Acceleration--Reading Journal

Acceleration by Graham McNamee

Reading Journal



I was a little hesitant about reading this book. I am NOT a thriller or blood-and-gore enthusiast, and the thought of just reading a story about a boy who catches a glimpse into the mind of a serial killer made me approach the book with much skepticism. However, I found myself drawn into the action, suspense, and action of the novel (especially the last quarter of the book). I appreciate the fact that Graham McNamee shares enough from the diary of Roach to give us a real distaste for him and his psycho mind, but I also like the fact that he (McNamee) balances revelations from the diary with Duncan’s own actions and thoughts—the gore content was never too much for me to stomach.

I think the excitement of Acceleration makes it a great read for middle- and high school boys and girls. As a teacher, I also saw plenty of discussion material in McNamee’s book. For example, Vinny has a withered arm about which he is very self-conscious, and his classmates tease him about his deformity. I think this presents a great opportunity in the classroom to discuss our treatment of those who are different from us. Middle and high school students are all at a time in their lives when most are self-conscious about SOME aspect of themselves. Although McNamee does emphasize the importance of higher education as a major theme, it has consistent presence in the book. Duncan’s mom is taking a college course, and his dad reminds him that education provides the way out of jobs like Duncan’s “mind-numbing, soul-killing waste of time” summer job at the Toronto Transit Lost and Found (p. 146).

The book also presents opportunities to discuss other questions: Can people change their futures? How much does a person’s background and experiences shape his/her personality and future actions? How much are dreams the manifestations of our inner turmoil? What are our personal and/or civic responsibilities if we (like Duncan) find something that smacks of danger or illegality?

Concerning McNamee’s language, the sudden and consistent movement between the stifling, oppressive summer heat and the cold feel of the library, showers, the Lost and Found, images in the movie, and Duncan’s dreams mimics the up-and-down pulsing of an accelerated heart rate. It also evokes both physical and emotional responses in the reader. McNamee also ties together the sinking, deathly feel of the subterranean Lost and Found office with Duncan’s underwater remembrances, dreams, and pool experiences. All and all, a captivating novel.

Book Talk: A Step from Heaven

Miracle's Boys--Reading Journal

Miracle’s Boys
By Jacqueline Woodson

Fully deserving of the awards* and accolades Miracle’s Boys received, Jacqueline Woodson presents the story of three young men (Lafayette and his brothers, Ty’ree and Charlie) who, having lost their father to death several years prior, now are dealing with their mother Milagro’s (meaning “miracle” in Spanish) death in distinctive ways. We hear from Lafayette, the narrator, that Ty’ree (the eldest) has had to postpone his dream of going to MIT to become the legal guardian and breadwinner for the family. Charlie (called “Newcharlie” for most of the book by Lafayette) is 15, a trouble-maker, and “evil incarnate” according to Lafayette (p. 82). He has just returned from serving time in Rahway, a youth detention center, for armed robbery. Seventh grade Lafayette battles with internal struggles stemming from the emotional trauma of his mother’s death. He feels as if he’s lost everything, wonders if he’s partially responsible for his mother’s death, questions whether Newcharlie even loves him any more, and grasps for some promise of hope.

I enjoyed the book but went through several Kleenexes as I read; it was so heart-wrenching. Although the book concerns boys and has a boy as the narrator—really the brothers’ memories of their mother are the only female presence in Miracle’s Boys—I think that middle school and teenage girls would find it more appealing than most boys the same age because of the emotion in the book. I feel like I’m stereotyping girls as being drawn to drama and boys as preferring something else—like action; however, I’m not sure if Newcharlie’s dark character and the fact that the book presents a realistic portrayal of three boys in inner city New York is enough to keep boys hooked to the end. Having said that, Miracle’s Boys does provide a great source for boys to read about the realistic consequences for breaking the law, dabbling with gangs, feeling brotherly love (or the lack thereof), and understanding others’ perspectives.

As a teacher, I love the possibilities for discussion and instruction that this book holds. Commenting about Miracle’s Boys, Woodson says, “…read it slowly. If you rush through it, you might miss some good, subtle stuff!!” Did you catch the sleep and dream motif (even carried through in the song “El Coqui” that Newcharlie remembers his mom singing)? Her idea of freedom also echoes in her allusions to “Me and Bobby McGee” and her quote from Toni Morrison. Her language (similar to An Na and Traci L. Jones) is packed with imagery. Woodson deftly introduces several universal themes in Miracle’s Boys including (but certainly not limited to) dealing with a death, the idea of stereotyping people based on their race, responsibility to family, learning to make sacrifices, the importance of open communication, looking out for #1 versus helping others, hope, and freedom.

*Awards for this book include: Coretta Scott King Award, Los Angeles Times Book Prize, ALA Best Book for Young Adults, among others.

