Bibliography
Anderson, M.T. (2006). The astonishing life of Octavian Nothing. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press, 351 pp.
Genre and Awards
Historical Fiction/Bildungsroman
National Book Award Finalist (2007)
Synopsis
Octavian, dressed in fine silks and robes, resides with his mother, the exiled Princess Cassiopeia, in a large and quiet house in Boston. In his youth, he realizes that he and his mother are merely guests in a residence filled with philosophers, scientist, and virtuosos; all of which insist they be addressed by numbers instead of names. Octavian is raised in a tumultuous time in Boston, where England has begun to station troops and a revolution is brewing. Anderson details the first conscious years of a young man who silently observes and records history through his child-like and honest lens to a tall and thoughtful teenager who becomes an unlikely hero in the American Revolution.
Evaluation
Anderson effectively uses Octavian's first person narrative to uniquely present facts and surprise readers. Because Octavian is unaware of his stature in the household or the disturbing circumstances that place him among his unusual company, the reader makes discoveries along with Octavian through his matter-of-fact point-of-view. The reader is initially unaware that Octavian is not only black, but that his mother arrived on a slave ship and was purchased like chattel. This does not occur to him because he and his mother are not treated like slaves. They are, in fact, living specimens in a life-long science experiment.
Octavian's detailed observations of slave labor combined with British occupation and colonial unrest paints a vivid picture of pre-revolutionary Boston in all its horror. Anderson breaks apart Octavian's narrative with glaring news posts of arriving slave ships and horrific accounts of lynchings and brutality. Octavian seems to reflect on his youth as an older, wiser person, but the novel breaks to an epistolary form when Octavian is too over-wrought to write after his mother's death. This comes when he is sixteen, has been debunked of his high honor in the home, and is treated as common slave labor. The letters come from a young private serving in a rag-tag militia, who inadvertently takes the grieving Octavian under his wing.
The epistolary section, which disengages Octavian's narrative and pushes forth a new and distinctly American voice, rests more on the observance of Octavian's mannerisms and quiet speech and portrays the battles and skirmishes as the occur. Private Evidence Goring relates the grisly truths as he sees them, much like Octavian relates his past. He gives the reader a detailed account of their march and treads into the anxious waiting and uncertainty that the inexperienced revolutionaries are feeling.
Anderson switches back to Octavian's narrative when he is discovered among the militia and escorted back to his masters. Octavian leaves the reader as a young man, having escaped to freedom once again with the help of one his former teachers, embarking on an uncertain journey with tones of trepidation and excitement.
Octavian Nothing breaks from a typical slave narrative in that the main character does not fear for his lot or feel anything towards his masters. He remains the aloof observer; considering himself detached from the African-American community instead of a part of it. He empathizes with the other slaves in the household but continues to set himself apart from them. This is largely due to the fact that Octavian is extremely well-educated and has formed a disengaged-self called the Observer. In an essence, Octavian the specimen has become Octavian the scientist. He is vessel, recording and saving an unbiased history that is usually never heard or spoken of.
Classroom Use
I would use this as a whole-class novel or an individual choice. It may also be used in conjunction with Johnny Tremain.
Appropriate Age
This novel will probably resonate best with a more mature audience. I would try high-achieving juniors or seniors in high-school.
Personal Reactions
I enjoy historical fiction and found this novel to be quite different from anything else I had read. I found it difficult to peg as a slave narrative, yet it doesn't quite fit as a war narrative. Nevertheless, I truly enjoyed it. Anderson can be quite wordy sometimes in his scientific journal entries (which are very slow and disgusting), but you must pay attention to his sharp detail. Colonial Boston, post-occupation, has never been so vividly depicted as it was in Octavian Nothing. The small sub-plotted mysteries amid impeding war created a rather quick a engaging read, especially through Private Goring's letters home. This certainly wasn't my favorite young adult novel, but I did like it quite a bit. I would recommend it to anyone wishing to seek out alternative, multicultural views and for (of course) history buffs yearning to hear a previously unrecorded voice.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Committed: A Rabble-Rouser's Memoir Review
Bibliography
Mathews, D. (2007). Committed: A rabble-rouser's memoir. New York: Atria Books, 253 pp.
Genre
Autobiography
Synopsis
Dan Mathews shares how he grew up a geeky extrovert in 1970's Los Angeles and blossomed into a vegetarian crusader for PETA in Washington D.C. Amid his exploits such as crashing a runway show in Milan dressed as a priest, protesting naked in Harvard's front lawn, and handing out informational leaflets on the cons of eating meat to children while dressed as a giant carrot; Mathews shares intimate moments of his life of coming into his own and out of the closet.
Evaluation
Amid such backdrops as New York, Vienna, Munich, and Rome, Mathews guides his reader not through his close eye to detail, but through his personal quips and stream-lined thoughts about these areas. The people that he interacts with on a daily basis and the celebrities that he hob-nobs with are merely characters that unfold in his unfinished play. Everyone seems to have an integral role to Mathews prevalent thought system, belief, and perception to life.
