout the rhetoric that I am sure their parents have taught them. I feel that Jimenez does a great job creating and humanizing the struggle that so many Latino’s faced and still face today. I find that it is more difficult for students to dehumanize people when they have a face to put with them.
Overall, Jimenez does a great job allowing the reader to put themselves in California, and the labor camps that they had to live through. I could see Papa’s face when he heard the rain during cotton season, as well as the smile on Fancisco’s knowing he was going to sleep in. I could also feel that pain that the parents felt when they could not give their children more than a bag of candy for Christmas. I think that it is hard for my students to understand what abject poverty can be like. Many of my students throw a fit when they do not get the newest Ipod of cell phone, but Jimenez’s memoir might actually show students what poverty really is.
While I am able to look at this book and name so many great qualities, it still is a book that I was not engaged by. My fear for this text is that many students might have the same experience. For some of them it might just be another text that they have to read. I feel that the text moves relatively slowly and will have a hard time keeping the students attention for a long period of time. That is why I feel that this is a text that would be great for a larger unit. Jimenez does such a great job breaking up the text into smaller stories that I could choose these smaller pieces interspersed throughout to give the students a glimpse of what Jimenez and his family (and so many others) had to go through.
A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah
Memoirs have always been a genre that I have mixed feeling about. On the one hand those that are well written and interesting stories can be a pleasure to read. However, I have also been bitten in the butt by horrible memoirs. I went into A long Way Gone with high hopes but few expectations. However, I quickly found myself drawn into the book.
The story of Ishmael was a story that is not that different from others that I have read, but I still found it unique. With all of the turmoil that has happened in the recent African past, many young boys have found themselves in America after civil war. This book reminded me of They Poured Fire on us from the Sky, which is a memoir written about three Lost Boys from Sudan. The story followed three young men who found themselves homeless and parentless in a war torn country. They found themselves going from place to place, looking for safety. This is exactly what Ishmael had to go though at the start of his journey. I cannot begin to imagine what Ishmael and the Lost Boys went through at such a young age. I think the passage that stuck out the most for me was when Saidu said, “Every time people come at us with the intention of killing us, I close my eyes and wait for death. Even though I am still alive, I feel like each time I accept death, part of me die.” Ishmael had been running so long, and seen so much pain I just wanted him to find happiness. However, as soon as he found a small amount of safety behind the guns of the army he was again put into the heart of the war. What must it be like to find so much despair at such a young age?
What I found the most engaging with the book was not the journey; it was what Ishmael was asked to do. The difference between They Poured Fired on us from the Sky and A Long Way Gone was the fact that Ishmael was asked/forced to participate in the war itself, a choice no child should ever have to make. How could people ever ask children to kill other children? These children were not mature, and did not know how to handle the situation. They were told that they could get back at the people who had killed their parents. Yet what child would not want to get revenge for a murdered family. The army used their immaturity against them. In the end they were asked to carry a weight on their shoulders that they will never be able to take off. As Ishmael learned, he will never be able to forget the horrors that he not only went through, but also participated in.
One thing that I did find hard to read was the fact that every time it seemed like Ishmael had found a small fragment of happiness it was stolen away from him. When he heard that his parents were in the next village, he arrived there an hour too late to see them. When he got behind the Sierra Leone’s army lines, they were attacked again. When he found a new home in Freetown the government was taken over and he was again in the midst of war. Time after time Ishmael lost everything that he loved. I found myself losing hope for him. The only reason I kept reading was because I knew that he was able to get out of the situation simply because he had written the book. I think that many students might also be bogged down by the sorrow and the pain, but hopefully they will be able to draw the same hope out of it that I was in the end.
I think that this is a book that many young readers will find themselves reading even though at times they do not want to. It is a book that is so captivating that they will not be able to turn away from the book. A long Way Gone does a great job of explaining what it is that Ishmael actually went though. He does a great of explaining the moments in his life that affected him, and also allow the reader to know exactly what he was he was feeling at those times. It is hard to imagine a child at 13 thought he was a good soldier and enjoyed killing the enemy, but Ishmael does a great job explaining what he was feeling that I was praying that he might find his way out. The best and the worst part of this book is that ability to elicit emotion. In the end Ishmael finds a new family, he finds his place in the world, but he also tells us that he will carry the memories of that terrible time with him for the rest of his life. The reader is forced to carry the burden with Ishmael, and in so doing hopefully will learn the power of war and the power of hope.
