In his autobiography, Hole in My Life, I found the truth in Jack Gantos’ statement about violence so sad, but some people are “freaks for violence” (4), and not just in prison. As he writes, “Here we were all of us living in constant, pissy, misery, and instead of trying to feel more human, more free and unchained in their hearts by simply respecting one another and getting along, many of the men found cruel and menacing ways to make each day a walk through a tunnel of fear for others” (4). Such a statement is a good one for opening conversation about the politics of school, for example, where bullying happens in hall ways, lunchrooms, locker rooms and on playgrounds. Readers can apply the author’s observation to the social norms that permit children to bully and tease with impunity any vulnerable “others.” It allows exploration of questions like, why do we push some people to the social margins? Why do we alienate those who are different?
The book also validates the importance of self-communication. Gantos describes the “bonfires of blame” (156) and the raging fires of guilt and self-loathing. He shows us we are not alone in our self-abuse but that we need to find the will power to get past self-inflicted violence, to choose productive paths and alternatives, whether we find that escape in reading and writing, as he does, or in some other healthy distraction. We can’t allow self-doubt and insecurity to conquer us. We have to “make rules for ourselves and break them and make others until we get it right” (186), until we stop running in the wrong direction, until we find the confidence and the determination.
Finally, I like his idea for organizing a writer’s notebook, a configuration worth sharing with other writers: Daily Entry Section—“filled with a wild stream of thoughts in a conscious effort to capture my honest feelings, true motivations, and crazed activities of each day. The writing was kind of a blinding kaleidoscopic view of my life” (21); Golden Lines from Books—“I catalogued the parts that struck me dumb with envy and admiration for their beauty and power and truth” (21); Vocabulary Building—“where I’d write words and definitions I wanted to learn and use” (22); Moments of Inspiration—“devoted to book ideas, full-color flashes, like bits of film remembered, or a forgotten conversation suddenly pulsing to life” (22). These seed ideas have the potential to grow into stories, essays, and poems.
Sherman Alexie’s The Abosolute Diary of a Part-Time Indian is a must read. Through the life of Arnold Spirit, (Junior) readers are directly placed in the harsh realities reservation life holds, poverty hardships, handicaps, bullying, masturbation, racism, and more. I enjoyed reading this book because it had it all. Yes, I understand parents may not want their children reading the book for the reasons listed above, but life is not scripted and is real. It would be a good book for students to read because it is vital to broaden understanding for others in this world and the book may relate to something the child is facing. Junior is strong and stands up for what he believes in; great characteristics I want every child to have. I recommend this book to all.
ReplyDeleteChris Crutcher's autobiography "King of the Mild Frontier" is a must read as well. The novel chronicles Crutcher's growing up in Idaho (he now resides in Spokane.) Like in Alexie's book, humor is a major part of the story. In Crutcher's novel, humor is used almost as a reflection of his experiences. Things that could be horrifying: his mother's death, his classmate's ghost who Crutcher feels is haunting him, among others could be downright frightening. But by reflecting upon his experiences his can use humor to explain that he is at peace with all of his experiences. This is a great novel! I highly recommend it!
ReplyDeleteI read "The Basketball Diaries" the autobiography of Jim Carroll. Some of you might recognize the title from the Leonardo Dicaprio movie with the same name. The movie was in fact based off this autobiography and since I had seen the movie many, many years ago, I thought I'd pick it up.
ReplyDeleteWow. It is an intense tale of Carroll's fall into the world of sex, drinking and drugs during the 1960s. I don't remember the movie that well, so I was surprised at what I found in the book. It had a lot of beautiful lines--you can see how Carroll became a poet, but he had an intense younger life. I would maybe use lines from this book for sentence structure, or something similar, but there is no way I'd be able to teach this book to a class. I might suggest it to interested readers, but it would have to be for mature readers. One line that stood out to me while I was reading was, "Soon Life is gonna have a cover story on puking as the new rage, soon the college dudes will have a new campus craze." It's an unbelievable story of his life from age 13 to 16, and I have no idea how he survived and escaped the life he was drowning in.
