Book Review: The Word Made Flesh: Literary Tattoos from Bookworms Worldwide by Eva Talmadge and Justin Taylor

I love tattoos. It's not that I love every design and every choice made by every person who has one, but that I love the art of tattooing. I think it's beautiful, and I have some of my very own.

It should come as no surprise that I also love books. To me, the idea of having words and/or images from a favorite poem or book or author tattooed on your body is the utmost in awesome.

With this perspective in mind, you can see why I am so very impressed with the quality (and quantity) of the tattoos contained in this collection. And that's what this book is, a collection. It includes a huge and wide variety of authors. There are great poets ( ee cummings, Dickinson, Mary Oliver, Frost, Whitman, Berryman, etc) included, as well as the "great" novelists, playwrights, and thinkers (Kafka, Vonnegut, Shakespeare, Dante, Kerouac). I am grateful and excited to see all of these old-time favorites represented in this book. But, I am also encouraged to see that there are a bunch of YA authors represented here as well.

My students love looking at and thinking about tattoos. When my students are sophomores, there is a creative writing project that we create. It's basically a collection of vignettes modeled after Sandra Cisneros's The House on Mango Street. One of the topics that students can choose to write about is the tattoo that they will someday get (or already have). This is one of the most popular writing assignments I've ever created, but it's more than just writing. You can tell a lot about a person from their description of their wished-for tattoo.

I love that this collection includes explanations of why the tattooed models chose their literary tats. Aside from being visaully interesting, the back stories of these pieces are so interesting and telling. I cannot wait to show my students this book tomorrow. They are going to love it. Who knows, they might start reading our in-class texts and poems more closely to find an interesting gem for their own ink experience.

Book Review: I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced by Nujood Ali and Delphine Minoui

I am trying to get more and more nonfiction onto my free reading shelves for my students. This is not an easy task when it comes to needing accessible, interesting material for teens aged 14-19. Lately, though, there have been more nonfiction options for teens. This is one such book.

First of all, the title is intriguing and basically says a lot with just a few words. I've done two book talks for this memoir already, and each time there have been audible gasps when I just hold the book up and students read the title. It's shocking. And, when I tell them that it's real, students just can't believe it. There is no better hook than a gripping, emotional title.

This story takes place in the small, conservative Muslim country of Yemen. I am trying to learn more about the Middle East (and other areas of the world) in hopes of teaching World Lit in a more current, interesting way. Traditionally, sophomore English at our high school is called World Lit and the materials are all ancient and Euro-centric. It's comprised of Shakespeare, Greek Mythology, Greek literature, and Kafka. Not a modern, non-male, non-white perspective to be had.

This book would be a perfect way to introduce women's rights, children's rights, and Middle Eastern culture/ religion/ philosophy to students. In it, Nujood basically causes a small revolution when she escapes her home and forces a group of judges to listed to her case. Married off at the age of ten, she was brutally raped and abused by her "husband" and his family. Her own family did not support her desire to divorce her husband, so she ran away and advocated for herself. All of this action is in spite of the dangers that could have befallen her if her relatives had decided to shun or harm her for shaming them.

After this case received national and international attention, other girls came forward with their cases and laws about the age of consent have been changed. Of course, there are still lots of instances where young girls have been married off to much older men, but this spark has caused a wave that could help many girls and women in countries like Yemen.

Most importantly, this book offers a window into a foreign world and does so with great respect for the culture and traditions of the Middle East. It is not a smear, but an insight into a way of life and thinking that is very unfamiliar to myself and my students. Plus, it's well-written and engaging.

If you know of any other nonfiction reads that I should order for my classroom, please leave a comment. Thanks for any help you can offer!

Book Review: IraqiGirl: Diary of a Teenage Girl in Iraq

IraqiGirl: Diary of a Teenage Girl in Iraq is a collection of blog posts published by a girl who wrote under the pseudonym "Hadiya" from 2004 to 2007. 

Reading these entries, it quickly becomes clear to me that, by blogging, Hadiya is risking much more than offending a few of her readers. I realized how very much I take for granted on a daily (if not hourly basis). The ability to write about my thoughts, to count on electricity, to know that I will return home from school, that people around me will not simply disappear, never to be seen or heard from again. This writing is not grandiose, but it is so very eye-opening.