One of his more fully-realized characters is Mathews' mother MaryEllen cum Perry Lawerence. She is acknowledged as the driving force behind his open-mined idealism and patient tolerance of others. Mathews (who I hope in an attempt to portray his mother as accurately as possible without telling the reader) develops MaryEllen in his imaginative retelling of her flight to Newport Beach to see a potentially tsunami-like wave that would result from the devastating earthquake to hit Alaska to her introduction as "the last of the socialists" to their conscious, middle-class neighbors. It is MaryEllen that fosters in Mathews a sense of responsibility for those that cannot fight or a voice for those that cannot speak. He describes her struggle to make ends meet after her divorce from Mathews' father and her creative but odd way of showing her sons her love and affection.
The rest of the memoir is essentially Mathews trip down memory lane, describing his own painful childhood and slow dawning of what would eventually become his life's work; the cruel and unethical treatment of animals. Through his outrageous protests and sit-ins, Mathews chooses this time with the reader to stand on his soapbox and descry his thoughts and beliefs about non-vegetarians and fur-lovers. He does use gross tactics and matter-of-fact detail pertaining to cruelty to animals to effectively convey his message. His sexuality is constantly mentioned and alluded to, but remains a mere sub-topic to Mathews' larger issue.
Classroom Use
Due to some of the graphic nature of the memoir, I would suggest that this novel be used as an individual choice. It is not for the faint of heart.
Appropriate Age
This may work best for 16+. Again, I would stress that if you do not want to know where your meat comes from, then I wouldn't read it.
Personal Reactions
I didn't expect Mathews to launch into detail the facts about the farming industry or nasty truths about the fashion world. That being said, I believe that Mathews chooses the perfect medium with which to persuade a more open-minded audience (young adults) to join his cause. He becomes a role model and idol for questioning teens, outcasts, forward thinkers, and edgy adolescents. I loved his quips, one-liners, and personal outlook on life. Overall, I think that this was the best book that I read for this project and would recommend it to vegans, vegetarians, and animal-lovers in general.
Mathews, D. (2007). Committed: A rabble-rouser's memoir. New York: Atria Books, 253 pp.
Genre
Autobiography
Synopsis
Dan Mathews shares how he grew up a geeky extrovert in 1970's Los Angeles and blossomed into a vegetarian crusader for PETA in Washington D.C. Amid his exploits such as crashing a runway show in Milan dressed as a priest, protesting naked in Harvard's front lawn, and handing out informational leaflets on the cons of eating meat to children while dressed as a giant carrot; Mathews shares intimate moments of his life of coming into his own and out of the closet.
Evaluation
Amid such backdrops as New York, Vienna, Munich, and Rome, Mathews guides his reader not through his close eye to detail, but through his personal quips and stream-lined thoughts about these areas. The people that he interacts with on a daily basis and the celebrities that he hob-nobs with are merely characters that unfold in his unfinished play. Everyone seems to have an integral role to Mathews prevalent thought system, belief, and perception to life.
One of his more fully-realized characters is Mathews' mother MaryEllen cum Perry Lawerence. She is acknowledged as the driving force behind his open-mined idealism and patient tolerance of others. Mathews (who I hope in an attempt to portray his mother as accurately as possible without telling the reader) develops MaryEllen in his imaginative retelling of her flight to Newport Beach to see a potentially tsunami-like wave that would result from the devastating earthquake to hit Alaska to her introduction as "the last of the socialists" to their conscious, middle-class neighbors. It is MaryEllen that fosters in Mathews a sense of responsibility for those that cannot fight or a voice for those that cannot speak. He describes her struggle to make ends meet after her divorce from Mathews' father and her creative but odd way of showing her sons her love and affection.
The rest of the memoir is essentially Mathews trip down memory lane, describing his own painful childhood and slow dawning of what would eventually become his life's work; the cruel and unethical treatment of animals. Through his outrageous protests and sit-ins, Mathews chooses this time with the reader to stand on his soapbox and descry his thoughts and beliefs about non-vegetarians and fur-lovers. He does use gross tactics and matter-of-fact detail pertaining to cruelty to animals to effectively convey his message. His sexuality is constantly mentioned and alluded to, but remains a mere sub-topic to Mathews' larger issue.
Classroom Use
Due to some of the graphic nature of the memoir, I would suggest that this novel be used as an individual choice. It is not for the faint of heart.
Appropriate Age
This may work best for 16+. Again, I would stress that if you do not want to know where your meat comes from, then I wouldn't read it.
Personal Reactions
I didn't expect Mathews to launch into detail the facts about the farming industry or nasty truths about the fashion world. That being said, I believe that Mathews chooses the perfect medium with which to persuade a more open-minded audience (young adults) to join his cause. He becomes a role model and idol for questioning teens, outcasts, forward thinkers, and edgy adolescents. I loved his quips, one-liners, and personal outlook on life. Overall, I think that this was the best book that I read for this project and would recommend it to vegans, vegetarians, and animal-lovers in general.
Review of Bad Boy: A Memoir
Bibliography
Myers, W. (2001). Bad boy: A memoir. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 206 pp.
Genre
Autobiography
Synopsis
Walter Dean Myers recounts his time growing up in Depression-era Harlem to the early 1950's. His tales are loaded with run-ins with current and future celebrities of the times and his more vibrant memories of trying to stay in school and out of trouble. He mostly emphasizes his voracious appetite for literature and how he propelled himself into the writer he is today.
