A. Hartinger, Brent. THE GEOGRAPHY CLUB. New York: Harper Tempest, 2003.
B. PLOT SUMMARY:
THE GEOGRAPHY CLUB is a story of a group of teens who are gay, lesbian, and bisexual. Russel is the main character. He is in the closet except for nighttime forays on the internet. While iMing someone his own age that happened to go to his high school they decide to meet. Russ risks the inherent because he is lonely and tired of being misunderstood. The boys are shocked when later that same night Russel and Kevin meet. Kevin being the superstar baseball and all a round sports jock of the school was a happy surprise for Kevin who had tried to keep his eyes diverted when changing in the locker room after a group shower. Russel’s best friends are Gunner and Min. Min turns out to be bisexual and her female partner is also a student at their school. The friends of friends get together, Min, Russel, Kevin, Ike and Terese, Min’s partner. They are all shocked and amazed that they are not the only teen at school with a different sexual orientation. The club officially organizes and selects a teacher who will not really be a faculty adviser or meet with him. Soon he even gives them a key to his room where they conduct meetings. They fill out the necessary paperwork and call their support group “The Geography Club” they chose the name of the group because they thought it sounded so boring and geeky that no one else would attempt to join. (They are not so lucky after a while) I remember high school clubs meeting once a month but this group decides to meet twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays. They have to start their meeting promptly because Terese is as much a jock or should I say as much of an athlete as Kevin. Russel struggles with being dragged into one double date and then two so his friend Gunner can date the other girl’s friend. Kimberly doesn’t care for Gunner at all. She’s doing this so her friend Trish, who has the hots for Kevin can have some time to go out and some time to be alone with him. Russel has kiss number one from Trish and then kiss number two on the next date as Trish tries to get him to have sex with her as they “borrow” Gunner’s car. The girls are wild and crazy. Trish carries condoms in her purse (so I salute her for being responsible). Russel tells Trish he’s a virgin and always wanted the first time to be special. That is endearing to Trish who is not use to guys like Kevin. Russel is so upset when he gets home from the date. One of Russel’s problems is that he is just too nice so he goes to many places that he doesn’t want to go. Kevin meets Russel at the gazebo and they talk through the date. Russ figures Kevin has been chased by girl after girl because he is very handsome and a sports star. Kevin sympathizes with Russ after the date. For one tiny moment as Trish pursues Russ sexually in the parked car she has the “you’re not gay are you?” chat with him. It didn’t seem like a quick harmless question to Russ so he confides in Kevin.
“Man that really sucks. Trish sounds like a real bitch.” Russ answers in the negative and comments, “She just wanted what everyone wants. I just didn’t want it with her.” Kevin and Russ have their first shy and tender kiss that night and we witness the social and sexual relationship between Min and Terese ebb and flow and what happens to “The Geography Club” when an African American girl with a bright orange shirt and headband and smiley face earrings comes to join a “real” club. Her father is a cartographer and this is an unexpected intrusion to the plans of the other “Geography Club” members.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (WITH CULTURAL MARKERS)
The book has lots going for it even though some of the plot line is a bit too improbable to make you believe it entirely. Author Brent Hartinger is a gay writer from Washington State so he speaks with authority and authenticity.
I like the fact that the characters are first just seen as ordinary high school kids who are in cliques, get bored easily and are full of teenage angst. Their sexuality doesn’t not define them totally, but yet it does. Hartinger does a great job of showing well rounded characters, a relationship with a parent, who has the wheels for adventures and other things any teen would have experience with. Russel, Min, and Gunter have always eaten together in the cafeteria each day. Now the club wants to eat together but they realize that isn’t wise. This is totally realistic that new friends that happen to be gay, that meet and confess their orientation to each other, would be more easily identified if they all hung out only with each other.
I liked Kevin and Terese being athletes. That’s something that so many people in our culture do not realize, that military employees, cops, Olympic athletes, prissy females and even Republicans :o) can be gay. I believe Hartinger is trying to point out in the novel that anyone anywhere might possibly be gay, from the minister to the heartthrob in a soap opera. There was very little focus on the physical attributes of the gay characters except that Russ thought Kevin was cute and Terese worried that she looked a little “butch.”
