The House on Mango Street

Bibliography:

Cisneros, S. (1984). The House on Mango Street. New York: Vintage Books, 110 pp.

Genre:

Autobiographical Novella

Esperanza, a 12-year-old, Mexican-American girl, moves with her family into a house on Mango Street in mid-twentieth century Chicago. She shares charming and often sad insights for a year of her life through this collection of 44 vignettes.

Esperanza’s vignettes yield many consistent themes. She is disappointed with her lot in life and is embarrassed of her poverty and home. As an immigrant she resents the prejudice she experiences at school, but also longs to escape her uncomfortable community where people work hard, but never get ahead.

Esperanza is caught between childhood and maturity. Her blooming sexuality is confusing and painful. In one vignette she describes being uncomfortable when an older coworker forcefully kisses her.

As Esperanza observes her friends and neighbors experiences with men, she becomes disillusioned. Esperanza’s first sexual experience occurs after Sally leaves her alone at the fair. After Esperanza is assaulted, she confronts Sally with a great deal of hostility.

In Esperanza’s last vignette “Mango Says Goodbye Sometimes,” she seems to find peace with Mango Street by accepting that she will be from Mango Street because she will be one of the people who leaves for better opportunities, but does not forget to return.

I recommend The House of Mango Street for Independent Reading for Ages 12 and up.

Twilight

Bibliography:

Meyers, S. (2005). Twilight. New York: Little, Brown & Company, 498 pp.

Genre:

Fiction

In the novel Twilight, the introspective Bella Swan leaves sun-drenched Arizona to live with her father in Forks. Even though Bella’s transition into her new high school goes well, she despises Forks where the rain is perpetual and everything is unnaturally green.

Bella could have her pick of boyfriends, but finds herself attracted to the one person who seems to want nothing to do with her: Edward Cullen. When Bella meets Edward, he glares at her with black eyes full of hate. She does not understand his instant hostility toward her, but is transfixed by his unnatural physical beauty and grace. In fact, the whole Cullen family is amazingly attractive. When Edward returns to school the following week his black eyes are golden and he is charming to Bella, her obsession deepens, but he pulls away again.

When an out-of-control truck careens toward Bella in the school parking lot, Edward uses his superhuman strength and speed to save her life; and she discovers that he in not a mere mortal. The remainder of the novel is dedicated to Bella and Edward’s developing relationship. She eventually discovers that he is a vampire and attempts to convince him to make her a vampire.

The combination of Edward’s heroism, the small town Forks environment, and the constant rain, provide a very soothing setting for Twilight, making it easy to relax while reading this book. I should qualify my last statement: it is easy to relax except when Bella does something stupid and endangers herself, which she constantly seems to do. Aside from just being a klutz, Bella is a magnet for trouble.

This book does not address any multicultural issues.

I would recommend this book for ages 13 and older for independent reading and small reading groups.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Bibliographic Information:

Alexie, S. (2007). The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 230 pp.

Genre and Awards:

Fiction

National Book Award, 2007

Sherman Alexie’s novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian details the tragic ninth grade year of Arnold Spirit, a young man raised on a Spokane Indian reservation by his parents and grandmother. Despite oppressive poverty, alcoholism, and despair on the reservation, the novel maintains a surprisingly upbeat tone through the use of illustrations and humor.

On the first day at his reservation high school, an outraged Arnold accidentally throws his science textbook into his teacher’s face after realizing that it is the same book his mother used 30 years prior. This results in his suspension from school and the realization that he must eventually leave the reservation to have a better chance for success. He decides to enroll at the neighboring “white” high school. This decision is very unpopular in the Spokane community and for a time Arnold is ostracized both in his new school and at home on the “Rez.” Particularly difficult is the rejection Arnold experiences from his long-time best friend Rowdy who refuses to speak to him.

This is a wonderful book for adolescents because it details the struggle of a young man who is faced with seemingly insurmountable problems, yet he approaches them with humor and persistence and seems to persevere.

