The Chosen

As pretty much my entire list of books has changed, this had now become my challenge book. The reason being, it is much more classic (canon worthy?). I must admit, however, that I loved loved loved it. It is the story of Danny, a Hassidic Jew, and Reuven, an Orthodox Jew. The novel follows these two boys (and even their two fathers) as they deal with their religious differences. As they first meet, these differences seem to be too much for them to overcome, but as the novel progresses, they find common ground and become good companions. This friendship is given the interesting backdrop of how differently their fathers raise them and this theme become very much the secondary plot of the novel.

Having done a bit of research on this novel, I've gathered that it is pretty commonly used in classrooms. It's over forty years old now but still has such a strong message for kids to grasp. It is a novel about tolerance, about differences, about friendship, about religion. It is a difficult read because it is so packed with details and religious references but if you can stick with it, it to SO worth the time. Potok has a great style, the writing is pretty outstanding. I would teach this novel in an upper level class. I would need motivated students who are willing to put forth the effort to read such a dense novel, but there is no doubt that this book is classroom worthy. It could actually be used at many different levels, I would say even into college classes.

For me, this was an eye opening experience. A lot of critics talk about how it is good for people of every religion because even if you aren't Jewish, the religious concepts are universal. However for me, as I am not religious at all, it had a meaning as well. I was so fascinated by the Jewish religion that it actually kind of shocked me how fast I got through the book. I got a good picture of both the Hassidic and the Orthodox Jewish traditions and even I could see how a friendship between boys of two such influences could be problematic. But what makes this novel truly poignant is getting to see how they work their differences out, how they learn to respect and love each other despite what their fathers have to say about it.

Rule of the Bone

Again, I find myself posting about a novel that I wouldn't ever teach. I actually might teach this book to a certain group of kids. This may sound horrible, but I think it would be better received at an alternative school than a mainstream one because of its content. It is about a teenager, Chappy, who leaves his home in order to escape a sexually abusive step father and an emotionally absent mother. He takes on a deviant behavior and the name Bone to match his new destructive personality. Bone becomes addicted to drugs, ends up staying with a gang, at a mall, with a pedophile, and finally, in Jamaica with a pot-dealing Rastafarian who teaches him his ways.

This is a coming of age story much like Perks, and Catcher in the Rye. It could easily be taught alongside those novels, but it does seems a bit more mature in its content, which is always something I consider as a future teacher. Its biggest success is the voice of Bone. He is an enjoyable narrator to read and he offers such a strong presence that I found myself soaring through 400 pages just to keep hearing his story. I haven't found such a strong example of voice in a while and I would definitely use at least excerpts from this novel to teach that literary concept. I may even frame it as the mentor text to a lesson on voice in a writer's workshop setting.

I really think that the content is not worth throwing out the book for students. So many kids would love reading it that I would have a hard time censoring their choice to. Yes, it does deal with abuse, drugs, sex, and violence, but so do teenagers on a day to day basis, and this is just too good a book to deny them the pleasure of reading it. I am such a sucker for the coming of age novel that I was pleased to find another recent "version" of Catcher in the Rye. I believe students would relate to Bone and find his story compelling. I definitely recommend this novel to anyone who liked Perks enough to read a much more extensive, intense story of a teenage boy discovering life.

The Things They Carried

I have to say I wasn't sure if I could count this as one of my fifteen, because I did a project on it for Content Lit. However, the reason I am posting anyways is because I have now finally read the whole thing as a novel. Previously, I've been assigned a short story from it in High School, and I've used parts of it for my own teacher education, but it was much better as a whole novel. I mean, it's a fabulous collection all the way around. It can be effectively broken into it's short stories and used that way, or it can be assigned as a book. I have said before that I am NOT AT ALL a history person. However, this book (collection of short stories) blends an account of the Vietname War with a strong literary presence and therefore appeals to me as a writer. The prose was beautiful and it attracted me instantly to a subject that would have otherwise gone right over my head.

I know this book is used a lot now in schools and I can see why. As I've said above, it has a high appeal for more students than just those who are into history. I would absolutely use this book in my classroom. I feel comfortable teaching it even though its historical and I really believe in its value for students. The themes, the plot, the literary elements, they all provide so much material for teaching and learning. I have read do many books this semester that I'd feel uncomfortable teaching, but this is inspiring to me that some novels are just built for the classroom and give me so many ideas for lessons, assignments, and discussions. I've said that I want to read more about the kinds of students I want to teach, but I also need to be reading more literature like this, that inspires my teaching self and gives me hope that I can find current novels that are just as important to teach as canonical texts.