I read "Hole in my Life" by Jack Gantos with the seniors at Hellgate high school and I was excited because I actually got to see how a true classroom would/could utilize such a genre/book. Actually being able to be there while they read, discuss with them some of the themes/things they noticed and answer their questions was really great to be a part of! The students really enjoyed the book and a lot of them said that it was because it wasn't some "stuffy, old book" like they have always had to read (they just finished The Great Gatsby) and they could actually relate to Gantos and his life better than any other characters. The book is very intense and thrilling as we learn about a young man who's goal in life is to be a famous writer but he is very poor and falls into a world of drug dealing in order to make money to get into a good writing college. The passion that Gantos feels for writing and what he goes through in this story (his real life) is amazing and something that a lot of us (and our students) can relate to; the struggles, the 'give and take' that we sometimes go through in order to achieve our dreams. What was great about this novel was that it's protagonist was young which then made him intriguing and relatable to students. I don't want to spoil the ending but will just end by saying you know it must be a good book if seniors in high school can't put it down. :)
ReplyDeleteI one hundred percent agree with Katie that “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” is a must read for everyone in this class and all young adults. The sudo-autobiography of Alexie’s childhood through the character Junior, is an awesome twist away from the usual autobiography form.
ReplyDeleteBecause of the fun, humorous, imagery and even literal comic images, Alexie is able to discuss some tense issues in a wonderful fashion. I enjoyed these images so much that I decided to do a comic for my reading response. I think some sort of abstract/artistic reading response would be the most fun way for students to understand this important piece of young adult literature.
This was the best read I have had all semester, and it definitely lived up to the hype that fellow classmates have given the novel. Once again I definitely recommend it for everyone.
I read a book written in 1995 titled, "All-American Boy." It's a memoir and deals with very difficult subject matter. The main character, Scott, deals with abuse, his mother's untimely death, and his grandparents' staunch Baptist religion (they don't believe in fun and whole-heartedly believe most people are going to hell). Two of the people they believe are going to hell are Scott's mom and Scott - but for two very different reasons. Scott, it turns out, is gay. And though he himself is a strict Baptist himself, he soon comes to learn the "fun" (it's not all doom and death) of Pentecostal views and Evangelicalism. He joins a theology school to learn to become a pastor. All the while he hides his secret about his homosexuality. He even tries to do everything one can to turn 'straight'. All the while everyone he's immersed himself with talks about the true sin, the one major one, that is, being gay. Sodomites be damned! is really the story he hears over and over - and even preaches himself.
ReplyDeleteAs stated, this memoir is quite dark in its subject matter (way more than I thought while picking it up). Though it is a true story of one kid's life (most of the events happen between the ages of 10 and 20 or so).
Also, to add a few comments, I too think "The Absolutely True Diary..." is a great book, and one of my favorites I've read this semester. Recommended if you haven't read it.
I also read "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie. I won't recap the story as it can be reviewed above. However, what struck me the most is how we use humor to deal with hardship and tragedy. The way in which Junior deals with his pain feels so familiar. I think high school students would feel as if they were reading their own memoir in some ways.
ReplyDeleteI was also struck by how dealing with pain can be such a creative and artistic expression--whether it is through writing or drawing or singing or acting. Which led me to think of how vital arts education is in public schools. This may be the only outlet students have. (I also watched "It's Kind of a Funny Story" this weekend which uses art to deal with depression and other issues both teens and adults go through).
I think this book would create some amazing discussion opportunities in the classroom and allow for some healing that may be needed. I laughed and cried my way through this book and think teens would have some of the same reactions. I definitely plan to have this on my own bookshelf and as a resource for my students.