The story of Ishmael was a story that is not that different from others that I have read, but I still found it unique. With all of the turmoil that has happened in the recent African past, many young boys have found themselves in America after civil war. This book reminded me of They Poured Fire on us from the Sky, which is a memoir written about three Lost Boys from Sudan. The story followed three young men who found themselves homeless and parentless in a war torn country. They found themselves going from place to place, looking for safety. This is exactly what Ishmael had to go though at the start of his journey. I cannot begin to imagine what Ishmael and the Lost Boys went through at such a young age. I think the passage that stuck out the most for me was when Saidu said, “Every time people come at us with the intention of killing us, I close my eyes and wait for death. Even though I am still alive, I feel like each time I accept death, part of me die.” Ishmael had been running so long, and seen so much pain I just wanted him to find happiness. However, as soon as he found a small amount of safety behind the guns of the army he was again put into the heart of the war. What must it be like to find so much despair at such a young age?
What I found the most engaging with the book was not the journey; it was what Ishmael was asked to do. The difference between They Poured Fired on us from the Sky and A Long Way Gone was the fact that Ishmael was asked/forced to participate in the war itself, a choice no child should ever have to make. How could people ever ask children to kill other children? These children were not mature, and did not know how to handle the situation. They were told that they could get back at the people who had killed their parents. Yet what child would not want to get revenge for a murdered family. The army used their immaturity against them. In the end they were asked to carry a weight on their shoulders that they will never be able to take off. As Ishmael learned, he will never be able to forget the horrors that he not only went through, but also participated in.
One thing that I did find hard to read was the fact that every time it seemed like Ishmael had found a small fragment of happiness it was stolen away from him. When he heard that his parents were in the next village, he arrived there an hour too late to see them. When he got behind the Sierra Leone’s army lines, they were attacked again. When he found a new home in Freetown the government was taken over and he was again in the midst of war. Time after time Ishmael lost everything that he loved. I found myself losing hope for him. The only reason I kept reading was because I knew that he was able to get out of the situation simply because he had written the book. I think that many students might also be bogged down by the sorrow and the pain, but hopefully they will be able to draw the same hope out of it that I was in the end.
I think that this is a book that many young readers will find themselves reading even though at times they do not want to. It is a book that is so captivating that they will not be able to turn away from the book. A long Way Gone does a great job of explaining what it is that Ishmael actually went though. He does a great of explaining the moments in his life that affected him, and also allow the reader to know exactly what he was he was feeling at those times. It is hard to imagine a child at 13 thought he was a good soldier and enjoyed killing the enemy, but Ishmael does a great job explaining what he was feeling that I was praying that he might find his way out. The best and the worst part of this book is that ability to elicit emotion. In the end Ishmael finds a new family, he finds his place in the world, but he also tells us that he will carry the memories of that terrible time with him for the rest of his life. The reader is forced to carry the burden with Ishmael, and in so doing hopefully will learn the power of war and the power of hope.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World by Jennifer Armstrong
I first read the story of Shackleton and his men in the book Dangerous Book for Boys. So, from the start I was excited to have a chance to read a more complete story of Shackleton then the page I read previously. For the sake of this book I was not left wanting.
From cover to cover I was riveted. What grabbed my attention from the start though were the images and drawings that accompanied the text. Part of what shocked me the most was the clarity of the images that Hurley took. Often when I have seen pictures from the early part of the 20th century they have been scratchy and faded at best. That was not the case with Hurley’s, for the most part they were all crisp and clear, it seemed like they were taken a few years ago. I am not sure if they went through a restoration process, but they were captivating. While Armstrong did a great job going into detail describing what was happening, Hurley’s pictures prove that pictures are worth 1,00 words. The pictures allowed me as a reader to actually place myself with them on their journey. I could look at the landscapes of the desolate and endless snowpack or the ice frozen on their beards and feel the cold and hopelessness that they dealt with on a daily basis. It was the picture on page 40 that will stick with me forever. It is the picture the Endurance surrounded by ice and covered from top to bottom in frost.
