Big Hiatus

I didn't read anything for about six months apparently.  Yikes!  Lots of Mayo Clinic and What to Expect, I guess.

This was the first book I read once we settled in to Oshkosh.  The Relief Society sisters had been gathering 100 dresses to donate to the local Women's shelter.  To top of their success, they all got together one night to discuss this book (which is a super easy independent read) and eat cheesecake.  I think they donated more than 100 dresses once it was all said and done.

It seemed a common consensus that the ending just wasn't as fulfilling as one hopes.  At first this really upset me, but after discussing it with the ladies in the ward I realized that was perfect.  If things had wrapped up nicely, with a big bow, we wouldn't have had so much to discuss.  I guess this just felt like the king of book where a big bow would have made me feel better.

Why?  Because as a read you know what it is like to be each of the three main characters.  The girl who wants to be popular, the girl who is teased, and the girl who hurts others feelings unknowingly.  In life, we wish all those situations would easily and quickly resolve themselves.  So it would have been nice if this book could have shown us how to do so.  But it didn't.

Naturally, as a Church function, we were able to pull out some religious parallells.  Which made me feel like this book was a deeper read than it appears.  It would be an excellent book to read with a young daughter, on the cusp of puberty.  It's a great way to talk about the importance of how we treat others and why we shouldn't judge based on appearances.

Initially, I didn't like it.  But a good "book club discussion" can help me see the beauty in any book.  

The Last Great Teacher Read . . . for a while

I read this last summer, as I always pick a teacher read to get me back into my "groove."  Wow, it's crazy that it's summer already.  Anyway, before I go back into teaching I definitely plan on browsing this one through again.  It was so brilliant.

Here's the thing about teacher help books, none of them are going to have something life changing in them.  Teaching is teaching.  But there are definitely ones better than others.  I would like to see University level Classroom Management courses read a book like this one.  It just points out all the little, minute really, details a teacher must think about and plan for if they really want to be successful.

Some complaints I've seen other reviewers mention is it's focus on inner city youths.  Tho I do see how the book comes off as "boot camp" style, I still think teachers at places like Delta High could benefit from some of this technique.

Other complaints of course, are that veteran teachers don't need this.  Well, when a teacher feels like they don't need to read anything for improvement . . . they should just retire.

I'm already eager to get back to the classroom, and this will be one of the first things I pick up.  Schools would benefit greatly if they used this as a "book club" read to guide their Professional Development.  

Versus

 Mayo Clinic vs What to Expect?

Mayo Clinic.

Both are good resources, and knowing nothing about pregnancy, I'm glad I had both.  But only one is really needed, and Mayo Clinic is the better of the two.

There isn't strange, unnecessary commentary; and the medical stuff is still understandable.  It covers everything I needed to know.  I probably read it all through twice over the course of 8 1/2 months.

Empires Fall

This is a topic I'd love to read more about, so it worked out great that Ben had the book from his old college days (which I'm beginning to think USU must have been a little liberal leaning . . . trying to balance out the "Utah" part perhaps?).

I've always known I didn't like US involvement in the Mid-East, even before I realized how much Western and Muslim cultures clash (just by sheer living standards, religion aside).  Reading this is like having someone intellectually explaining why I had a bad gut feeling about the Wars.  Since it has been so long since I read the book, I think I'll just copy my goodreads review and let that suffice.

"It wasn't so much an "ah-ha!" book as a "well of course, I just didn't think of it that way till you said it" book. 

Does America really want democracy in Iraq? No. That would mean a stronger relationship with Iran, kicking US bases out, and favoring Palestine independence. Those three things are the opposite of our goal in Iraq/the entire Middle East.

As history constantly tells us . . . America really only wants democracy in foreign lands if the people are willing to vote in a way that is most beneficial to us. And not even our closest allies are willing to do that! So why do we think someone on the long list of our enemies ever will? Oh, cause we live on their soil, occupy their land, and keep repeating broken promises.

Sounds like a pretty well run Empire to me."


-- 3 stars -- decent, but I'd like to find something else like it . . . but better.

I love good reads!

I already miss my friendship with Francie Nolan, and she just left Brooklyn for a better neighborhood two days ago.
7/18/2010



Ha ha, I just found this.  I guess I really was speechless after reading it.  Still, I think this one sentence deserves posting.  I truly felt like Francie was a dear friend after reading Smith's classic novel.  For the past year, I've recommended this to EVERYONE who asks what they might read.  It will enlighten your soul and filll your heart.

Read it.  Now.

Grab you into your nightmares

The title alone is gripping "First They Killed My Father."  This book made it's way on to our student's summer reading list.  After I read it I was surprised we would do such a thing.  But my middle schoolers never cease to amaze me.  They talked about this book throughout the whole school year.  Ung's tale clearly registered with them.