I thought the book did a very good job of humanizing the characters and making them believable while avoiding stereotypes. It would be a healthy book for a middle or high schooler, gay or straight to read. It is a quick read and a book I really didn’t want to put down. It reads like many realistic young adult fiction, the setting is suburban. A really funny and believable part of the story was Russel getting ready for his first date with Trish. He doesn’t want to go. He’s mad at himself for letting Gunner talk him into this, but still he wants to look nice. He agonizes over his clothes and stares at himself in the mirror to see which angle makes him look coolest in his underwear. First I think of an ancient Tom Cruise move where he slides across the floor in his sock feet looking cool and then I think of listening to Augustan Burroughs narrating his life story in RUNNING WITH SCISSORS and that is a more probable comparison.
I applaud Brent Hartinger for avoiding plastic figures just to make a point. Being gay himself gives him a voice rarely heard in the world of children’s literature. Russel nor Kevin are not smokers, they do not lift their pinkies when they drink and they are noteffeminate. Kevin is into his appearance as much or a bit more than one would expect a high school boy to be. The “bad girls” are a bit stereotyped a bit too hardened, but there are certainly young ladies that are total bitches, looking for a free screw, and love to send food back at restaurants; just anything to get attention. There are many females of all ages who are more interested in sex than their male counterparts.
THE GEOGRAPHY CLUB reads like a typical teen drama that is better than most. The characterization is good and the story rings true. The only part I found a bit unbelievable is that within a few days 5 people at the same high school suddenly “discover” each other. The dialogue sounds extremely natural and not forced. Teenagers don’t want to stand out in a crowd and Hartinger’s characters are no exception to that rule. The reading level has a 4th or 5th grade feel to me and the size of the book and type make this look like it is for preteens. Being a high interest-low vocabulary book might be a possibility here. The volume comes to fill a large niche that has been waiting to be filled. I enjoyed the Geography Club. I am on hold for the sequel. The theme of the book is coming to terms with being gay but it serves as a lesson that we all must learn to accept ourselves no matter what society tells us. As the club “outs” our author has first rate knowledge of forming support groups of tolerance for young people because he formed such an organization in his hometown of Tacoma, Washington.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS:
School Library Journal characterizes this as a Grade 10 and up selection. I vehemently disagree with that. My regular young customers at the public library and my former ones in the media center could easily read the volume in elementary and middle school. It has a much lower reading level than Harry Potter for example.
SLJ does agree with me however about the book’s merits, “The club members relish the opportunity to discuss their lives and to relate to one another openly and honestly. Eventually, however, intense peer pressure and insecurity take their toll. Russel's relationship with Kevin ends, but the "Geography Club" becomes the "Goodkind High School Gay-Straight-Bisexual Alliance,"
Booklist sees this as a 7-12 grader novel. Obviously the topic is for older children but the white space and type size betray that fact. Booklist goes on to say, “for a short time, life is blissful. Russel has friends with whom he can be himself, and he also makes love with Kevin. Then things fall apart. Russel refuses to have sex with a girl, and word gets out that he's gay. Kevin can't come out, so he and Russel break up. Things are settled a little too neatly in the end, but there's no sermonizing. With honest talk of love and cruelty, friendship and betrayal, it's Russel's realistic, funny, contemporary narrative that makes this first novel special. The dialogue is right on; so is the high-school cafeteria; so is the prejudice. Booktalk this. (Now wouldn’t that be something!)
Reviews accessed from:
http://www.amazon.com/Geography-Club-Brent-Hartinger/dp/0060012234/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-7575722-4136600?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1186626980&sr=1-1
E. CONNECTIONS:
The first books that come to mind are from different YA authors who share the last name of Frank.
E.R. Frank’s AMERICA is a poignant, realistic novel that looks at the issues of being different and stereotypes but AMERICA has more depth and for a little bit more mature student.
