I just finished Looking for Alaska, and I think this novel is one my students will enjoy. Looking for Alaska is not about Alaska the state, which is what I thought it might be about until I looked at the cover and read the excerpt on the back. Instead, this novel is narrated by a young man who at first has very few friends and low self-esteem, but his move to a private boarding school (his choice) changes everything. Now "Pudge" (who is actually very scrawny) is surrounded by a tight circle of friends, including the smart, funny, charming, and daring Alaska Young. Pudge becomes infatuated with Alaska because of her intelligence and her mysteriousness. Unfortunately for Pudge, Alaska has a boyfriend, but he goes to a different school.
As Pudge settles in to his new life - new school, new friends, new adolescent challenges - he has to make many tough decisions about the person he wants to be. In many ways, this novel reminds me of the classic coming-of-age novel, The Catcher in the Rye, where Holden Cauldfield, also at a private boarding school, struggles to make friends, date girls, and walk that fine line between being a kid and being an adult. Similar to Holden, Pudge faces many challenges of peer pressure: smoking, drinking, sex, and playing pranks. Pudge seems to be more of a worrier than Holden, although by the end of the novel, his obsession for the truth pushes him to ignore his conscience.
This novel has a twist that I never saw coming. And it is one that many students can relate to. John Green does a good job creating suspense, and just when you think you know what will happen next, "POOF".
A warning to the reader: This novel contains harsh language, underage smoking and drinking, and some graphic sexual scenes. Although I promote none of these behaviors, I think the reward of learning the lessons that Pudge has learned is greater than the risks.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Damn the Man by Tom Dalzell
The title of this book immediately made me think of the amazingly funny Jack Black and his role in School of Rock. Then I read the subtitle...Slang of the Oppressed in America...and my interest was peaked (then I read the quote at the beginning from the super duper great movie from my teenage years Empire Records and I was like, "smile!").
Being an English teacher, I am always interested in and curious about words: where do they come from? why do we use certain words? who decides what is "cool" and what isn't? This book begins to answer some of these questions.
In a nutshell, this book explains how slang is used by specific groups of people to resist their oppression in this country. The groups are presented in the following order: African Americans, Prisoners, The Military, Gay Men, Hippies, Workers of the World, Jewish Immigrants, and Mexican Americans.
What was interesting to me about this book was that I say some of these words almost every day, and I never understood where they came from and how they showed up in my vocabulary. The first word discussed is the word "man". This term was adopted by African Americans in response to being referred to as "boy", "mammy", or "uncle" in order to bestow "respect where respect had been denied" (12). After each explanation or definition, examples of the term are presented in order to help the reader understand how each term can be used in regular conversation. From the slang "man", a progression to family terms such as "sister" and "brother" was developed in order to create "a new, positive self-identity" (13) among African Americans.
Dalzell continues to present different slang and discuss how words help certain cultures of people to deal with the oppression they suffer. While I appreciate some slang, I hate to think that certain words were actually developed as a reaction to hatred and prejudice against certain groups of people. I continue to as the question "Why can't we all just get along?".
This book presented me with a very interesting look at language that surrounds me today. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in slang and how certain words came to be accepted into our every day conversation.
Being an English teacher, I am always interested in and curious about words: where do they come from? why do we use certain words? who decides what is "cool" and what isn't? This book begins to answer some of these questions.
In a nutshell, this book explains how slang is used by specific groups of people to resist their oppression in this country. The groups are presented in the following order: African Americans, Prisoners, The Military, Gay Men, Hippies, Workers of the World, Jewish Immigrants, and Mexican Americans.
What was interesting to me about this book was that I say some of these words almost every day, and I never understood where they came from and how they showed up in my vocabulary. The first word discussed is the word "man". This term was adopted by African Americans in response to being referred to as "boy", "mammy", or "uncle" in order to bestow "respect where respect had been denied" (12). After each explanation or definition, examples of the term are presented in order to help the reader understand how each term can be used in regular conversation. From the slang "man", a progression to family terms such as "sister" and "brother" was developed in order to create "a new, positive self-identity" (13) among African Americans.
Dalzell continues to present different slang and discuss how words help certain cultures of people to deal with the oppression they suffer. While I appreciate some slang, I hate to think that certain words were actually developed as a reaction to hatred and prejudice against certain groups of people. I continue to as the question "Why can't we all just get along?".
This book presented me with a very interesting look at language that surrounds me today. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in slang and how certain words came to be accepted into our every day conversation.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Write Like This by Kelly Gallagher
Fortunately for me, I am in a profession where I have the opportunity to be presented with materials that are truely inspirational. As teachers, we are always craving new information and strategies in order to use to become better educators. Granted, some of the information that we have access to or that is recommended to us isn't doesn't always "light our fire," but much of the time, we can find some useful information to take back to our classrooms with us.