While the photographs were stunning, they would not have been complete without the amazing tale that Jennifer Armstrong wove in Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World. The text itself never left me feeling I was reading a book of facts. It was a story, granted a true story, that drew me in from the beginning. If I did not know before reading the book I could have easily mistaken the book for a novel. I think part of what made the book so engaging was the fact that Armstrong allowed us to make connections with some of the members of the crew. Because of the extensive research she put into the text she was able to show us the personality of Shackleton, and a few of the others. It was not just the crew that we are able to connect with, but Armstrong also allows us to see what daily life was like for the crew. I know that I take for granted all of the amenities that we have in today’s society. With Ipods we have music on the go, and on planes, trains and automobiles we have instant access to movies and television. In 1915 these items were not even the beginning of an idea. The crew of the Endurance had to create their own entertainment. One of the stories that I found humorous was the story of Orde-Lees who found a bicycle in the hold and decided to start riding around the snowpack. “He also took long rides in the darkness until the day he got lost and had to be rescued. Shackleton told Orde-Lees in no uncertain terms that his bike riding days were over” (26 Armstrong). I cannot begin to know the despair that the crew must have felt and the extremes to which they went in order to keep themselves occupied.
I was also impressed with Shackleton, and his leadership. I think that the quote at the start of the book by Apsley Cherry-Garrard sums up Shackleton the best. “For scientific discovery, give me Scott; for speed and efficiency of travel, give me Amundsen; but when disaster strikes and all hope is gone, get down on your knees and pray for Shackleton.” Shackleton seemed to be in tune with his men, and seemed to always know the correct choice to make. Being stuck on the ice with 28 men and nowhere to go is a recipe for disaster, especially with the eclectic group of men that he assembled for the journey. However, Shackleton always found a way to boost the men’s moral even in the midst of immanent disaster. Whether it was understanding the appropriate time for a party, or knowing when the men would need extra rations or extra warm milk and tea, he always seemed to stay one step ahead of a moral or physical catastrophe.
Overall, this is text that I think students will fall in love with. The way that Armstrong is able to create such a vivid image with her words, and the pictures that accompany the text allow the reader to take the journey with Shackleton and his men. In essence this is an action adventure novel that also just happens to be a true story. Never once did I feel like I was reading a list of facts and research, but instead she was able to weave the facts and research into the story itself. I truly believe that students of both genders will find themselves engaged in the text, even if they come into the text with the preconceived notion that all non-fiction is boring. It has a little bit for everyone, a great story, great facts and amazing pictures.
From cover to cover I was riveted. What grabbed my attention from the start though were the images and drawings that accompanied the text. Part of what shocked me the most was the clarity of the images that Hurley took. Often when I have seen pictures from the early part of the 20th century they have been scratchy and faded at best. That was not the case with Hurley’s, for the most part they were all crisp and clear, it seemed like they were taken a few years ago. I am not sure if they went through a restoration process, but they were captivating. While Armstrong did a great job going into detail describing what was happening, Hurley’s pictures prove that pictures are worth 1,00 words. The pictures allowed me as a reader to actually place myself with them on their journey. I could look at the landscapes of the desolate and endless snowpack or the ice frozen on their beards and feel the cold and hopelessness that they dealt with on a daily basis. It was the picture on page 40 that will stick with me forever. It is the picture the Endurance surrounded by ice and covered from top to bottom in frost.
While the photographs were stunning, they would not have been complete without the amazing tale that Jennifer Armstrong wove in Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World. The text itself never left me feeling I was reading a book of facts. It was a story, granted a true story, that drew me in from the beginning. If I did not know before reading the book I could have easily mistaken the book for a novel. I think part of what made the book so engaging was the fact that Armstrong allowed us to make connections with some of the members of the crew. Because of the extensive research she put into the text she was able to show us the personality of Shackleton, and a few of the others. It was not just the crew that we are able to connect with, but Armstrong also allows us to see what daily life was like for the crew. I know that I take for granted all of the amenities that we have in today’s society. With Ipods we have music on the go, and on planes, trains and automobiles we have instant access to movies and television. In 1915 these items were not even the beginning of an idea. The crew of the Endurance had to create their own entertainment. One of the stories that I found humorous was the story of Orde-Lees who found a bicycle in the hold and decided to start riding around the snowpack. “He also took long rides in the darkness until the day he got lost and had to be rescued. Shackleton told Orde-Lees in no uncertain terms that his bike riding days were over” (26 Armstrong). I cannot begin to know the despair that the crew must have felt and the extremes to which they went in order to keep themselves occupied.