It was clear in reading this that Hadiya is not living a better life since the US entered her country and toppled Saddam Hussein's regime. She may have been poor under Saddam, but she is absolutely stifled under American occupation. I don't know if I'm alone in this ignorance, but I feel like this voice is one that I have not yet heard since we entered Iraq in 2003. I know that it was dangerous for her to write on her blog (a freedom that I take for granted every day), but I am so thankful that she has put her voice into the international arena. I feel much more enlightened as to what it would be like to live in a war zone after reading this collection of blog entries.

In addition to the journal-style narratives, Hadiya also writes poetry. She is rather talented in this area. I can see myself using several of these poems in my classroom. But, her writing is not perfect and she admits that she struggles with language. Rather than see this as a put-off, I felt as though her sometimes awkward phrasing felt more authentic than if she had been a polished writer.  Without the gleam of figurative language and fancy prose, Hadiya comes across as a real teen. A frustrated, scared teen who is forever changed by a war that is taking place in her front yard. It could not get more real than this.

I am definitely going to put this book on my classroom shelf. Though my students, especially my young freshmen and sophmores, have not grown up with this war on their doorstep, it has been the background noise on their televisions and the stuff of their local news for the majority of their lives. Many of these young teens do not remember a time when they did not hear the word "Iraq" without the word "war." And, some have lost loved ones and will continue to know and love American soldiers who are headed to the Middle East.

Anyone who is even remotely interested in learning more about the Iraq War from an actual Iraqi should read this book. And, it is a must-have for high school (and possibly middle school) libraries and classrooms. I hope to read more nonfiction written by real teens in the future.

Book Review: They Called Themselves the KKK by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

It is not often that I read nonfiction, especially nonfiction YA books. When I do, it is usually for my classroom. This book, They Called Themselves the KKK: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group is one that I had selected to purchase for use in my classroom this year. I chose this text because I am deeply interested in human and civil rights and want to promote an accepting and inviting atmosphere for all students in my classroom.

This is not always easy to do in rural Maine. Our state has been called the "whitest" in the country; our school has less than 1% of students of African American, Asian American, or Latino American descent. Combined. (We do have a stronger showing of Native American students at about 3%.) And, for a state so far from the Mason-Dixon Line, we have an awful lot of Confederate flags on belt buckles and bumper stickers.

I am not implying that there is more racism in our school than in any other across the country. I do think that there is an extreme lack of information about other cultures. So, I purchase books like this one in hopes that students will learn. Here's what this book has to offer:

-A time line of events starting before the Civil War and leading up to the election of President Obama
-A collection of ads, articles, cartoons, drawings, and photographs depicting civil rights issues
-An easy-to-understand representation of historical events, including political movements and policies related to civil rights, voting procedures, and the formation of the KKK
-Reproductions of historical documents, like the Emancipation Proclamation
-Pictures and interview excerpts from former slaves

This book is extremely user and reader-friendly. I am not exactly sure what the reading level is, but it is probably somewhere between 8th and 10th grade. Some sections are easier to understand than others. Overall, I learned a lot about the politics and the agendas of both the American North and South during the years before and after the Civil War.

I think that this is an essential text for classrooms across our country. The information and the visuals contained in this book make it an enticing read for any up-and-coming civil rights activist. Hopefully, some of my students will be inspired to read it and then spread awareness about civil rights. Because the fight is not yet finished. 

Book Review: Two Histories of England

The Two Histories of England by Jane Austen and Charles Dickens is probably not the hottest title on the shelves right now. I'm sure that this type of book has a very limited appeal, but for some reason, I found it interesting enough to purchase.

I read a review on a blog somewhere and decided that this book sounded like it would be a great resource to have in my classroom. I teach a ton of Shakespeare and an entire course on British Literature and am always looking for ways to liven up the material. While I don't see myself teaching this book to a whole class, there are a number of ways that I've thought to use it in the classroom.

First, there are tons of cool little stories included in this retelling of history. I don't know that any of them are true, but I love little the tidbits about Mary Queen of Scots's red wig coming off after she's beheaded and showing that she'd gone completely gray. A little gross, a lot morbid, but just what kids love to hear!

