Module 15: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Alexie, S., & Forney, E. (2007). The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian. New York: Little, Brown.

Summary: Arnold, known as Junior, is an outcast on the Spokane Indian reservation, but finds solace in drawing cartoons. He comes to understand that to make more of his life beyond the reservation, that he must be active in his choices and chooses to attend a school more than 20 miles away. He goes through his first year in high school making sense of his identity and the identity of others against the backdrops of his Native American reservation home and his All-White high school.

Response: I found this piece to be an excellent representation of a coming of age tale told in a fluid and cohesive manner. The illustrations depicting glimpses into Junior’s understanding of the world around him accent the happenings in his difficult, real and uplifting life. While it centers on the cultural divisions in Junior’s life, I think that it is a piece that speaks to the outcast nature of young readers who are looking to understand themselves and their role in the larger world.

Reviews:

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

SHERMAN ALEXIE, ILLUS. BY ELLEN FORNEY.

Screenwriter, novelist and poet, Alexie bounds into YA with what might be a Native American equivalent of Angela's Ashes, a coming-of-age story so well observed that its very rootedness in one specific culture is also what lends it universality, and so emotionally honest that the humor almost always proves painful. Presented as the diary of hydrocephalic 14-year-old cartoonist and Spokane Indian Arnold Spirit Jr., the novel revolves around Junior's desperate hope of escaping the reservation. As he says of his drawings, "I think the world is a series of broken dams and floods, and my cartoons are tiny little lifeboats." He transfers to a public school 22 miles away in a rich farm town where the only other Indian is the team mascot. Although his parents support his decision, everyone else on the rez sees him as a traitor, an apple ("red on the outside and white on the inside"), while at school most teachers and students project stereotypes onto him: "I was half Indian in one place and half white in the other." Readers begin to understand Junior's determination as, over the course of the school year, alcoholism and self-destructive behaviors lead to the deaths of close relatives. Unlike protagonists in many YA novels who reclaim or retain ethnic ties in order to find their true selves, Junior must separate from his tribe in order to preserve his identity. Jazzy syntax and Forney's witty cartoons examining Indian versus White attire and behavior transmute despair into dark humor; Alexie's no-holds-barred jokes have the effect of throwing the seriousness of his themes into high relief.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. (2007). Publishers Weekly, 254(33), 70-71.

Program: During banned books week, create a discussion panel of authors, educators and librarians to discuss the importance of specific Young Adult banned novels that deal with cultural identity. Discuss issues taken with these books and why dealing with truthful and mature content is necessary for teen audiences who may be facing these issues themselves.

Module 14: Karma

Ostlere, C. (2011). Karma: A novel in verse. New York: Razorbill.

Summary: Maya and her father, a Sikh, are traveling to New Delhi to bring home the ashes of her mother Leela, a Hindu. They arrive in October of 1984 when Indira Ghandi is assassinated and chaos erupts between Sikhs and Hindus. Maya is separated from her father, and survives and navigates the country with the help of Sandeep, a boy with his own past to understand. Their stories are told through prose in the form of written journal entries.

Response: I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and felt drawn in by the lyrical prose. The book is broken up into three sections, each with its own set of conflicts to resolve. While all a part of the same story, I felt that the book had brought me across a great expanse of time instead of just six weeks. Maya goes through such a journey, both in traveling across India and in adolescence into adulthood, while also providing insight to the complicated and tumultuous history of India. It is as if at the end of the book, we are in the company of another person all together when reading Maya’s thoughts. I think this is a great read and a wonderful opportunity for teen readers to know more about histories of cultures other than their own.

Reviews:

OSTLERE, Cathy. Karma. 521p. Penguin/Razorbill. Mar. 2011 Gr 8 Up—

This epic tale unfolds through the pages of alternating diaries from October 28th through December 16th, 1984. Yet countless layers peel off with the turn of each page, leading readers deeper into the rich and sometimes tortured history beneath the tale's present. Fifteen-year-old Maya, half Hindu/half Sikh, has lived her entire life in rural Canada. Her family's religion and ethnicity set them apart from their community, but also from one another. Maya's name itself signifies the tension between her parents, lovers who forsook their families for each other, but who have lived in different states of mourning and regret since. Her given name is Jiva or "life," yet her mother blasphemously calls her Maya or "illusion," an insult to her Sikh father. Thus, when life and loss lead Maya and Bapu back to India at the time of Indira Gandhi's assassination, they are plunged deep into a nation in bloody turmoil. Maya's sense of otherness escalates dramatically as she is forced to consider it on a personal and near-universal scale. The middle diary belongs to that of Sandeep, with whom Maya experiences love, tragedy, ancestry, and loyalty at an intimate (yet physically innocent) level. The novel's pace and tension will compel readers to read at a gallop, but then stop again and again to turn a finely crafted phrase, whether to appreciate the richness of the language and imagery or to reconsider the layers beneath a thought. This is a book in which readers will consider the roots and realities of destiny and chance. Karma is a spectacular, sophisticated tale that will stick with readers long after they're done considering its last lines.

Maza, J. H. (2011). Karma. School Library Journal, 57(3), 167-168.

Program: Have a creative writing workshop for teens with books like Karma and other books written in prose as the inspiration. Have available samples of writing that are factual or written as a narrative and have teens challenge themselves to write the events in a poetic fashion. Teens can choose any sort of poetic form as long as they are altering the content to express details through ornate description.

Module 13: Stitches: A Memoir

Small, D. (2009). Stitches: A memoir--. New York: W.W. Norton & Co.

Summary: David Small recalls childhood memories that revolve around his uncommunicative family and their choice to keep from him the fact that he had throat cancer and needed surgery to remove it. He awakes to having no voice, though this time not by choice. This sets the tone for this exploration of his family history through the perspective of adolescence and the voice that art provided him.

Response: Though quite dark, I found this piece to be interesting and therapeutic in its way of making sense of the past through representations of moments and emotions through images. I found the depiction of perception of David throughout different periods in his life to be telling of his state of mind and his ability to communicate to others. I enjoyed this piece so much because it opens up to a harsh reality that moves towards understanding and closure.

Review:

SMALL, David. Stitches: A Memoir illus. by author. Gr 10 Up

Small is best known for his picture-book illustration. Here he tells the decidedly grim but far from unique story of his own childhood. Many teens will identify with the rigors of growing up in a household of angry silences, selfish parents, feelings of personal weakness, and secret lives. Small shows himself to be an excellent storyteller here, developing the cast of characters as they appeared to him during this period of his life, while ending with the reminder that his parents and brother probably had very different takes on these same events. The title derives from throat surgery Small underwent at 14, which left him, for several years, literally voiceless. Both the visual and rhetorical metaphors throughout will have high appeal to teen sensibilities. The shaded artwork, composed mostly of ink washes, is both evocative and beautifully detailed. A fine example of the growing genre of graphic-novel memoirs.

Goldsmith, F. (2009). Stitches: A Memoir. School Library Journal, 55(9), 193.

Program: Hold a panel of graphic memoir novelists to talk to teens about the particulars of writing and illustrating moments from their past. Encourage teens to raise their own questions and get tips on creating their own graphic novels or paneled illustrations.

Module 12: The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain

Sís, P. (2007). The wall: Growing up behind the Iron Curtain. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Summary: Peter Sis portrays his childhood in Communist Czechoslovakia through the use of illustration and timelines of events through the Cold War. The lack of color save for red flags to represent allegiance and captions set the stark tone of this time period and are juxtaposed by the colorful infiltrations of Western culture through music, art and ideas. The author illustrates his dreams and aspirations through his young life and the struggle to remain true to oneself while satisfying the demands of the government up until the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Response: I was so moved by this piece and thought it was a well-rounded and creative way to discuss livelihoods in the East during this time. Sis does an excellent job of creating visual accompaniments to his changing sentiments of the government as he grows and understands the limitations placed on everyone’s lives. I think that having been influenced by Soviet rule in his young life, that Sis was able to create a book that is relatable to children and communicates the difficulties of that time clearly through text and illustration.

I did a bike tour through the Czech Republic almost 3 years ago and was struck with Sis’ note at the end as to how much the country has changed after Czechoslovakia became free. It was something that I hadn’t thoroughly considered while traveling through the countryside, but the fact that I was able to do it at all spoke to the steps towards freedom that have been gained in the last few decades.