The most recient book that I decided to read was one that I bought at a Professional Development training that I participated in last year. I had heard Kelly Gallagher's name mentioned numerous times, and since one of my goals as a teacher this year is teaching purposeful writing, I figured I had to read his book since its focus was, infact, writing.
As I told my collegue (and awesome mentor!), Mrs. O'Dell, this book has now become "My Bible". Gallagher writes with such passion for teaching that I often found myself smiling and nodding and doggy-earing pages like a crazy person. So many of his ideas support the goals that I have for this year that I have begun experimenting with some of his strategies in my classroom only days after finishing the book. Like any strategies that teachers try out, we have to change and adapt them for our students' needs, our classroom community, our curriculum, and our own teaching styles. Luckily, Gallagher's ideas can be implemented easily into our classrooms based on these aspects of teaching. One of the ideas that Gallagher presents is six types of "Real-World Writing Purposes". These purposes are Express and Reflect, Inform and Explain, Evaluate and Judge, Inquire and Explore, Analyze and Interpret, and Take a Stand/Propose a Solution. I presented these different purposes to my students so that when I ask them to write on a certain topic (or when they choose their own topic), they have six different ways to write about it. This allows them to learn a variety of structures and purposes for writing that support our Common Core Standards, while at the same time having some choice about how and what they write.
As a new teacher, I often feel that I have to have a mastry of strategies before trying something new in my classes, but I was so inspired by Gallgher's writing that I had to start right away. This was an important lesson for me to learn and accept: teachers are continually learning along side their students, so it's okay to try new things and experiment together with my students. (Also, I need to be less of a control freak, which is something I have been working on the last three years...)
All in all, I think any teacher who is interested in teaching any type of writing should read this book. It is truely amazing!
The most recient book that I decided to read was one that I bought at a Professional Development training that I participated in last year. I had heard Kelly Gallagher's name mentioned numerous times, and since one of my goals as a teacher this year is teaching purposeful writing, I figured I had to read his book since its focus was, infact, writing.
As I told my collegue (and awesome mentor!), Mrs. O'Dell, this book has now become "My Bible". Gallagher writes with such passion for teaching that I often found myself smiling and nodding and doggy-earing pages like a crazy person. So many of his ideas support the goals that I have for this year that I have begun experimenting with some of his strategies in my classroom only days after finishing the book. Like any strategies that teachers try out, we have to change and adapt them for our students' needs, our classroom community, our curriculum, and our own teaching styles. Luckily, Gallagher's ideas can be implemented easily into our classrooms based on these aspects of teaching. One of the ideas that Gallagher presents is six types of "Real-World Writing Purposes". These purposes are Express and Reflect, Inform and Explain, Evaluate and Judge, Inquire and Explore, Analyze and Interpret, and Take a Stand/Propose a Solution. I presented these different purposes to my students so that when I ask them to write on a certain topic (or when they choose their own topic), they have six different ways to write about it. This allows them to learn a variety of structures and purposes for writing that support our Common Core Standards, while at the same time having some choice about how and what they write.
As a new teacher, I often feel that I have to have a mastry of strategies before trying something new in my classes, but I was so inspired by Gallgher's writing that I had to start right away. This was an important lesson for me to learn and accept: teachers are continually learning along side their students, so it's okay to try new things and experiment together with my students. (Also, I need to be less of a control freak, which is something I have been working on the last three years...)
All in all, I think any teacher who is interested in teaching any type of writing should read this book. It is truely amazing!
Friday, October 5, 2012
The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells
This text was an interesting read because I'm not usually one for science fiction. I've never been very good in science. But I found that my lack of skills in this area did not impede my understanding this text. The only scientific parts of this text that had me grasping at straws to understand was when the Invisible Man was elaborating to his doctor "friend" how he went about making himself invisible. The talk of blood, cells, and properties of water and glass made me question the validity of the process Wells laid out in the text. But as I'm not usually interested in this type of material, the fact that I was thinking about it speaks wonders about Wells' talented writing.
If you are attempting to read this text, my recommendation would be to create a character chart. There are many minor characters in the text that seem to all mesh together by the last 1/3 of the text. Each of these characters are important to know, so something to help keep them straight is helpful.
I also found that I had to use my imagination quite often to "see" the scenes in the text. Wells didn't focus on the setting/imagery in his text as his priorities laid in character development and conflict. I don't believe this was a hindrance to the text though as my imagination was able to piece together a scene using my own prior knowledge of settings like inns and department stores. Although, I do believe it would have been helpful for Wells to give a little more detail to help put my imagination into at least the right century. But now that I'm thinking about it, was this his intention? Was Wells trying to suspend time to make it possible for the Invisible Man to exist in the world today? I might have to go back and reread to test this theory.