Standing Against the Wind--Book Review

A Review--Uploaded to Amazon.com

Jones, Traci L (2006). Standing Against the Wind. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.

Traci L. Jones earns a well-deserved Coretta Scott King Award for her first novel Standing Against the Wind. Weaving the theme of hope with finding strength and courage in oneself, Jones invites her reader to share an emotional chapter in the life of protagonist Patrice Williams. Chapter 1 finds Patrice having been uprooted from the warmth of her grandmother’s Georgian home and deposited with her Auntie Mae in winter-blasted Chicago while her mother serves time in prison. In Jones’ modernized and urbanized Cinderella tale, Patrice feels she must ease the additional financial burden her presence adds by cooking, cleaning, and watching her young cousins for her aunt. Although Auntie Mae is no evil stepmother, she is far from nurturing and expects Patrice to earn her keep. Patrice’s dream of escape appears in the form of an opportunity to attend the academically elite Dogwood Academy—one of the nation’s finest predominantly African American boarding schools—if she can win one of the three coveted scholarships. Patrice must find the strength and courage to face challenges that threaten to crush her spirit—feeling displaced, ugly, small, overwhelmed, fearful, let-down, and helpless. Help unexpectedly comes in the form of Monty, an eighth-grade gang member turned prince charming.

The plot is captivating, the setting realistic, and Traci L. Jones’ language is rich and full of imagery. The metaphorical pictures Jones paints, ranging from mythical dragons to junkyard dogs, are treats for the reader’s imagination (and an imagery wonderland for reading teachers). Some young readers (5th or 6th graders), however, may find one chapter of the book in which Patrice is sexually harassed unsettling. Another unsettling issue involves both Patrice and Monty. Although Patrice becomes stronger and more self-assured throughout the novel, the reader has to wonder if she could have achieved this new-found strength and courage without the help of Monty (a strong male presence) and his protection. Additionally, considering Monty’s character, one might ask whether a young rogue needs a helpless maiden to protect in order to bring out the good in him.

These quandaries, however, do not detract from the appealing quality of Jones’ Standing Against the Wind. It is sure to interest middle school and junior high students. The characters are real—peers any student might encounter regularly. The message is also very clear and relevant for students this age: teens are not helpless pawns in life with no choice or control over their own actions and destinies. I look forward to hearing more from Traci L. Jones.

Note: This review was submitted to www.amazon.com and posted on September 11 as Ima Teach’s review “Enjoy a Modern, Urban Fairy Tale” at the following URL:
http://www.amazon.com/review/product/0374371741/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1_cm_cr_acr_img?%5Fencoding=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

A Step from Heaven--Reading Journal

A Step from Heaven
By An Na

Two things struck me as I began reading this novel. The first thing that struck me was how similar the structure of the novel was to Sandra Cisneros’ House on Mango Street. As I was reading the questions & answers included at the end of the novel, I read that An Na had gotten the idea of presenting vignettes from Young Ju’s life from House on Mango Street. Although I believe that Cisneros is a gifted writer, I found An Na’s collection of vignette’s much more satisfying to consume as a reader. Even with the brevity of some of the vignettes and the gaps of time between other vignettes, I felt a sense of continuity in the story that House on Mango Street does not have.

The other thing that instantly popped into my head as I read the first few chapters was Langston Hughes’ poem “A Dream Deferred” (copied below).

What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore-- And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over-- like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?

I thought it was an interesting parallel.
Aside from presenting many opportunities for discussing the obvious themes of hope, dreams, bravery/courage, and education, A Step from Heaven provides a great segue into discussions about differences in culture—family expectations, gender expectations, and ways of showing respect to parents and other elders, etc. It also presents the questions: What does it mean to be American? Can an individual reconcile or accommodate two cultures simultaneously? Apa never seems to be able to; Young Ju somehow establishes a balance, but at the cost of going against her father’s expectations of how she should demonstrate her respect for him.

Probably more students of mine than I realize suffer at the hands of some kind of abuse at home. An Na’s description of the physical and verbal abuse that Uhmma, Young Ju, and Joon Ho endure at the hands of Apa brought me to tears at times. Abuse is a problem that knows no cultural boundaries—we find it in all cultures. And, common in almost all cultures, the fuel that fires much abuse is pride (or pride threatened), depression, and alcoholism or drug abuse. All three of these triggered Apa’s abusive rampages.

One other thing that I thought was very interesting was how An Na wove the motif of hands or holding someone throughout the novel. Young Ju enjoys being held by Halmoni, comments several times on her mom’s “cat-tongue” fingers, and reacts angrily to Apa holding and changing Joon’s diaper. She notices her mother’s white-knuckled hands holding the steering wheel, cringes under the abusive hands of her Apa, and notes the differences in hers and Joon’s soft hands compared to their mother’s labor-weathered hands. This is also the motif which An Na chooses to open and close the book—Apa holding her as she first takes on the waves of life.

