Sunday, May 16, 2010

To stop thinking about nightmares: Seedfolks



Last night I kept waking up because I was having terrible nightmares. All the nightmares were a variation of one theme: being hunted by someone wanting to kill me. To say the least, the last thing I wanted to do each time I woke up was think about violence, which made me wish a had a copy of one of my favorite books at home: Seedfolks.

I continue to enjoy reading Seedfolks because it's one of the few books I can always count on to leave me feeling warm and fuzzy while reading, but not because it's sappy. I've even tried reading some silly kids' poems by Shel Silverstein and even reading Silverstein's poetry while I'm upset can be problematic because he sometimes has really bizaare illustrations and bizaare topics for the poetry (Skin-stealer is the name of one!). I love Silverstein's work, but sometimes I need something even more G-rated. I also have a birding guide, a tree guide and a flower guide on my nightstand in case I'm having a hard time clearing my head of stressful thoughts.

Seedfolks is a wonderful, short novel by Paul Fleischman (Sid Fleischman's son). It's set in Cleveland, OH, which is one of my favorite cities. The book follows 12+ different characters and it's told from each of their perspectives. There are a few characters mentioned in the novel briefly, but they don't get a chance to give their perspectives as well.

One of the main themes of the book is the notion that gardening is a universal theme- which means gardening bridges all cultures. The story shows problems with racial prejudice and the author is fabulous in that he recognizes stereotypes and he turns them upside down- by having the characters give their perspectives. This is a fabulous book for students to read in order to think about perspectives and the irrationality of prejudices.

As well, I enjoy this book because it shows the reader that individuals can make a difference. Reading Seedfolks makes you want to get involved in your community rather than sit back and simply gripe about the problems. I'm in the process of using this book as a spring board for talking about environmentalism, community, and diversity.

Another reason I love this book is because it's short! Most students can read this book in 2-3, 45 minute class periods. I set aside two periods to read it and allow my slow readers to borrow the book overnight. Depending on the version of the book, it's anywhere from 60 pages to 100 (which includes an afterward by the author). It's perfect for squeezing in between projects or even as a quick wrap-up book for the end of the year (especially because it's nice to read about the outdoors during spring/summer). As a whole, my students seem to really enjoy it and can usually relate to at least one of the characters because of the character diversity (from pregnant hispanic teen to a middle aged widower working as a janitor). The students also appreciate the little humor in such situations as a teenage boy being convinced to grow pumpkins for profit rather than farming marijuana.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Sleeping problems? Easy solution: Kipling's "Kim"



So I may be unfair in saying this, but Kim by Rudyard Kipling is far from a sleeper pick... unless you mean you want to be snoring. I know I've said previously that I'm a picky reader, but I gave Kim more than a fair chance. I actually read the whole thing. What did I get out of it? All but the Red Badge of Courage. (That's another book for another day.)

What do I remember about the book? I remember Kim being some sort of go-between servant who does a bit of traveling by foot (if I'm actually remembering correctly). The book seemed to be set in colonial India, which has plenty of potential for richness in texture and interest for the reader, but I don't remember getting any such satisfaction out of the book. I'm sure I was just simply 'missing something.' Then again, sometimes readers and critics like to hype books for being 'so deep' when the author was actually unfocused and meandering without a real point, except for a point for the 'readers to discover.' In reality, this means the author forgot his/her original intent (if there was any!) and the author needed a cop-out phrase. Which brings me back to Kim.

A friend recently bought this book at a used book sale and I told him afterward that had I known he was going to buy the book, I would have told him to save his 30 cents- unless he was planning to use it as fire-starter.

I originally bought the book at Barnes and Noble because I respect the idea of reading classics. This is mainly due to my previous belief that being well-versed in classic literature was the key to nirvana. Which is probably why I made the mistake of reading Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse as well. Consider yourself cautioned... unless you're looking for material to bore you to tears or to bore you to sleep.

Friday, May 7, 2010

Awake because of nightmares: Sold



I started reading Sold by Patricia McCormick last Wednesday evening. I read about half of the book in one setting and I was quite impressed. Patricia McCormick also wrote Cut, which is about self abuse and the idea of 'cutting,' so I knew I had a safe bet by returning to read more of McCormick's work.

While I had a tough time getting past the first few pages of Sold because the book is written more as lyric poetry, I quickly found myself swept away with the main character's story. She's a girl- some might even dare to say young woman- named Lakshmi, about 13 years old living in Nepal. Her mother is trying to support the girl, herself, a sickly baby and a crippled and seemingly lazy step-father. The reader gets a rich description of the shack and small village in which the girl and her family are living. The reader also finds out that Lakshmi is already promised to be married to a boy in the village. Her mother, Ama, seems sweet and fragile because of her co-dependence on any man willing to be married to her. The baby is helpless and restless, and the young protagonist merely is naive and optimistic. The step-father has a gambling problem and he considers himself unfit for work because of his crippled arm. While Ama dotes on the baby and her 'big baby' of a husband, Ama is unable to support the family with meager vegetables, especially by the time the drought and the flood hit the vulnerable family garden.

Bad becomes worse. The mother sells her earrings, which were meant to be the young protagonist's dowry, in order to feed the family. While at a local festival, the Lakshmi happens upon a woman who promises to make the girl enough money to pay for nice things, food and enough money to buy her family a new roof (apparently it rains a lot in Nepal). The less-than-sympathetic step-father agrees with the girl's plan to go to the city and work "as a maid."

After the naive Lakshmi eaves for the city with her "Auntie," who is the woman who made the promises of working for money, the girl is then sold to a man who makes the girl call him "her husband." The reader can see the writing on the wall, but the protagonist obviously is too busy trying to figure out the city to see where her fate is leading her. A few days of traveling from one city to the next larger city, Lakshmi finally arrives at "Happiness House." Just as the reader may guess; it is no place of 'happiness.' Instead the protagonist is forced to work as a prostitute, even though the she has never even had sex before. The girl protests once she finds out how the system works and the madame of the House beats and starves Lakshmi into submission.

Finally, another one of the Happiness House girls comes to visit the Lakshmi to explain how to make the best out of the situation. She explains how sex works, how the girls get paid for it, how to hide the 'tips' she makes from the madame, Mumtaz, and how she may even ask her customers to use condoms (but she will get in trouble if the men make a fit about it).

As the story progresses, the Lakshmi begins to form bonds with the other women and with the children living in Happiness House. As well, one night a man comes to her and she refers to him as the one who 'holds her.' She then begins to count the days since this kind man has visited her and she begins to give up hope that he may visit again...

Sold deals with several topics of consequence: sexism, human trafficking, poverty, STDs, and planned pregnancy. Overall, Sold is considered a Young Adult Fiction novel, but it definitely has some mature themes. Is the book pornography? No. Definitely not. But, could some of the topics make parents squeamish? Definitely. Would I teach this book to my classes? That's a hard one, but probably not. This is only because I'm not sure that all parents would appreciate the content and I'm not sure that I'd want to open up that can of worms. Would I recommend it to mature and interested students? Definitely and I already have. And I recommend it to you, too, my mature and interested student. ;)