Regardless, this novel is one that will most likely keep me mentally engaged for a long time to come. If you are interested in expanding your horizons, don't overlook this text that plays into science fiction, adventure, and horror. It's a true popular culture piece and now I know why.
If you are attempting to read this text, my recommendation would be to create a character chart. There are many minor characters in the text that seem to all mesh together by the last 1/3 of the text. Each of these characters are important to know, so something to help keep them straight is helpful.
I also found that I had to use my imagination quite often to "see" the scenes in the text. Wells didn't focus on the setting/imagery in his text as his priorities laid in character development and conflict. I don't believe this was a hindrance to the text though as my imagination was able to piece together a scene using my own prior knowledge of settings like inns and department stores. Although, I do believe it would have been helpful for Wells to give a little more detail to help put my imagination into at least the right century. But now that I'm thinking about it, was this his intention? Was Wells trying to suspend time to make it possible for the Invisible Man to exist in the world today? I might have to go back and reread to test this theory.
Regardless, this novel is one that will most likely keep me mentally engaged for a long time to come. If you are interested in expanding your horizons, don't overlook this text that plays into science fiction, adventure, and horror. It's a true popular culture piece and now I know why.
Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah
Having read several novels about
the struggles faced by the Jews during WWII, I felt well versed in the historical/literary
era. In fact, Literature and Composition
I and II explore many novels about certain sub groups and how they are
oppressed by others. Even with all of
this prior knowledge, I was still completely blown away by Kristin Hannah’s Winter Garden.
Winter Garden is not a book about Hitler or Jews or Nazi
Germany. Actually, this novel takes
place on an apple orchard in present day Washington State, where Meredith and
Nina (sisters) are called home after their father has a heart attack. Their mother is there too, but the three of
them never really got along; it was the father who held the family
together. After the tragic heart attack,
the family tries to reconnect. Meredith, the older sister, is the
care-taker. She buys the groceries,
makes the meals, cleans the house, etc. but she does all these things out of
necessity and not love. Meanwhile, her
own marriage is falling apart. Nina, on
the other hand, is unorganized, not helpful, unreliable, and so on, but it is
Nina who gets her mother to open up.
Nina (and eventually Meredith) pries facts out of their mother, Anya,
who has always seemed to keep her distance from her daughters. Anya is truly unable to look her daughters in
the eyes and communicate anything; therefore, she begins the story of her past in
Stalin-ruled Russia in the form of fairy tales.
Anya’s fairy tales are nothing
new to her daughters, as she told these same stories to them as children, but
there is something different about these stories: they are very detailed. She is only able to tell the stories in her
own bed, with the lights out, because she does not want to see her daughters’
facial expressions as she relives her tragic past. Little by little, night by night, Anya delves
deeper into her history, until one day Meredith and Nina are able to make some
real factual connections between their mother’s fairy tale and events/places in
Russia. Their suspicions are confirmed
when, cleaning out their father’s study, Meredith comes across some documents
that turn out be enormous clues. The
sisters do a little side investigating during the day, while continuing to
listen to the fairy tale at night, and the secrets that finally come out are
shocking.
Now I consider myself a pretty
tough person. I’m pretty good at hiding
my emotions, and I’d rather watch football than a Lifetime movie, but I have to
admit, I balled my eyes out for the last 40-50 pages of this novel. Kristin Hannah does an amazing job of
building up suspense; when all the clues are finally pieced together, and Anya’s
secret past is fully revealed, I felt the pain of a mother’s love and
loss. It hit me like a ton of
bricks. It has been nearly a week since
I finished this novel, and this story is still weighing on my mind. I think anyone who has ever had a difficult
relationship with his or her mother (especially that mother daughter
relationship) should read this book. Or,
if you are a history buff and enjoy WWII stories, give this one a try. I know I
cannot wait to read this author again!
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
After watching the movie over a year ago, I found this book to be very fascinating. There were many plot differences and much information left out of the movie that the book provided for me. As a result, I would strongly recommend reading the text rather than seeing the movie (despite the fact that it is great to watch Johnny Depp play the part of Ichabod Crane).
One element of the text that I truly relished in was the imagery and word choice the author used within the story. Not only is the topic of the infamous Headless Horseman eerie, but the word choice aids the author in creating a truly gothic scene that is the basis for the plot and conflict. Sensory details appear to be a priority for Irving as I felt as though I was in story because his descriptions of sounds and colors were so vivid. I felt I could practically taste the food he was depicting in many scenes. Thus, I can truly see why this text has lived as a classic all these years.
