Spies of Mississippi

  When you think of the Civil Rights Movement, what words and people suddenly pop into your mind? Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Jim Crow laws, segregation, and sit-ins are just a few that I can think of this morning, but I'm sure you can come up with much more. Never would I have thought spies would also be in that mix until I read Rick Bower's chilling and eye-opening book called the Spies of Mississippi: The True Story of the Spy Network That Tried to Destroy the Civil Rights Movement.

Description: In the 1950s and 1960s, the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission compiled secret files on more than 87,000 private citizens in the most extensive state spying program in U.S. history. Its mission: to save segregation.

Review: Drawing upon archival material, his impeccable research and personal investigation, Bowers has uncovered something new in the much discussed topic of the Civil Rights movement in the U.S. In 1956, the state of Mississippi created a Sovereignty Commission that started as a propaganda outlet for white supremacy quickly morphed into a full blown spy network, with a goal of stopping integration and crushing the civil rights movement in the state.
 In extensive details, Bowers discusses the Commission's tactics that were appalling and disregarded the constitutional rights for those who supported or aided the cause as well as the scope of this network's activities from its initial attempts to control or marginalize the NAACP and resist public and school and university integration into outright advocacy of violence and obstruction of justice. Although the Commission was thankfully abolished due to the federal civil rights legislation and the threat of financial sanctions, the author still warn his readers that racism is just as alive today as it was back then. Period black-and-white photographs, an appendix with reproductions of selected Commission documents, and an extensive bibliography of books and links to online archives supplement the text, making this a great resource for young readers doing a research project on the Civil Rights movement. Spies of Mississippi is a an eye-opening and powerful experience. 

Curriculum Connection: Social Studies

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: Race riots and violence are discussed. Recommended for Grades 6 and up.

If you like this book try: They Call Themselves the K.K.K. by Susan Campbell Bartoletti, Claudette Colvin by Phillip Hoose

Read More

Children Mini-Reviews Featuring Animal Heroes

  I realized that I still have some children's books that I didn't get a chance to review yet from last year. Though the mini-reviews are brief, I think they cut to the chase and let you know my impressions about the books. Today I'll be reviewing: Animal Heroes by Sandra Markle, Kira, Kira by Cynthia Kadohata, and Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor.

Description (from book's back cover): A guide dog leads its owner to safety down seventy-seven flights of stairs in the World Trade Center before the building collapses. A female gorilla in a zoo picks up and protects an unconscious toddler who falls into her enclosure. An elderly dog named Frisky keeps his owner awake and alive when Hurricane Katrina floods the house. Winnie the cat saves her owners from carbon monoxide poisoning. Animals, both wild and domestic, have become heroes when they've come to the rescue of humans. In these heartwarming, true stories, Sandra Markle shows how dogs, cats, cows, monkeys, and even dolphins use their normal senses or special training to help people in trouble or in need all over the world.

Review: Animal Heroes is a juvenile nonfiction book that contains lots of colorful pictures and information. As the title suggests, the book features numerous animals who have rescued humans, either their own owners or complete strangers caught in a dangerous situation. Rescues from 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina as well as more obscure disasters are included. One of my favorite stories was about a gorilla at a zoo who helped keep a child, who accidentally slipped into the cage, safe. The stories are remarkable. The stories also contain informative panels that further explain the situation in scientific terms such as the animals habit, what it means to have frostbite or hypothermia. An extensive bibliography, including a few website links, and a glossary is included along with further reading suggestions.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There are some photos and details of the 9/11 attack especially of the building crumbling and on fire which make be a bit scary for young readers. As an adult, I know I felt a bit uncomfortable. Recommended for Grades 3 to 6.

If you like this book try: Shelter Dogs by Peg Kehret



Description (from book's back cover): Glittering. That's how Katie Takeshima's sister, Lynn, makes everything seem. The sky is kira-kira for the same reason. And so are people's eyes. When Katie and her family move from a Japanese community in Iowa to the Deep South of Georgia, it's Lynn who explains to her why people stop them on the street to stare. And it's Lynn who, with her special way of viewing the world, teaches Katie to look beyond tomorrow. But when Lynn becomes desperately ill, and the whole family begins to fall apart, it is up to Katie to find a way to remind them all that there is always something glittering - kira-kira - in the future.

Review: Kira, Kira won the Newbery Award in 2005. It's one of those books that make you scratch your head and wonder why it was awarded. The writing is quite good and the plot is ok, but there's nothing really remarkable about it. It moved at a snail's pace kinda like a movie you thought was finished but only to find another scene pop on the screen. I liked knowing Katie's family and the Japanese culture. I was a bit confused, however,  as to what ailed her sister Lynn. There are hints about a terminal illness, which I thought was cancer but the illness was never explained. In the end Kira, Kira really didn't do anything for me and had it not win the Newbery I wouldn't have picked it up.

Rating: 3 stars

Words of Caution: There are some racial slurs and PG language in the book. Recommended for ages 12 and up.

If you like this book try: Return to Sender by Julia Alveraz


Description: A black family living in Mississippi during the Depression of the 1930s is faced with prejudice and discrimination which its children do not understand.

