Fahrenheit 451

I read Fahrenheit 451 while I was at Russell's house Friday night. I like Ray Bradbury and have always enjoyed most science fiction. I liked this book a lot; I liked the weirdness of it as well as the implied warning to society--don't quit thinking; be sure to continue to read and challenge yourself, and don't be afraid to be different. This theme sort of reminded me of one of the themes of The Giver in a way-don't resort to "sameness;" not only is it o.k. to be different, but also it is normal and expected.

This is a good book for teaching purposes. The symbolism is wonderful; the motifs and themes are not hard to pick out, and it is relatively short (length turns so many students off). I would put this at tenth grade. It is a little hard for ninth, but too easy for eleventh.

I am now deleting it from my list. I probably won't add another one until I catch up on what is on the list now.

Reflections

What a special time in the lives of our children! Russell called today to say that he and Callie had gotten engaged. They are in Sewanee for the weekend at Homecoming.

He told us a couple of weeks ago that he was probably going to propose at Sewanee. When he called me on Monday about 11:00 a.m., I asked him if that was still the plan. He said that he still had not bought the ring or talked to her parents, so he just did not think so.

What a surprise when he called back about 9:30 on Monday night! He had gone to Tupelo that afternoon and bought the ring, then drove on to Columbus to talk to her parents. Unfortunately, Mr. Flowers was out of town, so he talked to Mrs. Flowers. After they talked for awhile, she called Mr. Flowers and put him on speaker phone, so they all three had a good conversation for about an hour. Naturally, they gave their blessing. How could they not?

David and I have been on pins and needles ever since, and it's been so hard not to tell anyone. I instructed Russell to call us just as soon as he could, and he called early this afternoon. She loved the ring, and she was very excited. I put him on speaker phone, so that David and I could both hear. David said, "Well, what did she say?" We could hear her holler, "Yes!" I jokingly said that she had not talked to us yet like he had talked to her parents. He said she couldn't talk right now because she was crying. I told him to call both sets of grandparents as soon as he could, and he said that he would.

I called Carol Anne and instructed her not to say anything to Mama yet because Russell was going to call her. Less than 10 minutes later, Carol Anne called back to say that I could call Mama because she had just called her! So I did, of course, and she and Daddy are excited as well. Then I called Russell again to make sure that he had gotten David's parents (he had) because I knew that David would want to call them. When I called, Mrs. Casteel answered the phone. I said, "Did you get a phone call?" She said yes and started crying. Apparently, she was very teary with Russell also. Anyway, they are excited as well, and it seems the Excitement is the word for the day. Later on, David called his brother Steve. Their conversation was much different than mine and Carol Anne's. I guess brothers just don't get as wound up as sisters do! What a concept!

I'm sure I will post more as the engagement progresses. I just wanted to write down the events of the day so that I will always remember them.

Dicey's Song

I read Dicey's Song because the freshman English teacher is thinking about using it and asked me what I thought. I liked it and I highly recommend it as a good YA novel for any age, ninth probably being the best grade for it to be taught.

The four Tillerman children have been abandoned by their mother who is now institutionalized and have come to live with their grandmother who plans to adopt them. Dicey's Song explores how each of the children are coming to grips with their unique situation. Maybeth, who struggles to read and do math, finds herself through music. She excels at it, and Grandma and Dicey see that she is not "retarded," and manage to afford the music lessons for her. Sammy, after struggling with fighting at school, finds that his Grandma is very wise and her defeat of all of the second graders at marbles makes him a marvel to his peers and accepted. James finds himself in his tutoring of Maybeth and his success at helping her read. Dicey finally realizes that she has some help in mothering the younger children, and she and her Grandma bond as they travel to Boston to deal with the impending death of Momma in the mental institution. I really liked how the book ended; Grandma finally goes to the attic and brings down the photo albums from long ago. As the children gather round her, Grandma begins to point to photographs and tell stories about each one.

This was a very good book, and I think that the ninth graders will enjoy it.

I have now removed Dicey's Song and Sunset from my list and will be adding another book today, so watch for the title.

Sunset by Karen Kingsbury

I finished Sunset, the last of the Baxter family series yesterday, and, of course, loved it. I love all of Kingsbury's books, and this one is certainly no exception. Lots of loose ends are tied up with relationships; new beginnings are in store for John and Elaine, Landon and Ashley, and Luke and Reagan, to name a few. Enough information is given about the Flanigan family, including the Bailey, Tim, and Cody triangle, that leaves the reader knowing that they will be back in future books. Kingsbury has promised that the Baxter family will be peripheral characters in future novels so that fans will always be able to keep up with them.

Of course, what I like the most about Kingsbury's books, is that God's faithfulness shines through. I highly recommend this book.

Necessary Roughness

Out of the three books I read this weekend, I enjoyed Necessary Roughness the most. I read it because the ninth grade English teacher is planning on using it, and I applaud that. The lessons in the books are great. Conflicts between Chan and his father, Chan and the mostly white team mates, and Chan and the coaches will serve as good teaching tools. The relationship between Chan and his twin sister Young is the only thing that saves him when he moves to a new almost all-white town and school. Many young people will relate to Chan in some way, even if their own problems are not exactly like his.

I liked the book a lot and highly recommend it. I will now take My Antonia, Long Day's Journey into Night, and Necessary Roughness off my reading list and be watching for what I add to it.

Long Day's Journey into Night

I read Long Day's Journey into Night over the weekend, and it was a good play. I do not know much about Eugene O'Neill, and I read that Edmund in the play is the young Eugene and that O'Neill meant the play to be semi-autobiographical. Hopelessness, breakdown of communication, and substance abuse are big themes in the play, and the play never really comes to a satisfactory conclusion. It seems that the Tyrone family is doomed to repeat their mistakes over and over and never climb out of their dysfunctional ways.

I made a comment about My Antonia that applies here. I understand the play and appreciate it, but it was not something I really enjoyed.

My Antonia

I finally finished My Antonia. It took me a long time to read it, not because it was hard to read, but because it did not really interest me and I found it boring in several places. As a matter of fact, I did not really get interested in the book until toward the end when Jim comes home to find Antonia a "fallen" woman with an illegitimate child. From that point on, I read voraciously, as I wanted to know what happened.

I first read a story of Willa Cather's in high school (I have no idea which one), and I did not really like it and have never picked up Willa Cather again until now. The "local color" writers have never been ones that I liked to read. I feel about My Antonia as I do about several other "classics" that I have read: I understand it and appreciate why it is an important book of the local color style, but I just did not really like it.

Drama High

I have just finished the sixth book in the series Drama High, books that I purchased for the library. I was first told about these books last school year by a student. I was a little wary at first about putting them on the library shelves. However, reading the books has eased my mind. First of all, these books are an answer to a plea that I made on August 28, 2000, in my amazon review of Tears of a Tiger; there are not enough young adult novels out there with African American students as the central characters. http://www.amazon.com/Tears-Tiger-Sharon-M-Draper/dp/0689806981/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1222972183&sr=1-1

Second, the books are realistic. Although I am not a fan of some of the dialect and slang, I know that it is how kids talk and might make them relate to what the characters are saying.

Third, the books teach good lessons. Jayd avoids fighting, drugs, and casual sex, to name a few things that pressure our young people today.

With pleasure, I have put these books on the shelves and am happy to report that they are checked out a lot. I have taken Drama High off my reading list and will report later what I am currently reading.