CRAFT LESSON #1: Learning to incorporate imagery in writing (9 – 12)

Materials:
*Lyrics (and music) to Garth Brooks’ “Two of a Kind”
Standing Against the Wind by Traci L. Jones
*Simile and Metaphor Handout
Pen and Paper
TEKS: (9th grade) 6b, 7hi, 10a, 11g, 12a

DISCUSSION: Many times, students’ writing lacks the originality, vividness, and freshness that imagery brings to writing. Research shows that student writing improves if they have the opportunity to read and imitate authors. This lesson encourages students to read and understand similes and metaphors better and incorporate them into their own writing.

HOW TO TEACH IT:
Remind students that imagery creates pictures in the reader’s mind. Two ways to create word pictures are through similes and metaphors. Make sure the students understand these terms. Next, hand out copies of the words to Garth Brooks’ “Two of a Kind.” Direct your students to listen to the song and read along. Have them underline all of the metaphors and similes they find in the song. Afterward, have the students share their findings. As a class, discuss what the similes and metaphors mean and how they add interest and originality to the song.
Discuss with your students how using similes and metaphors can add multiple levels of meaning to their own writing. The key is to use fresh and original similes and metaphors. See if they can complete the following well-known similes:
As black as _____________________ (night)
As hard as a ____________________ (rock)
As stubborn as a _________________ (mule)
As clean as a __________________ (whistle)
As dead as a ____________________ (doorknob)
As sweet as _____________________ (sugar)
Remind students that in completing these similes they had to think very little. These similes have become trite (you may have to explain this word, too). Although you want to add imagery to your writing, you want to STAY AWAY from trite similes and metaphors.
Traci L. Jones uses fresh and original comparisons in her similes and metaphors. Direct students to look at sections of the book they have read to look for similes and metaphors. You could discuss these as a class, or put them in groups to find similes and metaphors within Standing Against the Wind. Give them each a copy of the Simile and Metaphor Hunt handout to keep track of their findings and record their interpretations.
Compare and discuss findings as a class.

Extension: (If time permits.) Using Jones’ writing in Standing Against the Wind as a model, have your students prepare to write their own similes and/or metaphors.
1.) Have students think of a person or group of people in their family, school, or community.
2.) Instruct students to think of an image (an animal, mythological character, something in nature, etc.) that comes to mind when they think of this person or group (Remember: originality is the key).
3.) Have students close their eyes and visualize that image. What do they see, hear, smell, feel, or sense?Finally, have them describe the person/people in terms of the image they visualized, creating a simile or metaphor.


*If you would like copies of the lyrics and/or of the Simile and Metaphor Handout, please email me and I'll send those to you in a Word document.

Standing Against the Wind--Reading Journal

Weaving the theme of finding strength and courage within oneself, Traci L. Jones invites her audience to share an emotional chapter in the life of protagonist Patrice Williams. Her characters came alive in my mind through her use of vivid imagery. For example, as Patrice travels north from Georgia, the physical temperature drops from 70 degrees to 40 degrees. Similarly, Patrice moves from the warmth of a nurturing home with her grandmother to Chicago’s abrasive and “cold” social environment. Interestingly, Chicago’s winter temperatures slowly rise, Patrice also slowly adjusts to her new surroundings and situation until she finally feels “the warm spring wind of Chicago against her back, pushing her forward” at the close of the book (p. 184).

Jones’ skillfully-selected metaphors for describing Patrice as her transformation occurs reflect the fact that her inner beauty is becoming more apparent to others (especially Monty). At the beginning of the book Jones describes Patrice as a “small, skinny, unwanted mouse, surrounded by well-dressed cool cats with nice hair” (p. 22); however, in chapter 11, Jones plants the image of Patrice being a determined flower growing in the midst of trash.

Jones’ choices of images in describing other characters in the book were treats for the imagination. Initially she presents the Monty’s gang as “looking like teen dragons as the puffs of warm air from their mouths mixed with the clouds of cigarette smoke” (p. 4). A few pages later, Rasheed reminds Patrice of a “mean junkyard dog” (p. 42). This may be a stretch, but as I read about Chanterelle, her name reminded me of the literary character Chantecler (a rooster). Although Jones may not have intended to allude to this literary figure, I thought it made a fitting parallel—Chanterelle is outwardly impressive and struts and boasts like a rooster.

Standing Against the Wind is a culturally diverse book (especially for West Texas students). However, teenagers in any culture can relate at times to many of the emotions Patrice experiences--feeling displaced, ugly, small, overwhelmed, let-down, and helpless. Most important and encouraging is the powerful message that Jones trumpets in her novel—that teens are not helpless pawns in life with no choice or control over their own actions and destinies.

Learning to blog

Okay, I'm learning how to blog....and it isn't NEARLY as easy as I thought! I suspect that it will become much easier after I begin learning how it works.