The other is Hillary Frank’s BETTER THAN RUNNING AT NIGHT which deals with first love, betrayal, growing up. Hillary’s book to is a bit more ripened than Hartinger’s and the main character is a freshman in college.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Saturday, August 4, 2007
LS 5903 MULTICULTURAL LITERATURE
Review of Habibi
A. Nye, Naomi Shihab. HABIBI. New York: Simon Pulse, 1997.
B. PLOT SUMMARY:
This is the story of Liyana and her brother, Rafik. Their father, Mr. Abboud is an Arab American. He meets his wife and decides to remain in the U.S. unlike he originally planned when he completed medical school. The kids have heard distant rumblings about going to live in Jerusalem since they were very young but they never took it too seriously. As Liyana gets ready to enter high school and her brother to enter middle school, Dr. Abboud sees this a perfect time to return to Palestine. Liyana has just received her first kiss and she does not want to move. We watch the family pack 17 suitcases and sell or leave everything else they own. A family of 4 with 17 suitcases is rather sparse when you think about it and of course they couldn’t bring along a pet. The story is Liyana’s story of how she was content with being a “half Arab” young American girl with a mother’s ancestry that’s not even mentioned it leads me to think it was her character was so “European” or “Caucasian” that it was not discussed except to show the stark differences of the parent’s cultural heritage. Liyana learns to relax with the new customs that people smell, bath, and live in different circumstances than she is used to. She attends an Armenian school and embraces learning their language and customs. Finally Liyana learns to spend time with her grandmother Sitti. Sitti teaches Liyana how to make flatbread, how she carries water on her head. When visiting a spice shop of an acquaintance a Jewish man stops in the shop because he believes by her appearance that Liyana is Jewish and he tells her she should associate and shop with her own kind. In the end Liyana comes up with the ultimate test for her family, her friends, and her safety. She falls in love with a Jewish boy that lives on “the other side” of Jerusalem.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)
I believe the author did an excellent job of writing a page turner no matter the subject of the story. The subject though is very interesting and thought provoking. What would it be like for an American family whose children are 50% Arab to live in Jerusalem near a very large extended family? Liyana is so very “Americanized” being born and raised into an upper middle class family even though she has an Arab father. It appears that Liyana and Rafik have never really imagined or had a desire to visit, much less stay in the land of their father. It is a rather poignant story and there is great care in portraying the relationship of the sister and brother.
Daily life circumstances are portrayed very realistically but non-judgmentally. A lamb has been slaughtered to welcome the “return” of their own and to meet his family. Liyana and her mother go to market for chicken meat. They are both wary. Mrs. Abboud lets the butcher select the chicken, she certainly doesn’t want to. The details of the kill are minute. The picking the chick out of the cage by her claws, quickly swinging the chicken upside down until the chicken goes limp from shock. Then the twisting of the neck and severing of the head as the body gives a final twitch. Liyana does not help eat the chicken and becomes a vegetarian right at that moment in the market. Liyana’s mother tries to learn to accept that this is the way things are now and so to get meat for her family she goes to an open air market with the bloody butcher with a cleaver and dripping apron..
As much as this is a “multicultural” story it is also a coming of age story. Relationships between brother and sister, mother and father are essential elements of the story. The story is neutral and objective about the differences in the Arab and American culture and lifestyle. Liyana’s father is the ultimate tourist as they leave their home in the Midwest to travel and travel to New York and then their first days in Jerusalem. Liyana’s mother gets tears in her eyes as she traces the walk to Golgotha of Christ. Liyana’s father asks her if she’s ever thought of praying like that Arab Muslim they pass who is kneeling on a mat and kisses his forehead to the ground. Liyana’s Dad worries that his elderly mother has been living for the opportunity to make a pilgrimage to Mecca most of her life. With Liyana’s Dad able to foot the bill for her transportation she makes plans. Liyana’s father tells of his concern that after Sitti accomplishes this life goal that at her advanced age she may unconsciously think she has nothing left to live for and may decline in mind and spirit.