While I truly enjoyed the experience of reading this text, I found that the beginning was slightly difficult to follow. This was because I was expecting an immediate reference to the Headless Horseman. In fact, it wasn't even until the last 1/3 of the text did the "real" legend of Sleepy Hollow even take place. Most readers might have been discouraged by this pacing issue, but I knew that the payoff would totally be worth it. It was. As the Headless Horseman was galloping rapidly behind Ichabod Crane, I could hear the hooves hitting the ground and the breathe wheezing out of the jet-black horse's nostrils because of Irving's style of writing. I could actually feel the panic Ichabod Crane was feeling while attempting to make it to the bridge to what was assumed safety. I became lost in the text.
As a result, I would recommend this text to anyone who is looking to celebrate the season of Halloween and fall. This legend is a must read as it is still a part of popular culture. READ IT!!!
One element of the text that I truly relished in was the imagery and word choice the author used within the story. Not only is the topic of the infamous Headless Horseman eerie, but the word choice aids the author in creating a truly gothic scene that is the basis for the plot and conflict. Sensory details appear to be a priority for Irving as I felt as though I was in story because his descriptions of sounds and colors were so vivid. I felt I could practically taste the food he was depicting in many scenes. Thus, I can truly see why this text has lived as a classic all these years.
While I truly enjoyed the experience of reading this text, I found that the beginning was slightly difficult to follow. This was because I was expecting an immediate reference to the Headless Horseman. In fact, it wasn't even until the last 1/3 of the text did the "real" legend of Sleepy Hollow even take place. Most readers might have been discouraged by this pacing issue, but I knew that the payoff would totally be worth it. It was. As the Headless Horseman was galloping rapidly behind Ichabod Crane, I could hear the hooves hitting the ground and the breathe wheezing out of the jet-black horse's nostrils because of Irving's style of writing. I could actually feel the panic Ichabod Crane was feeling while attempting to make it to the bridge to what was assumed safety. I became lost in the text.
As a result, I would recommend this text to anyone who is looking to celebrate the season of Halloween and fall. This legend is a must read as it is still a part of popular culture. READ IT!!!
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Finish of Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe
Previously, I had issues with this novel. I was irritated with the fact that the plot line became redundant with Moll's multiple marriages that fell apart, her misfortunes that left her destitute on multiple occasions, and the never ending issues that seemed to arise in her life. I very easily gave up this novel to move onto something more interesting. As I was looking into this book online to see if anyone else was having this problem, I found that I was not alone in wanting to give up this book. I also found that readers who stayed with the novel found many redeeming qualities about the text that made it a classic. As a result of these reviews and my stubbornness, I prevailed in finishing this book!
I was excited to find that the reviews were accurate in that the book did redeem itself. Moll's life went from getting married every five pages to her thieving for survival. While these choices were not the greatest in morality, this was her only form of survival. Although, this did cost her considerably when she couldn't give up this trade despite her financial security, landed in Newgate (the main prison in London during this time period), and almost lost her life via hanging until she truly repented her past sins and gained reprieve from death.
As a result of her near death experience, she carried out her life in honorable fashion by reuniting with a past husband, moving to colonized American, and finding a long lost son. It helped that she received a hefty inheritance in America too.
These changes really helped the plot to move forward and the change of scenery was appreciated as a reader. Defoe spoke to the root of morality and discussed the implications of morality on two fronts: sometimes you need to sin to survive and morality can sometimes get you nowhere. As a result of this theme, Moll Flander's is a text that has gone down as one the most classic novels in history. While man students might not be able to get into this text because of the slow moving pace at the start of the text, anyone who can stick with it like I did is in for a great surprise in the end.
I was excited to find that the reviews were accurate in that the book did redeem itself. Moll's life went from getting married every five pages to her thieving for survival. While these choices were not the greatest in morality, this was her only form of survival. Although, this did cost her considerably when she couldn't give up this trade despite her financial security, landed in Newgate (the main prison in London during this time period), and almost lost her life via hanging until she truly repented her past sins and gained reprieve from death.
As a result of her near death experience, she carried out her life in honorable fashion by reuniting with a past husband, moving to colonized American, and finding a long lost son. It helped that she received a hefty inheritance in America too.
These changes really helped the plot to move forward and the change of scenery was appreciated as a reader. Defoe spoke to the root of morality and discussed the implications of morality on two fronts: sometimes you need to sin to survive and morality can sometimes get you nowhere. As a result of this theme, Moll Flander's is a text that has gone down as one the most classic novels in history. While man students might not be able to get into this text because of the slow moving pace at the start of the text, anyone who can stick with it like I did is in for a great surprise in the end.
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