Driven to desperation after losing his job at the little airport in Muddy Springs, Texas, and wanting to help his family which is precariously perched on the edge of poverty, seventeen year old Moss Trawnley sets out to find his pa who abandoned the family and is supposedly working on the Fort Peck Dam project in Montana. So begins Hitch, a historical fiction novel by Montana author Jeanette Ingold.
Initially, Moss hitches a ride on the rails and finds his pa, but disappointed at what his father has become and determined to survive the Depression, Moss moves on, taking his vagrant father along. When the railroad bulls catch them, they are jailed for illegal trespass and theft of transportation. With orders to leave his jurisdiction, the justice of the peace gives Moss a newspaper clipping about the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), and even though Pa sees that as welfare, Moss betrays his father’s wishes and signs up for a six month hitch. He ends up at Fort Missoula for training and then in Monroe , Montana
The camp becomes a testing grounds to strengthen and toughen young men who learn through hard work that those who “have to do everything their own way are a danger to everybody” (12), and “when one thing doesn’t work out, you find another” (29). Here, Moss learns leadership and meets some good men, but he also encounters corruption and abuse of power in the likes of Compton
This book provides a glimpse into the hardship of the Depression and outlines the goals and achievements of the CCC, which built ponds and parks, fire lookouts, scenic overlooks, and picnic grounds. It also restored grazing land and assisted farmers with range management and soil conservation methods. Agriculture scientists taught landowners about “strip farming, contour plowing, and regular rotation of soil-depleting crops with soil-maintaining and soil building ones” (198) so that they would stop wearing out the land and start improving it. With all of its projects, the CCC left a legacy for this country, their work a memorial to man’s muscle power and ingenuity.
Since that post was relatively short, I offer this second one:
Double Eagle by Sneed Collard, III is a great book for a webquest. It provides opportunity to learn geography (locate Dauphin Island—called Shipwreck Island in the book—and Mobile Bay), history (investigate the roles of Fort Gaines—called Fort Henry in the book, Fort Morgan, and the blockade runners in the defense of Mobile Bay during the Civil War), and the value of primary documents in research. In particular, the book celebrates the role diaries play(ed) in constructing stories about the past. The book also piques curiosity about invertebrate zoology, hurricanes, and coin collecting, with facts about coin features and mint marks (wheaties, silver Mercury dimes, Franklin halves, buffalo nickels, and double eagles), the New Orleans Mint, Victor D. Brenner, and the Red Book for verifying a coin’s value.
The book serves another purpose, illustrating how place impacts knowledge. Kyle Daniels, a 15 year old boy from the south who lives with the residual effects of the past, knows the history of the Civil War; whereas, Mike Gilbert, a fourteen year old from California, doesn’t share that knowledge base (“If you ain’t from the Confederacy, you’re a Yankee, believe me,” Kyle says on page 47). In conversation, the two boys further illustrate parochial notions that circulate: “I thought everyone from California surfed.” “And I thought everyone from Alabama made moonshine whiskey.” From the two characters, readers can begin their own myth-busting.
Besides the opportunities for such scholarly and social knowledge, the book additionally shares insight for teens who cope with divorced parents playing the “divorce shuffle” or with the ravages of war in post traumatic stress syndrome. This psychological angle adds to the book’s interest level, since all of us deal with anxieties as we work out relationships.
For Montana authors, I read Jeanette Ingold’s Hitch. Wow is all I can say. This would be a great book for other genres such as war and historical fiction. Moss Trawnley gets fired from his “janitor/radio repair” job. Moss had just been accepted to radio school, saved for college, while also sending money to mother to help provide for his brothers and sisters. Moss’s father had left a long time ago, so he was not in the equation. When Moss had nowhere else to go, he heard about the CCC-civilian conservation corps and enrolled immediately. Before he knew it he was on a train to Missoula Montana.
ReplyDeleteOnce a part of the CCC, Moss gained many friendships, good work ethic, leadership skills, and many life lessons.