Liyana is portrayed as a sensitive adolescent prone to writing in her journal, reluctant to leave her friends and her old way of life. There is a scene in the book that is very profound. Mr. Abboud’s oldest brother is a part of the welcoming party and lives close to the rest of the extended family. Their 2nd day in Jerusalem brings Liyana’s uncle begging for her hand in marriage for his son her cousin. Liyana’s father is furious and lets his brother know in no uncertain terms that his immediate family and himself view that particular custom archaic, barbaric, and insensitive. The tension of the region and it’s people is depicted in a fair minded way. There are good Jews, bad Arabs, good merchants and sly ones. Liyana has a very profound and unusual experience to belong to:
1. Middle Class America
2. The Arab side of Jerusalem and Israel
3. Armenian academic and religious customs
4. And a visitor to the Jewish sections of her new city
The book talks of Ramalah, an actual city in the Arab world. Readers might recognize the name because so many military bases and western elements have developed there. During the first Gulf War it was a critical base for the American military. The dangers of the city, eating dinner outside are all mentioned in a realistic manner. Again however the book just tells a story of a considerate husband who rides the bus into his work at the hospital so his wife can drive the car on market day. The parents puzzle and interview and discuss with great care which school each of the children will attend just as an American family of their stature would do in the U.S. They still have the same actions in Jerusalem. Liyana and Rifak have never met their Father’s family so allowing several weeks before Liyana is comfortable spending time alone with her Grandmother Sitti learning the “lessons of women” is logical. There is no condemnation in the story from either family about how the “other side” has lived. Mr. Abboud is so excited about returning and thrilled to be back “home” that he initially doesn’t understand how awkward and nervous his children are.
Very well written. A page turner. Adolescents will like the story because of the accurate portrayal of teenage angst, relationships between the sexes and family traditions. Liyana is portrayed as having dark hair, long and oft times braided. It mentions the beautiful skin tone she has that is lighter than her father and darker than her mother. She and Rafik have more of an olive complexion. 80 customers have given thought provoking reviews and it retains 4 stars. It obviously resonates with many people.
Depicting the realities of daily violence in the Middle East, the sharp differences in customs and behavior such as males and females are never kiss on the mouth until they are married, and the stiff enforcement of traditions that are many times at odds. The book was a great story on its own merit but a positive depiction of live in Modern day America and then in Modern day Jerusalem.
D. Praise from School Library Journal:
From School Library Journal
Grade 5-9. An important first novel from a distinguished anthologist and poet. When Liyana's doctor father, a native Palestinian, decides to move his contemporary Arab-American family back to Jerusalem from St. Louis, 14-year-old Liyana is unenthusiastic. Arriving in Jerusalem, the girl and her family are gathered in by their colorful, warmhearted Palestinian relatives and immersed in a culture where only tourists wear shorts and there is a prohibition against boy/girl relationships. When Liyana falls in love with Omer, a Jewish boy, she challenges family, culture, and tradition, but her homesickness fades. Constantly lurking in the background of the novel is violence between Palestinian and Jew. It builds from minor bureaucratic annoyances and humiliations, to the surprisingly shocking destruction of grandmother's bathroom by Israeli soldiers, to a bomb set off in a Jewish marketplace by Palestinians. It exacts a reprisal in which Liyana's friend is shot and her father jailed. Nye introduces readers to unforgettable characters. The setting is both sensory and tangible: from the grandmother's village to a Bedouin camp. Above all, there is Jerusalem itself, where ancient tensions seep out of cracks and Liyana explores the streets practicing her Arabic vocabulary. Though the story begins at a leisurely pace, readers will be engaged by the characters, the romance, and the foreshadowed danger. Poetically imaged and leavened with humor, the story renders layered and complex history understandable through character and incident. Habibi succeeds in making the hope for peace compellingly personal and concrete...as long as individual citizens like Liyana's grandmother Sitti can say, "I never lost my peace inside."?Kate McClelland, Perrot Memorial Library, Greenwich, CT
Mentioned in the New York Times Book Review:
The New York Times Book Review, Karen Leggett
Adolescence magnifies the joys and anxieties of growing up even as it radically simplifies the complexities of the adult world. The poet and anthologist Naomi Shibab Nye is meticulously sensitive to this rainbow of emotion in her autobiographical novel, Habibi…. Habibi gives a reader all the sweet richness of a Mediterranean dessert, while leaving some of the historic complexities open to interpretation. (Ages 10 and older
Reviews accessed at: http://www.amazon.com/Habibi-Naomi-Shihab-Nye/dp/0689825234/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-7575722-4136600?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1186287566&sr=1-1
E. Connections:
Nye has written another wonderful book entitled; SITTI’S SECRET. It is for children a bit younger. Nye has also published a volume of poetry, THE FLAG OF CHILDHOOD