I was also impressed with Shackleton, and his leadership. I think that the quote at the start of the book by Apsley Cherry-Garrard sums up Shackleton the best. “For scientific discovery, give me Scott; for speed and efficiency of travel, give me Amundsen; but when disaster strikes and all hope is gone, get down on your knees and pray for Shackleton.” Shackleton seemed to be in tune with his men, and seemed to always know the correct choice to make. Being stuck on the ice with 28 men and nowhere to go is a recipe for disaster, especially with the eclectic group of men that he assembled for the journey. However, Shackleton always found a way to boost the men’s moral even in the midst of immanent disaster. Whether it was understanding the appropriate time for a party, or knowing when the men would need extra rations or extra warm milk and tea, he always seemed to stay one step ahead of a moral or physical catastrophe.
Overall, this is text that I think students will fall in love with. The way that Armstrong is able to create such a vivid image with her words, and the pictures that accompany the text allow the reader to take the journey with Shackleton and his men. In essence this is an action adventure novel that also just happens to be a true story. Never once did I feel like I was reading a list of facts and research, but instead she was able to weave the facts and research into the story itself. I truly believe that students of both genders will find themselves engaged in the text, even if they come into the text with the preconceived notion that all non-fiction is boring. It has a little bit for everyone, a great story, great facts and amazing pictures.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
For a person who loves fantasy novels, most people would think that I would also enjoy science fiction. However, that is one genre that I have never truly enjoyed. To be fair though, it is also a genre that I have not given much of a chance. However, I am grateful that we had the opportunity to read The House of the Scorpion.
When I first started reading the book I was not getting into it, I attribute that to the fact that I did not want to read the book. It did not sound like something that I would enjoy on any level. As I continued to read my opinion of the novel changed. It got to the point where I could hardly put the book down. As the character of Matt developed so did my love of him. Farmer did a great job creating a character that I thought was real. Many authors when they create child protagonist create a character without many flaws. That was not the case with little Matt. Matt had many of the faults that children do at his age. At times he was selfish and at times he let his anger get out of control, but in the end he was always able to see his faults and learn from them.
I think that Matt is a character that many students will be able to make connections with. Matt had to experience a great deal of adversity. It started with the fact that he was born as a clone. For a long time Matt did not even know what that meant other than he was on the same level as the animals. Matt was looking for his place in a world that seemed to reject him at every doorstep. His only friends were Tam Lin and Maria, and the closest thing that he had to a parent was Celia. While many of the students in this day and age do not have it as bad as Matt, there are quite a few children and students out there who do feel that they are on their own. They feel different from everybody else. Maybe they are adopted, maybe their parents get a divorce, or maybe they moved towns, whatever the cause it is not easy to feel you have to ‘survive’ on your own.
I also enjoyed the character of Tam Lin and Celia. They were character that it was easy to cheer for. Tam Lin was the typical flawed hero. He is spending his life making up for one wrong that he committed earlier in his life. While it was a heinous crime, it was something that Tam Lin did not intend and was also not able to forgive himself for. With that said, he penance ended up being giving a new life to his charge little Matt. I think what I loved most about him was that was the voice of reason in the story. Even Maria his other friend still saw Matt as a clone and at times less than a human. Tam Lin did not do that. He saw matt as a person, and taught him everything that he could about survival because he knew that sometime in the future he would need that knowledge. Celia was another character that I really appreciated. She reminded me of my mother. She was always there for Matt no matter what happened. She was also willing to fight and risk her own life to keep Matt alive.
Science fiction is supposed to be placed in the realm of a scientific possibility. While some of the things that are taking place in the novel are possible, some of them seem very improbable. Amazingly enough it was not the science that made it seem unreal at times. I thought that the science added a great deal to the story itself. It was in a realistic world that does not seem that far fetched from where we could be in the future. With the ongoing debate of using stem cells and cloning to find cures, it is not unreal to think that there are people who are out there who would create a child simply to use as spare parts. Farmer also uses a chip in heads of people and animals to create beings that are efficient to a fault. They can only do things that they are told to do, and thus work solely to complete one task. While this is a little more far fetched, it was a very haunting idea. Because, when Matt finally escapes from Opium he finds himself in a situation that is not that far removed. Instead of putting chips in the children’s Matt see that they are being brainwashed and in the end being trained to be the same as the ‘zombies’ back in Opium.
