It's un milagrito that I even came across this book in the first place. I would never have encountered this text in my lifetime if it weren't for the fact that I'm teaching it this fall.
When I first embarked on the journey to find this novel, I didn't realize exactly what a journey it would be. I knew the book was a little bit older (copyright 2004), but I had no idea it was out of print. I went from used bookstore to used bookstore with no luck. Not even one Barnes and Noble in the entire state had a copy!
It's a good thing we have the internet these days...I visited the Amazon.com gods and they delivered unto me a perfect copy of Finding Miracles. Because the text is out of print, I was pretty skeptical. What could an old book have to offer a class of 13 year olds?
Let me just tell you: I was blown away. This book spoke to me in ways I would never have imagined - and I'm no longer an adolescent. Alvarez's style has a natural rhythm that rocks you ever so gently until you can't decipher whether you're actually living in the book, or your own life. It rocks you gently, but it rocks you nonetheless.
The story of young Milly and her search to find her roots is something I think people of all ages can connect with. We all have a fascination with "where we came from" and "who we are." So many times, I hear students hashing out "I'm 1/4 this and 1/4 that..." as if to justify their existence in a way that is unique to them. We see this same thing happening with Kate - Milly's sister, who is the birthchild of their parents.
I appreciated the natural feel of the relationships between characters. Nothing in this novel felt contrived! I'm so excited to teach it this fall - I know it's a text that the students will love. And, of course, it's left its imprint on me for life.
When I first embarked on the journey to find this novel, I didn't realize exactly what a journey it would be. I knew the book was a little bit older (copyright 2004), but I had no idea it was out of print. I went from used bookstore to used bookstore with no luck. Not even one Barnes and Noble in the entire state had a copy!
It's a good thing we have the internet these days...I visited the Amazon.com gods and they delivered unto me a perfect copy of Finding Miracles. Because the text is out of print, I was pretty skeptical. What could an old book have to offer a class of 13 year olds?
Let me just tell you: I was blown away. This book spoke to me in ways I would never have imagined - and I'm no longer an adolescent. Alvarez's style has a natural rhythm that rocks you ever so gently until you can't decipher whether you're actually living in the book, or your own life. It rocks you gently, but it rocks you nonetheless.
The story of young Milly and her search to find her roots is something I think people of all ages can connect with. We all have a fascination with "where we came from" and "who we are." So many times, I hear students hashing out "I'm 1/4 this and 1/4 that..." as if to justify their existence in a way that is unique to them. We see this same thing happening with Kate - Milly's sister, who is the birthchild of their parents.
I appreciated the natural feel of the relationships between characters. Nothing in this novel felt contrived! I'm so excited to teach it this fall - I know it's a text that the students will love. And, of course, it's left its imprint on me for life.