Review: I didn't realize that Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry was part of a series by Mildred Taylor. While I didn't feel lost reading the book, there's not much of a plot to the story. The book does a good job in showcasing the family's struggle against prejudice and racism. I loved learning about the members of the Logan family and was inspired by their tenacity to stand up to the injustice they are faced. My main problem with the book is how the adults, particularly the mother of the Logan family,  tries to shelter her children about what is happening around them such as the terrorism caused by the KKK. While her reasoning is understandable, I think it does a disservice to her children and I found it unbelievable. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry was awarded the Newbery Award in 1977.

Rating: 3 stars

Words of Caution: The "n" word is used quite frequently, but it does serve a purpose. There is also some violence in the book too. Recommended for strong Grade 5 readers and up.

If you like this book try: Logan family series by Mildred Taylor, Guardian by Julius Lester

Read More

The Reel Shelf Presents: Buffy Summers (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

  Welcome to The Reel Shelf, a new weekly feature here at Books in the Spotlight where I imagine what's on my favorite TV/Movie character's book shelves. Today I'm highlighting a beloved character that is loved by many: Buffy Summers, the leading heroine in Joss Whedon's phenomenal TV series based off on his original movie, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BVS). I wasn't a big Buffy fan at first only because I watched an episode here and there, enjoyed it, but I didn't fully understood its brilliance. Last year, I started watching the show on DVD right from the beginning and then it clicked. BVS is funny, light-hearted, but also had its share of darkness and seriousness along with a great characters. The main draw for me, however, was spotlighting a female heroine who is strong in every sense of the word yet vulnerable, approachable and that's why this post is dedicated to the epitome of girl power: Buffy Summers.

Image and Quote from IMDB

Buffy: So here's the part where you make a choice. What if you could have that power, now? In every generation, one Slayer is born, because a bunch of men who died thousands of years ago made up that rule. They were powerful men. This woman is more powerful than all of them combined. So I say we change the rule. I say my power, should be *our* power. Tomorrow, Willow will use the essence of this scythe to change our destiny. From now on, every girl in the world who might be a Slayer, will be a Slayer. Every girl who could have the power, will have the power. Can stand up, will stand up. Slayers, every one of us. Make your choice. Are you ready to be strong?

  At the young age of 15, Buffy Summers was chosen to hunt vampires, demons, and the forces of darkness. After the ordeal at Hemery High, Buffy Summers moves to Sunnydale High in hopes of starting fresh. Along the way she finds finds, love, and a Hellmouth full of evil that never seems to stop. Joined with Willow, Alexander "Xander" Harris, and her watcher/mentor Giles, Buffy fights the challenges of High School and saves the world...a lot.
  While watching the show, there were times where I wished I was Buffy. A character who is resilient, physically powerful, a natural born leader, not to mention pretty with a good snarky attitude. It's only when the hard challenges arose, the complete elimination of normalcy, a forced destiny came up did I realize that I could never really be her. I was glad that I didn't have to shoulder the responsibility of the world on my shoulders. The most important thing, however, is that her character showed the world that a woman can be powerful, strong, aggressive (all traits usually assigned to males) while retaining femininity. And for this reason, I will always be grateful of Joss Whedon's creation.
  Please note that the following books contain various definitions of "strong" and by no means a complete list of books. This post would be very, very long if I had to include all of them. I'm always on the lookout for strong female heroines. So if you see glaring holes, please feel free to include them in the comments. The usual site that I use to compose this list is currently out of order so I will try my best to list them here.

The Reel Shelf Presents Buffy Summers

Buffy the Vampire Season 8 (graphic novel) by Joss Whedon and an assortment of writers. The highly acclaimed TV show continues now in the 8th season in graphic novels. I believe there are 8 volumes in this season. The first book in the series is called The Long Way Home which takes place right were the TV show ended Buffy and the gang are facing a new evil called Twilight. (Amazon)

 

Archangel by Sharon Shinn- The fate of the world rests in the voice of an angel. An age of corruption has come to the planet of Samaria, threatening that peace and placing the Samaritans in grave danger. Their only hope lies in the crowning of a new Archangel. (Amazon)

The Declaration by Gemma Mailey- It's the year 2140 and Longevity drugs have all but eradicated old age. A never-aging society can't sustain population growth, however…which means Anna should never have been born. Nor should any of the children she lives with at Grange Hall. The facility is full of boys and girls whose parents chose to have kids--called surpluses--despite a law forbidding them from doing so. These children are raised as servants, and brought up to believe they must atone for their very existence. Then one day a boy named Peter appears at the Hall, bringing with him news of the world outside, a place where people are starting to say that Longevity is bad, and that maybe people shouldn't live forever. Peter begs Anna to escape with him, but Anna's not sure who to trust: the strange new boy whose version of life sounds like a dangerous fairy tale, or the familiar walls of Grange Hall and the head mistress who has controlled her every waking thought? (Amazon)

The Gate to Women's Country by Sherri Teppers- Tepper's finest novel to date is set in a post-holocaust feminist dystopia that offers only two political alternatives: a repressive polygamist sect that is slowly self-destructing through inbreeding and the matriarchal dictatorship called Women's Country. Here, in a desperate effort to prevent another world war, the women have segregated most men into closed military garrisons and have taken on themselves every other function of government, industry, agriculture, science and learning. The resulting manifold responsibilities are seen through the life of Stavia, from a dreaming 10-year-old to maturity as doctor, mother and member of the Marthatown Women's Council. (Amazon)