Particularly compelling is Arnold’s adjustment to the white culture of Reardan High. When Roger, a popular white athlete, tells a racist joke about Indians, Arnold punches him in the face and bloodies his nose. This behavior, commonplace on the reservation, is a shock to the athlete and ends up gaining Arnold Roger’s respect.

More cultural differences surface as a result of Arnold’s attraction to Penelope. Penelope and Arnold could not be more different: he has to worry about getting enough to eat in his impoverished family and she intentionally purges her food. Arnold’s fixation on Penelope, especially on her whiteness, intensifies when he watches her play volleyball. He writes:

“She was wearing a white shirt and white shorts, and I could see the outlines of her white bra and white panties.
Her skin was pale white. Milky white. Cloud white.
So she was white on white on white, like the most perfect kind of vanilla dessert cake you’ve ever seen.
I wanted to be her chocolate topping.” (Alexie, 114)

Arnold asks Rowdy for love advice about Penelope. Rowdy responds crudely, so Arnold seeks advice from his friend Gordy who later delivers a detailed report about how white women are more valued in society than women of other nationalities. Gordy bases this conclusion on a widely reported news story about a white girl who disappeared in Mexico. After research, Gordy found that more than 200 Mexican girls had disappeared from the same part of the country with virtually no news coverage. Gordy finishes his report by telling Arnold that his preoccupation with Penelope means that he is also caught up in this racist value system.

Gordy’s report and conclusion creates an interesting literary connection to Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man. When the narrator of Invisible Man moves to New York he finds work at Liberty Paints making Optic White paint. To make this white paint whiter, it is mixed with a small amount of black, which vanishes and somehow makes the white paint even whiter. Ellison’s intention in including this detail in his novel may have been to symbolize how easily blacks become invisible to whites. After Arnold’s sister dies, Invisible Man is listed as Arnold’s seventh favorite book, this does not seem coincidental. I’m sure themes from the other listed books are also touched upon in the novel.

Arnold’s situation improves as he is accepted at his white school and begins to excel in basketball, however the harsh social problems of the Indian reservation community continue to devastate him as he is faced with several alcohol related tragedies.

The overwhelming power of alcohol over the Indian community is initially conveyed in the nonchalance that Arnold writes about his expectation of alcoholic brawling at the 127th Spokane Tribe Labor Day Powwow Celebration. He doesn’t present drunken fighting as likely; he presents it as just as predictable as the dancing, gambling, and frybread. Arnold is also not surprised when his father goes on a drunken bender and misses the holidays.

Alcohol related incidents lead to the deaths of three people close to Arnold before he finishes ninth grade: first, his grandmother is struck by a drunk driver; then, his father’s best friend is shot after an argument over the last sip in a wine bottle; lastly, his sister and her husband burn to death because they are passed out and never wake when their trailer home catches on fire.

Before his sister dies, Arnold reveals that the biggest difference between white people and Indians is that “All my white friends can count their deaths on one hand.”(200) Arnold discloses that he has been to 42 funerals and approximately 90 percent of the deaths involved alcohol.

After his sister’s death, Arnold promises his mother he will never drink.

Alexie uses the Grandmother character to address issues of tolerance. Arnold describes her as amazingly kind and patient and conveys deep respect for her open-minded views of homosexuality.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian takes on heavy issues like poverty and the devastating effects of alcoholism and abuse alongside typical adolescent problems like struggling to fit in and young love and blends them masterfully with humor and enough small triumphs to keep readers invested, yielding an entertaining story with powerful messages for ages 13 and up.
I recommend this book for all classroom uses beginning with the seventh grade.

Godless

Bibliography:

Hautman, P. (2004). Godless. New York: Simon Pulse, 198 pp.