I am so fascinated by O'Brien's ability to write to beautifully that I have ordered a few other of his books. I am just really excited to have found another author to add to my list.

if i should die before i wake

This is novel that I've had kicking around for years, and I just decided to give it a shot. The main reason I'm posting about it at all is because it's another story about the Holocaust and I was interested how it would compare to novels, such as The Book Thief, that we've been talking about in class. It follows Hilary, a young girl who is part of a neo-Nazi gang in her town. She ends up in a Jewish hospital after a serious motorcycle accident. While there, she lucidly fades in and out of visits with her religious mother and neo-Nazi boyfriend. As she fades away, she ends up living this dream alternate reality as a Jewish girl, Chana. This ends up being her roommate in the hospital and they are sharing memories of their opposing lives through some sort of telepathic communication. Have I said enough yet?

I really can't even continue summarizing the plot because it is too obvious and predictable to waste time on. I have to say, as a completely unrealistic story, it wasn't that painful to read. However, it doesn't work at all as a reading of the holocaust and as many critics have said, it's almost insulting to novels such as The Diary of Anne Frank and The Devil's Arithmetic. It's very readable, and I would never discourage a student from choosing this book because it is challenging enough to have value as literature, but it could never be a part of a Holocaust unit, at least not for me.

The front of the novel has a quote from Voice of Youth Advocates which states that the book is, "Page-turning." However, I'm thinking that this is only because of the subject matter. It is an imaginative way to deal with the Holocaust, and I did get into it, wanting to hear more about Hilary's experience as Chana, but the plot fell apart as she became Hilary again. It was a frustrating experience at best and in the end I decided there are much better resources for this particular historical event than this weak novel.

A Child Called It

This is one of the most intense books I've ever read. It is certainly not for the sensitive reader, that's for sure. It is Dave Pelzer's autobiographical novel and it follows him as a very young child dealing with an unbelievable amount of maternal abuse. This isn't just a kid who gets slapped around a little by an alcoholic mother, this is the most extreme case of violence I've ever heard of. He is one of three boys and for reasons I'm not sure he ever understands , he is the only one who his mother abuses. She tortures him, makes him her personal slave and beats him to the point of near-death more than once. One of her choice forms of abuse is locking him in the bathroom with a toxic mix of chemicals that gives off fumes that would eventually kill him. He cowers in the corner, shirt over face, trying to survive, all the while wondering what she has in store for him next. He has dealt with this for several years now, and this book begins and ends with his school administration finally taking a stand for him. He has been too afraid to tell anyone, although adults around him have been suspicious for a while. When one teacher finally has the courage to take a stand for this little boy who can't stand up for himself, Dave is freed from his outrageous situation.

Now, I have to say, I am not a very sensitive person when it comes to things that I read. Having said that, I think you'd have to be a pretty cold person not to cry over this particular story. One incident after the other, you're never quite sure if this amazing boy is going to live to tell the rest of his story. Pelzer has actually lived to finish this trilogy of his gruesome childhood. I haven't read the other two books, but having read this one, I can't imagine not wanting to find out what happens to him next. He has also written three other books, all of which I believe are inspirational books for people struggling with the same kinds of issues he has overcome.

This is definitely an adult book, the content is worse than any movie I've ever seen. However, I did read this when I was a teenager and I know a lot of other teens have read it also. That isn't to say I'd ever assign it, but it's such an amazing story that I would encourage anyone who can handle it to read it. It is hard, I almost wanted to get sick a few times, but if you can get over that, you're left with one of the most touching, inspirational stories I've come across. I'm still not sure how to justify even having a book like this in my classroom library. I worry about the kid who wants to read it but who's parents freak out about its content. I am very open and I believe in letting kids experience lots of different things, but not everyone is going to agree with me on that, so I would tend to just avoid the whole risk altogether. I guess, then, the reason I read this was for more selfish reasons. I do realize it doesn't fall under our YAL category, but I wanted to spend some of the 15 books on things that would contribute to my study of the tortured child. I want to read more literature like this that will open my eyes to situations that I never even heard of in my town, never mind came close to dealing with myself. These are situations that I might come across in teaching emotionally disturbed kids. I am, in a sense, building up my nerve and learning to hear stories like this with less of a shock value and more of a desire to help and motivate, if that makes sense.

Finally, I can't imagine a better use of my time than reading Pelzer's stories. It was an amazing book and I wish I could just have everyone read it! Definitely keeping this and re-reading it for years to come.