Kindred by Octavia Butler- Dana, a modern black woman, is celebrating her twenty-sixth birthday with her new husband when she is snatched abruptly from her home in California and transported to the antebellum South. Rufus, the white son of a plantation owner, is drowning, and Dana has been summoned across the years to save him. After this first summons, Dana is drawn back, again and again, to the plantation to protect Rufus and ensure that he will grow to manhood and father the daughter who will become Dana's ancestor. Yet each time Dana's sojourns become longer and more dangerous until it is uncertain whether or not her life will end, long before it has even begun. (Amazon)

Tithe by Holly Black-Sixteen-year-old Kaye is a modern nomad. Fierce and independent, she travels from city to city with her mother's rock band until an ominous attack forces the sixteen-year-old back to her childhood home. There, amid the industrial, blue-collar New Jersey backdrop, Kaye soon finds herself an unwilling pawn in an ancient power struggle between two rival faerie kingdoms -- a struggle that could very well mean her death. (Amazon)

Eon by Goodman- Also Known As: Two Pearls of Wisdom, Eon: Rise of the Dragoneye, and Eon (All the same book just published with different publishers)
Eon has been studying the ancient art of Dragon Magic for four years, hoping he'll be able to apprentice to one of the twelve energy dragons of good fortune. But he also has a dark secret. He is actually Eona, a sixteen-year-old girl who has been living a dangerous lie for the chance to become a Dragon-eye, the human link to an energy dragon's power. It is forbidden for females to practice the Dragon Magic and, if discovered, Eon faces a terrible death. After a dazzling sword ceremony, Eon's affinity with the twelve dragons catapults him into the treacherous world of the Imperial court, where he makes a powerful enemy, Lord Ido. (Amazon)

 The Naming by Alison Croggon-Maerad is a slave in a desperate and unforgiving settlement, taken there as a child when her family is destroyed in war. She doesn't yet know she has inherited a powerful gift, one that marks her as a member of the noble School of Pellinor and enables her to see the world as no other can. It is only when she is discovered by Cadvan, one of the great Bards of Lirigon, that her true identity and extraordinary destiny unfold. Now, she and her mysterious teacher must embark on a treacherous, uncertain journey through a time and place where the forces of darkness wield an otherworldly terror. (Amazon)

Stray by Rachel Vincent- I look like an all-American grad student. But I am a werecat, a shape-shifter, and I live in two worlds. Despite reservations from my family and my Pride, I escaped the pressure to continue my species and carved out a normal life for myself. Until the night a Stray attacked. I'd been warned about Strays—werecats without a Pride—constantly on the lookout for someone like me: attractive, female and fertile. I fought him off, but then learned two of my fellow tabbies had disappeared. This brush with danger was all my Pride needed to summon me back…for my own protection. Yeah, right. But I'm no meek kitty. I'll take on whatever—and whoever—I have to in order to find my friends. Watch out, Strays—'cause I got claws, and I'm not afraid to use them….(Amazon)

The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong- After years of frequent moves following her mother’s death, Chloe Saunders’s life is finally settling down. She is attending art school, pursuing her dreams of becoming a director, making friends, meeting boys. Her biggest concern is that she’s not developing as fast as her friends are. But when puberty does hit, it brings more than hormone surges. Chloe starts seeing ghosts–everywhere, demanding her attention. After she suffers a breakdown, her devoted aunt Lauren gets her into a highly recommended group home.
  At first, Lyle House seems a pretty okay place, except for Chloe’s small problem of fearing she might be facing a lifetime of mental illness. But as she gradually gets to know the other kids at the home–charming Simon and his ominous, unsmiling brother Derek, obnoxious Tori, and Rae, who has a “thing” for fire–Chloe begins to realize that there is something that binds them all together, and it isn’t your usual “problem kid” behaviour. And together they discover that Lyle House is not your usual group home either…(Amazon)

Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow- Dru Anderson has what her grandmother called "the touch." (Comes in handy when you're traveling from town to town with your dad, hunting ghosts, suckers, wulfen, and the occasional zombie.) Then her dad turns up dead - but still walking - and Dru knows she's next. Even worse, she's got two guys hungry for her affections, and they're not about to let the fiercely independent Dru go it alone. Will Dru discover just how special she really is before coming face-to-fang with whatever - or whoever - is hunting her? (Amazon)

Nobody's Princess by Freiser- She is beautiful, she is a princess, and Aphrodite is her favorite goddess, but something in Helen of Sparta just itches for more out of life. Not one to count on the gods—or her looks—to take care of her, Helen sets out to get what she wants with steely determination and a sassy attitude. That same attitude makes Helen a few enemies—such as the self-proclaimed "son of Zeus" Theseus—but it also intrigues, charms, and amuses those who become her friends, from the famed huntress Atalanta to the young priestess who is the Oracle of Delphi. (Amazon)