Teachable elements:
1. Moss’s strength to be unlike his alcoholic father
2. Quality of friendships, hard work, and leadership
3. It would be important to talk about the great depression- This book is a great introduction to the topic
4. Importance of trust –could have students point out passages where trust and courage intertwine.
I would teach this book in my classroom because it was a great read and held important messages. I enjoyed the prevalent genders throughout the book. Even though the main characters are male, the women in the book are strong , independent, loving women.
Donna, just noticed we read the same book. How funny. I truly enjoyed reading this book over thanksgiving break. It held more meaning having met the author and being based in MT.
ReplyDeleteI read Larry Watson’s novel titled Montana 1948. It takes place in Bentrock, Montana – a fictional town name, but has characteristics of almost any town up near the Canadian border on the eastern side of the state. Think prairie grasslands and wind. It definitely has a sense of place and even a blurb by Louise Erdrich on the Washington Square Press edition says, “A beautiful novel about the meaning of place and evolution of courage…”
ReplyDeleteIt’s a great little, self-contained story about the death of David Hayden’s Sioux housekeeper (and babysitter) and what happens with his family afterwards. It’s especially powerful because it seems like most of the “big shots” in town are made up of the Hayden’s or their friends. (David’s dad is the sheriff of the town and his grandfather was the sheriff. David’s uncle is the town doctor.)
This book could easily be used for a Native American book as well. It is such a simple story, but powerful, that I couldn’t put it down.
Teachable ideas are the identity one has in a certain place and how that is different based on where you were born or grew up compared to living somewhere else (like David’s mother). The study of family on that place, but also on the child. Also, the prose in this novel is very taught – which could be used for instruction on writing.
I read Jeanette Ingold's Paper Daughter which I thought was fantastic. When she came and visited our class and discussed the plot of this story I knew I wanted to read it for this week's novel and I was very excited that I was able to. She is a great author and I am looking forward to reading more of her books over Christmas break.
ReplyDeleteWe all probably remember the basic 'gist', if you will, of this novel through Ms. Ingold's description so I won't get into that right now. Instead, I would like to say that one thing I got from this novel and really commend Ms. Ingold for was the way that she was able to tell a story through a Chinese-American individual but not make the story "about" race. There are obvious parts in the novel (such as when Fai-yi Li and Suching Li must pretend to be the son and daughter of a man already living in America to get through the immigration office) that deal with race, but that is because it is historically accurate and a true part of our nation's history. But I enjoyed how the overall focus was not on Maggie's race, but about her journey to find out the truth about how her father died. This idea can speak loudly in the classroom as an example of using a character of a different race without focusing strictly on that fact that he/she is not a white American. Maggie is very real and and the novel itself would definitely interest students who were interested in journalism (as Maggie works as an intern for a newspaper), and also those who like a good mystery.
I mentioned some of the teachable moments or ideas already but another that came into mind is that of identity and finding out who you are. Maggie works toward finding out the truth of her father and who he was, basically, while we also get insight to others who have to take on another identity just to be accepted. Finding one's identity is something that I believe a lot of young adults have thought about or ARE thinking about currently, so this could be a very good story for them to relate their thoughts and feelings to. This relation is also a great opportunity for students to write really creative pieces because they can insert their own experiences, feelings, or thoughts while analyzing or discussing the book. That is something that teachers can think about when thinking of assessing the students, or if they want the students to write a paper on this book or specific moments in the book. Allowing them to share their personal experiences in relation to the novel is a great way to get some quality papers instead of assigning an essay that reads: "Describe the idea of 'Identity' in this novel and where it becomes an issue" .. or something like that .... As teachers, we should always be thinking of ways to get our students more involved with the novels and writing assignments and by allowing a sort of personal outlet within a paper, I think the results will be great!
