Beyond Courage - history in words and photos

 

Beyond Courage: The Untold Story of Jewish Resistance During the Holocaust by Doreen Rappaport.

I’ve enjoyed browsing this book. It accessible for research, for learning about people and events through words and pictures, and yet it could work as a small coffee-table book or simply sitting on a table for students to browse just because it's there.

Almost every page includes pictures of people and places (in both black and white and antique finish), maps, art work by children, and poetry, making the story personal and engaging. No image is disturbing visually, so to have it on display or near students would be appropriate. 

The summary in my catalog states “provides detailed accounts of twenty-one acts of defiance committed against Nazis in Nazi-occupied countries during World War II. “

To connect the history of individuals, and those who acted against "authority," with visual history is the essence of this book.

 The chapters are organized by place – occupied countries – with sub-headings about something specific to that place, time, or people.

The chapters are short, concise, and easy to read and understand, thus the pages turn quickly.

Even a pronunciation guide is included, just before the important dates, notes, and works consulted.  

All this book needs is a soundtrack. 

Fobbit - David Abrams - Operation Iraqi Freedom 2003-2011

 Thank you, David Abrams, for writing Fobbit.

     Although Fobbit is fiction, Abrams spent 20 years in the military and time in Iraq within public affairs. Obviously, he knows something about the military and what is involved within its sphere of communications.  However, with this writing being fiction, he is able to take any liberties he desires with his characters and their circumstances, which provides for an understanding of "life" for those working on base, and their experiences of war, which is not on the front lines.  This book acknowledges those who are involved in the daily activities of war "behind the scenes," and rarely, if ever, covered by the media.    For those reasons, I appreciate this book.

     To keep straight the various characters was difficult to do.  From decisions on deadlines to decisions of life or death, there was a lot of activity amongst many characters within each chapter.  In some respect, though, this was not an issue, since each character had his own situation to try to control, despite the environment and personal and professional expectations.  The internal conflict of some characters about working on base rather than in the field presents a new dynamic not seen in characters of typical books on war. I wonder if this conflict permeates the military and/or if we, as a society, hold double-standards of those in the military. 

     Understanding life and the roles of those working on base was refreshing and enlightening.  Many individuals are involved in daily operations and to support those who are in the field/on the front lines.  Yet, at the same time, as one character notes, some decisions are made easily and without reason or reflection when made within an office, with the strike of a pen, or the click of a box on a computer screen.

     I have read comments that some of this writing has come too soon after the war in Iraq.  However, for civilians in the U.S. and to off-set the media coverage, I think Fobbit and related books are necessary and important to our understanding of such a significant time and piece of history, and the influence on the individuals involved.

 

Powers Packs a Punch in The Yellow Birds

     Though the title of this post may be trite, it rings true for this superb novel about the experience of two young soldiers during the war in Iraq. Like Alice Sebold, I've been waiting for a novel about the experiences of this war, and I look forward to add it to my upcoming booktalk for students.

     I'm not sure that I can say anything different about the content from the quotations on the book jacket from other writers/authors; I can only reinforce the points made. Bartle has laid bare his emotions and thoughts. The reflection and honesty is all out there to hit the reader head-on, but with a blunt force, which may sting the reader's emotions, yet illustrates real "truth" we need to know and understand. 

    

     Time and place changes with each chapter, which added a level of complexity to the writing and  character development.  While it is not in chronological order, it seems to be in psychological order - developing the characters, their experiences, and connecting with the reader, thus spinning a framework for the reader who is then caught in a web of grey by the end of the story. 

    

     Survival, death, hate, love, and reality plays with the minds and emotions of soldiers, and can make them take action they never thought possible or rationalize the irrational.  Thus, this is the reality and downfall of Bartle. However, somewhere he finds, or has, the mental strength, to accept his actions, deal with the bitter consequences, and survive, once again.    

    

     Though I was frustrated with the style of writing, the cover is appealing, the width of  the book will attract readers, and the content will provide for a high-quality read, including some great vocabulary!

Double Dewey in one day

While this post isn't about a book in particular, it's about books....

     In one morning, on two different occasions and to two different students, I explained the Dewey Decimal System, and with one student I went into further explanation of Cutter numbers. (I never thought I'd ever talk about Cutter numbers to students!)  Both students appreciated the "lesson," and I do hope it made sense to them. They said they understood, and I can only hope it really did make sense to them, and that they will retain the information for future visits to any library, especially when it may be for a academic project that's not so fun. 

     Whole numbers, decimals and the alphabet. Maybe it should be incorporated into lessons on learning decimal points. Teachers can hit two learning objectives within the same lessons, and students will learn math and a very practical application!  

Little Brightness in The Fault in Our Stars

     I was excited to read The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. I probably had high expectations due to the excellent stories in his other books, and from the high praise I read and heard about this book. Unfortunately, I don't have lots of stars to give to this book in my rating. 

      Hazel has a rare and difficult challenge to face, and life is not easy for her, especially as a teenager.  The same can be said for the other members of the Cancer Kid Support Group, where she befriends Isaac and Gus.  Hazel and Isaac are believable characters, yet there were some instances with Gus that I found hard to believe. Yes, this is a work of fiction and Gus has some reflective statements and thoughts; however, I'm not sure how much students could relate to him. 

     What throws this story for me is the disjointed plot line of Hazel's obsession with the ending to her favorite book and a random trip out of the country to visit its author.  The connection come together at the end, yet, even how it comes together seems unrealistic and distracting from the core of the story.

     Green handles serious illness and death realistically, with much sensitivity, and appropriate humor needed for these characters to fight and/or accept their condition and the awful side effects of cancer and treatment.

 

E.E. Cummings "lives" through Mister Death's Blue-Eyed Girls

Based on real events and experiences in the life of Mary Downing Hahn, author of Mister Death's Blue-Eyed Girls , she writes a story that is more complex than one might expect from the first chapter.  The characters appear as "typical" teenagers  - young and innocent, yet they are confronting questions and ideas that have no easy answer, and are almost "bigger" in scope than the teens know how to handle.

     The start to summer of senior year for Nora and Ellie brings them the greatest tragedy of their lives as teenagers - the murder and death of two friends.

     The story unfolds with the town "black-listing" the ex-boyfriend of one girl, who is assumed to be the prime suspect, even after passing two lie-detector tests, and the negative repercusions that ensue. Religious beliefs are questioned, friendships and family dynamics are tested, and mental health is a concern, but quite taboo. 

     Time is a subtle, yet important element in the development of the crime, physical place of characters, and emotional development of characters.  Beginning on Friday, June 15, 1956,  the book covers that summer, fifty years later in Dec. 2006, and an afterword of the present. 

      I almost passed on this book, but I forced myself to continue, and I'm glad I did so to learn more about Nora and Buddy. I think this book would take some selling to students, and probably would be read more by girls, yet poses some good food for thought and discussion.