I also love the playfulness and passion that both authors show for the history of their countries. I've always thought Brits to be a pretty serious people, but Austen and Dickens both approach their recollections of English history with a bit of humor and a lot of gusto. They care about their monarchs and political figures. Like I support the New England Patriots, Jane Austen is unfailing in her support of Mary Queen of Scots. Actually, both authors point out some serious character flaws in Elizabeth I, which is interesting to me as an outsider looking in.

I wish that an American teen would write a book about our history or our current political cast of characters as they see it. It was so interesting to see history through the eyes of these famous authors, particularly Jane Austen. She was only 16 when she wrote her history of England. I would love for an American teen to write as funny and biased a critique of our recent history.

So, this read is probably not going to appeal to every reader. But, if you like to read about history, or are interested in seeing the history of England through Dickens and/or Austen's point of view, you might enjoy this.

Spring Break Reading Challenge: Last But Not Least

Karin the Librarian is celebrating the first day of Spring with a huge blizzard. Here, all of our snow has melted and is causing a muddy mess. I guess I'd rather have snow! (It was actually 70 degrees outside yesterday--Weird for the mountains of Maine!)
So, rather than think about daffodils and tulips, we're going to pay homage to some wintery reads. Here are the instructions from the Spring Break Reading Challenge:

I want you to find 5 books. These 5 books need to meet a certain criteria. These 5 books need to either be about or take place in a winter wonderland. In other words, snow, ice, or other winter-like weather needs to be involved.

Create a post on your blog with the titles, covers, and book descriptions.

Here are the five six books I chose for this challenge:

Peak by Roland Smith. This is the first book that came to my mind and it is sitting on my To Be Read pile. I've been putting it off because I'm not a huge adventure reader, but I think I'm going to have to start it soon because I probably won't want to read it in July!

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. I don't think that this book takes place in a "wonderland" but it definitely involes a lot of snow, freezing weather, and ice. Lots of it. Plus, it's an amazing book! I do love nonfiction and feel in love with Christopher McCandless, the subject of this biography.

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer. I loved this book. It kinda freaked me out a little because I read it during a huge snow storm, but it really caused me to think about whether or not I'd be prepared to live after a natural disaster. This book doesn't start out as a wintery read, but is covered in snow and subzero temps by the time it's done. It's a fantastic read!

The White Darkness by Geraldine Mccaughrean. This book will bring you to the Antarctic--One place I have no desire to go. The main character of this read, Sym, is obsessed with the men who explored the South Pole. Her uncle surprises her with a trip to that will take her directly to this ice-covered land, but once she gets there reality seems to slip further and further away from Sym. This book won the Printz Award.

Shackleton's Stowaway by Victoria McKernan. I have not yet read this book, but I have read a lot about it. It's been on a lot of Good for Guys book lists. I've read the description a few times at the book store, and it actually sounds pretty interesting. It's based on a true story (another Antarctic adventure) and it's told in a journal-style format, which I usually enjoy.

The Trap by John Smelcer. As I was writing this post, I remembered this book. I already had my five, but I need to talk about this read. It's both a gripping story and is loved by lots and lots of my reluctant boy readers--a tough audience to please. The story takes place in Alaska and is told in a series of back and forth narrations between a teen boy named Johnny Least-Weasel and his grandfather, Albert. Albert is getting older and has been gone too long checking his trap line. Albert is in a bad situation and needs his grandson to come and find him. This story is a bit of a thriller because you don't know if Johnny is going to make find his grandfather in time. I loved both characters and so have many of my students!

On My Wishlist: IraqiGirl

Though most of the students I currently teach were just little munchkins when 9/11 and the ensuing Iraq War broke out, it seems like they don't quite understand all that this war has meant for the Iraqi people. (Not that I do either.) I would love to know more about the ways in which this war has affected Iraqi teens who, like my students, were little kids when this war started. Basically, many teens in today's Iraq have grown up in a war zone.

When I find books like IraqiGirl: Diary of a Teenage Girl in Iraq, I am excited by the possibility of opening my live of vision and my students' to a world that (for me at least) is hard to imagine. I think it's one thing to watch the nightly news and read Time magazine, but it's another to listen to the words of a teenager who's grown up with the destruction and uncertainty of war. I know that when I read books, I am able to create a movie in my head much more so than with a magazine article or a news clip. I look forward to reading this book and learning more from this brave young woman.