Genre and Awards:

Novel

National Book Award Winner, ALA Best Book for Young Adults

After being forced to attend weekly teenage church services by his devout Catholic father, Jason Bock, who claims to be agnostic-going-on-atheist, jokingly decides to found a religion with his friend Shin. In this religion called Chutengodianism, God is the town’s ten-legged water tower. Jason determines this after making an observation that water is the source of all life.

Over time the idea takes hold of Jason and Shin and they develop tenets of faith and gather other followers. The development of Chutengodianism mirrors that of early Christianity: Jason assumes the grass roots Jesus role, while Shin focuses on the scriptures. Henry Stagg, a bully who joins the religion, commits random destructive acts such as spray painting messages on the water tower. Magda follows whomever she is most interested in day-to-day. Competition for her attention creates tension in this small religious sect.

The practice of Chutengodianism gets carried away when the church members decide to hold a dangerous midnight service on top of their “God.” After the service, one injured member ends up in the hospital and the others are briefly placed in jail. The fallout from this event changes the attitudes of a few of the Chutengodians toward traditional organized religion and draws attention to the potential mental illness of another.

Although religion is always a controversial topic in schools, Godless approaches adolescent religious curiosity in such a unique nonthreatening way I do not think the book would ruffle any feathers if it were named something more benign.

I would recommend this novel for ages 12 and over for independent reading, literature circles, and reading aloud.

Little Rock Nine

Bibliography:

Poe, M. (2008). Little Rock Nine. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks, 120 pp.

Genre:

Graphic Novel-Historical Fiction

Little Rock Nine is a graphic novel detailing the integration of Central High School in 1957. The book focuses on the experience of two families (one white, one black) as they struggle through the social implications of desegregating Central High School following the Supreme Court ruling in the matter of Brown vs. the Topeka Board of Education.

In the novel, June, the black mother of Thomas, works as a maid in a white lawyer’s home. The white lawyer is in favor of integrating schools, but his racist relic of a father is not. Offensive racist statements flood the novel as the white grandfather attempts to convince his grandson Will that integration will ruin their comfortable lifestyle. Will supports integration and convinces Thomas to give integration another chance after a failed attempt the previous year.

Thomas’ parents June and Henry fear he will be hurt if he attempts to attend Central High. The Mississippi Ku Klux Klan lynched Henry’s brother because of his dedication to “the Cause.” Thomas’ parents voice their concern that the same thing could happen to him.

Thomas and his eight friends work with Mrs. Bates, an NAACP representative, to prepare for the violent mob scene expected at the schoolhouse doors.

Orval Faubus, governor of Arkansas, calls out the National Guard to supposedly control the crowd, but when students attempt to enter Central High, a soldier blocks their entrance. Finally, President Eisenhower orders the 101^st Airborne Division of the U.S. Army to escort the nine black students into Central High School. Eight months later, Ernest Green becomes the first African-American to graduate from Central High School.

The following fall, Governor Faubus ordered Little Rock public high schools closed for the year to prevent further integration.

Little Rock Nine humanized the desegregation of Central High School for me. Until reading this book, I did not realize how many attempts black students made to desegregate the school. I also was not aware that Governor Faubus closed Little Rock public high schools for the entire 1958-1959 school year to prevent further integration. I thought that the book author must have made some sort of mistake when I read that fact, but I looked it up and that school year is known as “The Lost Year” in Little Rock. I cannot believe Faubus was able to do so many harmful things to that Little Rock community of learners.

I recommend this book for independent reading in or outside of the classroom. The content is appropriate for all adolescents.

Fallen Angels

Bibliography:

Myers, W.D. (1988). Fallen Angels. New York: Scholastic Inc., 309 pp.

Genre and Awards:

Fiction

A Coretta Scott King Award Winner (1989), ALA Best Book for Young Adults, Booklist Editors' Choice, A School Library Journal Best Book

Fallen Angels chronicles Richie Perry’s journey to Vietnam as a young, black soldier in the United States Army. When Richie first arrives in Vietnam, he believes the war will be over quickly and that he will avoid combat because of a knee injury. Richie’s future after the war is his constant worry throughout the novel. He wants to attend college, but is also concerned about supporting his younger brother Kenny. Richie mainly joined the Army to escape the poor conditions of his life in Harlem.