Evaluation
Myers' vivid descriptions of Harlem after its blossoming renaissance makes the local seem picturesque and exotic. In fact, it is his observant eye to detail that seems to make the 125th street local come to life. Inclusion of characters like Langston Hughes (who Myers saw interviewed on the street), Wilt Chamberlain (who Myers played basketball with), and Joe Lewis (who Myers would see occasionally walk to the grocer) makes his Harlem seem incredibly surreal for the awestruck.
Myers' tales about growing up amidst poverty and growing unease in the streets, brings the reader back down to earth. I question whether or not he wants the reader to sympathize with his plight because he frequently, and in a very detailed manner, recounts his humorous attempts to behave well. He is honest enough with the reader to admit that he had a very difficult time controlling his temper and that when he became old enough, he quickly graduated from simple acts of rebellion to full-blown street fights. Also worth mentioning is Myers' quick intelligence and the role that education played in his future. He rarely went to school and was frequently in trouble for truancy.
Although many of Myers' family members are mentioned and play roles in his personal play, none is more fully sketched than his mother. Through the retelling of his childhood, Myers paints a picture of his stepmother as a loving and caring woman who tried the best she could given what she had. He doesn't glorify her as a patron to wayward children, but depicts her as a woman with faults, bad habits, and misjudgements in parenting. She also becomes the mitigating factor in his future interests and career.
Myers' draw on racism and its effect on his childhood is also peppered throughout his memoir. His perception of race relations and his position in it initially causes inner turmoil and questioning of himself and the American culture. His understanding of race relations in America at the time are laid bare to the reader; exposed in self-truth and misunderstanding. These passages of the memoir tend to show both progress and stagnation of the American culture as a whole.
Classroom Use
This would definitely be fun (and funny) to use as a read-aloud, but could also be used as a: whole-class novel, individual choice, or a small-group novel.
Appropriate Age
I believe that this memoir would work best for 13-17 year-olds.
Personal Reactions
I really enjoyed reading through Myers' past and found myself identifying with some of his childhood wants and needs. I felt that his descriptions were accurate and and incredibly detailed, but that he panned out at just the right moments to give the reader a sensory break. I was surprised by how self-conscious he was about his love of literature and how it spurred him to write. I couldn't believe that I was so engaged when he described his writing process. I kept turning the pages, hoping that he would impart some nugget of writer's knowledge. However, it seems to be a raw talent that's been polished to perfection.
Myers, W. (2001). Bad boy: A memoir. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 206 pp.
Genre
Autobiography
Synopsis
Walter Dean Myers recounts his time growing up in Depression-era Harlem to the early 1950's. His tales are loaded with run-ins with current and future celebrities of the times and his more vibrant memories of trying to stay in school and out of trouble. He mostly emphasizes his voracious appetite for literature and how he propelled himself into the writer he is today.
Evaluation
Myers' vivid descriptions of Harlem after its blossoming renaissance makes the local seem picturesque and exotic. In fact, it is his observant eye to detail that seems to make the 125th street local come to life. Inclusion of characters like Langston Hughes (who Myers saw interviewed on the street), Wilt Chamberlain (who Myers played basketball with), and Joe Lewis (who Myers would see occasionally walk to the grocer) makes his Harlem seem incredibly surreal for the awestruck.
Myers' tales about growing up amidst poverty and growing unease in the streets, brings the reader back down to earth. I question whether or not he wants the reader to sympathize with his plight because he frequently, and in a very detailed manner, recounts his humorous attempts to behave well. He is honest enough with the reader to admit that he had a very difficult time controlling his temper and that when he became old enough, he quickly graduated from simple acts of rebellion to full-blown street fights. Also worth mentioning is Myers' quick intelligence and the role that education played in his future. He rarely went to school and was frequently in trouble for truancy.
Although many of Myers' family members are mentioned and play roles in his personal play, none is more fully sketched than his mother. Through the retelling of his childhood, Myers paints a picture of his stepmother as a loving and caring woman who tried the best she could given what she had. He doesn't glorify her as a patron to wayward children, but depicts her as a woman with faults, bad habits, and misjudgements in parenting. She also becomes the mitigating factor in his future interests and career.
Myers' draw on racism and its effect on his childhood is also peppered throughout his memoir. His perception of race relations and his position in it initially causes inner turmoil and questioning of himself and the American culture. His understanding of race relations in America at the time are laid bare to the reader; exposed in self-truth and misunderstanding. These passages of the memoir tend to show both progress and stagnation of the American culture as a whole.
Classroom Use
This would definitely be fun (and funny) to use as a read-aloud, but could also be used as a: whole-class novel, individual choice, or a small-group novel.
Appropriate Age
I believe that this memoir would work best for 13-17 year-olds.
Personal Reactions
I really enjoyed reading through Myers' past and found myself identifying with some of his childhood wants and needs. I felt that his descriptions were accurate and and incredibly detailed, but that he panned out at just the right moments to give the reader a sensory break. I was surprised by how self-conscious he was about his love of literature and how it spurred him to write. I couldn't believe that I was so engaged when he described his writing process. I kept turning the pages, hoping that he would impart some nugget of writer's knowledge. However, it seems to be a raw talent that's been polished to perfection.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
The Tale of Despereaux Tilling Review
Bibliography
DiCamillo, K. (2003). The Tale of Despereaux. New York: Scholastic Inc. 270 pp.