Rampant by Diana Peterfreund- Astrid had always scoffed at her eccentric mother's stories about killer unicorns. But when one of the monsters attacks her boyfriend—thereby ruining any chance of him taking her to the prom—Astrid finds herself headed to Rome to train as a unicorn hunter at the ancient cloisters the hunters have used for centuries. However, at the cloisters all is not what it seems. Outside, the unicorns wait to attack. And within, Astrid faces other, unexpected threats: from the crumbling, bone-covered walls that vibrate with a terrible power to the hidden agendas of her fellow hunters to—perhaps most dangerously of all—her growing attraction to a handsome art student ... an attraction that could jeopardize everything. (Amazon)

Nomansland by Lesley Hauge- Sometime in the future, a lonely, windswept island is populated solely by women. Among these women is a group of teenaged Trackers—expert equestrians and archers—whose job is to protect their shores from the enemy. The enemy, they’ve been told, is men. When these girls come upon a partially buried home from the distant past, they are fascinated by the strange objects—high-heeled shoes, teen magazines, make-up—found there. What are they to make of these mysterious things? And what does it mean for their strict society where friendship is forbidden and rules must be obeyed—at all costs? (Amazon)

Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder- I'm Trella. I'm a scrub. A nobody. One of thousands who work the lower levels, keeping Inside clean for the Uppers. I've got one friend, do my job and try to avoid the Pop Cops. So what if I occasionally use the pipes to sneak around the Upper levels? The only neck at risk is my own…until I accidentally start a rebellion and become the go-to girl to lead a revolution. (Amazon)

Intrinscial by Woodland- Sixteen-year-old Yara Silva has always known that ghosts walk alongside the living. Her grandma, like the other females in her family, is a Waker, someone who can see and communicate with ghosts. Yara grew up watching her grandmother taunted and scorned for this unusual ability and doesn't want that to be her future. She has been dreading the day when she too would see ghosts, and is relieved that the usually dominant Waker gene seems to have skipped her, letting her live a normal teenage life. However, all that changes for Yara on her first day at her elite boarding school when she discovers the gene was only lying dormant. She witnesses a dark mist attack Brent, a handsome fellow student, and rushes to his rescue. Her act of heroism draws the mist's attention, and the dark spirit begins stalking her. Yara finds herself entrenched in a sixty-year-old curse that haunts the school, threatening not only her life, but the lives of her closest friends as well. Yara soon realizes that the past she was trying to put behind her isn't going to go quietly. (Amazon)

Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon- No one wanted Ai Ling. And deep down she is relieved—despite the dishonor she has brought upon her family—to be unbetrothed and free, not some stranger's subservient bride banished to the inner quarters. But now, something is after her. Something terrifying—a force she cannot comprehend. And as pieces of the puzzle start to fit together, Ai Ling begins to understand that her journey to the Palace of Fragrant Dreams isn't only a quest to find her beloved father but a venture with stakes larger than she could have imagined.
  Bravery, intelligence, the will to fight and fight hard . . . she will need all of these things. Just as she will need the new and mysterious power growing within her. She will also need help. It is Chen Yong who finds her partly submerged and barely breathing at the edge of a deep lake. There is something of unspeakable evil trying to drag her under. On a quest of his own, Chen Yong offers that help . . . and perhaps more. (Amazon)

The Fray by Joss Whedon - Hundreds of years in the future, Melaka Fray learns she has a great destiny that may unite a fallen city and save mankind from a demonic plot to destroy the world. (Amazon)


First Test by Tamora Pierce - In the medieval and fantastic realm of Tortall, Keladry of Mindelan is the first girl to take advantage of the decree that permits females to train for knighthood. (Amazon)

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendra Blake - Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead. So did his father before him, until he was gruesomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.
   When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn't expect anything outside of the ordinary: track, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home. But she, for whatever reason, spares Cas's life. (Amazon)

Birthmarked by Caragh O'Brien -  In the Enclave, you scars set you apart, and the newly born will change the future. Sixteen-year-old Gaia Stone and her mother faithfully deliver their quota of three infants every month. But when Gaia’s mother is brutally taken away by the very people she serves, Gaia must question whether the Enclave deserves such loyalty. (Amazon)

Foiled by Jane Yolen -  Aliera Carstairs doesn't fit in any of the cliques in her high school. The only place that makes her feel special and important is her fencing class, however, she seems to be in the spotlight for the handsome, new student Avery Castle. Aliera knows something is not right. Her ordinary and used fencing foil with a large ruby on the hilt that her mother found at a sale is trying to tell her something about Avery and the world around her. What is Aliera's weapon trying to tell her? Who is Avery and why is he so interested in Aliera? (Amazon)

Read More

Banned Books Week 2011: To Kill a Mockingbird

  I feel like one of the last readers who haven't read Harper Lee's masterpiece To Kill a Mockingbird. I was never required to read for school. I had originally planned to read it for last years Banned Books Week but didn't have enough time. After finishing the book, I can see why it has remained so popular and given the marks of a classic novel.

Description: A young girl growing up in an Alabama town in the 1930s learns of injustice and violence when her father, a widowed lawyer, defends a black man falsely accused of rape.