This week, I read "E.E. Cummings: A Poet's Life" by Catherine Reef. Unlike the books that everyone has posted about so far, this wasn't a memoir or autobiography, but a simple biography of one of my favorite poets. The writing wasn't anything terribly special, but the author used a multi-genre approach by incorporating photographs, snippets of poetry, and samples of Cummings' paintings that were effective in telling the story of his life. I can see how this particular biography would appeal to young adults because of the way it ties in historical events, making it more relevant and easier to understand the context. I wouldn't say that I highly recommend this book, but if you'd like to know more about the man, then it is a nice, clear, concise look at his life that shattered many of my own misconceptions about him. Also, it provides a good background that adds a whole new level to analyzing his work. Worth the read, but not the most exciting bit of nonfiction.
ReplyDeleteI read "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen and highly recommend it! In this autobiography he talks about his experiences with becoming a musher of a dog sled team. There are a handful of extremely surprising and amazing little stories he recalls having witnessed through out the book. The last 17 chapters are a day-by-day account of his first time running in the Alaska Iditarod. He faces sleep deprivation, hallucinations, hunger, extreme weather and a number of other obstacles during his trek. Throughout his time learning to run a team and participating in the Iditarod, he learns a number of life lessons that he illustrates wonderfully.
ReplyDeleteThis would be a great classroom read because it continues to intrigue the reader in every chapter which can sometimes be a hard thing to do, especially in this genre.
Having already read a memoir during the multicultural week, I decided to catch up and read a multicultural novel! I decided to read Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel, which is absolutely fantastic! There are so many “teachable” topics in the book a teacher might not know where to start. Whether you want to discus women/gender roles, magical realism, tradition, family, or even love, Esquivel’s novel is a fabulous choice! The book is set up with twelve monthly installments, which each begin with a family recipe relating to a specific time in Tita’s, the protagonist’s, life. This book does contain a higher level of sexuality, so I would request parental permission before using the novel in a classroom, but I absolutely envision myself using this book in the future! (This movie was also made into a move, which I have not yet had the privilege to see.)
ReplyDeleteFor my nonfiction read, I read "Go Ask Alice" which is a journal by an anonymous girl detailing her life's struggle with drug addiction. This first hand account of a life that has become overcome by addiction and the world that comes with this addiction was very impacting. This journal was a very sad story and made me realize the danger of drugs and the reality that they affect lives daily. I don't think I would necessarily teach this novel in class because it is fairly explicit. However, if I were to teach it in the classroom, I think it would be fun to incorporate it into a unit that emphasizes writing nonfiction and journaling. Along with teaching students the importance and the positive effect writing in a journal can have on a person, the journal "Go Ask Alice" also demonstrates the repercussions associated drug use and pushing drugs.
ReplyDeleteSarah:
ReplyDeleteI, too, have been intrigued by the number of authors who address the healing power of art. In fact, I think that’s a good Master’s thesis topic! To understand death, loss, and the power of perspective, Sharon Creech’s protagonist, Annie in Heartbeat draws apples; to heal from her silent depression, Melinda, a rape victim in Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, draws trees; to help him understand his cultural identity and how intricately it is tied to his past and to his ancestors, Evan draws hands in Who Will Tell My Brother? by Marlene Carvell.
You point out Alexie’s use of the motif, and other authors employ it, too: Gary Paulsen in The Island and Lisa Ann Sandell in A Map of the Known World. In Paulsen’s book, Wil, like a contemporary Thoreau, immerses himself in nature and discovers its wonders through drawing herons, turtles, frogs, and fish, while also learning intimate details about his own identity. Sandell’s characters Cora and Damien both learn the redemptive power of art as they cope with the grief of death.