Genre and Awards
Fantasy/Friendship
John Newbery Medal
Synopsis
Despereaux Tilling is the smallest mouse with the biggest ears ever to be born in the castle of the Kingdom of Dor. He is also one of the most un-mouse-like of mice to live. When the Princess Pea is kidnapped by the evil rat, Roscuro and the slow-witted servant Miggery Sow, Despereaux must risk life and limb to save her.
Evaluation
DiCamillo's characters are composed well for the creation and purposes of a children's story that addresses some very serious subjects such as child abuse, abandonment, death, and those with exceptions.
Although Despereaux and Roscuro are animals, thier characterization effectively transmits various types of human aesthetic wants and needs. DiCamillo constructs her characters to actively learn right from wrong; love from hate; and jealousy from desire. Despereaux, marked as an outsider in the world of mice because of his unusualness, is content to develop himself to live beyond mundane mouse society. He reads, appreciates beautiful music, and falls in love with the Princess Pea. Because of this, his father sentences him to death. Despereaux's own brother escorts him to the dungeon. DiCamillo stops to talk to her reader about the current situation. She posits questions about the effects this may have on Despereaux's father and brother. She asks the reader to consider her diction and how it supports her characterization. In true fairy tale fashion, Despereaux manages to escape the dungeon, only to go back in to save Pea. To do this, he must confront Roscuro. DiCamillo diffuses the conflict in modern-day terms by making her characters work towards the best, non-violent solution.
Roscuro, the rat is a character who is initially fascinated by the concept and visual of light as opposed to the darkness that usually drowns him in the dungeon. After escaping the dungeon in his youth, he discovers that "rat" is a negative word and through a series of DiCamillo's "coincidences," kills the queen. Through these same events, he also learns to hate the Princess Pea and slinks back to the recesses of the dark dungeon to plan his revenge. His character is initially shaded as misunderstood and lost. When he decides to kidnap and ultimately kill the Princess, Roscuro's soul crosses over into pure hatred. DiCamillo again asks her reader to analyze her character and her plot to effectively convey Roscuro's thoughts, emotions, and the logic of his plan.
Miggery Sow, DiCamillo's metaphorical beast of burden, suffers from neglect, abuse, abandonment, and hearing loss. She shows almost no growth in the unfolding of the story, but in its resolution, she is better understood as a whole by those around her. The Princess, DiCamillo's grounded fairy-tale character displays almost no growth or development as a person. She remains as an idol for the plot and serves as an metaphor for light and happiness.
Classroom Use
I would suggest using this as a read-aloud or for individual reading. The appropriate age range may be 10-13.
Personal Reactions
I absolutely loved this story. Although I found it to be more appropriate for children than young adults, I wondered if it could be used to help push older, struggling readers. DiCamillo's constant references to light and dark and her invasion into the psyche of her characters reminded me of themes prevalent in many Nathaniel Hawthorne stories. This being said, i would not suggest it as a bridge to a classic. I think that the way DiCamillo addresses serious social issues that effect today's children is done in a heart-wrenching way, but without any real-life resolutions. Regardless, I found the coincidences, conflict, and solutions to be acceptable due to its genre and target reader.
DiCamillo, K. (2003). The Tale of Despereaux. New York: Scholastic Inc. 270 pp.
Genre and Awards
Fantasy/Friendship
John Newbery Medal
Synopsis
Despereaux Tilling is the smallest mouse with the biggest ears ever to be born in the castle of the Kingdom of Dor. He is also one of the most un-mouse-like of mice to live. When the Princess Pea is kidnapped by the evil rat, Roscuro and the slow-witted servant Miggery Sow, Despereaux must risk life and limb to save her.
Evaluation
DiCamillo's characters are composed well for the creation and purposes of a children's story that addresses some very serious subjects such as child abuse, abandonment, death, and those with exceptions.
Although Despereaux and Roscuro are animals, thier characterization effectively transmits various types of human aesthetic wants and needs. DiCamillo constructs her characters to actively learn right from wrong; love from hate; and jealousy from desire. Despereaux, marked as an outsider in the world of mice because of his unusualness, is content to develop himself to live beyond mundane mouse society. He reads, appreciates beautiful music, and falls in love with the Princess Pea. Because of this, his father sentences him to death. Despereaux's own brother escorts him to the dungeon. DiCamillo stops to talk to her reader about the current situation. She posits questions about the effects this may have on Despereaux's father and brother. She asks the reader to consider her diction and how it supports her characterization. In true fairy tale fashion, Despereaux manages to escape the dungeon, only to go back in to save Pea. To do this, he must confront Roscuro. DiCamillo diffuses the conflict in modern-day terms by making her characters work towards the best, non-violent solution.