Review: To Kill a Mockingbird is a complex novel that seamlessly weaves a coming of age story along with a critical look at the injustice and prejudice of a small southern town. Scout, our main narrator, is an unconventional girl in her society. She is a precocious child who is eager to learn, has plenty of self confidence, well aware of her surroundings, and has a pretty good moral compass thanks to her mild mannered father, Atticus Finch. I loved how Scout isn't forced to live within the confines of her social identity, but continues to act freely by wearing whatever clothes she likes, plays with boys, and openly addresses her father by his first name. She doesn't care of what people think of her nor what other girls her age are doing. She is comfortable in her own skin. It is through Scout's eyes that we slowly see the world we once thought was so simply divided into right and wrong become muddled, unfair, and even evil.
  Like many readers I'm sure, Atticus Finch was my favorite character. He is a role model and the epitome of a hero. He is intelligent, calm, and always well mannered. Atticus is respected by everyone, including the very poor. He functions as the moral backbone of Maycomb, a counselor whom others seek advice from when they are in times of doubt and trouble. It's ironic that his conscience that makes him so admirable ultimately causes him to be a social outcast as he agrees to defend Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white man's daughter. Though Atticus’s action makes him the object of scorn in Maycomb, he also seems to retain his dignity and respect after the trial as before. What I love most about Atticus is that he practices the ethic of sympathy and understanding that he preaches to his children and never holds a grudge against the people of Maycomb. As a reader I had a hard time overlooking their racial intolerance but Atticus sees the goodness of the people. He recognizes that people have both good and bad qualities, and he is determined to admire the good while understanding and forgiving.
  It is obvious why To Kill a Mockingbird is controversial as it brings out the dark side of the American society, however, in less than 300 pages it manages to teach us many important lessons such as to place ourselves in other people's shoes before we make a rash decision, to not take advantage of those who are helpless than us, and that yes, sometimes life is really unfair. I'm amazed that Harper Lee wrote an edgy book 50 years ago and it still remains to challenge us to this day. 

Rating: 4.5 stars

Why it was challenged/banned: To Kill a Mockingbird has been one of the most popular classics that have been challenged/banned. Challenged in Eden Valley, Minn. (1977) and temporarily banned due to words "damn" and "whore lady" used in the novel. Challenged in the Vernon Verona Sherill, N.Y School District (1980) as a "filthy, trashy novel:" Challenged at the Warren, Ind.Township schools (1981) because the book does "psychological damage to the positive integration process " and "represents institutionalized racism under the guise of good literature:" After unsuccessfully banning Lee's novel, three black parents resigned from the township human relations advisory council. Challenged in the Waukegan, III. School District (1984) because the novel uses the n word. Challenged in the Kansas City, Mo. junior high schools (1985). Challenged at the Park Hill, Mo. Junior High School (1985) because the novel "contains profanity and racial slurs:" Retained on a supplemental eighth grade reading list in the Casa Grande, Ariz. Elementary School District (1985), despite the protests by black parents and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People who charged the book was unfit for junior high use. Challenged at the Santa Cruz, Calif. Schools (1995) because of its racial themes. Removed from the Southwood High School Library in Caddo Parish, La. (1995) because the book's language and content were objectionable. Challenged at the Moss Point, Miss. School District (1996) because the novel contains a racial epithet. Banned from the Lindale,Tex. advanced placement English reading list (1996) because the book "conflicted with the values of the community." Challenged by a Glynn County, Ga. (2001) school board member because of profanity. The novel was retained. Returned to the freshman reading list at Muskogee, Okla. High School (2001) despite complaints over the years from black students and parents about racial slurs in the text. Challenged in the Normal, ILL Community High Schools sophomore literature class (2003) as being degrading to African Americans. Challenged at the Stanford Middle School in Durham, N.C. (2004) because the 1961 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel uses the n word. The challenges continue today.  Source: ALA.

Words of Caution: The n word is prominent in the book and it is used by all age levels in the book. The book is a reflection of how people felt and thought during the 1930s which is the time setting of this novel. It further emphasizes the racial prejudices in this town. I'm not sure where how the book promotes prejudice and racism, but rather, advocates people to take a stand and not tolerate these injustices.

If you like this book try: The Family Tree by Barbara Delinsky, The Girl Who Fell From the Sky by Heidi Durrow, The Help by Kathryn Stockett, I am Scout by Charles Shields

Read More

Banned Books Week 2011: Whale Talk

  Author Chris Crutcher is not immune to challenges. In fact he is one of the authors listed that have been frequently challenged according to ALA. I only read a few books by the author including Deadline which was on the Abraham Lincoln list in Illinois. I just finished one of his well known book called Whale Talk.

Description: T.J. Jones is a multiracial, adopted teen, who shuns organized sports and the fervent athletes at his high school until he agrees to form a swimming team and recruits some of the school's less popular students when he is asked for assistance by his English teacher.

