National Book Festival and When You Reach Me

I haven't blogged in a while, but I have continued reading. And I have also continued my deviations from the original list...

In September, I had the privilege of attending the National Book Festival in Washington DC. For Citizen Schools, I have been teaching a Story Time apprenticeship and thus I've been working closely with the Henderson Youth Services librarian. I told her that A Wrinkle in Time is one of my favorite books. She said if I liked that book then I should try When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead. The book did not disappoint.

When You Reach Me centers around Miranda, a young girl living in New York whose life drastically changes when her best friend Sal gets punched by a kid they don't know. She gets mysterious messages from someone who talks of saving people's lives and talks about things that don't make sense until they actually happen. A Wrinkle in Time is a favorite book among several of the characters and the concepts of time and space proposed by A Wrinkle in Time feed heavily into the book's events.

What I really appreciated about When You Reach Me was not just a nod to one of my childhood favorites, but the deeper themes that run through it. So much in Miranda's interactions with other people changes. And what the reader and Miranda realize is that these changes were necessary and made things better. For me personally, I have a hard time with changing relationships. Even reflecting on this book now, I know I still am not in a place where I handle changing relationships well. It makes me a little sad that this little girl is able to do so, but at the same time, it gives me hope that I can one day do the same.

At the National Book Festival, I had the privilege of meeting Rebecca Stead and getting her to sign my copy. It may be really geeky to say this, but it was an awesome experience to get to tell her that I appreciated how she used A Wrinkle in Time. Madeline L'Engle's book was a huge part of my childhood that just really inspired my love for reading and made me want to be more adventurous, caring and virtuous. I never imagined that modern books that pondered on my childhood favorites would inspire me as an adult, but I am happy to say I was wrong. And being able to share that with an author who is living (since I can't really share it with Madeline L'Engle) was truly fantastic. I strongly encourage all book lovers visit either the National Book Festival or their local ones.

A Break for a Blast from the Past

I am in the midst of moving currently, so my book pile is just a little unavailable at the moment. However, I did have a couple of books left that I could read. I read Jerry Spinelli's Stargirl in the 11th grade. I picked up my copy of the book this past spring at the school book fair. (Got to love Scholastic, right?)

Told from the point of view of Arizona high school junior, Leo, the book recounts his interactions with the mysterious Stargirl who begins 10th grade at his school. It's a story about conformity, love, and finding one's self. In my first reading in 11th grade and my reading of it now some years later, I still find myself highly attached to the characters.

What I find remarkable about the characters in this book is that the traditional cliques don't really exist. Mica Area High School is a huge monolith of non-distinction where "even [the] dorks and nerds had a MAHS stamp on them." I believe this united front makes the exclusion of Stargirl and Leo more pronounced. It would be interesting to see how this drama would have played out if maybe the school had been more like a Mean Girls setting. And I also wonder at which is the true portrayal of an American high school: a setting where everyone is more or less the same or one splintered into little groups. As an adult and educator, I would be interested in asking Mr. Spinelli these questions and his opinions on the matter.

As for my students, I would really love to expose them to this book because of its social connotations and the issues raised by the characters. Things I would want them to get out of reading...

1. Who am I? Do I embrace my quirks, and am I proud to be myself? Is "my self" a self that lifts up others? Stargirl doesn't shy away from who she is. She represents a freedom and honesty in life. I think part of the reason she is able to be this free is because her self is all about doing what is best for others and emptying herself out. Without ego and restraint, she lives her life. How much better would this world be and how much freer would we be if our true selves were all about others.
2. How do I approach others who are different from me? What does loving other people mean? Stargirl shows compassion equally to everyone, even to those who would be her enemies (the rival team's player and alpha girl, Hillari Kimble). Stargirl loves Leo and Leo says he loves Stargirl, but he doesn't have the courage to support her in being herself. I think a lot of times, we spend time trying to figure out how we can make others conform to ourselves, I think I would like to be a person who loves others truly for who they are, without hindering them.
3. How do I live in distinction? The antithesis of Stargirl's vitality is the apathy of Wayne Parr, a boy known only for his good looks and his lack of achievement. This is an idea very close to my heart and personality. Some thing that really bothers me when I'm at the middle school is the attitude of "good enough" with no desire to be better or try one's best at something. We can't be shy to stand up from the crowd and do our best. I truly believe we succeed better as a collective when we are all trying to do our best.