A. Nye, Naomi Shihab. HABIBI. New York: Simon Pulse, 1997.
B. PLOT SUMMARY:
This is the story of Liyana and her brother, Rafik. Their father, Mr. Abboud is an Arab American. He meets his wife and decides to remain in the U.S. unlike he originally planned when he completed medical school. The kids have heard distant rumblings about going to live in Jerusalem since they were very young but they never took it too seriously. As Liyana gets ready to enter high school and her brother to enter middle school, Dr. Abboud sees this a perfect time to return to Palestine. Liyana has just received her first kiss and she does not want to move. We watch the family pack 17 suitcases and sell or leave everything else they own. A family of 4 with 17 suitcases is rather sparse when you think about it and of course they couldn’t bring along a pet. The story is Liyana’s story of how she was content with being a “half Arab” young American girl with a mother’s ancestry that’s not even mentioned it leads me to think it was her character was so “European” or “Caucasian” that it was not discussed except to show the stark differences of the parent’s cultural heritage. Liyana learns to relax with the new customs that people smell, bath, and live in different circumstances than she is used to. She attends an Armenian school and embraces learning their language and customs. Finally Liyana learns to spend time with her grandmother Sitti. Sitti teaches Liyana how to make flatbread, how she carries water on her head. When visiting a spice shop of an acquaintance a Jewish man stops in the shop because he believes by her appearance that Liyana is Jewish and he tells her she should associate and shop with her own kind. In the end Liyana comes up with the ultimate test for her family, her friends, and her safety. She falls in love with a Jewish boy that lives on “the other side” of Jerusalem.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)
I believe the author did an excellent job of writing a page turner no matter the subject of the story. The subject though is very interesting and thought provoking. What would it be like for an American family whose children are 50% Arab to live in Jerusalem near a very large extended family? Liyana is so very “Americanized” being born and raised into an upper middle class family even though she has an Arab father. It appears that Liyana and Rafik have never really imagined or had a desire to visit, much less stay in the land of their father. It is a rather poignant story and there is great care in portraying the relationship of the sister and brother.
Daily life circumstances are portrayed very realistically but non-judgmentally. A lamb has been slaughtered to welcome the “return” of their own and to meet his family. Liyana and her mother go to market for chicken meat. They are both wary. Mrs. Abboud lets the butcher select the chicken, she certainly doesn’t want to. The details of the kill are minute. The picking the chick out of the cage by her claws, quickly swinging the chicken upside down until the chicken goes limp from shock. Then the twisting of the neck and severing of the head as the body gives a final twitch. Liyana does not help eat the chicken and becomes a vegetarian right at that moment in the market. Liyana’s mother tries to learn to accept that this is the way things are now and so to get meat for her family she goes to an open air market with the bloody butcher with a cleaver and dripping apron..
As much as this is a “multicultural” story it is also a coming of age story. Relationships between brother and sister, mother and father are essential elements of the story. The story is neutral and objective about the differences in the Arab and American culture and lifestyle. Liyana’s father is the ultimate tourist as they leave their home in the Midwest to travel and travel to New York and then their first days in Jerusalem. Liyana’s mother gets tears in her eyes as she traces the walk to Golgotha of Christ. Liyana’s father asks her if she’s ever thought of praying like that Arab Muslim they pass who is kneeling on a mat and kisses his forehead to the ground. Liyana’s Dad worries that his elderly mother has been living for the opportunity to make a pilgrimage to Mecca most of her life. With Liyana’s Dad able to foot the bill for her transportation she makes plans. Liyana’s father tells of his concern that after Sitti accomplishes this life goal that at her advanced age she may unconsciously think she has nothing left to live for and may decline in mind and spirit.
