The Long Song

Bibliography
Levy, Andrea. The Long Song. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2010.

Plot Summary
At her son's urging, July tells the story of her life as a slave on a Jamaican sugar cane plantation.

My Thoughts
I liked the way the narrator engaged the reader through conversation For example, "Reader...so you might consider whether my tale is one in which you can find an interest. If not, then be on your way" Levy 9). This is given the first page to warn the reader either continue or not, but the tale will be told how July wants it told. However, her son Thomas ofter interjects that her stories are not completely true, or he points out that she's omitted some event that he thinks is important. Cha! says July.

I read this entire book and did learn that slavery in Jamaica seemed very similar to slavery in the United States. However, once the book ended, I just didn't care. I'd spent over 300 pages hearing July's struggle and seeing her life as she wanted us to know about it. Then the story just stopped. The Long Song truly was long!

I understood this book to be a parody, but I guess I didn't get it. Yes, there were humorous parts in it, and July's story telling method seemed believable (even when she confessed to the reader that her story wasn't entirely true). there were caricatures and stereotypes. Was that the only form of parody?

In Cold Blood

Bibliography
Capote, Truman. In Cold Blood. New York: New American Library, 1965.

Plot Summary
This is a non-fiction work, so there is not a plot.

My Thoughts
Truman Capote investigated and reported on the mass murder of a Kansas family, The Clutter's. Capote recounts the actions of the two murderers Dick Hickok and Perry Smith. These two men had no connection to the Clutter's, but they chose to murder the entire family for essentially no reason. While in prison, they'd "heard" that the Mr. Clutter had a safe full of cash. They "heard" wrong and got mad, so the family was killed. Capote writes such detail, that the reader feels like they are following along with both the family and the murderers. Once the FBI gets involved, the reader gets to follow along with the investigation (even though the reader knows who did the murder).

I read this book because I love reading and teaching To Kill a Mockingbird. I read a biography of Harper Lee and found out that she helped Truman with his investigation and writing of this book. WOW, are these two author's styles vastly different! I can almost feel Capote's arrogance as I read.

The description of eternity (page 85) is similar to the description used in Bless Me, Ultima.

Title reference on page 343.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Bibliography

Shaffer, Mary Ann, and Annie Barrows. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. New York: The Dial Press, 2008.

Plot Summary

Occupied during WWII, the Guernsey Islands off of England become the interest of one Juliet Ashton, writer, correspondent and eventual friend to the inhabitants.

My Thoughts

When I first began reading this book, I tried to pay attention to which character was writing and which character was receiving the letter. I wasn't sure I was going to like the format of this book, but as the characters developed, I found myself actually seeing them. I knew from the tone of the letter, almost, who was writing. I enjoyed how the authors created a story that could be heartbreaking and instead of bashing the reader over the head with the horrors of war, the authors chose to let us experience the events through the various perspectives of the island's inhabitants.

The characters are memorable and help move the story along as they reveal their relationship to each other (mostly through the book club) and how they survived the occupation.

This was a great, light read that I enjoyed very much. I kept thinking about Fall of Giants and Bridgett Jones' Diary as I read. Three vastly different books, yet with a common theme: how do we navigate this thing called life?

One thing I really loved about the book is Juliet's description of how she wonders, "how the book [Charles Lamb's] got to Guernsey. Perhaps there is some sort of secret homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers. How delightful if that were true" (Shaffer and Barrows 10). I believe books do "find" us and is it delightful.

Three Cups of Tea: Young Readers Edition

Bibliography
Mortenson, Greg, and David Oliver Relin. Three Cups of Tea: Young Readers Edition. New York: Puffin Books, 2009.

Plot Summary (from the back cover)
In 1993, Greg Mortenson tried to climb K2 in honor of his younger sister, but when another member of his group got sick, they turned around, and Greg become lost in the mountains of Pakistan. He wandered into a poor village, where the village chief and his people took him in. Moved by their kindness, he promised to return and build a school for the children. Over the next decade, Mortenson built more than sixty schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. He has endured death threats, a kidnapping, and more to dedicate his life to building literacy and peace, one child at a time.

My Thoughts
The story is written in the third person, even though it is a memoir of sorts of what Greg did to change a region.

I enjoyed seeing the forward by Jane Goodall. Reading it reminded me of my personal expereince with Jane at Tarleton. She was a guest speaker, and I was in attendance. I actually spoke to her, and she was so gracious. I'm glad I went and became aware of what she's done. Her forward set the mood for me in reading Greg's story.

As I read the book, I was in "teacher mode" of what I could do with this story. I want to read the "adult" version to compare writing styles and what differences in details do the books have. I marked pages that I could use when teaching this book. It was an interesting read, and I am amazed at how a little idea can become a true world changing event! I'm also a little ashamed and guilty that I have not had (at least I don't feel like it) such a legacy.

The Shadow of the Wind

Bibliography
Ruiz Zafon, Carlos. The Shadow of the Wind. Trans. Lucia Graves. New York: Penguin Press, 2004. Print.