One of my favorite quotes is done by Marianne Williamson, and I think it sums up the message of Stargirl and her story:

"Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do... And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do to the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

Starting Some Educational Fire

So I actually finished reading Fires in the Middle School Bathroom a few weeks ago; therefore, this post will not be so much about the content but how I'm going to apply it. To give some stylistic background, the book is written as more of a conversation between students and teachers. Author Karen Cushman interweaves quotes from interviews with a variety of middle school students with advice and strategies.

The book referred a lot to behavior management and how to motivate students in the middle school setting. I have never been one to relate well to students in that pre-teen range. This book definitely gave me some new perspectives about the sway of social relationships as well as balancing between responsibility and support.

Ideas I got from this book:

- reworking incentive systems to make it more "real world" to students

- striving to be more consistent in actions toward students

- allowing for more collaborative work between students

Reading this book came at an opportune time because we were going to our Summer Institute conference for Citizen Schools to begin planning for next year. These two things together have me feeling pretty confident about when the students start back with us on September 13.

Life of Pi Thoughts

I finished Life of Pi on Wednesday. My final summation is that it was excellent, and that it may be my most favorite adventure/survival book that I have read so far. Martel does an excellent job of creating Pi and his story. I think it helps that Pi is not in a conventional place. Typically castaways end up on some deserted island and can live off the land, but one can't really do that in the middle of the ocean. It was cool to feel like every bit of the story had a purpose and the convergence of his life circumstances that allowed him to survive for as long as he did. There are some books where the writing seems like filler, but in this case, everything came together nicely with his life and the purpose of taking it all down. Aside from these points, I also like the second story at the end of the book for the "non-believers." What really strikes me about Pi is his continuing faith. He is like a post-modern Job, flying in the face of skeptics whether it be skeptics of religion or his story.

Favorite moments:

- reasoning to plan of action #7

- explanation of how Richard Parker got his name

- the taming of Richard Parker

- the algae island (from a biological standpoint and also kind of in a macabre way)

- the interview with the two Japanese investigators (the side conversation is particularly funny)

Favorite quotes: (these will come at a later date, when I have both book and internet together, but keep following the blog!)

Meeting Pi

To begin my journey, I have started with the fictional book, Life of Pi. Typically, I have my doubts about the entire lives of fictional characters. In middle school, I read David Copperfield for Battle of the Books. It was Dickens and let me tell you, Sir Copperfield was not the most interesting of characters in my opinion. That being said, I really rather like Pi and his peculiarities in how he views the world. Even the name Pi and how it came to be speaks to that geeky math part of me. I've only read up through Chapter 17, but I like the philosophical themes in the book.

Two big themes/statements that I have found applicable to life:

The need to establish dominance and control in a given situation (Chapter 13). If you've ever stood in front of a middle school classroom (or probably any classroom for that matter), you would understand this statement. In Pi's example, it is in the context of a lion tamer who needs to establish dominance in order to survive. I have found that the same is true in the classroom. If there's a day you don't start out strong, the kids pick up on that and they get you. Aside from the classroom, I think this can be applied to a broader perspective in education in terms of students. When you're learning a new skill, it's important to establish dominance in the early stages. What is called "having a strong foundation" actually means having the awareness and confidence to master the specific skill challenge. I read an article today that stated reading support is best when given early in development or much later. To me, this is probably because if you start early, you're still establishing the relationship of dominance so it can become part of your nature, but if you're late on the upstart, you need to wait until you've gained enough experience and insight to have learned the confidence.

