Annotated Bibliography of Choice Books

Alexie, Sherman. (2007). Flight. New York: Black Cat. 978-0-8021-7037-8

      This book is a science fiction novel that deals with time travel. The main character is a Native American teenager who struggles (in current day) mostly because of his parents’ death. Ever since his parents died, he has been in a countless amount of foster homes. One day, he finally decides to run away. When he does this, he finds himself suddenly waking up in the body of someone else. He does this four times and each time it is someone new and someone who has direct relation with Native American history. Meaning, he finds himself in the body of a white abusive FBI agent, someone on a battlefield, etc. This book speaks well to identity struggle among adolescents and it provides insight into the Native American struggle currently and throughout history.

Bartoletti, Susan C. (2010). The Called Themselves the K.K.K. New York: Houghton Mifflin. 978-0-618-44033-7.

This book is a non-fiction book about the most famous American terrorist group: the Ku Klux Klan. The book provides the history of the civil war and how its remnants created the development of this group. Additionally, it heavily discusses the politics of the time and the repercussions of what it meant to be on the side of the K.K.K and what it meant to not be on their side or what it meant to be a Democrat and what it meant to be a Republican. The book went into great deal about the gruesome acts of the group such as rape, lynching and downright terrorizing anybody or anything that got in the way of their ideals. The book follows the history of the group from the time it started to present day.

Hesse, Karen. (1997). Out of the Dust. New York: Scholastic Inc. 0-590-37125-8.

     This novel is written entirely in verse, therefore falling under the genre of Poetry. The main character in this novel is Billie Jo, a young girl who lives in Oklahoma, trying to survive the Dust Bowl with her family. The theme of this novel is that love prevails in any circumstance. Billie Jo and her father never really got along but they somehow have to in order to survive the death of her mother and her baby brother. This novel successfully combined free verse and rhyme, telling a story of 80 years ago, by using strong imagery.

Lynch, Christopher. (2005). Inexcusable. New York: Ginee Seo Books. 978-0-689-84789-9.

    This novel is in the genre of Contemporary Realistic Fiction. The main character’s name is Keir, he is male and is a senior in high school. The theme of Inexcusable is that one’s mind can be deceiving and can manipulate one to believe things that are not true, so one should be aware of this manipulation and its consequences. The strongest element of this novel was its ability to effectively use a flashback narrative and circular plot type.

A Response to "The Arrival"

This graphic novel was much more difficult to read and understand because it was wordless. Reading this book reminded me a lot of going to an art museum. I have never been one to be able to accurately interpret paintings; I have never been able to deconstruct a painting to see all that it has to offer. Similarly, I was unsure how accurately I understood the images in this novel; therefore, I am unsure how well I understood the narrative. 

From what I was able to understand, the novel portrays an immigrant coming to a new country, perhaps America. I like how scary the novel portrays the land. It leaves one's imagination to wonder if it is actually a fantastical land or if the immigrant man just views the land this way because it is so incredibly foreign to him. 

I appreciated the "friend" he made who was a little white creature, it seemed to be his saving grace. However, I had a hard time figuring out what he was a metaphor for, or if he even was a metaphor. 

Overall, the visuals in this novel were overwhelmingly powerful. I liked that there was this unknown force throughout the novel and it's hard for the audience to decipher what that was. I can assume it is the government or officials constantly trying to keep tabs on the protagonist to make sure he is abiding by the law. 

             I think this novel would be very suitable for adolescents. It allows them to interpret without the limitations of text. I can envision many activities that could stem from this novel, including having students create dialogue for the novel. Additionally, I think this novel appeals greatly to visually learners. 

A Response to "American Born Chinese"

Reading this text was my first true encounter with graphic novels. I have read a few comic strips here and there, and I have read excerpts from graphic novels but that was it. My first encounter with this genre was a very positive one. One of the challenges of reading this novel was I had to return to my childhood roots. I am not used to reading words with constant pictures and then having to associate and combine these two things. However, once I got used to it, I truly enjoyed the novel. 

I appreciated the theme that I have encountered with most of the books I have read for this class: identity. Once again I like that this adolescent encounters being "different" yet being the similar. In other words, Jin, just like the rest of his classmates deals with his feelings for girls, not getting along with his parents, and trying to fit in. I appreciated that as a young adult graphic novel, there is something to be said about identity; however, I thought it was sad that there weren't any characters besides Wei-Chen that tried to connect with Jin's struggles; there weren't characters that attempted to understand his history or culture. Instead, most of them just laughed in ignorance. As sad as this was to me, this may be the reality of minority young adults. However, I think it is the job of the young adult novel to challenge what is considered "normal." I do not think this graphic novel did this well. 