Reviews:

The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain

PETER, SÍS. FSG/Foster

Born out of a question posed to Sís (Play, Mozart, Play!) by his children ("Are you a settler, Dad?"), the author pairs his remarkable artistry with journal entries, historical context and period photography to create a powerful account of his childhood in Cold War-era Prague. Dense, finely crosshatched black-and-white drawings of parades and red-flagged houses bear stark captions: "Public displays of loyalty--compulsory. Children are encouraged to report on their families and fellow students. Parents learn to keep their opinions to themselves." Text along the bottom margin reveals young Sís's own experience: "He didn't question what he was being told. Then he found out there were things he wasn't told." The secret police, with tidy suits and pig faces, intrude into every drawing, watching and listening. As Sís grows to manhood, Eastern Europe discovers the Beatles, and the "Prague Spring of 1968" promises liberation and freedom. Instead, Soviet tanks roll in, returning the city to its previous restrictive climate. Sís rebels when possible, and in the book's final spreads, depicts himself in a bicycle, born aloft by wings made from his artwork, flying toward America and freedom, as the Berlin Wall crumbles below. Although some of Sís's other books have their source in his family's history, this one gives the adage "write what you know" biting significance. Younger readers have not yet had a graphic memoir with the power of Maus or Persepolis to call their own, but they do now.

The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain. (2007). Publishers Weekly, 254(27), 55-56.

Program: Have a program for teens who are encouraged to create artistic personal histories of their own lives. Provide paper and drawing materials and encourage them to think of major milestones in their personal lives as well as the world at large that would be relevant to their lives. Use The Wall and other books as examples.

Module 11: Tito Puente Mambo King- Rey Del Mambo

Brown, M., López, R., & Dominguez, A. (2013). Tito Puente, Mambo King =: Tito Puente, Rey del Mambo. New York, N.Y: Rayo.

 

Summary: Tito Puente grows up in Spanish Harlem loving rhythm, dance and music and is encouraged by his mother and his neighbors to pursue it. He works hard and achieves his dream of being his own band leader as well as making more than 100 albums and working with several Latin American musical artists. Tito’s story is told in beautiful illustrations that convey movement and the text is in English and Spanish.

Response: I loved reading this book and did so multiple times. There was so much to take in from each picture, each so bright with color and energy. I thought that it did a wonderful job to convey the pursuit of rhythm and music that ruled Tito Puente’s life. I enjoyed reading the text in English and Spanish and thought that it was great to have the availability of this story in both languages.

Reviews:

Tito Puente: Mambo King/Rey del Mambo. By Monica Brown. Illus. by Rafael Lopez. Mar. 2013. 32p. Rayo, K-Gr. 3.

"!Tum Tica! !Tum Tica! The dancers twirled, the lights swirled, and the mambo went on and on." Like so many of Brown's biographies, such as Waiting for the Biblioburro (2011) and Side by Side/Lado a lado: The Story of Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez/ La historia de Dolores Huerta y Cesar Chavez (2009), Tito's story introduces readers to a vibrant Latino figure. As a baby, Puente made music with pots and pans, and he later grew up to fulfill his dreams as a musician and beloved bandleader. Award-winning illustrator Lopez brings Tito's story to life in vibrant acrylic salsa reds and oranges, which are splashed behind every shake of Tito's hips and wink of his eyes. The swirling, whirling compositions add to the text's rhythmic beat. To continue the rumba after Tito's story has ended, the last page of the book offers a simple melody to play on its own or alongside the book. An author's note (in both English and Spanish) sheds more light on Puente's life.--Angie Zapata

Zapata, A. (2013, March 1). Tito Puente: Mambo King/Rey del Mambo. Booklist, 109(13), 55.

Program: Have an event for Latin American drumming and music for kids where kids and parents are encouraged to participate and learn about the different rhythms that make up the popular music styles.

 

 

Module 10: Show Way

 

Woodson, J., & Talbott, H. (2005). Show way. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.

Summary: The story follows the lineage through the women in the family of the author who are bought and sold into slavery but who continue to pass down the craft of memory, storytelling and the path to freedom through their quilting techniques. Though the passage through time diminishes the need for freedom pathways, the historical importance and family heritage is maintained.

Response: I found this book to be extremely powerful and moving. I felt that it really resonated with me because the author is the great-granddaughter of the great-granddaughter first depicted in the story. Though some specifics about the family history is lost along the way, the importance of family history and cultural preservation are maintained. It is the story of survival and of understanding of the struggles that came before us and the hopes for future generations. I really enjoyed the mixed media artwork of the book, especially the pages with fabric or thread depicted and thought that it added another dimension to the story. The fabric is unraveled by families being ripped apart and is constantly sewn back together to maintain what history, story and possibility of survival that is left.