Richie must begin coping with the harsh reality of war almost immediately upon arriving at his squad’s camp. One of his friends dies on the squad’s first patrol. This is difficult for him and he feels compelled to share the experience with his family, but is unable to discuss his emotions on this and subsequent stressful occasions when he would like to.

Richie suffers an injury and while recuperating at the hospital he remembers what it is like to live in relative comfort and safety. He does not want to return to his squad. When he does, his sergeant has been replaced with a racist who causes racial conflicts among squad members by placing black soldiers in the most dangerous circumstances. These differences become irrelevant as the squad bonds together. The racist sergeant eventually dies and is replaced with Corporal Brunner, one of the squad members.

Brunner leads a mission to attack some guerilla forces. Both Richie and his friend Peewee are injured on this mission. After recuperating in the hospital, Richie’s knee injury paperwork is finally processed and he is allowed to go home. Richie’s friend Peewee’s wounds are significant enough for him to be discharged. They both return home on a plane loaded with coffins containing the bodies of dead soldiers.

Richie questions his reasoning for enlisting in the armed forces throughout the novel. He also ponders the nature of war and the motivations of his supervising officers. As the novel ends, the overwhelming feeling Richie and Peewee seem to experience is relief to be leaving Vietnam alive. The omnipresent silver caskets being loaded onto the plane, as well as the news of Judy Duncan’s death, remind us that not all Vietnam War military personnel were so lucky.

I enjoyed this book because my father is a Vietnam veteran. Reading it helped me to better understand what he went through as a Marine.

I would recommend Fallen Angels for all classroom purposes for ages 13 and older.

Speak

Bibliography:

Anderson, L.H. (1999). Speak. New York: Penguin Group, 198 pp.

Genre and Awards:

Fiction

In Laurie Halse Anderson’s novel Speak, Melinda loses her voice for an entire year after being raped at a high school party. She also looses all of her friends because they think she called the police to break up their fun, not report her sexual assault.

After realizing that she won’t have any social support at school, Melinda withdraws into herself. She stops caring about her appearance and grades. She also chews on her lips and her fingernails until they bleed. This behavior troubles her busy parents, but they assume she is just going through a troubled adolescent phase.

Only three people reach out to Melinda the entire school year: her art teacher Mr. Freeman, a new girl Heather who is only friends with Melinda until she makes new friends, and David Petrakis, her lab partner who would like to be her love interest.

Melinda’s art teacher provides her some therapy via a yearlong project creating a tree. Melinda becomes more and more isolated until spring when working outdoors in her yard inspires her.

Melinda writes a message of warning about her rapist Andy Evans on the bathroom stall at school. She is validated when other girls respond with more negative comments about Andy. When Melinda finds out that her former best friend Heather is going to prom with Andy, she confides in Heather about the rape. Heather rejects Melinda and accuses her of making the rape up because she is jealous.

At prom Heather breaks up with Andy. After the next school day, Andy confronts Melinda in her janitor closet hideaway and attempts to rape her again. Melinda finally finds her voice, screams for help, and fights back. A group of Lacrosse players arrive after Melinda manages to fight off Andy and she unlocks the closet door. The lacrosse players then help keep Melinda safe from Andy.

At the end of the school year, Melinda finishes her tree project and Mr. Freeman gives her an A. The story ends as Melinda begins to “speak” her truth to Mr. Freeman.

While the content of this novel is depressing, the writing is crisp and clear. I enjoyed reading Melinda’s unique perspective. I have been out of high school for a long time and her insights on adolescent emotional development (or in her case temporary lack of development due to trauma) will be helpful when interacting with students.

I would recommend this novel for readers 13 and older for literature circles and individual reading.