Train to Crystal City by Jan Jarboe Russell

Our English teachers and I were excited to learn about the publication of The Train to Crystal City because, per its subtitle, it tells the story of "FDR's Secret Prisoner Exchange Program and America's Only Family Internment Camp During World War II." Our students read, research and discuss When the Emperor was Divine by Julie Otsuka so The Train to Crystal City will be an excellent additional resource.   Over several years, we have compiled and shared related teaching and learning resources, including many primary sources.

I expected The Train to Crystal City to tell much of the same story -- it does that and more. Author Russell has focused attention not only on Japanese/Japanese-American internees, but on Latin American, Italian, and German internees as well. Frankly, I was shocked to read the Eiserloh family story -- that family could have been my relatives or their friends.  The immigration dates and ages were eerily similar, including a the profile of a patriarch who worked for a well-respected Fortune 500 company and who enjoyed German music and wrote letters to family still in Europe. Fortunately, my family never experienced life in an internment camp, but I heard stories of how difficult it was to be living in America with a German surname in the 1940's and 50's. For the adults, it meant less social time with friends and worries about relatives in Dresden and nearby German towns.  For the children, it lead to teasing and bullying.

Stressful? Yes, but not like the secret prisoner exchanges which Jan Jarboe Russell investigates and documents. Russell spent years researching The Train to Crystal City and she includes copious footnotes and annotations, although her family stories are very readable.  In its review Booklist describes The Train to Crystal City as "an informative, disturbing, and necessary reminder of the dangers produced by wartime hysteria." Our teachers and students will be using this reference work and drawing parallels to their reading and to today's news headlines where threatening events may lead to fear, prejudice and over-reaction with negative impacts on civil liberties. 

Same Sky by Amanda Eyre Ward

In Amanda Eyre Ward’s The Same Sky, two narrators memorably tell simultaneous but separate stories. Carla is a young girl living in Honduras who grows up quickly when she becomes responsible for a younger brother and decides to attempt the dangerous journey to Texas to join her mother, an illegal immigrant.  Alice is a co-owner of a barbeque restaurant in Austin.  She lost her own mother at a young age, battled cancer and, along with her husband, Jake, was recently devastated once again when a potential adoption falls through. 

These two stories, full of trials, courage, and sacrifice, are told in alternating chapters.  I was totally engrossed in both, and found the contrast to be extremely effective.  At first, there does not seem to be much in common, but Ward deftly shares the internal struggles, tested faith, and learning that each narrator experiences. The Same Sky is a quick, compelling read with a powerful message relevant to social issues such as undocumented immigrants, poverty and substance abuse. Carla and Alice are not easy to forget. 

I highly recommend The Same Sky and want to also briefly mention several other titles on immigration, survival/resilience and the struggle to fit in: La Linea by Jaramillo (2008); Enrique's Journey by Nazario (2006); Girl in Translation by Kwok (2010); Digging to America by Tyler (2006); Book of Unknown Americans by Henriquez (2014) and several works by Amy Tan, plus Americanah which is our book group selection for next month.   

Screw the Valley

Screw the Valley is indeed a coast-to-coast tour of America's new tech start-up culture as its subtitle promises.  The cities featured in Timothy Sprinkle’s work include New York, Boulder, Austin, Raleigh, Detroit, Las Vegas, and Kansas City.  If you are interested in high-tech or entrepreneurship, give this book a look.

Sprinkle aimed the book at those who are contemplating beginning a business, but students who are choosing a college and/or a career would also find information of interest.

Screw the Valley describes the culture and opportunities with a chapter devoted to each of 7 cities well outside of the famed Silicon Valley. While I can understand the author’s ignoring Seattle and other West Coast locations, I was a little surprised not to see anything about Boston. If your favorite is not included in the book, it might appear in this 2011 Business Journals list of America’s Top 100 High-Tech Centers. That chart is a fascinating look at the number of companies and the percentage of adults with master’s and/or doctoral degrees.