Roscuro, the rat is a character who is initially fascinated by the concept and visual of light as opposed to the darkness that usually drowns him in the dungeon. After escaping the dungeon in his youth, he discovers that "rat" is a negative word and through a series of DiCamillo's "coincidences," kills the queen. Through these same events, he also learns to hate the Princess Pea and slinks back to the recesses of the dark dungeon to plan his revenge. His character is initially shaded as misunderstood and lost. When he decides to kidnap and ultimately kill the Princess, Roscuro's soul crosses over into pure hatred. DiCamillo again asks her reader to analyze her character and her plot to effectively convey Roscuro's thoughts, emotions, and the logic of his plan.
Miggery Sow, DiCamillo's metaphorical beast of burden, suffers from neglect, abuse, abandonment, and hearing loss. She shows almost no growth in the unfolding of the story, but in its resolution, she is better understood as a whole by those around her. The Princess, DiCamillo's grounded fairy-tale character displays almost no growth or development as a person. She remains as an idol for the plot and serves as an metaphor for light and happiness.
Classroom Use
I would suggest using this as a read-aloud or for individual reading. The appropriate age range may be 10-13.
Personal Reactions
I absolutely loved this story. Although I found it to be more appropriate for children than young adults, I wondered if it could be used to help push older, struggling readers. DiCamillo's constant references to light and dark and her invasion into the psyche of her characters reminded me of themes prevalent in many Nathaniel Hawthorne stories. This being said, i would not suggest it as a bridge to a classic. I think that the way DiCamillo addresses serious social issues that effect today's children is done in a heart-wrenching way, but without any real-life resolutions. Regardless, I found the coincidences, conflict, and solutions to be acceptable due to its genre and target reader.
Monday, July 21, 2008
American Born Chinese Review
Bibliography
Yang, Gene L. (2006). American Born Chinese. New York: First Second, 234 pp.
Genre
Graphic Novel
Synopsis
This is the story of how three unrelated lives come together in an unexepected twist in a modern graphic fable:
Jin Wang yearns to fit in in his mostly white high school and divorce himself from his heritage. He finds this almost impossible to do when he befriends a lonely Taiwanese emigrant named Wei-Chen.
The powerful and ancient Monkey King, ruler of monkeys all over the world, yearns to be an all powerful sage and master and he's making trouble for the gods. They want the Monkey King humbled and silenced.
Chin-Kee is the ultimate negative stereotype of the Asian culture. He simply mortifies his white cousin, Danny, to the point where he must transfer to a new school. This year, Danny is quite happy being popular and a star basketball player at Oliphant High. However, when Chin-Kee comes to visit, Danny's social status and perfect life quickly falls bad to worse.
Evaluation
Yang's humorous storytelling and blend of Chinese fables carefully points to the negative images portrayed of Asian cultures while examining the psyche of Asian American adolescence. Jin's steady seperation of his known heritage, combined with the very real separation between him and his best friend, Wei-Chen, creates the white alter-ego Danny. Danny's plaguing visits from his unusual biological cousin Chin-Kee serves as a lesson to Jin Wang. The Monkey King, sent to Earth to teach Jin the importance of remaining honest with himself and his ethnic culture is actually Chin-Kee is disguise. His exaggerated (and overly negative) performance allows readers to both laugh at the absurd stereotype while examining their own beliefs and knowledge of the Asian culture.
This novel examines the acceptance of self through Jin Wang's ultimate lesson, while displaying issues of social acceptance and racism among Jin's classmates. Yang does this rather efffectively through a majority of his art and representations of his Asian and Anglo American characters. As a fable, Yang's graphic novel also manages to teach life lessons such as virtue and humility via the Monkey King's story. Yang's art also manages to convey a sense of identity with Asian American readers while subltely pointing out developing stereotypes of Asian American youth.
Classroom Use
I would suggest this to be read as an individual choice or small group due to the graphic representations. The age range most appropriate for this are 10-18.
Personal Reaction
Having never read a graphic novel before, I was surprised that I was so engaged in the multiple story lines. I was also impressed with the some of the themes that were addressed in the novel amid such cartoon-like art. I felt that Yang not only identified and captured the awkwardness of adolescence coupled with isolation, but that he openly addressed themes like racism, violence, and stereotypes in American cultures. I felt that at the heart of the novel, he truly attempted to identify with what it means to be American, when you're not of Anglo-Saxon descent. I enjoyed American Born Chinese and look forward to reading more by Gene Luen Yang. I would also recommend this book to current students, future students, and would possibly include it in my curriculum.
Yang, Gene L. (2006). American Born Chinese. New York: First Second, 234 pp.
Genre
Graphic Novel
Synopsis
This is the story of how three unrelated lives come together in an unexepected twist in a modern graphic fable:
Jin Wang yearns to fit in in his mostly white high school and divorce himself from his heritage. He finds this almost impossible to do when he befriends a lonely Taiwanese emigrant named Wei-Chen.
The powerful and ancient Monkey King, ruler of monkeys all over the world, yearns to be an all powerful sage and master and he's making trouble for the gods. They want the Monkey King humbled and silenced.
Chin-Kee is the ultimate negative stereotype of the Asian culture. He simply mortifies his white cousin, Danny, to the point where he must transfer to a new school. This year, Danny is quite happy being popular and a star basketball player at Oliphant High. However, when Chin-Kee comes to visit, Danny's social status and perfect life quickly falls bad to worse.