For this week, I read "The Window" by Jeanette Ingold, which I really truly enjoyed. The story surrounds a young blind girl, Mandy, who is taken in by her great aunts and uncles after a car accident which kills her mother. Mandy "sees" visions of a young girl,Gwen, when she approaches her bedroom window. She becomes fascinated with the history of her house, her family, and more importantly the story of what happened to Gwen. This story is absolutley fasciniating to read and offers several great teachable moments. Firstly, this book encourages acceptance of all those who may be different. While this is not the main point of the book, Mandy encourages her readers to jump right into a challenge, like Mandy does in attending regular school. The second teaching idea would be through Ingold's wonderful use of transferring between reality and the fantasy/recalled world of Gwen. This transition is done seamlessly and it could be a great mentor text for mulpile points of view and timelines. I think that Jeanette Ingold being from Montana offers a fantastic opportunity for local readers. I remember in middle school, it was always like meeting a celebrity whenever a local writer, photographer, or actor came to speak to the class. By having Ingold at arms reach, we can offer our students an excellent opportunity to ask the source herself.
ReplyDeleteI read "The Bookstore Mouse" by Peggy Christian. It was a very cute novel with a lot of play on words and fun stories. I would bring this book into the classroom because a theme that was present throughout was how reading can take you away from the present and on an adventure. The novel was an entertaining way to teach a number of different lessons.
ReplyDeleteFor this week I read Trickster: Native American Tales: A Graphic Collection. This is respectful a collection of 21 traditional Indian American folktales, as told by authentic story tellers, who also had a hand in choosing the artists to re-imagine the stories in graphic novel form.
ReplyDeleteI loved it. If you consider the usual folktales and mythologies we pass down through the generations in mainstream America, most are European, Middle Eastern, and Euro-American. Very few Americans pass down folktales that originated in our land -- and the fairly sad thing about that is that folktales and mythologies are essentially made for the land in which they are made. Folktales use the geography and animals of their own place as symbols and metaphors to tell their story, and something very real is lost on the audience who hasn't grown up in that place, among those animals.
Some of the comments on the page in GoodReads really demonstrate just how necessary a work like this is. One reviewer made a disparaging remark that the novel portrayed Indians on the Columbia River living in "teepees" [sic] and he's pretty sure Indians in the Northwest didn't live in tipis. The worrisome thing is that this reviewer appears to be an educator...?
Some other reviewers also complained that the stories didn't "even feel like stories" and "end abruptly without much point." It's true that many indigenous folktales over the entire world have nebulous endings, and don't paint a clear and prescriptive moral, but instead force the listener to sit and muse over what they have experienced to make sense of it. Or sometimes there's a very clear moral, but there is a very unhappy ending. I think we've come to expect folktales to wrap up into neat and tidy packages due to our modern retelling of them. In some of the earliest versions of Little Red Riding Hood the girl gets in bed with the wolf, who then eats her, and that's the end!
I could go on and on, but essentially I think this book is a great step towards bringing traditional American folktales to a modern audience, in a modern format, but without 'modernizing' the actual stories. There's a whole wealth of mythology in our own land that's unknown to us, just beneath the landscape we live with every day.
I thought I would prepare for our author presentation this week by reading Dog Sense by Sneed Collard III. His charming and quirky first novel tells the story of Guy Martinez, a thirteen year old who has just moved from California to Coffee, Montana. Coffee seems comparable to towns like Darby or Seeley Lake, and Guy finds it to be a place where everyone knows each other, new people easily stick out, and like everywhere, problems arise. Guy deals with the difficult task of trying to figure out how to fit into his new life, and overcome obstacles like the local bully, writing essays, talking to girls, and dealing with his parent's divorce. Guy comes to terms with the fact that "Sometimes crappy things happen and they don't ever get fixed. You just have to keep breathing and hope that someday they'll stop hurting as much"(133). He learns things like this happen to everyone, regardless of where you live or what your home life is like.
ReplyDeleteCollard creates wonderful characters like Guy's grandpa, a seemingly senile, Preparation H using, retiree who also has an uncanny sense of what is happening in Guy's life. He offers great advice like, "The best victory is one where the other guys wins, too"(55). Luke, Guy's best friend is also a great character. Exceedingly loyal and calm, Luke is exemplary in showing Guy how to stay level-headed. Collard also adds the very realistic sub-plot of Luke's father rallying against a proposed cyanide gold mine near the town. He is shunned by a majority of Coffee, but saves the environment and town from being poisoned. Like we talked about in class, this is a very real issue in Montana, and Collard presents real possibilities for the consequences of the characters involved.
