The Ear, The Eye and The Arm

I've never been a huge fan of science fiction, but this book has me second guessing that notion.

One day, in the year 2194, Tendai, Rita and Kuda set out on what is supposed to be a simple, innocent day trek for a scout badge. It turns out to be the biggest adventure of their life time, full of trouble, crime and mysterious folk. The way the past and the future are tied together is incredibly fascinating, and definitely gives you a different perspective into how different cultural pasts have transformed (and will continue to transform) over time. The Ear, The Eye, And The Arm definitely requires to step outside of yourself and see things from a totally different perspective.

One of the most interesting things in the novel was the feel that Tendai, Kuda and Rita are living in a post-racial world. The Mellower is given a race, but he is also from a tribe, and has been inhabited by a spirit of a different tribe despite his physical appearance. There is no greater or lesser value placed on him because of his skin color. There aren't any racial signifiers to describe Tendai, Kuda and Rita other than what is given in context (their African ancestry is a hint, as well as the italicized words), although the three detectives are briefly described in racial terms.

Other interesting topics that come up are environmental issues, authority issues, things related to coming of age and the idea of a Utopia.

Personally, I enjoyed the novel. I feel like it is laced with a variety of things to discuss in a book group or as a class or even just with your family. I read this book out loud to my little sister (who is 10) and she loved it. She is an accelerated reader (reading at almost a 10th grade level) so I wouldn't recommend this book for most 10 year olds, but I would definitely use it with middle and high school aged youth.

The Hunger Games

Living in a post-apocalyptic world, Katniss and the other inhabitants of the various districts are forced to participate in constant reminders of the punishment appropriated to those who rebel against their government. As book one in a trilogy, it paves the way for conflict, romance, loss, uprising, revenge and more.

There are a lot of interesting aspects to The Hunger Games. Katniss is a tomboyish female lead character, who trapes around with a bow and arrow, hunting and trading on the black market to support her family. She has a serious attitude, but despite her somewhat awkward and rigid nature in the beginning of the trilogy, the reader still is invited in to get to know her. After you've invested the time in getting to know Katniss, you can't put the book down. Katniss is definitely a character that anyone can connect with and relate to, boy or girl.

Despite the novel's somewhat predictable nature, there are enough moments of suspense and surprise to leave the reader satisfied. There are also pretty heavy (and easily accessible) themes of living in an economic depression, isolation, starvation, oppression and corrupt governments. The novel also plays with traditional gender roles - this is especially evident in the portrayals of Katniss and Peeta - as well as others, like Cinna.

The Hunger Games is an "I can't put this down" cover to cover read, and the other two books in the trilogy are equally as addicting. The books take you on an emotional ride that leaves you with a new appreciation for those who have endured a rebellion against government oppression, and also a deeper appreciation for the value of individuals in society.

Voices - Ursula Le Guin

Books. They have always been at the heart of many great conflicts, haven't they? Want to suppress a people? Take their written language, smother their voices. Want to control the way they think and feel about the world? Control the literature they are allowed to read. There is the message and recognition that books are powerful, and shouldn't be hidden away, banned, burned, censored, etc. But, that is not really the message I got from Voices, it was more just a thought floating around the back of my mind.

Memer's story (which I suppose is more than the story of Memer) speaks more to the idea that there is good and bad in everyone and that, even in times of war, it is better to try and understand them to try and retaliate. I don't really know how I feel about that, though. On some level that's like asking the Jewish people to understand the Nazi's (and vice versa), or like trying to talk a great many Americans into understanding Middle Eastern terrorists. Maybe it would be helpful for healing, but it doesn't ever make things okay: just because you understand someone doesn't necessarily mean you agree with them, or that it leads to the solving of any type of issue.

I feel like this novel can easily be translated into the goings-on of today. Many young people with refugee status may be able to relate to Memer and her people and their situation. Her story is not all that unlike the stories we read in "My Name Is..." or the experiences of Mai in Tangled Threads. In all three of these pieces of literature, there is a shared anger (and hatred) for their oppressors (generally, the people who brought war to their people). I feel like reading a book like Voices might be a good way to introduce the topic of war and refugees into the classroom, and then maybe move into a text like A Long Way Gone or Tangled Threads as a way of better understanding our own community. This novel easily relates to contemporary issues, and is a good way to bring those issues up in class.

Personally, I struggled with the text. I found it difficult to fully immerse myself in Memer's world. While there were certainly some interesting characters (like Orrec and Gry), I struggled to connect. I could see the relevance, but I kept finding myself confused over what was happening. I felt like I wasn't getting enough background. What are Alds? Why are they fighting again? Where did the author come up with these funny words? How do you pronounce this name?