However, to give the book some merit, considering it is a graphic novel, I think the graphics deserve some mentioning. I loved the way the graphics exaggerated the stereotypes. This, in turn, flipped these stereotypes on their sides and made them more visible, making it possible for the audience to see just how ridiculous and inaccurate these assumptions and ways of seeing people are. For instance, when the audience is introduced to the cousin, "chin-kee," the audience witnesses a lot of stereotypes. 

His luggages, for example, are take-out boxes from an Asian cuisine restaurant. He has buckteeth and spits as he talks. I found that within the realm of the graphic novel, this stereotype had the opportunity to make an even more powerful impression on its young readers both positively and negatively. 

Similar to fantasy and science fiction novels, I think this text and graphic novels alike, have the ability to offer adolescents a way into the bigger issues of society which can be more engaging than other genres. Additionally, the novel did a good job within this genre of bringing three seemingly different stories together at the end. Similar to The Underneath, this story offers the idea that we are all a lot more connected than we give ourselves credit for. 

A Response to "The Giver"

With an extremely rich and complex text such as the giver, it's hard to choose where to begin. This novel has such an intense message to send its young readers, yet it does so in an approachable manner by starting off with the basics. For instance, informing the audience of the norms of the society of the novel, such as what ages get what and when they get it. Then, it displays how norms are challenged and broken. Simple, but brilliant. I related to this novel on many levels. Including the feeling that Jonas has of isolation when no one else can relate to him.  


After reading this novel again after many years, I noticed something I did not before: the political statement this book is making. A comment on corrupt government, this book relates to the science fiction novel, The Hunger Games. I noticed several similarities between this novel and THG actually. I noticed the amount of control and power both novels talked about. In THG, the government controls the amount of food you can eat and the lives of your children (interestingly, not that far off from our government). Although the audience sees this happening in The Giver as well, The Giver shows a government that is much more powerful mostly because of its subtleness with its power. The people (save the giver and Jonas) don't truly know what they are missing (color, for example, or the fact that "being released" is actually quite a horrible thing called death) because their government does not inform them of such things. One last similarity I noticed between the two novels was the community assemblies. Both assemblies determine the rest of these humans' lives at such a young age. There is also the communal aspect, which we don't experience in our lives as much. 


I found this book to be somewhat of a comment on communism. I do not know if this was Lois Lowry's intention, but there are aspects of the novel that suggest so. For instance, the attempt to mostly eradicate class through the eradication of difference. The government went so far as to erase feelings and relationships amongst its citizens, this way, (ideally) everyone is equal and no one has an advantage. There is an exception to this however, which challenges the question of whether or not Lowry was making a comment about communism and its faults, and that is the different titles in the town. Such as the laborers and birthmothers who are frowned down upon. 


Additionally, there could be a comment about the postmodern society we live in. For example, she flips society on its side, or rather makes situations extreme, in order to make a comment about our current society. There is also this idea of the citizens constantly being watched and talked at, with the speakers and the planes that fly overhead. In turn, this makes the citizens well aware that they need to act a certain way because they are constantly being watched. 


The most powerful, yet tragic, part of this entire novel is when Jonas discovers love (126-127). He realizes what it is and then asks his parents if they love him. His parents dismiss this question and tell him it is inappropriate to ask such things. It was in this moment that I saw Lowry making a comment on our destiny. Similar to The Eye, The Ear and The Arm, which is comprised largely of computers, robots, and inanimate objects, Lowry seems to be saying that we are destined to be emotionless beings if we try to block out any sort of emotions as a way of dealing with our problems. 

A Response to "The Ear, The Eye and The Arm"

It is clear that General Matsika is protective of his children because he is aware of what the outside world has to offer and the ways in which it can harm his children. It is clear that family means a great amount to him and he even realizes after they run away his mistakes, stating, "why, why didn't I let them grow up?" (51). He realizes that in his attempt to protect them, he only hurt them. The idea of, "love makes us do crazy things" is prevalent in the way the author portrays the Father in the book. This emphasis on family was something that helped me relate to this book immensely. 


Although this is a science fiction novel (and beyond the importance of family I couldn't relate to much) I noticed that I could relate to the nostalgic feeling felt by those who developed the country of "Resthaven." I appreciated the sentiment of wanting to hold on to a piece of history because of its certainty. Meaning, there is no wonder of how things will change in the society or how others will influence this society because this type of society has already lived that out and knows the answers. They know and dream of a "simpler time." They also know that the outside world has very little effect on them. Although somewhat a source of denial, I was able to connect to this desire to maintain a moment in time. 