My favorite part in reading the book wasn't really the book at all.  I brought the book home with me to UT while I was reading it and my dad and I had a great conversation about the story.  He quietly went into his bedroom and returned with his journal.  He then read me an entry from the very early 80s.  The entry summarized and quoted the letter my parents were given when they took in their foster child, Rhy Mam.  I never knew the boy in my early family pictures lived Ung's story.  As I sat on my parents sofa I couldn't help but think Rhy could have been Loung's little sister . . . only Rhy lived.  He escaped.  Fled up a hillside while the Khmer Rouge gunned down his mother.  And then he landed in the bedroom next to mine, half way around the world.

Ung's story is definitely one worth reading.  She captures the thought process of a child well.  I can't imagine having hers as a childhood to relive.  It would be a haunting nightmare.  Yet somehow she has managed to do so much good with what she was left.  I think the moment of "revenge" on the Khmer Rouge soldier was a big moment for her.  She shows us that even after all their suffering, turning the other cheek may truly be the best remedy.  

A Hiccup

It's time I revive this blog.  In order to do so I may have to re-read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.  I love love love this book.  I love it so much I was never able to find the right words for a post.  I just felt there was so much about the book that I needed to explore.  So much I needed to sit back and take in before I could properly explain how deeply it touched my heart and soul.  It's been nine months since I finished the book, and I still ponder it's brilliance.

Of course, now it is a too distant memory.  I feel/fear a review this late in the game can not serve any sort of justice to it's beauty.  So now I'm stuck with no review to give this great book the credit it deserves.

Sigh.

My lack of review soon after the closing of the last page just means the book will continue to become an even more distant memory.

Sad Sad.

Must.  Read.  Again.  

A set of six for JB

I read this because it'd been a while since I joined in on a goodreads Constant Reader book club discussion. I always enjoy those discussions so much. So much intellect flowing over the wires. I don't regret having read the novel, but it wasn't worth interrupting my read of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.

Jean Brodie is a captivating teacher who cares a little too much about herself. I couldn't help but love her "liberal" attitude for the time period. Very much a feminist in "her prime." The only other adult female characters are the spinster school mistress who is about as unhappy as an elephant who is being attacked by a pride of lions, and a Catholic mother who has a billion children with a man who sleeps with his students after he paints them nude. So, despite all Miss Brodie's flaws (she's obviously lonely, fooled by the romanticism of the fascists, and a pretty terrible teacher) she definitely feels like the winner.

The story is mostly told from the perspective of one of her students. Who I personally think has a VERY unhealthy infatuation with Miss Brodie. Others in the constant reader group don't see it that way. They think poor Sandy was a victim . . . they obviously don't work with teens all day. Sure, they are impressionable, but her obsession (which I almost view as lust) for Miss Brodie is not so innocent.

I didn't really like the writing. It's humorous at times, and I did enjoy that the narrator was anonymous and omniscient. I just don't think the read is something I'd deem classic, and I'm not sure how it's stuck around so long. I'll have to rent the movie.

Batu Kawa, I love you

This is a book I couldn't have understood without my time spent in Batu Kawa, East Malaysia. Even still, much of the statistical math calculations turned me off to the reading (and I still have no idea what a hedge fund is). And ironically, I recognize that by the world standards many living in the Batu Kawa neighborhood would actually be considered "well-off."

What struck me most, was the idea that as long as people want to be rich -- millions of others will have to be poor. Not just poor; destitute.

It's inevitable, and that made this book very depressing. Yet the globalization gap is so fascinating I just couldn't stop reading (even the chapters about hedge funds which I so clearly did not understand). Economically, the impact we all have on each other is much more pressing than our impact environmentally, even though the two co-exist.

In short, I disapprove of the free market and capitalism more than I did when I set out reading this book. By comparison, before I felt disapproval, after I feel disdain. And still, I feel deflated. The realization that there is no conceivable way to ever educate my fellow country men on the matter to point of real change is overwhelming. Even if that were possible, convincing rulers of developing countries to follow suit is even more unfeasible. A solution is unworkable.

The only hope is to make sure that every human being have healthy drinking water, basic health care, and mere literacy. How can such simple things be so hard for the world to achieve?

Wealth.

Travel the Country

I really liked this book. It took me a bit too long to read, never a good sign. But the story was told very "cutely." I loved the protagonists voice. Her grandparents (who she spends the whole book with) are equally adorable. I loved following them as they traveled across the country. The details of the drive were captivating.

I actually didn't love the whole Phoebe story. Even though that was pretty much half the point of the whole story. I just didn't think it really fit as well as it should have. I'm glad Phoebe's family had a happy ending. I probably should have been a little more saddened by Sal's family's story. But as a teacher, I love stories that simply touch on tough topics and depict real life emotions.