The interplay between reason, knowledge, and religion. Pi retains a profound respect for different schools of thought. He doesn't find that reason and knowledge inhibit his spirituality, rather the atheist scientists are just another voice to be heard. This openness also allows him to find beauty and comfort in Christianity, despite his upbringing as a Hindu. The story of his meeting Jesus Christ is really fascinating, from the initial disdain to the final fascination and love that he comes to understand, and yet he doesn't lose himself, only discovers new truth and information. Some people argue that there is no worth in philosophical questions, seeking out the divine, or finding the truth, but I think there is an error in this negative view. We may not be able to arrive at "facts," but life is much more than that--it's also emotion, intuition, and hopefully wisdom.

So far, I like where Pi is going.

It Started with a Trip to Barnes & Noble

Originally, I was only supposed to be looking for a graduation gift, but browsing a bookstore can be dangerous territory for me. There I was, browsing the titles, when a book caught my eye, then another, then another. I came out of the store with no actual gift but lots of titles of things to read for myself. My goal is that by the time I am 25, I will have completed this reading list. I have about 3 and a half years to accomplish this considering I turn 22 in November.

I'm starting this blog for a couple reasons:

1. I need a way to keep track of the books I read and the lessons I learn from them. I believe books are highly instructive and informative (even the fictional ones). They all speak to life and our development as individuals and as a global community. Plus, I really like quotes and this is as good a place as any to record my thoughts.

2. I have spent the last year working for an education reform organization known as Citizen Schools that impacts student learning after-school and during extended learning time. This year, I have noticed the detest a lot of my students have had for reading. As the Academic Lead for my campus, I want to be able to have this in the open forum for them to see how reading can impact one's life and to promote discussion about literacy in different communities.

With all this back-story, here is the list of books from perusing the local B&N with a few additions of books that have been on my shelf that I need to read:

Fiction

Les Miserables (Viktor Hugo)

Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)

Cry the Beloved Country (Alan Paton)

Dawn (Elie Wiesel)

Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)

1984 and Animal Farm (George Orwell)

Crime and Punishment and Notes from the Underground (Fyodor Dostoevsky)

The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)

A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)

The Maltese Falcon (Dashiell Hammett)

The Handmaid's Tale (Margaret Atwood)

The Woman in White (Wilkie Collins)

Lolita (Vladimir Nabokov)

Don Quixote (Miguel de Cervantes)

Life of Pi (Yann Martel)

The Complete Sherlock Holmes (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The Wrinkle in Time Quintet (Madeleine L'Engle)

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (J.R.R. Tolkien)

The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy Trilogy (Douglas Adams)

Christian Thought (predominantly Catholic)

Miracles, The Great Divorce, The Problem of Pain, A Grief Observed, The Abolition of Man (C.S. Lewis)

Little Talks with God [simplification of The Dialogue] (St. Catherine of Siena)

Imitation of Christ (St. Thomas a Kempis)

A Civilization of Love (Carl Anderson)

Compendium of Social Doctrine of the Church (Pontifical Council of Justice and Peace)

Caritas in Veritate (Pope Benedict XIV)

Love and Responsibility (Pope John Paul II)

Three to Get Married (Archbishop Fulton Sheen)- really this one before I'm married

Memoirs and Biographies/Non-Fiction People

All Creatures Great and Small (James Herricot)

Perks of Being a Wildflower (Stephen Chobsky)

The Woman Behind the New Deal (Kristin Downey)

Mary Todd Lincoln (Jean H. Baker)

Persepolis I and II (Marjane Satrapi)

Reading Lolita in Tehran (Azar Nafisi)

Long Walk to Freedom (Nelson Mandela)

Posterity: Letters of Great Americans to their Children (ed. Dorie Lawson)

Non-Fiction General

Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies (Jared Diamond)

The Omnivores Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals (Michael Pollan)

The Art of War (Sun Tsu)

Five Cities that Ruled the World (Douglas Wilson)

Book of Firsts (Peter D'Epiro)

Lost Classics: Writers on Books Loved and Lost (ed. Ondaatje, Redhill, Spalding)

Medicine and Victory (Mark Harrison)

Fires in the Middle School Bathroom (Kathleen Cushman)

The Romantic Economist (Richard Bronk)