One of the strongest characters in the novel was Rita. I truly enjoyed her strength as a young female. I appreciated that she had a strong female role model (her mom, having a good career and education) and the activities planned out for the children (such as martial arts) were not discriminatory towards her gender. I found that as the children went on the adventure they always wanted, they were able to truly see what the world was. The stories the Mellower had been sharing were that of fiction and only that. I thought the false pretenses through which the children entered the real world with ill-prepared them for the encounters they would make. I find this especially true with Rita, who was appalled at how she was treated because of her gender. In particular, Rita states: "It's alright for you...you're a boy . You get to lie around listening to stories. I have to scrub the floor, wash clothes...you may be in love with traditional life, but women and babies used to die in those wonderful old-fashioned villages" (126-128). I found that Rita was an extremely strong character. The irony of this story is that Rita, along with her brothers, is actually a really strong being and it is because of her upbringing that she were able to fight her way and survive. 

A Response to "The Underneath"

Next to The Book Thief, this was my favorite book so far. I connected to this book mostly because I am such a dog lover and a cat lover. This book reminded me a lot of The People Could Fly in that it read like folklore, mostly because of the talking and feeling animals. There were also clear morals in place. I therefore felt that adolescents would enjoy this book greatly because of its nature(pun intended). The moral that resonated with me the most was the paradoxical nature of humanity. Humans exist in a hostile world, yet, it is a world that is desirable. The snakes in the story wanted so badly to be apart of human nature, yet human nature is full of heartache, such as death. However, at the same time, the dog and cats experienced heartache, just as the humans did. I appreciated that it showed both the animals and the humans being cruel but what it really boiled down to was love. In the end (spoiler alert!) the snake sees love even though she is still miserable. This love causes her to not act on her bitterness and instead, to die, allowing others to live happily. This story seems extremely cheesy. A story about love, really? However, I would recommend this story for adolescents because of its storytelling abilities and the way it presents a story about love.


Although I found "love" to be the most prominent moral of this story, some other issues are here to study as well; issues such as class and race. The Underneath seems to be making a commentary on these issues and the ways the government deals with them (or doesn't).  


As I mentioned before, I am unfamiliar with the fantasy genre. I would not have placed The Underneath in this genre. Therefore, I was shocked when I started reading this book to find out that this was in the fantasy genre. Because of this book, I think I will explore this genre. To be honest, I assumed it to be filled with books that were only in the realm of The Lord of the Rings (not my cup of tea). 


Finally, another one of the merits of this book are the small chapters that bounce back and forth between the different situations or perspectives of the forest. Similar to the film, Crash (2004), the lives of these humans and creatures all find a way to merge in the end. I find this to be a very strong technique because it provides the message that we are all connected; we should help one another because we don't know when we'll need someone to return the favor. 

A Response to "Voices"

Voices had themes of resilience and resistance,these were themes I could appreciate and recognize. It was quite apparent that through this fantastical novel that Ursula K Le Guin was commenting on the oppressor and the oppressed. Similar to science fiction novels, such as The Hunger Games, there is a comment about corrupt government working within this novel. Fortunately, it becomes a tangible theme for students and adolescents because it is within the framework of the fantasy genre. In other words, put in a contemporary, realistic setting, some of these ideas or themes may not come across as easily to students. However, placed in an unknown or otherwise unimagined setting, students suddenly grasp the theme. 


I appreciated the idea that knowledge is power, which means knowledge is dangerous. The amount of control the Alds have just because they perceive something to be wrong is a frightening idea to explore with students. This was something that worked well with this novel and it is a theme I could potentially see myself using with adolescents. 


I was able to connect slightly to the female characters who were oppressed by the men in power in the novel. I could relate to Memer feeling the need to disguise her identity in fear that something unfavorable would happen should she choose not to. However, for the most part, this novel was extremely difficult to relate to my own life. 


Overall, I did not care for this book. As a newcomer to the fantasy genre (save Harry Potter) I was quite disappointed with my first encounter. I felt I did not understand a majority of the plot and I did not really find a point to it all. Yes, there are the themes I mentioned above. However, the plot was quite boring to me and it did not carry these themes well. After 341 pages, I was not really sure what I had just read. Although the names of the characters were interesting, I was unsure of how these characters truly related to one another. The character development was extremely weak in my opinion. Additionally, even after the government and the setting were explained, I was still confused about the motivations of the characters or why they were in the situations that they were in. 

A Response to "My Name Is..."