Review: All of Chris Crutcher books, at least the ones I have read so far, have a sports foundation that also incorporates important issues. Whale Talk has all of the author's trademarks. Adopted, biracial high-school senior The Tao Jones (his birth mother named him after a philosophy and prefers to be just called T.J.) is well-adjusted on the surface. T.J. is a smart, likable kid with a great sense of humor and athletic ability. He is your model student who effortlessly glides through school with decent grades and for the most part active in the social scene. Unlike many males in his high school, T. J. doesn't need competitive sports to create his identity. Though Cutter High School jocks and coaches see he is wasting his athletic potential and go far as calling him a traitor and other insults for not having enough school spirit.  T. J. backtracks his promise of not joining a sport when English teacher-coach Mr. Simet makes an unconventional offer: Be the anchor of the swim team and pick your teammates.  The offer is perfect, especially since racist football bully Mike Barbour has taken up letter jackets as a cause. It seems developmentally disabled Chris Coughlin has been wearing his dead brother's jacket, and Mike is annoyed. If Chris, naturally comfortable in the water, is on the swim team, T. J. reasons, Chris will earn a jacket of his own, and Mike will be put in his place.
  Whale Talk is more than your average sports book as the author also includes several side plots in his story such as T.J.'s father atoning for a past tragedy, T.J.'s therapist treating the biracial and severely abused daughter of Cutter's biggest athletic booster, and the misfit team members T.J. has assembled have their own personal problems. While this may be over the top, Crutcher handles these several topics well with honesty, humor, and wonderful insight. The characters are well-constructed characters and quick pacing add tension to how the sometimes cruel and abusive circumstances of life affect every link in the human chain. There is a heartwrenching series of plot twists leads to an end that I wasn't ready to deal with but shows that goodness at least partially prevails.
 While most people may be alarmed at the language used in this book, they are overlooking the great themes presented in the story: overcoming obstacles and adversity, everyday acts of racism, and most importantly forgiveness. If there is anything that bothers me about this book, it is the book cover which features a white male on the cover running. The cover does not reflect anything about the book or the characters at all.  Firstly, T.J. is mixed race and that is a huge part of his identity and main focus for the story. Secondly, the sport is not running but swimming. I'm alarmed at how this blatantly wrong cover could be placed on this book. It is another example of whitewashing covers of books that feature a character of color. I actually had to do a double-take when I retrieved Whale Talk from the library's bookshelf. I had thought I had made a mistake and picked up a different book. I even had to reread the inside panel to make sure it was the story. 

Rating: 4 stars

Why it was challenged/banned: Whale Talk has been challenged several time and even has been banned. Here is a look at the book's controversy: In 2005 and 2006, Whale Talk was removed from all five Limestone County (AL) high school libraries because of the book's use of profanity. It was also removed from suggested reading list for a pilot English-literature curriculum by the superintendent of the SC Board of Education. At this time, the book was also challenged at the Grand Ledge (MI) High School. In 2007 and 2008, Whale Talk was challenged at the Missouri Valley (IA) High School because the book uses racial slurs and profanity as well as challenged as an optional reading in a bullying unit at the Lake Oswego (OR) Junior High School because the novel is "peppered with profanities, ranging from derogatory slang terms to sexual encounters and violence." Source: Marshall Library

Words of Caution: Whale Talk does contain strong language, primarily with the use of the "n" word. The offensive language is not just thrown into the novel just for the sake of controversy, but rather it serves as a reason to make us uncomfortable. It is alarming how easily the word is used by the characters, but it also serves us as a reminder of how prominent it is used in our culture. Why don't we talk about racism and prejudice in a though provoking novel such as this instead of taking the easy and well stupid way out of removing it out of the discussion because it makes us comfortable? Chris Crutcher responded by to his banners and challengers. If you're curious, you can read his response here. In regards to sexual situations, there is allusion to some of the characters who have experience sexual abuse in their childhood. There is nothing explicit or graphic in the book. I think this book is suitable for Grades 8 and up.

Curriculum Connection: Teachers interested in using Whale Talk in their classrooms should take a look at this great lesson plan starter by CCHS. The ALA and AASL (American Association of School Libraries) have also created a discussion guide for teachers to use.

If you like his book try: Black and White by Paul Volponi or Response by Paul Volponi

Read More

The Rock and the River

  Looking back at my history classes in elementary and secondary schools, I don't recall learning about the Black Panther organization when I studied about the Civil Rights Movements. Though I know that the organization existed, the nonviolent movement spear headed by Dr. Martin Luther King was the main focus. While reading Kekla Magoon's Coretta Scott King award winning novel, The Rock and the River, I learned a lot about the difficulties the African American community faced during the turbulent 1960s.

Description: It is 1968 in Chicago. Sam's father is a well-known nonviolent civil rights activist who strongly believes in Dr. King's movement. Sam's brother, Stephen also known as Stick, feels that the nonviolent movement is too passive and has joined the Black Panthers. When a close friend of the brothers is beaten and arrested by white police officers, Sam must decide his own feelings about the Civil Rights Movement and choose a side. Will it be the rock or the river?

