Saturday, November 13, 2010

Breathing Underwater (Alex Flinn)



Breathing Underwater is the first book I've read by Alex Flinn, and based on the experience, it won't be my last. This book was just what my brain needed: something with substance and drama. While I teach h.s. juniors and seniors, you'd think that I'd get enough drama, but apparently I don't. Luckily, our acting school library (who's actually certified for social studies and is in the process of becoming our full-time librarian) recommended Breathing Underwater, so I got my weekly dose of drama. The librarian recommended it simply stating that it was fabulous and it had to do with teen dating violence and family violence.

The premise of the book is this: Nick, a high school student, starts off the story with his account of meeting with a judge about a restraining order. We find out that Nick and his ex-girlfriend Caitlin had some sort of conflict or misunderstanding and at best the relationship is "complicated". Nick is mandated to attend family violence group therapy for 6 months and he must write in a journal on a weekly basis as a supplement to the therapy.

As the story progress, the reader can see the small signs of Nick's controlling behavior, despite his rationalizations for his actions and feelings. We are also able to see multiple families and their histories of abuse through the group therapy scenes. As the story progresses, it becomes more obvious that Nick not only has anger and relationship issues, but his father seems to have passed these traits on to his son.

What I find fabulous about this book is that it doesn't try to tie the package off with a neat bow- which is refreshing. There is hope, but there is the reality that individuals need to take responsibility for themselves. I particularly enjoyed the fact that I really found myself looking forward to the end of the book because it wasn't predictable and I could still relate to the characters, or at least to their emotions. My only criticism of the book was that there seemed to be a nonchalance about underage drinking- whereas this bothered me, even though this nonchalance & drinking had much to do with the protagonist's viewpoint. The notion that underage drinking is a negative action was very, very subtle- to the point where the average teen (and even I) might deem the drinking as endorsed. But, I think there is some good in focusing on one large issue at a time; it prevents the book from getting preachy- Flinn mastered teaching without being preachy by her use of characters and their emotions.

Overall, I was so impressed by this book, I've been seriously considering working it into my curriculum. I even recommended it (and offered to share the book while I was still reading it) to a male student who had indicated that he and his father have had some "rough patches," because I could tell that Flinn was a master at tackling the subject.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Monster by Walter Dean Myers

I ran across the book Monster by Walter Dean Myers as I was looking for something to read while I would be proctoring OGTs last week. I knew I'd be safe with something by Myers because of the way he created such an amazing story with realistic characters in Fallen Angels. I love the fact that Myers usually has Black young men and his protagonists- it's a refreshing change from most YA lit. I finished the book two days after I got it out of the library. I'd guess it took me an absolute max of four hours to read. I had to chuckle because I never read a book this quickly during the school year- because of everything else that needs to be done before I do "fun" reading.

What made this book so readable? The story is set up in the format of a diary and a screen play. The protagonist, Steve Harmon is up on trial for robbery and murder. It's unclear, until the end of the book, what role this young Black man had in the robbery and murder because the reader simply gets the happenings within the court (as people testify and as he meets with his lawyers).

Steve repeatedly describes the prison system and the legal system from his perspective. The only question I have about believability is, would a 16 year old simply on trial really be placed in a regular prison if he didn't make bail? Seems that a young man in this position would be more likely to end up in a juvie system until being tried as an adult. Then again, that's just my perspective and I'm no lawyer.

As the book progresses, the reader is drawn to Steve because he seems to be a nice kid from a loving family who seems to have just known some shady characters. The moral of the story seems to be that it's easy for anyone to get put into a position where his or her character and any acquanitances' characters may be put on trial. Overall, a fabulous read, and I'm sure that my students would especially enjoy it because it delves into the dark side, but does so in a teen-appropriate manner.