The Hate U Give

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about this book. On the one hand, it tells a story that needs desperately to be told. It is the tale of the shooting -- murder? -- of a young black man at the hands of a white police officer. The circumstances of the shooting are familiar to those who read the news frequently: The victim was unnecessarily pulled over. He was unarmed. He was not an apparent threat to anyone's safety. And his killer, the officer, was absolved of any wrong doing. But fiction has a way of reaching people in a different, perhaps more personal way.

At least good fiction. And I'm not sure what this is. Though the story is a compelling one, the way the story is conveyed is less so. For example, the author tries very hard to create characters that upend expectations we might have for them. But the way she does it is cliched; as a result, the characters seem like mere tropes. The main character, Starr, is born of parents who worship Black Power heroes -- but, gasp!, she is dating a white guy. Chris, that white guy, is uber rich and privileged, but, really?!, his feelings for Starr seem genuine and sincere. He's even willing to go to her neighborhood to protest! Her father, Maverick, is an ex-con gang member who, no way!, is committed to improving his community. The result is that these characters feel more like cardboard cutouts than real people. Second, the author relies much to heavily upon dialogue to advance the story. There is little description or inner thinking. It's almost all dialogue that, to me, felt contrived. Third, the author comes right out and says everything. There is no showing --- it's all telling. An example: At one point, Starr's friends and family from her neighborhood meet her friends from the fancy school she attends. She writes, "My two worlds just collided. Surprisingly, everything is all right," and, later, "These cultural differences are crazy sometimes." This is the type of thing that a more gifted writing would leave for the reader to infer on their own. I'm thinking of the way Sherman Alexie does this so deftly in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Thomas doesn't really make the reader do any thinking -- it's all spelled out clearly in black and white. Finally, and I don't want to give away too much here, Starr's trajectory is just to neatly packaged to seem realistic.

All of which is a shame -- I really wanted to like this book.

The Benefits of Begin an Octopus

The Benefits of Being an Octopus
By Ann Braden

This is no nature story. Instead, the octopus in the title is an extended metaphor for our main character, Zoey, who uses the animal as inspiration for what it will take for her to survive and escape the poverty that is holding her family captive. The story is set in Vermont, and offers an oft-overlooked view of our generally well-to-do state. When the story opens, things appear as though they are looking up for Zoey: After years of chaos, her family -- a mom and three younger siblings -- have found stability in the home of a new boyfriend, father to the youngest member, Hector. But things aren't as good as they seem, and the tension at home spills over into Zoey's life at school.

As a teacher, this book obviously had me reflecting on my students, some of whom have stories very similar to Zoey. How can we help make school a sanctuary for these students, a place of stability and source of confidence they need in their lives? How can we help them to see education as a possible way out? How can we help ensure that socioeconomic gaps outside the classroom don't cause inequity inside the classroom?

In the book, Zoey has one teacher who serves as a kind of messianic figure for Zoey. She unflaggingly believes in Zoey and pushes her to take the risks needed for her to reach her potential in school (and out). I'm always conflicted about this kind of portrayal of teachers. It's inspiring to think we can have this kind of impact on students. At the same time, it's pretty unrealistic and ignores all sorts of challenges and obstacles that get in the way of "saving" students like Zoey. Am I doing enough for the Zoeys in my classroom? What else could I be doing?

In the end, this was a pretty great read. I couldn't put it down. The author does a great job of continually raising the stakes in the story. Whatever its flaws, the book provides an important perspective about the struggles many young people face every day -- and shouldn't.

Angela's Ashes

Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt

In this memoir, the author tells the story of his childhood growing up in Limerick, Ireland. Though he was born in New York City, McCourt and his family immigrated back to Ireland, where his parents were from, during the height of the Great Depression -- though their troubles were more likely linked to Malachy McCourt's drinking and inability to keep a job than to the downturn in the global economy. Malachy doesn't change much upon their return to Ireland and, in fact, abandons the family altogether when he finds work in England during World War II.

The poverty McCourt writes about is hard to fathom. We think about Ireland as quaint above all else. But there is nothing quaint about hunger, about inadequate shelter, about a father who continually drinks away the family's meager allowance from the Irish state. Yet McCourt tells his story with a sense of humor that can only be made possible by a triumph, later in life, over these difficulties. And the story is so evocative of Ireland that it'll have you dreaming of a steaming cup of tea during a dreary rainy day. 

Night

Night 
By Elie Wiesel

I originally read this book in high school. I picked it up again on a whim when I was without something to read one night. I was unprepared for its weight. As a younger reader, I remember not being that taken with the book. I found it oddly distant. I felt like I never really found my way into the characters' heads. But on this second read, I'm thinking that the author did this on purpose. It strikes me that the book is something of a facsimile of a nightmare, a kind of waking dream in which inconceivable, surreal moments seem to drift in and out of one's consciousness without the small details that suggest reality. Perhaps this was obvious to everyone else on their first read. Regardless, this is not easy reading. But it is important reading. It is important to know what we humans can do to each other - so that we may more bravely make the choice to do the opposite.