I don't think I would teach Dog Sense, but recommend it for recreation reading for grades 5-7.
This week I read "River Thunder" by Will Hobbs. Hobbs is a writer from Colorado and the book is set on the Colorado river. I lived in Colorado for a couple ski seasons and would like to move back there at some point so it was fun reading about the scenery there that exemplifies Colorado, especially since I have never gotten to be there during the summertime when the book takes place.
ReplyDelete"River Thunder" is a story of a group of friends who reunite before college and raft down the Colorado river and through the Grand Canyon over the course of 2 weeks. The friends had a falling out the year before and work to overcome their issues with each other and within themselves to overcome their personal challenges and those that the river poses. They happen to be on the river when the reservoir before the damn needs to be emptied and the river is out of control, but still being rafted. I have never rafted before, but found the descriptions thrilling and very real. Hobbs himself has rafted the Colorado 10 times and desbribed it very vivedly and realistically which really added to my enjoyment of the book.
I think this story would be great to teach since it describes the setting so well and could teach students how to develop setting and complex characters with complex relationships. The issues that the 17 and 18 year old characters dealt with included fear, love, anger, jealousy, and pretty much the whole lot that teenagers go through. The story also exudes a "can do" attitude that is really inspiring. The group of kids overcomes great difficulties and manages to survive an incredible adventure that changes each of them.
This type of book and experience coincidentely coincides with a paper I am writting for another class about experiential education, the gains from it and programs/schools that can offer the sorts of life changing experiences that the book involved. One program that I have found really interesting is the Outward Bound program LINK. So much change happens within people (especially young people) when they undertake a task that requires so much critical thinking and problem solving ability. Their entire mind, body and soul are pushed to grow. That is the benefit of experiential and adventure based learning programs. They allow students to push themselves and realize that the limitations they, or society, put upon them are only in the mind and can be overcome by strengthening and developing personality aspects and freeing the mind from the idea that humans are passive beings in the world who must simply adapt to circumstances. Instead, people are active beings who change and alter the world with the tremendous power each person has and can release with the proper mentality. This mentallity can be developed through experiences like those in "River Thunder" and Outward Bound programs.
For this week, I also picked up a Jeanette Ingold novel. This one was Pictures, 1918, and I quite enjoyed it. The plot is as follows: Asia, a teenage girl living in rural Texas in 1918 tells the story of a year in her life. At this time, young men in her town are going off to war, her chicken coop burns down, her grandmother begins to lose her memory, and she falls in love with a childhood friend. All the while, she wishes she could capture each of her memories the way she sees them in her head. It is with that in mind that she comes across a camera in a store. She works hard to pay for it, works hard in order to find out how to use it, and she is rewarded with living memories and an opportunity to leave her town for New England. This story has much to do with the concept of memory. Asia wishes to have memories that she can hold onto, and her fear of forgetting is mirrored in her grandmother’s very real onset of senility. Through the capturing of these memories as pictures, Asia discovers the things that are most Important to her in her life, and ensures that she will never forget them. Also present is a theme of immortality. Her grandmother wishes to be remembered as a young woman, rather than an older one, and it is through the picture of her younger self that she becomes immortal, even after her death. In the same vein, Asia’s pet rabbit dies before she gets a camera, and she expresses her desire to have a picture of him, as that would mean that part of him would still be alive. One could also examine the symbol of fire as the main, destructive force in Asia’s life. An aspect of this novel that I greatly appreciated was that, though it was set during wartime, it is not a war novel. The war is ever-present in the background, but the action is not concentrated in that conflict.
ReplyDeleteFor this week I read a book recommended to me by Alice: Petey by Ben Mikaelsen. The book takes place in Bozeman and Warm Springs, Montana so it was definitely easy to imagine the place, especially the Warm Springs Insane Asylum because of all the stories I've heard about it.