I will definitely keep this on my kids' shelf. I see myself being the type of mother that has mandatory summer reading. Won't that be fun! But there are just so many great books out there for our independent readers.

He gives us children . . . to dream

Fabulous idea to end the school year with a Play. The kids loved it. I had to have a few boys play Mama each week and it was a blast, my favorite part.

The story line is pretty good. I'm shocked at how many versions there are. How many times producers changed her work, how many times she changed her work. I just can't really see that being productive to something you (and the world) considers such a masterpiece. I guess the world of performance is a different one.

Poor Walter, I really feel for him. Donovan played the most convincing Walter -- cruel, animal like, pathetic, and decent. When watching the 1963 movie you really see how crucial Ruth is to the plot line. I like her role. And Mama, how can you not love Mama while all the while wishing she'd just stop meddlin with everyone else. She is so well intentioned, but you can't help but notice that if she'd butt out and let her children lead their own lives every problem would just go away. New ones would arrive of course, probably worse ones. But at least they'd be problems the characters created on their own.

Asagai is adorable, but what I want is the sequel that talks about how shocked and disappointed she was with her move to Africa. At least, that is my understanding of that whole movement to return to the homeland during the 60s. That novel truly would be interesting.

Purposeful blood?!?!

I'd say I'm surprised I got through this, considering the title -- but I had to read about a teen at "sick" minds. I'd also say I'm surprised how long this took to get through -- but A Walk Two Moons is taking me thrice as long.

I first started reading this back in 2008 or 09. I would get all down and then walk over to Barnes and Noble for a quick read. It really did always make me feel a little better. Suddenly though, I had no need to make these visits so I asked for it on goodreads swap.

I really like Patricia McCormick. You can tell she does a lot of research before she writes her novels. She always explores the most complex of teen girl issues. I wouldn't want my daughter to red them until she was old enough to handle the truth. But that last word is the reason I would want her to read it, truth. McCormick really has a way of telling the world the truth about things so many of us prefer not to talk about.

The Night is darker, and brighter, each time.

I love teaching this novel. It's been a few months since I read it. I'm glad I read it with the other two parts of his trilogy. It is definitely the best of the three. So much emotion packed into so few words.

If you have not read this, you must. It is hands down the BEST holocaust work you will ever come across. I don't get why Anne Frank is so popular, this is the real thing. All that fiction coming out now . . . bleh . . . this is the real thing.

His writing is so fascinating. It's at it's best in this novel. His struggle with God, his father, the physical need to survive . . . all are so amazing. The themes in this novel only get better with each read. This last one made read #4 for me (plus the fact that I've read it 5 times -- for each class -- on read #4 and 3 times -- for each class -- for read #3. Pretty much, I love it. Love reading it; love teaching it.

Oh Gerogie

Orwell, Orwell, I love Orwell. What man is able to make a joke out of such a horrid thing? But that's what war is, it's man's big joke to man. Such a joke.

You can't read his account and ever think war is noble or necessary. And yet, he never withdraws. He never decides to go back to England and live the good life (and wait for WWII to arrive). Which just goes to prove war is noble and is needed. How can you change the world without killing a fascist?

I didn't get the politics, at all! But I loved the war story accounts. Genius mind, Orwell truly had a genius mind. The world will never be a good place, until guys like him decide to actually become politicians. But that will never work. So human beings will continue to misbehave and the world will continue to fall apart. Even Orwell himself knew that was the case. He stood by his political views, even when he proved them impossible.

It's been so long

I've only read one YA novel since Breaking Dawn last year. I think that says something about that series. Anyway, it's nice to finally be back into a genre I love. This was a good one to break me back in. The whole communist movement in China truly fascinates me. I feel like this is a good introductory course for teens. I would definitely want my child to read it, I'd say at about 6th grade.

Basically, Ying watches as her country destroys the brilliance her parents have worked so hard to obtain. That is what is so fascinating to me. How can a country purposefully attack all the educated members of society? Do you not see how self destructive that is? Making people equal isn't about making the upper class lower, it's about bringing the lower classes up. Seriously, Mao was intentionally destroying a country of 1 billion people. And the rest of the world just sat back and ignored it.

Fascinating.

So popular right now

Holocaust fiction seems to be the guaranteed sale right now. Apparently though, Abe Lincoln is the most written about subject in the world. Pretty interesting, I'd have guessed WWII. But I guess that's just my reading trend.

So this one, I wouldn't recommend it . . . unless you read and were comfortable with A Thousand Splendid Suns. It is similar in graphic content. Which makes sense if you think about it. Both women basically had to place their hands in the lives of gross military leaders. So the icky sex stuff makes sense. I just wish she hadn't been so detailed.