Evaluation
Yang's humorous storytelling and blend of Chinese fables carefully points to the negative images portrayed of Asian cultures while examining the psyche of Asian American adolescence. Jin's steady seperation of his known heritage, combined with the very real separation between him and his best friend, Wei-Chen, creates the white alter-ego Danny. Danny's plaguing visits from his unusual biological cousin Chin-Kee serves as a lesson to Jin Wang. The Monkey King, sent to Earth to teach Jin the importance of remaining honest with himself and his ethnic culture is actually Chin-Kee is disguise. His exaggerated (and overly negative) performance allows readers to both laugh at the absurd stereotype while examining their own beliefs and knowledge of the Asian culture.
This novel examines the acceptance of self through Jin Wang's ultimate lesson, while displaying issues of social acceptance and racism among Jin's classmates. Yang does this rather efffectively through a majority of his art and representations of his Asian and Anglo American characters. As a fable, Yang's graphic novel also manages to teach life lessons such as virtue and humility via the Monkey King's story. Yang's art also manages to convey a sense of identity with Asian American readers while subltely pointing out developing stereotypes of Asian American youth.
Classroom Use
I would suggest this to be read as an individual choice or small group due to the graphic representations. The age range most appropriate for this are 10-18.
Personal Reaction
Having never read a graphic novel before, I was surprised that I was so engaged in the multiple story lines. I was also impressed with the some of the themes that were addressed in the novel amid such cartoon-like art. I felt that Yang not only identified and captured the awkwardness of adolescence coupled with isolation, but that he openly addressed themes like racism, violence, and stereotypes in American cultures. I felt that at the heart of the novel, he truly attempted to identify with what it means to be American, when you're not of Anglo-Saxon descent. I enjoyed American Born Chinese and look forward to reading more by Gene Luen Yang. I would also recommend this book to current students, future students, and would possibly include it in my curriculum.
Esperanza Rising Review
Munoz Ryan, P. (2000). Esperanza Rising. New York: Scholastic Press, 253 pp.
Genre and Awards
Migration novel, Coming-of-age novel, Great Depression era
Pura Belpre Honor Book
Synopsis
In the 1930's, Esperanza Ortrega lives in a fairy tale land of large estates, servants, and beatiful gowns in Aguascalientes, Mexico. Her life suddenly changes when her father is killed by bandits on his own sprawling land. Esperanza and her mother must work in America or be forced to live under terrible conditions imposed by her evil step-uncles. Esperanza's mother manages to eek out a small amount of earnings in a hard labor camp in order for them to survive. When Esperanza's mother falls ill, it is up to Esperanza to work among the grown women in the agricultural fields in order to pay for mounting medical bills and survive the impending strike sweeping the Mexican labor camps.
Evaluation
The character of Esperanza Ortega shows true growth, understanding, and maturity in the novel. She is introduced to the reader as a child and, over the course of one year, develops an integrity and strength seldom witnessed in a thirteen year-old girl. She mourns her father, weathers her mother's illness (which is both physical and mental), and grapples with the wrongs of racism. Her mother, written and fully developed as a compassionate person, both before and after her fall from grace, serves as a constant reminder to Esperanza in how to lead her life. Esperanza shakily (and stubbornly) deals with her own fall when she becomes as poor as her former servant, Hotensia, and her family. She grows to accept what was once different between her and the poor are now very much the same. The teachings of Abuelita, Esperanza's grandmother, also serves as a role model for Esperanza; even though her character is not as prevelant in the novel.
Ryan vividly describes Esperanza's Southern California surroundings; including the vast vegetable and fruit fields, the harsh conditions of Mexican labor camps, and the fear of some workers that they will be pushed out of jobs because of the Great Depression. Ryan's central conflict revolves around the threats of a labor stike for better wages and housing from a nearby camp. When worker's finally do strike, the U.S. Government swiftly throws the strikers onto buses for deportation, even if they are American citizens. Esperanza's camp also fears that they will be pushed out of a job because of Oklahomans and Arkansans settling in the area and working for less wages.
Although Esperanza Rising is fiction, Ryan bases a majority of the setting, conditions, and themes in fact. Young readers can gain a sense of the desperation of Mexican-Americans during the Great Depression and the wrongs committed against them by outside cultures and the government. Good discuddion in the classroom can be generated to determine what conditions, attitudes, progress, etc. has been made between the 1930's and today. Some readers may also identify with Esperanza's struggle to hold together her family and grow up quickly admist outside pressure. A fairly prevalent theme, other than hope for a better day, is racism. Ryan addresses this in a rather aggressive way by showing the reader the unsanitary conditions of the labor camps, quick deportation for "troublemakers," and the unfair treatment of multicultural children in public schools. Esperanza struggles to understand why the country believes that Mexicans-Americans are dirty, uneducated, and second-class, while it waves its banner of justice, freedom, and equality for its citizens.
Classroom Use
Esperanza Rising could be used as a read aloud, individual choice, whole group, small group, and as a bridge to Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. I believe that it may be most appropriate for 13-16 year old readers.