ReplyDeleteThe book follows Petey from 1922 until the late 1990's. He is misdiagnosed as "an idiot" and while his mother tries to fight the label, she must eventually take him to the asylum in order to take better care of her other children. The reader quickly realizes that Petey is no idiot but he does lack control of his body and speaking ability. As the years pass both his body changes and so does his cognitive ability. People, usually in the form of attendants, come into his life and teach him new skills. The 1st skill he learns is to nod in order to get candy. Eventually his best friend ,Calvin Anders, comes into his life. Calvin is the only other child in the Men's Ward and suffers from severe depression as well as club feet. The boys immediately become inseparable and Calvin learns to communicate with Petey. The 1st half of the book are full of beautiful images of Petey and his characters, as well as the interactions between he and other people. In the second half, though, Calvin mysteriously disappears in 1977 and soon after, Petey is transferred to the Bozeman Nursing Home. Here Petey meets a seventh grade boy who instinctively protects Petey from bullies throwing snowballs at him. The men become fast friends and life changes. (You'll just have to read it to find out the rest...)
So I definitely cried at the end of this book, and I felt inspired to go volunteer at a nursing home. I think a really good teachable moment in this book would be to discuss with the class common misconceptions about disabilities, and also how to find purpose. There is so much one could discuss in a classroom--the conditions of the asylum, the attitudes of the majority of attendants, the importance of friendships, and how the outside is not always a reflection of the inside.
Very good book :)
For my Montana book I read A River Runs Through It. Having not grown up in Montana I was deprived of reading this modern classic in high school. I have seen the movie and it is one of my favorites but this was my first reading of the collection of stories, and it has instantly become one of my favorite books.
ReplyDeleteAuthor Norman Maclean is an extremely gifted writer and it was fantastic to hear about locations that are so near to us here in Missoula. Places such as the Mighty Blackfoot river, Helena, Rock Creek, and various mountain passes are all mentioned in the context of the short story. I definitely got more out of the story because I could relate to the environment. Thus the importance of teaching novels that are close to home.
Overall the writing and the story wowed me even more than the movie did. So, I put together here a short list of real "wow factors."
#1 There are soo many things that they fail to mention in the movie/add that aren't based on the actual story
#2 Norman Maclean did not even write the story until he was already 70 years old (and this is one of the most well written, and beautiful stories I have ever read)
#3 The incredible imagery and intensity of the catch, and the roaring of the rivers they fish
#4 The fact that there were 2 other short stories he wrote that were included in my version about the time he spent in the forest service and fighting forest fires
#5 The amount of parallel there is in the story between the attributes it takes to be a great fisherman and what it takes to be successful in life (actually did my reading response on this topic)
I know that "A River Runs Through It" is widely taught in Montana, but I think at times I could imagine the reading experience being ruined by too structured of activities. Art related projects would be awesome to use for your students in lessons dedicated to this novel. Because I believe the imagery and beauty of the story is really what should be driven home, and what better way to accomplish that then having the kids draw what they are picturing!
Overall, this was a fantastic collection of stories that is now one of my favorites. I cannot wait to teach this novel if asked to do so in my classroom.
I read "If I stay" by Gayle Forman, LINK which is a novel set in Oregon. It is the story of a young cello player named Mia who is in a car crash that kills her parents and younger brother. Mia is in a coma for the entire book and suffers many injuries like broken ribs and a collapsed lung. Forman does a wonderful job incorporating a new kind of narrator, Mia's spirit, that can observe what is going on and how her friends and family are reacting to the situation. This book is full of intense emotions, from extreme sadness when Mia sees her family cry over her body, to extreme happiness when she has flash backs backs of better days. Throughout the book her will to live is constantly tested, she faces the extremely difficult decision of whether to give up or keep fighting for her life. This is a story about love, friendship, the value of life and the sacrifices people make to keep it.
ReplyDeleteI think this book is a wonderful book for young adults to read. The plot was organized in a way that young adults could understand and find interesting as well. Another reason why I would recommend this book to my students is Forman's interesting approach to narration. This book also addresses some serious issues that young adults think about more than they like to admit. Sometimes life does seem so unfair and painful that it's easy to want to just give up, but this book gives young adults hope and strength to get through those difficult times. Although it is a valuable piece of literature, I don't think I would teach the whole book in a classroom. Even though I would certainly use an excerpt of it as an example of successful use of unique perspective.