This collection of stories, "My Name Is..." was difficult to read. I found myself thinking about my childhood and the fact that I had one; mine was not taken away from me; stolen from me. I was appalled that these kids were (in most of the stories)in the middle of living their lives when they were attacked or forced to leave. I cannot imagine being uprooted like that. I appreciate that this text asks its readers to think about stereotypes that are associated with refugees, particularly those from Somalia. I found the female voices in this piece particularly powerful, especially Aways Naji's story (11). 


This novel was particularly memorable because of the repetition of the phrase "My name is," it really breaks stereotypes by giving identity to those who are struggling, instead of simply generalizing these refugees in a group by saying, "somalis are struggling." What is especially useful about this text, Tangled Threads, and The Absolutely True Diary of the Part-Time Indian, is that is offers a story about identity struggle. These refugees express the struggle with having to help their parents and protect their families once in America in addition to trying to figure out who they are as individuals in this new place or new country. I think this offers adolescents a lot to relate to, it offers a mirror in something seemingly unrelated to their lives. 

A Response to " Tangled Threads"

I loved that this story allowed for the audience to truly see the journey of a refugee. Although the audience did not see the entire struggle of Mai, the audience did see her in her original camp and then witnessed every step of the way as she endured her journey. The theme that resonated with me most, was the theme of resilience. For most of the readers that encounter this text, and myself, this text does not reflect the world as I know it. Instead, this text acts as a window into the life of a refugee. As I read this story, I realized that I know so little about a community that lies within my own community and that is, the Hmong community. As I read this book, I started to wonder why there are so little memoirs, non-fiction, or fiction stories regarding this subject matter when it is such a large part of not only Minnesota's culture and history, but America's as well. 


This book is memorable because it deals with the horrors of war, including, rape, displacement, famine, hunger and violence. I think what makes this book especially memorable is that America was involved with this war and often times, we do not consider the repercussions, or are ill informed of the repercussions, of this war. This novel speaks very strongly to the culturally diverse literature. It allows its readers to see into a culture that seems so intangible, yet it is because as Americans, this is our history. I appreciated that the novel spoke about Minnesota, if I were an adolescent reader, I would appreciate the recognition of my community. As an educator that plans on teaching in the urban setting, I think this novel is extremely beneficial for students because of the Twin Cities' large population of refugees. This novel therefore offers both windows and mirrors for adolescent students. A lot of students will be able to relate and share their similar stories, whereas other students will be offered a window into a likely unknown struggle. 

Technology in Education 2

photo credit: public domain google image

As teachers, we need to recognize that there are resources out there that are not just "by the book." A lot of good information is (of course) on the internet but more importantly, information from our fellow teachers, scholars and colleagues from all over the world exists on the internet. Teachers help each other out; they want to share their wealth of knowledge. There are websites such as slideshare, discovery education, and ted that allow teachers to converse about education, share lesson plans and ideas for the classroom. 


Technology also helps us as teachers because there are many "how to" videos available. Such as "how to teach creative drama", there are also entire seminars available online through the youtube education site such as this one:

video credit: youtube user thenewschoolnyc 

Overall, I think it is important to recognize that there are resources for teachers from teachers and that there are websites used specifically for these resources. 

Technology in Education 1

photo credit: public domain google image 

I find that as teachers, one of our most important jobs is to stay up to date with technology so we can be well-versed in the language our students are speaking outside of school. One way to do this is to incorporate technology into our everyday classroom. More specifically, technology can be a huge part of our assessment strategies. By using models such as facebook® and wikispaces, as a way of creating summative assessments, students are more engaged because these are technologies they encounter in their everyday life. By merging things like wikipedia and facebook into classroom assessment, students are motivated to participate because they are familiar with these media literacies. 

A Response to "The Circuit"

The book, "The Circuit," was a great autobiographical account of a migrant child. I appreciated the way it was told from the point of view from a child. It is interesting seeing the way he interpreted the difficulties his family endured and how intuitive he was to what was happening all around him. When I was seven years old, we moved twice in one year and I attended three different schools. I though my 3rd grade year was the hardest thing I had ever encountered. However, I am humbled after reading this story because my one difficult year proved to be the ongoing reality for the narrator of "The Circuit," and many other migrant families. I think this is one major and powerful theme or moral this book has to offer: be grateful for what you are given. I loved the emphasis on family in this book and how there were constant descriptions of how the family kept their home and family together. 


Throughout the book, the reader notices the narrator's appreciation for the little things such as his notebook he writes words in, his penny collection and the neighbor's goldfish he likes to watch. In particular, I found the goldfish especially intriguing because it seemed to be a metaphor for the struggles the narrator had as a Mexican immigrant compared to the luxurious lifestyle of those who his family worked for. There is a scene where the narrator attempts to help a grey fish that is suffocating after there has been some flooding. He brings the grey fish to his neighbor's house in hopes that they will place the grey fish in the bowl with the goldfish. The narrator discovers that they have indeed put the grey fish in there, however, the grey fish remains still, seemingly unhappy, in the bowl while the goldfish seems to happily move about the bowl (40). I found this passage to be a metaphor for the narrator. The narrator acts as the grey fish and those who do not struggle to survive, act as the goldfish, moving about happily and unworried.