All of these authors seem to suggest art carries an element of catharsis and discovery; art helps us understand the world in which we live. Somehow, it also connects us to our humanity, and as a repository for artifacts, art acts as a type of cultural encyclopedia—a reference, a decoder or translator of who we are as a people. As we individually escape into artistic creation, we discover potential; art renews our hopes and gives us reason to dream. Art also provides a place to battle the demons in our lives and survive. Similarly, Naomi Shihab Nye suggests that art can save us; that through art we build empathy, “the key note to sustainability.” Art—and writing is a form of art—can also lead us to places of respect for one another. Hearing one another’s stories is a form of cultural diplomacy. When we listen to people’s stories, when we share intimate aspects of self and culture, when we accept new ways of knowing, we can reduce ignorance, grow hope, and diminish hate.
Amiri Baraka said, “Thought is more important than art,” but I think art is a manifestation of thought, a form of self-expression. Because art and thought are inextricably linked, how can we value one over the other?
I read "Jack Kerouac: A Biography." I was concerned that it would not be High School appropriate considering the life Kerouac lead, but the biography series it is a part of writes specifically for students. I have read several of Kerouacs novels and know of the chaos he is surrounded by. It was interesting to get a perspective on these happennings that is from the outside looking in. And more objective. The writing allowed a look at his life in a very real way that was at times depressing and disturbing. The book did not skip over his drug and alcohol abuse of sexual deeds, but it did address them professionally and without glorifying them. Instead it related these things to his life so it was understood why he acted like that and what effects those things had on his life and his work. I think the best thing the book could give students would be an understanding of the dangers of drugs and alcohol. Much like the Basketball Diaries might. An encouraging aspect to the book was how miserably most of his work was recieved, and how he overcame that and ended up defining and creating a new gerne of writing. This genre, a kind of stream of consciousness style, would be an interesting thing to get students turned on to. It is similar to our writing into the day tasks where we just write what is in our heads. Encouraging kids to write freely, like Kerouac, might encourage them to embrace their personal writing voice, even though it may not fit the typically desired mold.
ReplyDeleteI read a Hole in My Life by Jack Gantos. It was an excellent read, one that I feel confident high school students can relate to and embrace.
ReplyDeleteDonna, I too like his notebook idea and thank that it would be a great exercise to have students begin a notebook after reading the book.
I was also very intrigued by his numerous book references. Definably, he is trying to make a statement to readers about the importance of reading and the role books played in his life. Perhaps we can ask students write a Reading Autobiography and list people they relate to in those novels and other characters in their readings that remind them of people in their life.
So for this week's book I read The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. I feel like every week in class someone has found a way to make this book fit the criterion and thought I'd see what all of the fuss was about, and now that I've read it I am completely and unabashedly jumping on the Alexie bandwagon.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many ways in which this book accomplishes so many wonderful things in the classroom. He addresses marginalization (Arnold, the main character, suffered from hydrocephaly when he was born and is consequently mocked as an 'idiot' on top of the ridicule he faces for being a Native American). He bluntly addresses hot topic issues, boldly calling himself an 'Indian' instead of the more P.C. 'Native American' and freely uses crude language to address issues from alcoholism to masturbation, which is something that I think a younger audience appreciates and relates to more than literature which talks down to them. Alexie is flat out hilarious, chronicling some truly awful events, such as his sister being burned alive and his extreme and inhibitory poverty, with such a wry wit that I almost felt like the laughter made them so much sadder. How is it possible for someone to grow up in such a culture so different from mine that he can turn these sorts of things into comedy?! Finally, Alexie combines drawings (again, hilarious) and prose together to create interest and break the monotony that some students might find in 'traditional' literature.
I read "Harry Houdini, Young Magician" by Katheryn Kilby Borland and Helen Ross Speicher, this is just one biography in the Aladdin Books series entitled "Childhood of Famous Americans". This book is the story of Houdini's childhood and rise to fame as a known magician. It is a very interesting and very easy to read. One reason I enjoyed this book is the way it was written, instead of a series of facts, it is presented as a story highlighting the most important events and people in Houdini's life. I learned a lot about Houdini that I did not know before, about his rough childhood and dedication to his magic tricks.