Liz: I read "The Window" for the multi-cultural genre and I thought it was a wonderful book as well!
ReplyDeleteMaddie G: I got really excited when I read your post because for a second, I thought it was a book that I had read in high school, that I cannot for the life of me remember the name of! Alas, it is not, so I'm still not sure what the name of that darn book was!
For this week I read "Growing an Inch" by Stanley Gordon West. West also wrote "Until They Bring the Streetcars Back" which until this week's literature circles I believed to be required reading in all high schools. Both of these books are fabulous reads, and they are almost interconnected.
The books are set in St. Paul, Minnesota at St. Paul Central High School, an actual high school in Minnesota. West grew up in Minnesota but has lived in Montana for many, many moons now. These novels are set during the 1950s, but West makes it seem like a time you can connect to.
"Growing an Inch" features Donny Cunningham as a 4'11" senior at St. Paul Central High School who just wants to grow an inch. But after his mother dies and his father becomes an alcoholic, Donny's problems become a lot greater than his height. Donny becomes the caretaker of his three siblings as they try to keep themselves out of the foster care system that "Miss Doomsday" wants to put them into. At the same time, Donny wants to date Mitzi Fitzsimmons--whose father is a connection of Donny's father, and not really in a good way.
This is a fast paced book that is very entertaining. It has many teachable ideas, but one of the teachers at my high school read this book aloud to her senior class which I think is a brilliant idea. It is easy to follow along with because it uses simple words, and I also think it is important to stay in the practice of listening to people which can be easier to do when listening to a story than just somebody talk. Also reading aloud to a class is important because it shows them how to read aloud, which I've noticed is something many people struggle with. The more exposure people have to the correct way to read aloud, the easier it will be for them to emulate. Over all, "Growing an Inch" was a wonderful novel that I would recommend to anyone.
I tried to make a link to the actual St. Paul Central High School website, but it wouldn't let me link it, but check it out if you want! It's weird to look at after reading the books that are set in the 1950s :D
ReplyDeleteI, like Liz, read “The Window” by Jeanette Ingold, which was a fabulous read! I am only sad that I read her book after her presentation. (Surprisingly enough, I bought her book at The Book Exchange and it was a signed copy for $2.50. How can you beat that?) Liz already provided an excellent summary of the short novel, but I would like to add the fact that the story takes place in Texas and that Gwen is Mandy’s previously unknown grandmother, who gave Mandy’s mother up for adoption.
ReplyDeleteI tend to have issues with novels that are so compact and simultaneously attempt to present such a dynamic story. This tendency was continued on when I read Ingold’s novel. I felt that the balance of home life and school was not found during the novel. One of the most climactic points in Mandy’s story is the moment where she enters the public school setting and nearly runs for the hills. Her progression into an almost stereotypical student role is difficult to believe but at the same time not altogether improbable.
The novel does touch on multiple complex themes (new relationships, abandonment, adoption, physical disabilities, death), and would most likely be acceptable in a middle or high school setting depending upon the maturity level of the students. Since I have been taking the Inclusion and Collaboration course alongside ENT 439, I could not help but focus on the great detail that Jeanette Ingold provided for Mandy’s character, who loses her sign in a car crash. In the first chapter, Mandy says that she wants to see her new room and refuses to use an alternative term to make others more comfortable. Mandy also wonders about her physical appearance in obvious situations such as when she goes clothes shopping with her great-aunt and in less obvious situations such as when she is eating.
There are so many teachable aspects of this story, but my favorite teachable aspect coincides with learning to live with disabilities and people who have disabilities. Mandy’s character remains a strong individual throughout the novel no matter what obstacle is put into her path, and she is a wonderful role model, even with her angsty internal monologue, for students. Ingold also integrates wonderful literary elements such as foreshadowing, irony, and flashbacks. I would absolutely use Ingold’s novel in the classroom for all of these reasons and more.