This book spoke true to the memoir genre. It allowed the audience to focus on one individual and his family during a particular hardship. Similar to House on Mango Street, I thought this book  was written in a series of snapshots; highlighting the important occurrences in this boy's experience. 

A Response to "A Long Way Gone"

This book spoke eloquently to the violence in Sierra Leone. Not only did it speak to the violence in this country, it spoke to the fate of a child in a war with country: becoming a child soldier. Although I was unable to personally relate to the horrendous occurrences of a child soldier, I was able to realize that as a reader of this memoir, I have a responsibility and that responsibility is to not only react to the story but also act. Memoirs such as these that share tales that make our stomachs turn are meant to make us want to act. After reading this memoir, I realized that I do not know much about Sierra Leone and the violence occurring there. I also thought about what I can do to get involved with helping stop the violence, perhaps by joining the UNICEF organization. But the first step is listening to the stories of those affected by the violence.

This memoir spoke vividly about pain. The story was a roller-coaster of emotional and physical pain. Ishmael speaks about this pain: "one of the unsettling things about my journey, mentally, physically, and emotionally, was that I wasn't sure when or where it was going to end. I didn't know what I was going to do with my life. I was starting over and over again. I was always on the move, always going somewhere," (69). This journey he speaks of is a great lesson for adolescents, one that I think they would respond to well. This memoir speaks about jumping hurdles and survival. Although most adolescents may not be able to relate to the difficulties Ishmael faced and overcame, they can recognize his struggle and then act on the struggle; they can figure out a way to help with the violence.

One of the most intense parts of the story is in when Ishmael joins the army. It is clear that Ishmael turns into an emotionless being: " I was not afraid of these lifeless bodies...the sharp aches in my head, or what I later came to know as migraines, stopped as my daily activities were replaced with more soldierly things...I took turns at the guarding posts around the village smoking marijuana and sniffing brown brown, cocaine mixed with gun powder" (119-121). It is during this haze that Ishmael turns violent without a worry in the world. I find this incredibly moving. Later on, he talks about how this was a way of survival (199). I found his vulnerability and rawness in writing this book spoke true to the memoir genre. Without Ishmael's vivid account, it would not have been as powerful and it would not have had as great of an impact. 

A Response to "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World"

I truly enjoyed this non-fiction piece. I am such a history channel lover and this book seemed to fit perfectly with what I love watching on the history channel. Most of the time, I found myself shivering for the characters and suddenly felt claustrophobic, thinking about constantly being surrounded by snow. I found that several themes resonated with me as I read this book. There was the theme of camaraderie among the men, I loved that they seemed to care for one another even in, as the author explained, "the most hostile environment this side of the moon" (Armstrong 1). I also really appreciated the amount of compassion the men had, especially Shackleton. It seemed like his passion turned into the passion of his crew and I find that anyone that has that kind of an influence on someone is extremely powerful. Finally, this story shared with the audience a very important theme, that it's not the destination; it's the journey.  


This book is memorable as a piece of literature because it speaks of heroes. I found that, unlike some non-fiction I have encountered, the story seemed extremely objective. This should be the goal of the non-fiction genre; to remain as subjective as possible, and this book managed quite well. I thought the story candidly exposed a lot about history, adventure, danger and simply the human spirit. This book did an wonderful job getting the audience to recognize the hard work that went into such a voyage. It expressed the planning of the voyage in such a way that made the voyage seem that much more wonderful when the crew made it home safely after such a troubling journey. For instance, on page 8, they talk about the amount of supplies they had to bring with them for the journey. I think the passion of the "boss" made this story plentiful, suddenly because of this real live character, the story had a lot of depth. This non-fiction piece would work really well with adolescents. I found that the story was easy enough to follow and did not read as blandly as a History textbook. Instead, this book accomplished telling tale after tale about feat after feat made on the journey. It is a story of adventure but one that actually happened in real life! I think Jennifer Armstrong did a wonderful job of sharing with audiences a story of heroism that needed to be told. I think most of my future students would agree. 