Plot Summary
As a child, Daniel is taken to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. He selects his book and is forever changed. Daniel is compelled to find out more about the writer and the mystery of why Julian Carax's novels are being bought and burned. On Daniel's journey, the reader experiences Julian's journey as well. This novel is set in Barcelona, Spain.

My Thoughts
This book was a bit confusing because the dual plot lines were so similar. Daniel, the main character, feels compelled to find out more about Julian Carax, the author of his now favorite book. As Daniel's story unfolds, so does Julian's. There were some surprises at the end (which seemed a little rushed after reading 300 + pages to get there). I kept notes as I read this book to lessen my confusion and keep up with the numerous characters.


Some sentences I really liked from the book:

"I was raised among books, making invisible friends in pages that seemed cast from dust and whose smell I carry on my hands to this day" (Ruiz 4).


"Presents are made for the pleasure of who gives them, not for the merits of who receives them" (Ruiz 77).


"Books are mirrors: you only see in them what you already have inside you" (Ruiz 209).

"Fools talk, cowards are silent and wise men listen" (Ruiz 291).

"As long as we are being remembered, we remain alive" (Ruiz 446).

This was not a book I was compelled to pick up and read, but once I sat with it awhile, I was lost in the mystery of the story.







Fermin predicts that television will create imbeciles. Looking at the programming of today, I'd say he's right (Ruiz 106).

Scout, Atticus & Boo

Bibliogrpahy
Murphy, Mary McDonagh. Scout, Atticus & Boo: A Celebration of Fifty Years of To Kill A Mockingbird. New York: Harper Collins, 2010.

Plot Summary
This is not a work of fiction.

My Thoughts
Reading this book made me excited to teach To Kill a Mockingbird this year. I usually teach this novel every other year and this is the year for it. After reading this book, I can't wait to share what I learned from it with my students.

Mary McDonagh Murphy collects people's stories of how this novel made a difference to their lives. She includes notables like Tom Brokaw and Oprah Winfrey as well as journalists and former teachers and others who live or lived in Monroeville that credit Nelle Harper Lee's one published work to creating a change not only for them personally, but for our nation. Was Harper Lee a courageous writer or was she just a great storyteller? Was she trying to advocate for the social injustices she witnessed growing up in Alabama?

The most special treat of the book was including Harper's sister Alice Finch Lee's story. I was delighted to see Mockingbird and the fame and publicity that followed through someone as close to Nelle Harper's sister's eyes. One thing that shocked me was when Alice reveals that "Nelle loves British literature" (Murphy 129).

There is much discussion in this book concerning the movie that followed (with great success) three years after the novel was published. Yes, it is a great movie on its own, but (as in most cases) the book is SO much better!

I enjoyed seeing the novel through the eyes of the myriad of people Murphy interviews. Some you can feel were deeply moved by the novel. There was one person's story, however, that I felt that he was just self-promoting his own writing. That was a bit disappointing. Another interview clearly was from the perspective of a black person living in Monroeville. I'm glad that Murphy included her story.

This book is a great reference book for teaching the novel.

A Break with Charity

Bibliography

Rinaldi, Ann. A Break with Charity: A Story about the Salem Witch Trials. New York: Scholastic, 1992.

Plot Summary

This is another story of the Salem Witch Trials. The plot follows Susanna English's role in the hysteria that surrounded Salem in 1692. Rinaldi combines fact and fiction to create an accessible story about this black mark in American history.

My Thoughts

This was a pretty interesting read about the Salem Witch Trials. Rinaldi uses enough factual evidence to make her story seem plausible and true. As I read, I kept thinking about the movie I show my students entitled "Three Sovereigns for Sarah." There are some additional characters in this book that do not appear in the movie, which I enjoyed reading and seeing the story fleshed out even more. In the author's note section, Rinaldi states that she takes some creative license in making Susanna English a "silent voice" to help the stopping of the hysteria.

I think the author explains with great accuracy with how the calling out of "witches" happens. The girls were bored. They were seeking attention and they got it from the magistrates. The girls were trying to "escape [life in Salem]'s suffocating effects (Rinaldi 73). Finally they were given some power in their dull little worlds. "No one our age ever got such attention before" (Rinaldi 97). Boy, did they use it!

The description of Ann Putnam, Jr. is so vivid. She truly believes she's "doing this town a favor" by naming the troublemakers and outcasts as witches (88). She tells Susanna that the girls are "doing the Lord's work" by accusing witches (Rinaldi 153). Susanna realizes that Ann actually believes the fits and afflictions are real.

I found the title reference on three different pages: 88, 136, and 152.

The irony of the entire situation is, of course, that the magistrates did not see the false testimonies the girls gave. The townspeople thought, "Let this matter be dealt with by learned men" (Rinaldi 111). These "learned" men convicted and hanged 19 people and had one man pressed to death.

The take away advice from this book is from Tituba. She is going to save herself (Rinaldi 118) and tells Susanna, "the secret is to know when to speak and when to remain silent" (Rinaldi 119). I wish that I would heed this advice. I often speak when I shouldn't.