The following link will guide you to a book review that lists the awards and nominations that “The Window” received: http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/teen_books/114695
Part 2
ReplyDeleteThere are so many teachable aspects of this story, but my favorite teachable aspect coincides with learning to live with disabilities and people who have disabilities. Mandy’s character remains a strong individual throughout the novel no matter what obstacle is put into her path, and she is a wonderful role model, even with her angsty internal monologue, for students. Ingold also integrates wonderful literary elements such as foreshadowing, irony, and flashbacks. I would absolutely use Ingold’s novel in the classroom for all of these reasons and more.
The following link will guide you to a book review that lists the awards and nominations that “The Window” received: http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/teen_books/114695
In Richard O'Malley's Mile High Mile deep readers are invited to follow the lives and experiences of two Butte teenagers as they feel the pressures and expectations of life in this small mining town. It is a memoir that shows the very real issues facing youths in small towns and the overwhelming desires of their parents to live and work for the copper companies that sucked the city of Butte dry. Though violence and tragedy, Richard O'Malley must eventually choose between the life the town wants him to live and what his own desires tell him to do. Eventually he must leave his old life behind him and escape the succubus that is mining life in pursuit of happiness through education.
ReplyDeleteThis book provides a great deal of teachable moments that center around small town life and what happens to a town that is completely controlled by a single company or industry.
Teaching this book you could discuss:
1. Companionship between two young boys as they develop into copper miners.
2. Expectations of family members on the individuals of their family.
3. The similarities between the depletion of coal in Butte Montana's mines and the siphoning of life out of the town.
4. How education can provide salvation for the working man.
5. How tragedy can become the crowing moment in a young person's life and how they can either be defined by it or make their own way because of it.
I wish I had read Jeanette Ingold for this assignment. I enjoyed her presentation in class, and I had plans to read The Window, and then I was waylaid by Norman Maclean when the students at Frenchtown High were reading A River Runs Through It in the English class I observed. I've been meaning to read it forever (I only dimly remember the movie), and thought that now would be the perfect opportunity, particularly if it is part of the curriculum in English classrooms in Montana (where I'd like to teach).
ReplyDeleteThis is the first time in ... actually, ever, I think, where I couldn't finish a fictional book I picked up in my post-secondary educational career. River is composed of the titular novella and two additional short stories, all based in experiences Maclean had growing up in early 20th century Montana. I was able to make it through River, since Maclean demonstrates some beautiful poetic capabilities (I was able to dig up quite a few "golden lines"), but the last two stories were utterly incomprehensible to me. I wonder if part of my disinterest came from the subject matter of the latter two stories -- forestry plays heavily -- or an inability to connect with his voice.
At any rate, I will say that I did enjoy the first section of the collection. I have a deep affection for Montana, and Maclean paints beautiful, poetic pictures in this section. I would actually recommend its use in history classrooms, particularly those with a bend towards Montana history. If used in an English classroom, I might have students do research projects involving the history of Missoula and Helena in the 1920/1930/1940s. I would encourage the flyfishing enthusiasts in the class to explore more about that topic. The first story is also a beautiful story of the complicated nature of families, particularly concerning brothers, and Biblical allusions to Cain and Able might be drawn as well.
This is such a popular book; I feel guilty for not being able to finish it.
David, I'd be interested to hear what you thought of the last two stories in the collection.
ReplyDeleteFor this week's reading assignment, I picked up Eragon by Christopher Paolini. It is relatively rare to have such a commercially and nationally successful author come from Montana, so I thought it would theoretically be an excellent choice to display some of the best of what MT has to offer. I had read this book at the beginning of high school when it first came out and couldn't really recall what I had thought about it. When I reread it, I remembered why I had found it so unremarkable.
ReplyDeletePaolini wrote this novel as a young teenager, so in terms of classroom use it would provide a model/ example of the potential success of young adult creative writing endeavors. I think it is so important to encourage writing skills from a young age, and in this way Paolini exemplifies the potential. The story centers around a young boy who finds an intriguing blue rock in an explosion in the woods near his house. Eventually the 'rock' hatches into the last female dragon left in the magical land of Alagaesia. Naturally and predictably, Eragon must go on to flee his hometown to protect it from the clutches of the maniacal king who wants Saphira (the dragon) for himself.