Liyana is portrayed as a sensitive adolescent prone to writing in her journal, reluctant to leave her friends and her old way of life. There is a scene in the book that is very profound. Mr. Abboud’s oldest brother is a part of the welcoming party and lives close to the rest of the extended family. Their 2nd day in Jerusalem brings Liyana’s uncle begging for her hand in marriage for his son her cousin. Liyana’s father is furious and lets his brother know in no uncertain terms that his immediate family and himself view that particular custom archaic, barbaric, and insensitive. The tension of the region and it’s people is depicted in a fair minded way. There are good Jews, bad Arabs, good merchants and sly ones. Liyana has a very profound and unusual experience to belong to:
1. Middle Class America
2. The Arab side of Jerusalem and Israel
3. Armenian academic and religious customs
4. And a visitor to the Jewish sections of her new city
The book talks of Ramalah, an actual city in the Arab world. Readers might recognize the name because so many military bases and western elements have developed there. During the first Gulf War it was a critical base for the American military. The dangers of the city, eating dinner outside are all mentioned in a realistic manner. Again however the book just tells a story of a considerate husband who rides the bus into his work at the hospital so his wife can drive the car on market day. The parents puzzle and interview and discuss with great care which school each of the children will attend just as an American family of their stature would do in the U.S. They still have the same actions in Jerusalem. Liyana and Rifak have never met their Father’s family so allowing several weeks before Liyana is comfortable spending time alone with her Grandmother Sitti learning the “lessons of women” is logical. There is no condemnation in the story from either family about how the “other side” has lived. Mr. Abboud is so excited about returning and thrilled to be back “home” that he initially doesn’t understand how awkward and nervous his children are.
Very well written. A page turner. Adolescents will like the story because of the accurate portrayal of teenage angst, relationships between the sexes and family traditions. Liyana is portrayed as having dark hair, long and oft times braided. It mentions the beautiful skin tone she has that is lighter than her father and darker than her mother. She and Rafik have more of an olive complexion. 80 customers have given thought provoking reviews and it retains 4 stars. It obviously resonates with many people.
Depicting the realities of daily violence in the Middle East, the sharp differences in customs and behavior such as males and females are never kiss on the mouth until they are married, and the stiff enforcement of traditions that are many times at odds. The book was a great story on its own merit but a positive depiction of live in Modern day America and then in Modern day Jerusalem.
D. Praise from School Library Journal:
From School Library Journal
Grade 5-9. An important first novel from a distinguished anthologist and poet. When Liyana's doctor father, a native Palestinian, decides to move his contemporary Arab-American family back to Jerusalem from St. Louis, 14-year-old Liyana is unenthusiastic. Arriving in Jerusalem, the girl and her family are gathered in by their colorful, warmhearted Palestinian relatives and immersed in a culture where only tourists wear shorts and there is a prohibition against boy/girl relationships. When Liyana falls in love with Omer, a Jewish boy, she challenges family, culture, and tradition, but her homesickness fades. Constantly lurking in the background of the novel is violence between Palestinian and Jew. It builds from minor bureaucratic annoyances and humiliations, to the surprisingly shocking destruction of grandmother's bathroom by Israeli soldiers, to a bomb set off in a Jewish marketplace by Palestinians. It exacts a reprisal in which Liyana's friend is shot and her father jailed. Nye introduces readers to unforgettable characters. The setting is both sensory and tangible: from the grandmother's village to a Bedouin camp. Above all, there is Jerusalem itself, where ancient tensions seep out of cracks and Liyana explores the streets practicing her Arabic vocabulary. Though the story begins at a leisurely pace, readers will be engaged by the characters, the romance, and the foreshadowed danger. Poetically imaged and leavened with humor, the story renders layered and complex history understandable through character and incident. Habibi succeeds in making the hope for peace compellingly personal and concrete...as long as individual citizens like Liyana's grandmother Sitti can say, "I never lost my peace inside."?Kate McClelland, Perrot Memorial Library, Greenwich, CT
Mentioned in the New York Times Book Review:
The New York Times Book Review, Karen Leggett
Adolescence magnifies the joys and anxieties of growing up even as it radically simplifies the complexities of the adult world. The poet and anthologist Naomi Shibab Nye is meticulously sensitive to this rainbow of emotion in her autobiographical novel, Habibi…. Habibi gives a reader all the sweet richness of a Mediterranean dessert, while leaving some of the historic complexities open to interpretation. (Ages 10 and older
Reviews accessed at: http://www.amazon.com/Habibi-Naomi-Shihab-Nye/dp/0689825234/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-7575722-4136600?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1186287566&sr=1-1
E. Connections:
Nye has written another wonderful book entitled; SITTI’S SECRET. It is for children a bit younger. Nye has also published a volume of poetry, THE FLAG OF CHILDHOOD
LS 5903 MULTICULTURAL LITERATURE
Review of MOSES GOES TO A CONCERT
A. Millman, Isaac. MOSES GOES TO A CONCERT. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux for Frances Foster Books, 1998. (Millman is the illustrator as well as the author.)