Personal Reactions
I absolutely loved this book and found it difficult to put down. I was horrified by the conditions that Esperanza and her former servant's family lived under and was even more horrified to find out that conditions could be worse in outlying labor camps. I found the threat of strike and the implications it could have on, not only the laborers but on the agricultural development of Southern California, to be incredibly fascinating and eye-opening. Most of all, I enjoyed being with Esperanza through all of her ups and downs, growing pains, and discovery of hope in the unseen.
Genre and Awards
Migration novel, Coming-of-age novel, Great Depression era
Pura Belpre Honor Book
Synopsis
In the 1930's, Esperanza Ortrega lives in a fairy tale land of large estates, servants, and beatiful gowns in Aguascalientes, Mexico. Her life suddenly changes when her father is killed by bandits on his own sprawling land. Esperanza and her mother must work in America or be forced to live under terrible conditions imposed by her evil step-uncles. Esperanza's mother manages to eek out a small amount of earnings in a hard labor camp in order for them to survive. When Esperanza's mother falls ill, it is up to Esperanza to work among the grown women in the agricultural fields in order to pay for mounting medical bills and survive the impending strike sweeping the Mexican labor camps.
Evaluation
The character of Esperanza Ortega shows true growth, understanding, and maturity in the novel. She is introduced to the reader as a child and, over the course of one year, develops an integrity and strength seldom witnessed in a thirteen year-old girl. She mourns her father, weathers her mother's illness (which is both physical and mental), and grapples with the wrongs of racism. Her mother, written and fully developed as a compassionate person, both before and after her fall from grace, serves as a constant reminder to Esperanza in how to lead her life. Esperanza shakily (and stubbornly) deals with her own fall when she becomes as poor as her former servant, Hotensia, and her family. She grows to accept what was once different between her and the poor are now very much the same. The teachings of Abuelita, Esperanza's grandmother, also serves as a role model for Esperanza; even though her character is not as prevelant in the novel.
Ryan vividly describes Esperanza's Southern California surroundings; including the vast vegetable and fruit fields, the harsh conditions of Mexican labor camps, and the fear of some workers that they will be pushed out of jobs because of the Great Depression. Ryan's central conflict revolves around the threats of a labor stike for better wages and housing from a nearby camp. When worker's finally do strike, the U.S. Government swiftly throws the strikers onto buses for deportation, even if they are American citizens. Esperanza's camp also fears that they will be pushed out of a job because of Oklahomans and Arkansans settling in the area and working for less wages.
Although Esperanza Rising is fiction, Ryan bases a majority of the setting, conditions, and themes in fact. Young readers can gain a sense of the desperation of Mexican-Americans during the Great Depression and the wrongs committed against them by outside cultures and the government. Good discuddion in the classroom can be generated to determine what conditions, attitudes, progress, etc. has been made between the 1930's and today. Some readers may also identify with Esperanza's struggle to hold together her family and grow up quickly admist outside pressure. A fairly prevalent theme, other than hope for a better day, is racism. Ryan addresses this in a rather aggressive way by showing the reader the unsanitary conditions of the labor camps, quick deportation for "troublemakers," and the unfair treatment of multicultural children in public schools. Esperanza struggles to understand why the country believes that Mexicans-Americans are dirty, uneducated, and second-class, while it waves its banner of justice, freedom, and equality for its citizens.
Classroom Use
Esperanza Rising could be used as a read aloud, individual choice, whole group, small group, and as a bridge to Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. I believe that it may be most appropriate for 13-16 year old readers.
Personal Reactions
I absolutely loved this book and found it difficult to put down. I was horrified by the conditions that Esperanza and her former servant's family lived under and was even more horrified to find out that conditions could be worse in outlying labor camps. I found the threat of strike and the implications it could have on, not only the laborers but on the agricultural development of Southern California, to be incredibly fascinating and eye-opening. Most of all, I enjoyed being with Esperanza through all of her ups and downs, growing pains, and discovery of hope in the unseen.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Twilight Review
Meyer, S. (2005). Twilight. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 498 pp.
Romance/Thriller/Fiction, New York Times Editor's Choice, Publisher's Weekly Best Book of the Year, 2006
Synopsis
Isabella Swan, or Bella as she prefers to be called, moves from her sunny Pheonix home to live with her dad in Forks, Washington on the Olympic Pennisula. She is immediatly attracted and falls steadily in love with the charming and remarkably handsome Edward Cullen. Through uncanny twists and turns of their burgeoning relationship, Bella begins to wonder if Edward is even human at all.
Evaluations
Meyer's Bella and Edward are composed well and work against eachother to provide enough dramitic and emotional effect on an imaginative reader. Edward is aptly written to be wise beyond his stated seventeen years yet giddy with the feeling of a first love. Bella may be someone that young readers can identify with. Her social awkwardness and physical uncoordination tempered with her mature sarcasm and child-like vulnerabilty makes the reader empathize with her follies and plights. Meyer's physical descriptions and developing chararter sketches of Edward and Bella, against the backdrop of the Washington forests, certainly make their scenes vivid and fully illustrated.