A Response to "Esperanza Rising"

I immediately had a connection with the main character, Esperanza, because I too lost my father at a somewhat young age, around the time of my birthday. Although following my father's death I did not experience something as horrible as my house burning down, I did have the sense that my world was crumbling around me. In comparison to The Book Thief, I had trouble grounding this novel in the genre of "Historical Fiction." I found that this novel did a really good job of being timeless, meaning, it was relatable in any time period. However, the only way I truly knew the time period was because it stated it at the beginning of the book and then did not mention it again. 


I really appreciated the way Esperanza was forced into experiencing the lives of "the peasants" and in doing so, she became an extremely humble person and over time had a sense of humility toward others. Related to this experience, I loved the figurative language she uses to describe the relationship between Miguel and herself: "Miguel was the housekeeper's son and she was the ranch owner's daughter and between them ran a deep river" Esperanza stood on one side and Miguel stood on the other and the river could never be crossed"(18). 


At one point Miguel points to the idea of capitalism saying, "[in the United States] even the poorest man can become rich if he works hard enough"(75). I found this to be powerful because it speaks to the American Dream and how immigrants envision the United States and sometimes, working hard is an understatement of just how hard immigrants work to gain citizenship in "the greatest nation on Earth." 


I found it difficult to sympathize for Esperanza, instead, I pitied her. Although her character eventually grew to be a better person, her princessdum was quite irritating initially. I really hated the way Esperanza looked down on others who had less than her. Although there may have been some truth into her culture, I found that I despised the way she judged people but then I appreciated the irony of others placing judgment on Esperanza once she arrived in the United States. This flip of events allowed Esperanza's character to grow. I thought Ryan did a great job of showing how an individual through triumph of character can accomplish a great amount in their life. 

A Response to "The Book Thief"

This book was my favorite book so far. The book was incredibly powerful, I'm not sure where to begin. One thing that really resonated with me, was that it offered a perspective of World War II and Nazi Germany I have not seen before. Until now, I mostly just read about this time period from the perspective of a Jewish person before, during, and after the war, and from the perspective of Americans back at home and in the war. This perspective was unique and incredibly enthralling. I could relate to the way in which Liesel found comfort in words and books. I find that, like Liesel, I can escape to fictional texts in difficult times. Throughout the novel, I found Liesel and her foster parents' compassionate relationships with one another such to be such a powerful lesson to the readers of the story: strong relationships will carry you through anything, even war. 


As a historical fiction piece, I found this novel did a really good job of subtly pointing to the facts of the time. By having the narrator (the grim reaper)tell the story, whose focus was on Liesel, we see the war in a new light, one that allows us into how others dealt with and felt about the world during the war. I appreciated the subtly, for instance, when Liesel hears her foster parents talking about her mother. As audience members, we don't entirely know what has happened to her mother. We can assume that she has not survived a concentration camp but the novel effectively allows us to wonder by only offering a conversation had by Liesel's foster parents which was overheard by Liesel (95).


History also subtly, but effectively, sneaks in for instance, with the mentioning of people's names and how powerful a name can be. On page 61, Rudy's father talks about his, "safe blue eyes" and on page 31 the narrator mentions that, "you didn't really want brown eyes in Germany around that time." Although the narrator does not go into great deal about these ideas, as readers, we are offered the opportunity to make the connections between the time period and what these things mean in context. 


The last historical reference that I found the most powerful was the power and impact the book Mein Kampf had on the lives of the characters in the book. I found it interesting that Hans's son made an emphasis on the book saying, "And what trash is this girl reading? She should be reading Mein Kampf" (105). And the book also temporarily saved the life of Max. I couldn't believe how much impact a book could have, then I got to thinking about how Hitler, one man, had the same powerful effect. No matter how many times I study this subject, I find myself appalled, terrified and disgusted that so many people could die because of one person's idea and ignorance. 

A Response to "The House on Mango Street"

As a female, I could really relate to the femininity presented in the novel. This was one theme that resonated with me. Similar to Sold or Out of the Dust, which were written in verse, I love the way this novel was written in vignettes. This allowed the story to really focus the points attempting to be made. I also loved the way the narrator introduced the audience to so many different people in her life. In this way, as a reader, we were really able to engage with the way she lived on Mango Street.


As a piece of multicultural literature, this novel did a good job of allowing the audience to witness the hardship of a minority. I also could appreciate the emphasis made on woman, their bodies, and the way they are supposed to act in their culture and community. In particular, a few passages come to mind. Right away in the vignette titled, My Name, the narrator mentions how she is named after her great-grandmother stating: "I have inherited her name but I don't want to inherit her place in the window" (11). She says later on: "what matters, Marin says, is for the boys to see us and for us to see them" (27). There is such an emphasis made on these young bodies and sexuality. I found it interesting, however, that despite her attitude towards not subjecting to a man, she objectifies her body: "Lucy, Rachel, me tee-tottering like so. Down to the corner where the men can't take their eyes off us" (40). 


