February is Black History Month... and I'm still pondering the idea
of resistance.... so I spent some time reading texts having to do with
race relations and/or the Civil Rights Movement. With some other issues
of discrimination being forefront in the news and my mind, it has been
an interesting reading month. So here's what I read....
6) Our Time Together by Carol Burnett ****
(Hollywood, CA - Memoir)
Carol
Burnett is by far one of the funniest women in entertainment. Her
facial expressions are amazing and her sense of time is impeccable.
This was actually her second memoir... but focused more on her career
than her first. She talked some about her early life with her eccentric
parents, but focused more on the process of her comedy and the shape it
took with the people around her. It was fun to hear the more detailed
side of some of my favorite sketches of hers. I listened to this one so
there were probably times when the people driving next to me wondered
what on Earth I was doing as I was laughing so hard down the road.
7) Into the Wild by Jon Krauker ****
(Healy, AK)
This
is a story of a man who goes into the wilds of Alaska and,
unfortunately, finds his demise. The author tells of others adventurers
and the many theories about the young man's death. I appreciated the
research that went into telling this timeline and the ideas of finding
peace in God's world.
8) The Explosive Child by Ross Greene ****
Okay...
this has 4 stars if you have a child who throws wild and crazy
tantrums. It's also a 4 star if you're a psychologist looking for a way
to help children who throw wild and crazy tantrums. Other than that,
it's probably just a lot of babble. Psychobabble.
9) To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee *****
(Maycomb County, AL - 1001)
I
love this book. I love Scout, her innocence, and her sense of justice.
I love her trust of Atticus and Jim and her questioning of the 'status
quo.' I love that she was a ham. Literally. I just love it. That is
all.
10) Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman ****
(Savannah, GA)
This
story reminded me some of The Secret Life of Bees but not quite as
realistic. I'm not sure why, but it just wasn't. It was set in the
1960s and mentions a few moments of race relations, but doesn't bring
it to the foreground like I thought it might. Anyway, it's a sweet
story of a young girl reclaiming her life in the care of old southern
debutantes. The eccentric neighbors and growing family add unique
characters to a fairly simple plot. I also really liked the idea of
'finding your fire.'
11) Black Boy, White School by Brian F. Walker ***1/2
(Hoover, Maine)
I
liked this book, but won't recommend it to any of my close
friends/family due to language. As it is written, I'm assuming, for
young African American males, the language is (in my opinion)
stereotypical and derogatory. Unfortunately, it is what I hear
more often than not coming out of the mouths of the students I work
with. Does that make it good reading for them, as it is something they
can relate to? I have mixed feelings. But I did appreciate the story
line. Finding a niche in an environment where you are different is a
journey of character, and one that I think a lot of people have to
take. So would I recommend this book to some of my students? Probably.
But with most books I recommend to students, I'd want to have a
discussion before, during, and after reading.
12) Sources of Light by Margaret McMullan *****
(Jackson, MS)
This
story was set in Jackson, MI in 1963 and is told from the point of view
of an adolescent girl. She finds herself in the middle of the Civil
Rights Movement and is trying to figure out who her friends are and
who's right. With some references to photography and finding light in
the shadows, it brings a unique analogy to the idea of right and wrong.
13) Farewell Summer by Ray Bradbury ***
(Illinois)
I
liked the fist 85% of this book... I enjoy Ray Bradbury and his use of
imagery and enjoyed the idea of this story. Waging war on the end of
summer or waging war on young miscreants... good times. Then there was
the last 15%. It was bizarre and completely unrelated. No bueno.