Meyer's uses her descriptive lens to adequately compose the supporting cast of Twilight. The other members of the Cullen family are just as beautiful and alluring as Edward, but with their own personality quirks and secrets (which the reader uncovers in the sequels). Jacob Black and his father Billy, Quilete Indians on the La Push Reservation, provide the hint of mystery behind Edward's family and provide potential conflict for Bella's relationship with them.
The story line was interesting. What would happen if a vampire and a human fell in love? What if he fought every urge not to kill her just to be near her? Meyer's book doesn't offer much movement so much as development between the characters so the reading can go a bit slow. In adolescent literature terms, Twilight provides an endearing emotional glimpse of young love, especially a first love and all of its trials and tribulations. Social acceptance among and between all if the characters is a theme which young readers will immediately understand and/or connect with. Another item worth metioning is Bella's relationship with her father. This addresses the needs and independence of a teenage girl and an estranged father's reluctance to grant them. The book, as whole, doesn't seem to address multicultural issues other than the fantastic (e.g. How are the Cullens accepted or not accepted into the mainstream of Forks society?)
This is definately a book reserved for independant reading as part of a course curriculum and is appropriate through the ages of 14-100+.
Personal Reactions
I thought that this book was gruelingly slow and, at times, felt I was reading a cleaned version of a Harlequin romance. I wondered if Bella's reluctance to believe what Edward is moved to quickly or early in the book. It seems as though Meyer's counters her jolting plot twists with Bella's first person point of view and her honesty towards the reader to accurately describe everything that she sees and feels. Most of the supporting characters are just that, support from cut scences to pages upon pages of Bella and Edward's conversations. It seemed as though Bella's schoolmates and family served as crutches to move the plot in a forward direction. To Meyer's defense, the story unfolds smoothly enough to be semi-believable as an adult romance but much too quickly for a high school fling. Again, I suspect that this may have something to do with Edward's own maturity and wisdom (and the age-old vampire art of seduction) and Bella's own mutual attraction. Overall, I thought that Twilight wasn't an awful book, but I wouldn't enthusiasticly recommend it to readers that desire more action and interaction than what Meyer's is willing to gives us in this first installment.
Romance/Thriller/Fiction, New York Times Editor's Choice, Publisher's Weekly Best Book of the Year, 2006
Synopsis
Isabella Swan, or Bella as she prefers to be called, moves from her sunny Pheonix home to live with her dad in Forks, Washington on the Olympic Pennisula. She is immediatly attracted and falls steadily in love with the charming and remarkably handsome Edward Cullen. Through uncanny twists and turns of their burgeoning relationship, Bella begins to wonder if Edward is even human at all.
Evaluations
Meyer's Bella and Edward are composed well and work against eachother to provide enough dramitic and emotional effect on an imaginative reader. Edward is aptly written to be wise beyond his stated seventeen years yet giddy with the feeling of a first love. Bella may be someone that young readers can identify with. Her social awkwardness and physical uncoordination tempered with her mature sarcasm and child-like vulnerabilty makes the reader empathize with her follies and plights. Meyer's physical descriptions and developing chararter sketches of Edward and Bella, against the backdrop of the Washington forests, certainly make their scenes vivid and fully illustrated.
Meyer's uses her descriptive lens to adequately compose the supporting cast of Twilight. The other members of the Cullen family are just as beautiful and alluring as Edward, but with their own personality quirks and secrets (which the reader uncovers in the sequels). Jacob Black and his father Billy, Quilete Indians on the La Push Reservation, provide the hint of mystery behind Edward's family and provide potential conflict for Bella's relationship with them.
The story line was interesting. What would happen if a vampire and a human fell in love? What if he fought every urge not to kill her just to be near her? Meyer's book doesn't offer much movement so much as development between the characters so the reading can go a bit slow. In adolescent literature terms, Twilight provides an endearing emotional glimpse of young love, especially a first love and all of its trials and tribulations. Social acceptance among and between all if the characters is a theme which young readers will immediately understand and/or connect with. Another item worth metioning is Bella's relationship with her father. This addresses the needs and independence of a teenage girl and an estranged father's reluctance to grant them. The book, as whole, doesn't seem to address multicultural issues other than the fantastic (e.g. How are the Cullens accepted or not accepted into the mainstream of Forks society?)
This is definately a book reserved for independant reading as part of a course curriculum and is appropriate through the ages of 14-100+.
Personal Reactions
I thought that this book was gruelingly slow and, at times, felt I was reading a cleaned version of a Harlequin romance. I wondered if Bella's reluctance to believe what Edward is moved to quickly or early in the book. It seems as though Meyer's counters her jolting plot twists with Bella's first person point of view and her honesty towards the reader to accurately describe everything that she sees and feels. Most of the supporting characters are just that, support from cut scences to pages upon pages of Bella and Edward's conversations. It seemed as though Bella's schoolmates and family served as crutches to move the plot in a forward direction. To Meyer's defense, the story unfolds smoothly enough to be semi-believable as an adult romance but much too quickly for a high school fling. Again, I suspect that this may have something to do with Edward's own maturity and wisdom (and the age-old vampire art of seduction) and Bella's own mutual attraction. Overall, I thought that Twilight wasn't an awful book, but I wouldn't enthusiasticly recommend it to readers that desire more action and interaction than what Meyer's is willing to gives us in this first installment.
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