Reviews:

 Show Way

JACQUELINE WOODSON, ILLUS. BY HUDSON TALBOTT.

Putnam

This affecting, poetic paper-over-board picture book stands out from the first glance. On the innovative cover, a montage of black-and-white pictures of African-American captives, arranged to resemble a quilt, act as a background to a diamond-shaped die-cut opening that frames the image of an African-American girl holding a lighted candle. Woodson's (Coming on Home Soon) story, both historical and deeply personal, begins as a seven-year-old girl is sold into slavery and taken to a South Carolina plantation "without her ma or pa but with some muslin her ma had given her." There she learns to "sew colored thread into stars and moons and roads that slave children grew up and followed late in the night, a piece of quilt and the true moon leading them." Later, her daughter also stitches quilts that become "a Show Way" to guide captives escaping to freedom. The quilt becomes a metaphor not only for physical freedom but for freedom of expression. Long after emancipation, subsequent generations of women in this family stay connected through quilting, using needle and thread as a means of support and as a creative outlet. Woodson eventually reveals that this is her own lineage, and "[her] words became books that told the stories of many people's Show Ways." Talbott uses the quilt motif in rousing ways, piecing together quotes or news items for a pair of spreads about one generation "walking in a line to change the laws" as well as in softly quilted patterns that tie together the love of a child, a theme throughout this elegantly designed volume. Ages 5-up. (Sept.)

Show Way. (2005). Publishers Weekly, 252(36), 67.

Program: Have a craft activity of creating a quilting square depicting important family information such as lineage and ancestry, cultural contributions, directions or memories. Provides colorful thread, scraps and shapes for cutouts.

Module 9: The Silence of Murder

Mackall, D. D. (2011). The silence of murder. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

Summary: Jeremy is an autisitc teenager and a selective mute who has been accused of the murder of the town’s baseball coach. His presence at the scene of the crime and the coach’s blood on his favorite bat lead everyone to believe that he did indeed do it. That is, everyone except his sister Hope. She knows the person that Jeremy is, that it is against his nature to do harm, and will do everything in her power to prove his innocence.

Response: I enjoyed reading this book and was propelled to its finish in order to solve the mystery. I found it interesting to have the story told from Hope’s point of view as the younger and supportive sister to Jeremy. She understands that being his sister makes her different, but it causes her to rise above the immaturity of high school life and drives her to save her brother. I enjoyed that it is not the story of someone who is compelled to snoop into other people’s lives to find out answers, but one who does everything out of love, who gives voice to someone who is voiceless. Hope seeks the truth and in her journey to find it, she find out more about herself and even more about the brother that she knows and loves.

Reviews:

The Silence of Murder.

By Dandi Daley Mackall.

Oct. 2011. 336p. Knopf, Gr. 8-12.

"I have never even once thought there was something 'wrong' with my brother," says 17-year-old Hope Long, but few people share her view. Jeremy, 18, is selectively mute, autistic, and on trial for the murder of a beloved local coach. Wherever their irresponsible alcoholic mother has taken them, Hope has always been Jeremy's advocate, but now, in order to save Jeremy from execution, she must testify to his insanity. Convinced of her brother's innocence, Hope sets out to discover the real murderer. Her investigation leads to the loss of her only friend, a forbidden romance with the sheriff's son, family secrets, and a journey of self-discovery. Hope's first-person narrative pulls readers immediately into the story as she works her way through clues and false leads to the truth. The well-plotted mystery is intriguing, and Hope's determined efforts to solve it have an authentic feel. Secondary characters are a tad one-dimensional, but Hope's compelling voice and the very real sense of danger propel the pace to a solution that will have readers talking.--Lynn Rutan

Rutan, L. (2011, October 1). The Silence of Murder. Booklist, 108(3), 88.

Program: Have a book club discussion about The Silence of Murder. Before the book talk begins, have several jars available and pieces of paper. As that each participant write a pivotal scene or moment from the book that they found pertinent to the mystery or the cohesiveness of the story itself. Have each participant take turns picking a jar and reading the scene described and then discussing its importance.