ReplyDeleteI would recommend this book to any student that wanted to learn about Harry Houdini. I would also teach this book in a classroom but pair with a more difficult selection so that the students are challenged more, because although this book is a fun read, it is a very easy read.
I chose the memoir October Sky by Homer Hickam for this week’s young adult novel. If you have not read the book, or seen the movie, this book is set in the 1950’s around the launching of Sputnik. Formerly titled Rocket Boys, October Sky is bout four boys who are inspired by the Russian satellite and want to create rockets of their own. I actually chose this book to construct my unit plan around.
ReplyDeleteHickam’s historical connection throughout the book makes it a wonderful tool in the classroom, making literature and space connect. Yes, the book is long, but the plot makes sense for a young adult audience. Homer, the protagonist faces things every boy his age faces, girls, school, football, and a struggle to compete with his siblings. I would highly recommend my high school juniors or seniors to read this book, watch the movie, and conduct research in correlation with space or Russian aerospace engineering. I am excited to formulate a lesson plan around such an intricately novel.
I read Marley, A Dog Like No Other", which is a biography of a yellow lab. Jim Grogan has authored numerous books based on Marley, including adult, young adult, and children's versions. A dog lover, but an animal biography skeptic, I was pleasantly surprised when Marley, A Dog Like No Other turned out to be a sweet, well-written story. Grogan describes Marley's life from puppy to adult, and ruminates on Marley's unique personality as "the world's worst dog". From tearing up the garage and couch to staring in a movie, Grogan creates an irresistible, loving, and heartbreaking journey through Marley's life. Because Grogan is a journalist, he tells descriptive, meaningful, and captivating stories about Marley that make it more than just a pet owner's experience. Each chapter is written as a lineal account of defining moments in Marley's life. Grogan adds meaning to Marley's stories by adding himself as a main character, and lending a kind of "new journalism" feel to the book. I think that you could use the book to teach because it has literary elements and is a great example of literature developed from everyday experiences. It might be used to show how journal or diary entries can have strong, meaningful literary themes worthy of development.
ReplyDeleteFor this week I read Boy: Tales of Childhood by Roald Dahl.
ReplyDeleteMuch like Dahl's fiction, there's much humor to be had here through the witness of cruelty. It seems apparent to me now that Dahl's marvelous sense of humor was developed as a defense mechanism against the cruel injustices he experienced as a boy -- typically from a teacher or school headmaster. He even comments in the book that he's always been obsessed by such cruelty, and very nearly apologizes to the reader for harping on it continuously.
From the perspective of a teacher, it's a fascinating snap shot of the English educational institution (which has obvious relevance to our own institutions). I couldn't help but think of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian as I read it. Both stories feature protagonists who use humor as a coping mechanism, and both highlight the dehumanizing aristocracy that can unfortunately inform the institutions of education.
This week I read Jack Glantos' Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, a look into his own childhood struggles with ADHD and medication.
ReplyDeleteThis book brought a great deal of issues to the table and a great amount of questions for soon to be teachers like ourselves. Glantos provides a painful look into the lives of children with ADHD and the medication that is all too often seen as a cure for overactivity. The question of special education is frequented in his memoir and readers see this type of intervention as a punishment rather than a necessary service for children in need. Though this text was written in the early nineties, before a great deal of special education reform was enacted, there is still troubling imagery of misguided teaching practices that can be seen as a textbook what not to do for teachers.
I love to read novels, fiction and non-fiction, about rule breakers. The protagonist in This Boy's Life, Tobias Wolff's memoir about his time spent with his less-than-stellar stepfather in the early 1960's town of Concrete, Washington, renames himself Jack -- after Jack London -- and proceeds to muck up a life already fairly mucked by his mother's inability to cure her itchy feet. Wolff is unflinching in his look at his own adolescence, but it is because of this unflinching gaze that the lessons he learned -- even in retrospect -- are so clear. Kids are going to screw up. We can attempt to prevent this as much as possible, but through a book like this -- one that "really happened" -- we can show that mistakes *mean* something. They might even produce great art.