Review: The Rock and the River is a compelling novel that aptly conveys the frustrations and uncertainties dividing the civil rights movement at the time of Dr. King's death especially within one African American family. Sam is the son of minister and civil-rights leader Roland Childs, a revered community figure and movement heavyweight whose counsel is sought by Martin Luther King Jr. When Sam witnesses one of his close friends brutally beaten and arrested by the police, he does not get involved but instead joins the onlookers on the side of the road. Sam's passiveness taunts him and he finds his faith in and respect for his father's stalwart commitment to nonviolence shaken. Hoping to get some guidance from his older brother and best friend, he is shocked to discover that Stick is involved with the Black Panthers. Sam is torn between the two people he looks up to most.
  As he poignantly wrestles over which direction to take, Sam both observes and experiences firsthand the injustice of racism. Magoon is unflinching in her depictions of police brutality and racism. While it may be hard to read, it is not overly done but rather propels the plot and themes further. She also offers readers a perspective of a political group that is rarely explored. While some may think the Black Panther's ideology is romanticized, I thought the author provided enough information as to why and how this group was created. I loved how this novel shows that racial prejudices were not confined to the South and that the Civil Rights Movement was a truly national struggle. If the nonviolent movement is deemed too passive and the Black Panther movement is too aggressive, what movement is in between? Do you really have to choose one? These are the questions that swarmed my head long after finishing the book. I think The Rock and the River would serve as a great book discussion in class.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Curriculum Connection: Social Studies

Words of Caution: There is some strong riot violence in the book and minor language. Recommended for strong Grade 4 readers and up.

If you like this book try: One Crazy Summer by Rita Garcia-Williams or Jumped by Rita Garcia-Williams

Read More

Black Like Me

  Looking back on my high school required reading list, I only seem to have read just one book about slavery and racism which was Huck Finn by Mark Twain. I hope to read To Kill a Mockingbird later this year and recently finished John Howard Griffins amazing personal account of racism in his modern classic nonfiction novel, Black Like Me.

Description: Before the Civil Rights Movement occurred, journalist John Howard Griffin pondered what is was like to be black in the Deep South. If he only changed the color of his skin, how different would his life be? Black Like Me is a personal account on how humans reacted in the response to something is essentially really trivial, the color of ones skin. 

Review: Griffin spent a little over a month, some of November and December of 1959 with his skin artificially darkened by medication. He wanted to do a sociological experiment in how people reacted to race in America's South. Going into this project, he realized that it wasn't going to be easy and sought out help and support from various people. During those months, he traveled through Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia, finding out at first hand what it is like to be treated as a second-class citizen. While we all have read several stories of injustices, the lynchings, the civil rights cases before, Griffin's experiences are raw and thrust in front of faces. We both participate as both the observer and the participant of these daily injustices such as the rudeness of the clerk when he tried to pay for a train ticket with a big bill; the difficulty he had in finding someone who would cash a traveler's check for a Negro; the bus-driver who wouldn't let any blacks off the bus to use the restrooms; the white man who followed him at night and threatened to mug him.
   In attempts to not generalize, Griffin provides both from both races who helped him regardless of his race at the time. As you can imagine, this report created a lot of stir when it was officially released. Many of the people who replied to Griffin's story wrote that they too feel guiltily and ashamed about how the minority have been treated but are afraid to stand up because of the strong back lash they would feel if they had let their opinions be known and heard. While some may argue that Black Like Me is "the white experience of racism", I would actually argue that this book forces everyone regardless of their race to think about racism and stereotypes we project upon each other.
 Black Like Me is a powerful, unflinching, influential, and gripping story. Though it is nonfiction, it does not read like a textbook but rather as a nonfiction narrative with many similar characteristics of an adventure story. Like Griffin, I was always scared that someone would find out the truth. His interior monologue how he himself is transformed by simply darkening his skin is utterly fascinating. Just the simple act of writing his wife a letter explaining that he is okay seems like a crime. Though Griffin only spends a month with dark skin, his revelations of how we treat each other is still relevant today. Black Like Me is a must read and I now understand why it has been on a required reading list for many schools.

Rating: 5 stars

Curriculum Connection: English, Social Studies

Words of Caution: There is some strong language in the book. Recommended for high school students and up.

If you like this book try: White Like Me by Tim Wise or "Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?" by Beverly Daniel Tatum

Read More

The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf

  The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf by Mohja Kahf was recommended to me by my dad or more accurately-one of my dad's student had recommended it to him, but since my dad doesn't read "novels", he passed it on to me. I wasn't in the mood to read a preachy book and thus had the title sitting on my shelf for about five years until I put in my list of top 10 books I resolved to read in 2011. I'm glad that I can finally pull it off from my bookshelf, but I can't seem to shake off my frustration with the title.

Description: Khadra Shamy recalls what it was like growing up as a Syrian Muslim American during the 1970s in Indianapolis, Indiana. Her devout parents raise Khadra and her older brother, Eyad, to be observant of Islamic customs. As Khadra grows older, she reaches a cultural crossroad that forces her to question what it means to be "Muslim", "Syrian" or "American."