I thought it was powerful the way the author allows us into Esperanza's intimate feeling towards her neighborhood; her resentment, and then in the end, in the vignette, Alicia & I Talking on Edna's Steps, her friend helps her realize that someday she'll want to return and be proud to say that house was hers. This is made clear by the last lines in the novel: "They will not know I have gone away to come back. For the ones I left behind. For the ones who cannot out" (110). 

A Response to "Monster"

I loved the way this book was written, in screenplay format. I found it interesting that the narrator had to write the story this way as a way to cope with his horrendous time spent in jail. Although I could not relate to this experience specifically, I found that I could relate to dealing with pain. We all deal with situations and pain in a different way. I found this to be an interesting way for the author to convey this story through his pain. 


As a piece of "Multicultural Literature" I felt as though it did not address the stereotypes of African American males. This can be a positive notion and a negative one. If this were to be taught from the standpoint of Multicultural Literature, I would find myself wondering how this falls into that category. I had trouble recognizing how this novel could act as a piece of Multicultural Literature. 


This novel did a great job of making the audience feel just as depressed as the narrator. A few times throughout the novel I could feel his pain. For instance, on page 95 the narrator says, "they laughed. It must have been funny." This passage creates the message that the narrator has lost the ability to feel anything joyous, it truly reflects how he feels. I found this to be extremely powerful. 


I particularly love the end of this book when the jury concludes that Steve is not guilty and he describes the way in which his dad and O'Brien look at him. He asks the question whose answer seems to be unequivocally the answer of the book, "what did she see?" This almost rhetorical question leaves the readers wanting more. 

A Response to: "The People Could Fly"

"The People Could Fly" was such a pleasant read because of its storytelling abilities and qualities. I love how each tale had a moral to be taught. Of course all stories have a theme or moral that needs to be taught. However, these stories were short and the moral (most of the time)was much more blatant, sort of "kid-friendly." Something this book opened my mind up to was not only the genre of folklore, but more specifically, the genre of folklore from a global perspective. My knowledge of folklore is very limited and from what I can remember reading as a child, the folklore spoke to a white, European, history, it neglected culture anywhere outside of that. For future reading, I would love to read a collection of folklore that involved all cultures, this would make it fun to compare and contrast the different types of folklore from different nations or people. However, although I could not directly relate to the history involved in these stories, they were quite nostalgic and invoked in me the folklores I was familiar with. 


The colloquial nature of the text made these stories more visible and more apt to being read out loud. Not just read out loud, but told in an improv manner. As I read I could see someone reading it, standing in front of a bunch of people or children and performing the stories, without the text in their hands. I loved the way these stories could reach any age group. The first section in particular was probably tailored more toward a very young age group, however, people of all ages have something to take away from those stories. However, I found that some of the "lessons" or morals of the story were hard to develop. For instance, I found "Papa John's Tall Tale", among others, to be quite pointless. Maybe the point of this one was for pure entertainment? Maybe there was not a lesson to be taught?


As the book progressed, as a reader, I became more and more indulged in the reading. In particular, the section that stuck out to me the most was the section entitled, "Carrying the Running-Aways." I found these to be the most tangible because they were more realistic than the other folklores. 

"Sold": A brilliant piece of work.

This book of verse written by Patricia McCormick is by far my favorite book we've read. It reminded me a great deal of the movie Slumdog Millionaire and the documentary, Born into Brothels. Although I have never been to India after seeing the movie,Slumdog Millionaire,  I often found myself wondering how and if these things were true and could actually happen in the world. I know it sounds ignorant, but it is so horrible, it is hard to picture it. After seeing the documentary, Born into Brothels, my eyes opened quite a bit. I was also able to connect to this book through my sister's experience in India. She went there for a year of her high school career and told us about her real life experience with what I've only seen in these movies. She spoke to the truth of these movies and how it affected her. I found the message this book had about sex trafficking to be extremely powerful and it once again taught me something new about the world outside of Saint Paul, MN.

This book, written entirely in verse, told a tragic story in such a beautiful way. Even in the midst of her torture, Lakshmi draws the audience in with her pain written out so beautifully. One vignette in particular titled, "A City Girl" speaks to her experience in an extremely powerful way: " I see my face reflected in a sliver glass on the wall. Another Lakshmi looks back at me. She has black-rimmed tiger eyes, a mouth red as pomegranate, and flowing hair like the tiny gold-pants woman in the TV" (101). 