Interested readers and students of human geography should also look at earlier works such as  Who's Your City by Richard Florida (2008), My Start-Up Life by Ben Casnocha (2007) or even The Big Sort by Bill Bishop (2008). A somewhat related and more global perspective is offered in Geography of Thought by Richard Nisbett (2004), The Power of Place by Harm DeBlij (2009) and the fascinating picture book, If the World were a Village by David Smith (2002). 

Two more for Junior Theme ....

I refer to our Junior Research Project quite often in this blog because it offers an opportunity for students to read a book of their choice, to research and dialogue with other scholars, and to craft their own connections and understanding of the work. Here are two more titles which I will booktalk this year for Junior Theme; both were recommended by School Library Journal as Adult Books for Teens and received starred reviews:  

I Shall by Near to You by Erin Lindsay McCabe is historical fiction about a strong-willed woman who disguises herself as a man, Ross Stone, in order to fight beside her husband in the American Civil War.  Rosetta Wakefield loves her husband, Jeremiah, and runs off to join him, allowing us to learn more about life (both its boredom and its dangers) as a soldier.   Starred review: Booklist, Kirkus

The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez has a contemporary setting and a plot which deals with Latino/Hispanic culture and family life as she tells the story of Maribel and her parents who move legally from Mexico to Delaware. There, Maribel (who has suffered a serious injury) attends a special school and develops a relationship with a young man from Panama.  Starred review: Booklist

It is interesting that neither book cover shows the face of the main character, perhaps implying that there is a more universal experience involved in the story which each book tells. To me, it also emphasizes how we often do not clearly "see" others around us.  Both main characters fight being labeled and struggle against society's prejudices as they pursue a version of the American Dream. Whether students read these books for Junior Theme or simply because of a personal interest, they will find much to contemplate and to apply to their own lives and families as they work on defining an identity and on building empathy for others. 
 

City of Liars and Thieves by Eve Karlin

I found Eve Karlin’s debut historical fiction novel, City of Liars and Thieves, to be fascinating and will recommend it as a possible Junior Theme choice, even though it currently appears to be only available as an eBook. The story is set in 1799 New York City and begins with a young woman, Elma Sands, arriving to help her married cousin run a boardinghouse. Sadly, Elma is later found murdered and questions arise about her romance with a boarder along with speculation about justice and motives when high profile lawyers like Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr become involved in the case. 

The story is based on actual events and includes a description of the courtroom trial for the first recorded murder case in American history. I especially liked the sense of mystery and dread that pervaded City of Liars and Thieves. Mostly, though, I was excited by potential for students to see ties to modern issues like class and income inequality, corruption in politics, corporate greed, and questions related to women’s roles in society.

Just a year or two ago, the New York Times printed a feature story noting how corners were cut in the roughly 200 year old water system described by Eve Karlin. I think that this book will intrigue readers and prompt them to further investigate the rivalry between Hamilton and Burr.  

An Absent Mind by Eric Rill

In the Author’s note for this award-winning book Eric Rill says, “My goal was not only to write good fiction, but also to provide readers with a true picture of this dreaded disease [Alzheimer’s] that afflicts more than 35 million people worldwide. I truly hope that I was able to achieve that.” He did.

If you have ever known someone, especially a close family member, who has experienced dementia in some form, you will definitely relate to the characters in An Absent Mind.  Saul, his wife Monique, and grown children Florence and Joey, along with Saul’s doctor, alternate narrating the story of Saul’s diagnosis and subsequent decline.  Rill’s father was an Alzheimer’s patient and Rill does an excellent job of conveying the devastation wrought by this disease.  He skillfully depicts the confusion, physical and emotional abuse, and mood swings through many vignettes and carefully chosen details.

This novel is ultimately inspirational and with many short chapters, it reads very quickly -- I finished it in two sittings.  An Absent Mind would be perfect for a book group discussion; other novels dealing with this topic include Lisa Genova's Still Alice, Nicholas Sparks' The Notebook, and Alice Munro's Away From Her. For families and friends of those impacted, an excellent resource is the Alzheimer’s Association.  They often hold outreach programs at local libraries and offer support to caregivers and patients.