All of that being said, i would hesitate to bring this book into a classroom. I think there simply aren't very many 'teachable moments'. The writing, while impressive for a sixteen-year-old, is still obviously written by a teenager. It lacks the maturity and depth that I think other fantasy or science fiction novels present. It would work possibly in conjunction with The Odyssey, for example, as an example of the classic 'hero's journey,' or hero archetype. But ultimately, I think the writing cons outweigh the thematic possible pros of this novel.
I read “Night Swimming” by Pete Fromm, a Montana author. This book is a collection of short stories, all dealing with the problems we face in life. The first short story of the book, “How This All Started,” tells the story of a boy whose sister is bipolar, and how their family copes with her erratic mood swings. This short story was later written into a novel, which won the Northwest Booksellers Association’s “Book of the Year” Award.
ReplyDeleteI liked these short stories in that they dealt with the aspects in life we’re supposed to ignore. One story discusses a teen boy’s struggle who wants to marry his pregnant girlfriend, even though he isn’t the father. Another tells about a high school girl who constantly fights her new boyfriend because of her romantic past. All of the stories have a theme of family and how they affect your life. I’m not really sure if this book is teachable, but it could be a great suggestion to someone who wants to get involved with reading, but doesn’t quite want to make the novel commitment. The short story of “How This All Started” is a great way to introduce someone to the text without scaring them off with hundreds of pages.
This book is also pretty cool because it mentions Great Falls and the surrounding area. It feels a little more personal in that way I suppose. Fromm also uses places as adjectives, which I found funny, like “the way he was dressed was so Great Falls.”
I chose to read Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen. As a middle schooler growing up in Bozeman, Montana, I read many of Mikaelsen's books. In fact, as a fifth-grader, Mikaelsen came to speak to my class about writing in Montana and told us stories about his pet bear. I always loved his books, particularly because they took place in settings that were familiar to me, and because they were action-packed and adventure-filled.
ReplyDeleteHowever, Touching Spirit Bear turned out to be a disappointing read for me. I hated the main character, Cole, as he seemed unrealistic and all-around too negative. The writing seemed juvenile and predictable.
I guess I should mention that there are some teachable themes and topics in the novel; it could be used to teach about the Tlingit Native American culture and ideas about reconciliation and anger management. I just have trouble getting over the monotony of the book as a whole, and would not use it voluntarily in my classroom.
I read Indian Creek Chronicles by Montana author, Peter Fromm. This book is a non-fiction "chronicle" of Fromm's seven winter months in the Selway-Bitterroot Mountains watching over a salmon hatchery.
ReplyDeleteFromm's book is a page turner and considered by many to be a modern day Walden.
Some teachable ideas would be talking about the importance of documenting our lives and the difference between fiction and non-fiction. Another interesting point of discussion would be to discuss would be to talk about Chapter 16 and what it means to be really present and alive in the moment rather than dreaming of tomorrow or dwelling on the past.
Like many of my classmates I choose a Jeanette Ingold novel for this week. I read "Mountain Solo." I honestly picked it up at random and found myself pleasantly surprised when I learned that it took place in Missoula.
ReplyDeleteThe novel follows Tess, a young violin prodigy. The book actually starts when she is 16 years old. She is playing at a HUGE recital in Germany. It is something that she has worked her whole life toward. From the first note of the piece, she fails miserably, and is embarrassed. After the recital she returns to her "home" in NYC with her mother, but not for too long because she then runs away to Missoula to live with her dad for the summer.
Throughout her summer in Montana, she begins to recall all her memories that lead up to the recital in Germany. These snapshots stretch from age 3-the present. While she spends the summer with her dad and his family she comes to realize that she actually does like to play the violin. She decides to return to NYC, but this time she is going on her own terms. She tells her mother that she will take over her own schedule and live her life how she wants to.
I believe there are several teachable moments in this book.
1) Tess is a VERY relateable character for male and female students alike. Most students have experienced the push of parents to do things, and have felt like they have to do things to appease them.
2) I didn't mention this in my synopsis, but Tess's new stepmom is an archaeologist of sorts. She is searching for original homesteads from the 1900's. I think that this book could be paired with a Montana homestead research project.