The story line is really good though. I particularly liked the ending. I liked the idea that the main character (whose name has already escaped me two weeks later) Anna! It's Anna, I like that she didn't want to take credit for those she saved, since she'd lived her whole life suffering over the ones she couldn't save. I don't know, I'm not making it sound right, but it just made sense that if she refused for 40 years to talk about the bad stuff, she'd also refuse to talk about the good when faced with it. Almost like refusing to take credit for the good she did was a way to pay penance for the bad. I don't know, I thought that was an interesting concept.

I have to wonder how many people there are in this world who really have no idea who they really are. I'd imagine quite a few. The common theme I find in all the contemporary WWII stuff is simply that, that people really have no idea who they are, because their parents worked so hard (for good or bad) to cover it up and avoid ever having to talk about it.

A true classic

Ummm, such a good one. I seriously love it more and more each time I read it. I don't even think this book ever has to compete to make it onto top 50 lists. Romantically timeless, wonderfully witty writing: Jane Austen was brilliant. Anyone who hasn't read this is seriously missing out. There is a reason hundreds of movies and books have been written based on this story.

Darcy really is such a dream. Elizabeth gets a little more annoying with each read, but she'll never reach the pains of Emma. Ughhhh, I think I need to try Sense and Sensibility or Mansfield Park. I don't doubt Austen deserves two slots on my final list, but Emma will not be the one to do it.

Anyway, I should say more about this one, but I really can't. It's perfect. In all ways it is perfect. That's all that can be said. It only took me about three sittings in less than a week to get through this. Such a perfect little pleasure.

Life is a farm

I love love love teaching this. All my students got into this. Even the ones with the lowest reading level. It isn't my personal favorite, but as far as teaching goes, I think I would dub it fav.

This book brings up the richest discussion topics. Students become so invested in the characters I think they forget they are animals. Which, is part of the brilliant point. I can really say with confidence, that I think Orwell is one of the greatest writers of all time. I hate to say he, Dickens, and Tolstoy are the top three (all white, all male, pretty lame), but that's truly how I feel.

The most striking part, when Pilkington congratulates Napoleon for having his lowest animals work the hardest and receive the least amount of food. Sweet Miko pointed out that this political theory is how the good ol USofA was built. We are a nation built on that exact same concept.

Pigs.

End of the Game

Ender's Game took me way to long to get through. I started it this summer by the pool, and just finished it at the new year. I just didn't see anything valuable or exciting at the beginning, but once I got to about page 70 I was at least curious to know how it ended.

Why though?
1st - I knew Ender would some how win
2nd - I figured the racism wouldn't let up and it was super annoying me
3rd - I don't really like Sci Fi
4th - I hear Card is a homosexual hater, go figure since his book talks about naked boys every ten pages. Really, I'd guess he was gay if I didn't know better. So the homophobia totally makes sense.

There is a religious plug, but it connects in no way to the LDS Church. I knew a boy who served in Card's ward while on a mission and he said he was "disappointed."

I'd imagine Card is a weirdo, super conservative, recluse. I wish he'd go back and take out the racism (as it adds nothing to the book) and fix the typos and TERRIBLE grammar. And as others say, he spends a ton of time on the middle portion of the story and not enough on the ending. Just felt a little backwards. Plus, the ending ending isn't really needed at all. I felt very much like he was just setting up the story for a series. Which is lame.

Okay, enough complaining. I still manage to give it a couple stars. It wasn't like I wish I'd never read it, I'd just never read it again, nor will I ever recommend it to someone (or tell my friends he is LDS).

Sensing a theme

So I must read things in pairs. Of my last 7 books, two were from the Great Depression Era, two about slavery in the early Americas, and three fictions from WWII aftermath.










I've been wanting to read these two for like 12 years now. I love love love Night. I think it is one of the greatest novels ever, and since the three are a series I figured these two would also be memoirs. Turns out they are not, which is kind of weird. But the author's note on Dawn mentions he always wondered if he had left the camps and went to Palestine instead of France, this would have happened. Which is why the books are fascinating. I always read stuff about the Holocaust but you never really get to look into how the survivors lives after the Holocaust were affected.

The philosophy he explores is pretty fascinating. I don't think I fully understood it, as I'm sure it's impossible for anyone to fully understand what a Holocaust survivor who feels responsible for letting his father die just two days before freedom can feel.

Apparently many of the details in Day are factual. Which I love because it makes me think he and his wife had such a fantastic relationship and after you spend so much time not being able to love yourself, you deserve someone who loves you like she did. Her recent translation of Night is my personal favorite. Partly, just because I think it is endearing that she bothered to translate it at all. What's strange to me is that he never translated them (or, why he'd write them in French anyway . . . he speaks fine English).

Anyway, I'm not really discussing the books much here, cause as I said I didn't really get them. Plus I read them almost two weeks ago and they are so short I just whizzed through them. They are worth reading. I just don't really see how they are a series though.