Review: The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf is a very ambitious novel that seems to tackle all the important complex issues tied to identity: religion, race, and politics. For Muslim Americans (such as me), the book forces them to see the rising problems in the Islamic community that are still relevant today. For those who are not familiar with Islam, the book is an eye opening experience of looking at America from a "foreigner's" point of view. Regardless from what perspective you are reading the book, it is undeniable that the issues it brings up is important, timely, and much needed, however; I can't honestly recommend it without some reservations.
 I had a really hard time reading this book. It's not that the language or themes were beyond my comprehension, but rather I found the writing and editing to be so poorly done. The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf has no plot, at least in the way we traditionally think of plot (beginning, middle, end or events leading to a climax and a resolution- depending on how you define plot). The prologue establishes our protagonist, Khadra, on a trip back home to Indianapolis, Indiana for a project she has to do for work. She has some trepidations in coming back home. The book immediately goes back in time to her childhood through adulthood with abrupt transitions to the present. There are large plot holes in the novel, particularly with the books timeline. In fact by the last few chapters of the story, I completely forgot Khadra was on a trip at all because I didn't know what she was doing in the present.
  In addition to the plot holes, there is an inconsistency with the translations of important Arabic phrases that are used throughout the book. While I have background knowledge of Islam, I did not have a problem understanding the terms, however, those who are not familiar with the Islamic faith could easily get confused and miss out its significance. I don't consider myself a lazy reader who is not willing to look up information in order to understand a book nor do I feel that an author needs to spoon feed me the information in order to enjoy his/her novel, but I do strongly believe there needs to be some context in which phrases are used. The author doesn't give any context clues nor a glossary, but only a haphazardly thrown bibliography of books that influenced her writing.
  Along with the book's disorganization, I did not feel there was any character growth for the characters. Kahf throws in characters right and left as if she's a chef preparing a complex dish. Characters disappear without leaving any impression on the reader. I didn't like Khadra at all. For the first half of the book, I found her to be insulting and condescending. She sees religion in its most puritanical form and those who don't follow her rules are deemed as unobservant and are "going to hell". While the book is a coming of age novel and most novels in this genre show the protagonist question authority and go on a quest to find their own identity, Khadra does neither for the first 300 pages. She follows the beliefs that her parents taught her blindly and absolutely. It is not until her trip to a politically charged Syria, does she reconsider her beliefs and only then her epiphany is only about 5 pages, which I found very hard to digest and believe.
 While the book addresses important issues such as gender equality, how one interprets religion, and tolerance, it superficially addresses them. One can argue that the book isn't really a novel with a message, but rather an expository piece that shows how fractured the Muslim community is in terms of what constitutes a Muslim identity and what is the correct way to interpret Islam in the 21st century. In that case, I can't help but think the book succeeds in this aspect only by the stereotypes it presents to the reader. 
 I appreciate the author's attempt in exploring the identity of a Muslim American, which has been routinely questioned by those who are first generation Muslim Americans (including myself). For most of us, our parents have raised us to follow Islam and the Islamic code the way they have been taught by their elders, however, things get murky when you live in a secular society like America (and that's not always a bad thing). Books like The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf that explores the identity crisis of Muslim Americans are desperately needed and I think book is in the right direction. Some readers may think the book is poignant and a great choice for book discussions, but it's definitely not for me.


Rating: 2 stars

Words of Caution: There is strong language in the book including racial slurs. There is also allusions to rape and murder. Recommended to mature teens and adults only. For those readers who are unfamiliar with Islam, I would highly suggest you read some introductory materials to gain some background knowledge first before reading this book.

If you like this book try: The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

Read More

Stuck in the mud

 As I mentioned in a previous post, I have a hard time finding an adult book that I actually enjoy to read. I had asked one of the librarians at my local public library for some suggestions. She of coursed asked me what was the last good book I read. I had promptly replied The Help by Kathryn Stockett (a great book, by the way, if you haven't read it yet). She then directed me to Mudbound by Hiliary Jordan, what she thought was a read-alike to The Help. The two books do have similarities, but I didn't like Mudbound as much or more than The Help.

Description: It's 1946 in the Mississippi Delta, where Laura McAllan is struggling to adjust to farm life, raise her daughters, and be the wife her land-loving husband, Henry, wants her to be. It is an uphill battle every day. To make things worse, Henry's father, Pappy, an old, rude, misogynous, and racist man moves in them. The heart of the story, however, is the friendship between Jamie, Henry's too-charming brother, and Ronsel Jackson, an African American man who is the son of the sharecroppers that live on the McAllan farm. Both return and are forever changed by World War II. Told in alternating chapters by Laura, Henry, Jamie, Ronsel, and his parents, Florence and Hap, the story of forbidden love, murder, and betrayal unfolds with a chilling inevitability.

Review:  As I mentioned earlier, Mudbound does have similarities with The Help: both take place in the South and are told in multiple perspectives, but that's about it. In The Help, I was able to connect to the their main narratives in the story, sympathize when they struggled, and cheered for them when they were victorious. I had the opposite effect when I read Mudbound. I thought the characters could have been introduced better. My main problem is that I really didn't care much for the characters except Ronsel. Laura is a self involved wife who refuses to grow a spine and stand up to her husband. Henry is the stereotypical absent minded husband who only cares what other people think of him. Jamie is suppose to be charming and likeable, but I thought he was weak and passive. I absolutely hated Pappy.
    In terms of the story, the tagline of a "forbidden love, murder, and betrayal" are somewhat misleading and does not occur until the second half of the book. When those events did happen, I wasn't shocked or effected by any means. I saw everything happen before it unfolded. Mudbound is a well written novel that had the potential of being a more powerful book if only the characters were more alive. The book contains classic and powerful themes: racism, traditional values, freedom, and identity, however, I felt it got lost in the shuffle of the multi-narrative structure of the book. This book is definitely not in my top 10 books of this year, but I would still recommend it.

Rating: 3 stars

Words of Caution: There is strong language and sexual situations throughout the novel. There is also a particularly violent scene as well, but much of the violence does take off stage (thank goodness).

If you like this book, try: The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng

Read More