I found it difficult to stay in the text because I needed so much more background information. I felt like I'd been thrown into a foreign land with no idea of how it operated. Maybe that is also a valuable lesson. I felt displaced, probably like many refugees do when they leave their homeland. I did a little digging around and found out that Voices is the companion novel to Gifts, which sounds like it provides to front-loading and background information I was yearning for. While I appreciated the novel, and definitely had moments when I was enjoying it, I would be hesitant to recommend it to others. I think I will read Gifts, and then see how it affects my understanding of Voices. If it changes it all for me, I'll be sure to recommend that they be read together.

A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle

I have a million things I want to say about this book, and somehow I can't find the words to say them. This is somewhat fitting, seeing as a majority of the book is made up of things people cannot say, and communicating through thoughts and feelings. To be honest, the fact that the author was able to illustrate communication of thoughts and feelings through written words is rather impressive.

I appreciated the theme of "things unfamiliar" throughout the novel. I feel like, over all, this is an easily related theme. Everyone has, at one point or another, been in a new place - a new school, a new church, a new sports team, a new job - so the feelings of unfamiliarity and discomfort of being far away from home are easily accessible. I think young readers who have moved between countries may also be able to relate in the way that everything feels foreign, and there are sometimes no words to explain the things going on around them.

While I appreciated the poetic nature of the novel, I struggled with some of the content. Maybe I'm too old a reader for A Wrinkle in Time, or maybe the recent train of ultra-depressing books I've read has left me feeling somewhat pessimistic about the world, but this novel really seemed to push the idea that "love is all you need." If you just love each other, everything will be great! You can save the world with love! You can overcome the darkness of the world with love! Evil and dark things don't have love, and that's how you can conquer them!

That message just didn't sit well with me. You need more than love to fix the problems of the world. Love won't bring your missing parent home - I think that young readers who have had less than an ideal upbringing may feel a lot of "unhappy" emotions when they read this book. It just isn't real. And, sure, it's not supposed to be...but adolescents don't care about genre tags. They want to relate to their readings, and this novel is really only relatable to for a certain audience.

Nevertheless, I really enjoyed the dynamic between Meg and Charles Wallace. It reminded me very much of my own relationship with my younger brother, and it was fun to think about how our interactions were very similar to Meg's and Charles' (although, my younger brother is no child genius). Overall, it was a good read - maybe something I'd suggest as a bedtime story for your 4th - 6th grade children.

My Name Is....

I really appreciated having the opportunity to read "My Name Is....". All too often, the cruel and violent nature of war-torn countries, and the impact of these events, and the trauma experienced by the people of these countries are forgotten. I loved this project because I loved that it gave these students a voice. It gave them the space they needed to discuss their feelings without judgement.

I feel like these kinds of projects can be useful for all students - not just refugees. Giving students a safe space to voice their thoughts and concerns is beneficial to all. In this case, however, the sharing of stories can be grounds for sympathy, empathy, compassion and understanding. I really enjoyed the discussion questions posed at the end of the packet, which provides a springboard for mature discussion around a sensitive topic.

I was sad to read about the traumas that such young people had gone through, and the statistics at the end of the packet were staggering. They were much higher than I had ever imagined. Many of the voices in this particular packet were from East Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. I would have been interested in reading some of the stories of the refugees from Russia and Eastern Europe, because their stories are equally as valid - and they may share common threads with the refugees I was able to read about in "My Name Is....".

Tangled Threads: A Hmong Girl's Story - Pegi Deitz Shea

Tangled Threads is a story full of the trials faced by a young, Hmong refugee. Because I am neither Hmong nor a refugee of any sort, I can not speak to the authenticity or the accuracy of the story, but the way it is written is believable, and takes you for an emotional ride.

Mai's journey really is relatable to a ball of tangled threads. What starts off as Mai coming of age in a refugee camp, as a young Hmong girl, becomes the journey of a young, Hmong girl coming of age into her own culture, as well as into a new culture. It is the story of a young woman trying to find where she fits in her family, cultural community, and wider American community. What starts off as a single thread becomes a ball of tangled threads, but by the end of the book it seems that she is beginning to find a way for these threads to intertwine, instead of tangle.

While much of the story is relatable (we all know a Heather and a Yer), I had some conflicting feelings toward the story. While the author did a great job of introducing the reader to aspects of the Hmong culture, like Pa'ndua, shaman and funeral practices, many times there wasn't much of a follow through. I was very interested in a lot of the things in the novel, but had no clue as to why they happened. I also found myself feeling really uncomfortable about certain aspects of the culture (teenage brides, multiple wives, abuse) that just seemed to be okay.

Ultimately, I found the novel informative and enjoyable. I found it helpful in understanding my adopted siblings who came to this country as older children, and found myself relating their experiences to Mai's. Even though it left me feeling somewhat uncomfortable, I feel like it provides a valuable message, and it's a read I'd recommend to everyone.