There is another moment in the book that uses such an eerie metaphor is the vignette titled "Remote Control." This verse compares Lakshmi's experience at night, when the men come in, to the operations of a remote control and a TV: "Sometimes, I pretend that what goes on at night when the customers are here is not something that is happening to me. I pretend it is a TV show that I am watching from far, far away" (157). I thought this was so interesting because she uses this method of pretending as a coping mechanism and yet, it acted as such a well written metaphor.I found the remote control and television metaphor to be very eerie because these are things she did not have or need in her hometown, yet here she is relying on them to survive: to cope. 

This book of verse did a very good job of telling a story that needed to be told in order to inform its audience of sex trafficking. I think it was important that this book told a story in a nontraditional manner because it helped inform the audience in such a way that they could view the problem in a different light, perhaps making it more relatable. 

"Joyful Noise"

As I read "Joyful Noise," I returned to my childhood a little bit, but it wasn't really my childhood actually, it was just a childhood. This book of poems has the potential to be sweet and innocent, however, I found it to be irrelevant to my interests. Part of my indifference comes from the fact that I think this book is inappropriate for adolescents, its poems seem to speak to a much younger crowd. 


Although I find this book to be inappropriate for adolescents, I find this book to have a great deal of merit. The theme that resonates with me is that there is an abundance of life all around us and it is important to pay attention to even the smallest bit of life. This book definitely exemplified the use of free verse in poetry, additionally, the poems that used rhyme did so very well. I found that the free verse poems paired next to one another worked well, but only when read with a person out loud. It worked well because it was extremely musical. It provided harmony, which poetry usually cannot intentionally do. 


One poem in particular stuck out to me was, "The Moth's Serenade." I liked this poem because it was very dramatic with words such as "plight." This poem also showed a very deep relationship between the insect and the light, the light is the insects lifeline, this also proves to be very dramatic. In particular, the first stanza includes an excellent simile: "I drink your light like nectar. This simile creates a deep imagery of this insect depending on the light so deeply. 


Overall, although this book would definitely not be my first choice, I found its poems to be relaxing and musical, which is exactly what should occur in poetry. 

A Response to "Looking For Alaska" by John Green

This book had the theme of "Life is too short." However, what stuck with me and was interesting about this theme being applied in this book, was that the characters did not really take too much for granted. They lived in the moment and embraced their rebelliousness as a way of being apart of a community. 

I really appreciated the way John Green created the culture of this boarding school. Having absolutely no experience with boarding school personally, I found that it was similar to college except that these kids, even though they were put into adult situations and dealt with adult problems, were still very young and left to deal with these problems without the help of their parents. 

The most memorable part of this book was the narrator, Pudge. I loved how vulnerable his character was. He went to Culver Creek without having any friends or really having the confidence to make new friends. The second he gets to Culver Creek, he gets a nickname, which seems to be a necessity for the entrance into any sort of social circle. He immediately falls into the norms of the group, smoking, drinking, eating bufriedos. He then becomes completely infatuated with Alaska and her library, her beauty and all of her baggage. His character comes to Culver Creek with a bunch of "last words" but that seems to be pretty much it, he leaves at the end of the school year with a sense of belonging because he allowed himself to be vulnerable. Somehow, although his friends influenced him to do things that go against what the dominant adults of the novel expect and some social norms we as readers experience, the audience is left with a comfortable feeling that these "adult" experiences have shaped this young man. He now has a better understanding of himself and the world, which he now belongs: Culver Creek. 

I found that again and again, these kids were thinking, feeling and acting like adults, even in the midst of all their "pranking." In particular, when they shared their best/worst day stories. I found Pudge's reflections on Alaska's worst day to be beyond his years by far: "when she cried and told me that she fucked everything up, I knew what she meant now. And when she said she failed everyone, I knew whom she meant. It was the everything and everyone of her life, and so I could not help but imagine it: I imagined a scrawny eight-year-old with dirty fingernails, looking down at her mother convulsing. So she sat down with her dead-or-maybe-not-mother, who I imagine was not breathing by then but wasn't cold either. And in the time between dying and death a little Alaska sat with her mother in silence. And then through the silence and my drunkenness, I caught a glimpse of how she might have been. She must have come to feel so powerless...there comes a time when we realize that our parents cannot save themselves or save us, that everyone who wades through time eventually gets dragged out to sea by the undertow-that, in short, we are all going" (Green 120). 

Although a lengthy passage, I think it illustrates the fact that young adults can often have the mature thoughts of an adult. He made connections and took in a story about death, he reflected on it in an incredibly mature way. This passage, illustrates what this novel has to offer for young adults, a sense of respect for what they have to offer in the real world. An affirmation that yes, you can be taken seriously and yes your issues are worth hearing and they are important.