ReplyDeleteFor this genre, I read Marilyn Nelson’s biographical memoir "CARVER: A Life in Poems." The book tells the story of George Washington Carver and his struggle to be accepted into the education community and white community. The book is told through different perspectives, which is something I thought would be great to teach in the classroom. Throughout the book, there are several different descriptions from different people about the same object/event/person and so on. It really exemplifies the power of "showing not telling" in writing.
ReplyDeleteThe book would also be a great pairing with any history lesson, and there are photographs and actual dates corresponding with some of the poems.
For this week's non-fiction/memoir book, I read "Frenchtown Summer" by Robert Cormier. The novel is a series of short stories that characterize a summer in the life of Eugene, who is believed to be Cormier. Each short story is a vignette about someone or something in his life that was important to him.
ReplyDeleteThe novel is a quick read and easy to relate to. The book characterizes several social issues that are important to a teen. I think the book would be appropriate for middle school level to read.
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ReplyDeleteLike Donna, I read Jack Gantos’s Hole in My Life. Because Donna did such a thorough job pointing out teachable moments in the memoir, I thought I would simply include my literary response from this week as a way of furthering knowledge about the book.
ReplyDeleteTen Things You Need to Know about Jack Gantos
from Hole in My Life
1. Because Gantos believes that “Like any book about mistakes and redemption, the mistakes are far more interesting to read about (and write about)” (8), most of his memoir, Hole in My Life, focuses on the time in his life when he lost his sense of purpose and morality.
2. After reading Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, Gantos feels “more like Sal Paradise than Dean Moriarty. Sal was in love with everything and everybody… (he) wanted to move like Dean, but (he) wanted Sal’s heart and soul” (40 – 41).
3. In St. Croix, where Gantos spends a short period of time living near his family, “Drugs were available everywhere at all times. Especially reefer” (57). but Gantos “never thought dope would lead to trouble, and…certainly had no idea it would land (his) ass in jail” (58)
4. “We have two thousand pounds of hash buried somewhere… Your job is just to get the boat there, and for that you get ten thousand dollars. Cash,” Rik said, and all Gantos heard was “ten thousand dollars, cash” (69). From that moment on, he was “ready to play” (70).
5. Sailing from St. Croix to New York, Gantos finds “a book the size of a dictionary… clothbound in green linen… (He) loved it, and immediately thought it was up to (him) to record my boat’s history, like so many other sea writers had done” (81).
6. Although he knows that he wants to write books, he isn’t “sure how to get started” (112). But even though he has “gone around the bend” (8), he knows that “(He) won’t get anything done by smoking hash and sitting in the lobby of the Chelsea, no matter how cool it was to do so” (112).
ReplyDelete7. While waiting around in the days before his trial, Gantos bought a book of Poe stories because he “was reaching for anything to escape into, even ‘The Pit and the Pendulum’” (131).
8. Even though he feels angry, scared and betrayed on his first day in jail, Gantos reassures his father, saying “This is all my fault… Not yours” (149).
9. Gantos remedies the monotony and gloom of prison by keeping a journal between the lines of a worn-out copy of The Brothers Karamazov: “I read the book first. Then I began to record my own lines between his lines. Naturally, his were better. But mine were mine, and it didn’t take me long to find out I had plenty to write about” (159).
10. Now, after his release from prison, Gantos is “out in the open doing what (he has) always wanted to do. Write” (200).
I hope that these ideas will provide you with a resource for understanding the voice and plot of Gantos’ well-constructed memoir. Overall, while an entertaining read, I enjoyed this book less than most of my other choices for the semester, simply because of its subject matter. Gantos’s involvement in drug trafficking didn’t really interest me, but this is simply a personal opinion. I would never hesitate to recommend it to students interested in such topics.