While these scientific ideas are grounded in the truth that does not mean that I found everything believable. My impression of the book while reading it definitely did change, but the ending I felt was very much lacking. It is like in the book Huck Finn, Twain put the characters in a position that it was difficult to find a way out of so he made up a fantastical ended to help him (Twain) out of a jam. I saw this same thing with Matt and Opium at the end of book. He goes back to a place that was going to be full of people wanting him dead. It would have been a massive struggle, but it was if Farmer had made Matt struggle so much she could not put him through anything else. It turned a great book into a good book.
Other than the end though, I feel that this is a great book for students. It has characters that I feel they can relate to, and it is an interesting story that students will feel is a possibility. It was fun and exciting and full of action, things that especially boys will find hard to put down.
When I first started reading the book I was not getting into it, I attribute that to the fact that I did not want to read the book. It did not sound like something that I would enjoy on any level. As I continued to read my opinion of the novel changed. It got to the point where I could hardly put the book down. As the character of Matt developed so did my love of him. Farmer did a great job creating a character that I thought was real. Many authors when they create child protagonist create a character without many flaws. That was not the case with little Matt. Matt had many of the faults that children do at his age. At times he was selfish and at times he let his anger get out of control, but in the end he was always able to see his faults and learn from them.
I think that Matt is a character that many students will be able to make connections with. Matt had to experience a great deal of adversity. It started with the fact that he was born as a clone. For a long time Matt did not even know what that meant other than he was on the same level as the animals. Matt was looking for his place in a world that seemed to reject him at every doorstep. His only friends were Tam Lin and Maria, and the closest thing that he had to a parent was Celia. While many of the students in this day and age do not have it as bad as Matt, there are quite a few children and students out there who do feel that they are on their own. They feel different from everybody else. Maybe they are adopted, maybe their parents get a divorce, or maybe they moved towns, whatever the cause it is not easy to feel you have to ‘survive’ on your own.
I also enjoyed the character of Tam Lin and Celia. They were character that it was easy to cheer for. Tam Lin was the typical flawed hero. He is spending his life making up for one wrong that he committed earlier in his life. While it was a heinous crime, it was something that Tam Lin did not intend and was also not able to forgive himself for. With that said, he penance ended up being giving a new life to his charge little Matt. I think what I loved most about him was that was the voice of reason in the story. Even Maria his other friend still saw Matt as a clone and at times less than a human. Tam Lin did not do that. He saw matt as a person, and taught him everything that he could about survival because he knew that sometime in the future he would need that knowledge. Celia was another character that I really appreciated. She reminded me of my mother. She was always there for Matt no matter what happened. She was also willing to fight and risk her own life to keep Matt alive.
Science fiction is supposed to be placed in the realm of a scientific possibility. While some of the things that are taking place in the novel are possible, some of them seem very improbable. Amazingly enough it was not the science that made it seem unreal at times. I thought that the science added a great deal to the story itself. It was in a realistic world that does not seem that far fetched from where we could be in the future. With the ongoing debate of using stem cells and cloning to find cures, it is not unreal to think that there are people who are out there who would create a child simply to use as spare parts. Farmer also uses a chip in heads of people and animals to create beings that are efficient to a fault. They can only do things that they are told to do, and thus work solely to complete one task. While this is a little more far fetched, it was a very haunting idea. Because, when Matt finally escapes from Opium he finds himself in a situation that is not that far removed. Instead of putting chips in the children’s Matt see that they are being brainwashed and in the end being trained to be the same as the ‘zombies’ back in Opium.
While these scientific ideas are grounded in the truth that does not mean that I found everything believable. My impression of the book while reading it definitely did change, but the ending I felt was very much lacking. It is like in the book Huck Finn, Twain put the characters in a position that it was difficult to find a way out of so he made up a fantastical ended to help him (Twain) out of a jam. I saw this same thing with Matt and Opium at the end of book. He goes back to a place that was going to be full of people wanting him dead. It would have been a massive struggle, but it was if Farmer had made Matt struggle so much she could not put him through anything else. It turned a great book into a good book.
Other than the end though, I feel that this is a great book for students. It has characters that I feel they can relate to, and it is an interesting story that students will feel is a possibility. It was fun and exciting and full of action, things that especially boys will find hard to put down.
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