The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Bibliography
Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2007.

Plot Summary
This is the "diary" of Arnold Spirit, a fourteen year old Spokane Indian, who decides to leave the "rez" to attend school at an all white school. He must figure out how to live in both worlds.

Critical Analysis
This book made me laugh! I could relate to how the narrator feels in certain situations and I understood the sarcasm and understatement used in the narrative. Even though there are language issues and sexual content, this book captures the reality of a fourteen year old boy. He is not a normal fourteen year old, which is explained throughout the book.

He makes light of situations that happen to himself and his family, but I believe that is his coping mechanism. He doesn't know what to do or say, so he does or says what comes natural, which is sometimes "nerdy."

Drawings are included in this book which makes the entertainment factor go up even more. His caricatures of what is going on are hilarious. I can't wait to read more Sherman Alexie.

Mister Pip

Bibliography
Jones, Lloyd. Mister Pip. New York: Dial Press, 2006.

Plot Summary
Mr. Watts is an oddity. He's white on an island of black people. When the teachers flee the island, Mr. Watts steps in to teach the children. His only text is Charles Dickens' Great Expectations. When the redskins attack the village, Mr. Watts is protected. When the redskins come back, Mr. Watts faces a different fate. This is the "Pacific version of Great Expectations" (Jones 175).

Critical Analysis
I enjoyed reading this book. It took me a little while to understand why Mr. Watts was such an odd thing, but as his story unfolds, we also see how the children he's teaching are taught imagination can save them.



One of my favorite descriptions in this book is when Matilda describes her love affair with this book. "No one had told us kids to look there [in a book] for a friend" (Jones 24). Later Mr. Watts is explaining to Matilda that one "cannot pretend to read a book. Your eyes will give you away. So will your breathing. A person entranced by a book simply forgets to breathe" (Jones 155).



I was disturbed by two events in the story that take place at almost the same time. I won't spoil them here, but the visual that my mind's eye sees about this episode is very disturbing.

Jewel

Bibliography
Lott, Brett. Jewel. New York: Washington Square Press, 1991.

Plot Summary
This is a story of family. Jewel gives birth to her last child, a daughter, who turns out to have "special" needs. Jewel dedicates her life to helping Brenda Kay, including moving from their home in Mississippi (which her husband built) to California so that Brenda Kay can attend a school that can help her.

Critical Analysis

As I read this book, I kept thinking about what I would do in the same situation. Bret Lott does a great job capturing a mother's love in this novel. Jewel is willing to do anything to help her daughter. She is successful in her life's goal. As a reader, you celebrate Brenda Kay's accomplishments and anguish in the set backs the family faces.

The novel spans several decades, so the reader gets to see the family dynamics change. Some of the chapters are identified by the year that the story is now in, and there are two books within this novel.

It surprised me some that a man wrote this book, as it is obviously from a woman's point of view. Lott creates memorable characters in this book, and I couldn't read it fast enough. I had to find out what happened to the family.

Pigs in Heaven

Bibliography

Kingsolver, Barbara. Pigs in Heaven. New York: Harper Collins, 1993.

Plot Summary

Alice adopted Turtle, or so she thought. Turtle saves a man's life and gains instant pres coverage. It just so happens that an Indian lawyer sees them on The Oprah Winfrey Show and begins tracking them down. Turtle is part Indian and was not officially let out of the tribe to be adopted. What ensues is the story of what a mother will do to protect her child.

Critical Analysis

This was a great beach read, which is where I read it. I became absorbed in what would happen to Turtle. I felt such compassion for both Alice and Annawake Fourkiller. Each fought for what they believed to be the right thing to do. I was happy with the resolution of the book. I also enjoyed learning more about Native American customs.

Never Let Me Go

Bibliography

Ishiguro, Kazuo. Never Let Me Go. New York: Vintage Books, 2005.


Plot Summary

Here's a novel about the future, or is it about our present? Students appear to be at a boarding school, but this is a special school for special people.

Critical Analysis

Wow! Where do I begin? At first I was not sure of what was happening in the book. I kept reading to find out. I figured out that Kathy, our narrator, was special, but I didn't realize just how so until over one hundred pages into the book.


Kathy tells us the end before the beginning and flips back and forth with time. At first, this confused me. I had many questions as I read. What are "donations"? Where are these kids? What is their purpose? What is this timeline? I kept reading and am glad I did.

This was a book in my Faith Lit. group. We had a lively discussion about what the author might be saying about cloning and history. This is a book I will have to read again (first time reading is for plot; second time is to unravel the layers).

The Freedom Writers Diary

Bibliography
Gruwell, Erin. The Freedom Writers. New York: Broadway Books, 1999.


Plot Summary
This book is a collection of student essays written for Erin Gruwell's "at-risk" English classes. Through the writing, Ms. Gruwell was able to reach her students and show how their environment was much like others around the world. The Freedom Writers studied The Diary of Anne Frank and Zlata's Diary: A Child's Life in Sarajevo. The students became inspired by these teenage writers to make a difference and change their own lives.

Critical Analysis
WOW! This is an incredible book. As a teacher, I wondered if I'd ever make this kind of difference to my students. I read with sadness and curiosity about the lives of Erin Gruwell's students.

Each entry is kept anonymous. There are entries of their experiences, but one that I marked was Diary 85 (page 169) because the writer is talking about visiting the Holocaust Museum. I've been to this museum in Los Angeles and what the writer describes is what I remember seeing and thinking for myself.

I actually had the opportunity to listen and meet Ms. Gruwell at Tarleton. What an inspiring teacher! Only after I heard here did I pick up the book. I not only bought Freedom Writers' Diary, but the teacher's guide and the book Teach with Your Heart: Lessons I Learned from the Freedom Writers. I'm anxious to start both books.

Another thing I flagged in the book was a quote from Anne Frank:
...we have the opportunity to get an education and make something
of ourselves. We have many reasons to hope for great happiness, but
we have to earn it. And that is something you can't achieve by taking
the easy ways out. Earning happiness means doing good and working,
not speculating and being lazy. 274

What Jackie Taught Us

Bibliography

Flaherty, Tina Santi. What Jackie Taught Us: Lessons from the Remarkable Life of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. New York, Penguin Group, 2004.


Plot Summary
This is a brief biography of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. The book includes pictures from Jackie's childhood, her family and adulthood. Each chapter title begins with the "lesson" that Jackie taught us and the text illustrates how so.


Critical Analysis

I really enjoyed reading this book and learning more about the First Lady. She was an extraordinary woman and an icon for what America can be. One thing I thought was interesting about her influence is the reference to "Camelot" with her husband's presidency. That term was not used until after his death. Since I was not alive during his presidency, I did not know this.

The author lived in the same New York apartment building as Jackie and had brief exchanges in the elevator.

One thing I really liked about this book is that the biography did not stop after John Kennedy was shot. Jackie's story continues until her death. I'm glad the author continued the story because so many books I've read about Jackie don't include her marriage to Aristotle Onassis (or there is only a brief mention of him).

I actually bought this book at the Sixth Floor Museum in Dallas, Texas. I read almost the entire thing on the ride back home. Jackie was an interesting lady that helped create an iconic image of the role of First Lady.