B. PLOT SUMMARY
Moses is a deaf student and he goes to a concert with kids from his school who are also deaf. Moses plays the drums at home and he can’t hear them like a child with good hearing but he feels the vibrations in his hand as he plays. At the symphony the lead percussionist is deaf. The children did not know ahead of time that the star of the show was deaf and that she would perform in her sock feet because that’s how she picked up the vibrations of the melody and harmony. The class uses sign language during the performance just as others might whisper before the show starts. Their teacher, Mr. Samuels is a dedicated one and he wants to maximize each child’s potential for learning, for fun, and the ability to participate by blowing up a balloon for each student. They can feel the vibrations of the concert in their balloons. After the show they get to ask the percussionist, Ms. Elywn about music. Elywn lets the kids take turns banging on her snare drums, bass drums, xylophone, etc. The whole ordeal turns out to be a marvelous day for everyone.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (WITH CULTURAL MARKERS)
I just first have to start with the fact that I think this is a rare and exceptional picturebook. The pictures are vivid and appropriately bright without overdoing it. The pictures Moses’ room full of toys that are just a little bit messy, of the yellow school bus, the bus drivers expression, the children skipping and holding hands are so on the money. The expressions of the teacher as he turns his head to count the students on the bus and model good behaviors are done extremely well, very true to life.
This book would be very well received by almost any child Pre-school through at least grade 2. I think this would be an exceptional cream of the crop book for “Children with disabilities” week, etc. It would be so extremely effective because for the most part it’s just a bright, exciting picture book that anyone can enjoy. I think that is it’s biggest strength.
Now considering that the book is full of American Sign Language could be a pleasant aside or it could be the primary reason for selecting the book. The introduction to the book gives information on ASL: American Sign Language. There is a rather straightforward chart at the beginning of the book that teaches “How to Read the Arrows and Symbols” used in the book. Each double spread page has Moses signing a sentence at the bottom of the page on the right. The arrows help to show words and sentences that would contain more than one static symbol so children could easily practice some simple 1st grade level words. The back page is so very beautiful. It’s entitled “The Hand Alphabet” and shows a clear picture of the sign. On the :hand alphabet” page Millman has drawn subdued and very detailed pictures of each letter to show how more often that not the hand signal letters resemble the letter they are portraying.
The book does a really special thing by making “special education” children look just like regular children. These kids get excited, some of them wave at the percussionist rather than clapping. The students on the bus with Moses are black, white, dark, fair, wear braids, pigtails. There is a character or two that may be Asian Pacific Americans but it is hard to be certain. Nonetheless, the children are close to reality of what a class of deaf children would normally be, pretty much equal numbers of boys and girls, and many ethnicities represented. A small but powerful thing that creeps in at the very end of the story when Ms. Elywn is talking about her job is that the children could begin to see that they will be able to go into most any career field they are interested in, despite their handicap. People, including many teachers say we spend way too much time dealing with “self esteem” but for kids that don’t have much a little goes a long way of allowing them to think of themselves in different positive roles at work, of encouraging them and reminding them that they have unlimited potential. The part of the book that says it all, that sums up the beauty and message of the story is when Moses shares with his parents about the concert: “When you set your mind to it you can become anything you want when you grow up…….a Dr,. Artist, Teacher, Lawyer, Farmer, Electrician or Actor. I want to become a Percussionist.” The other thing that is so noteworthy is that the percussionist is in love with life. From her hot pink and black tuxedo top, traditionally colored black pants and hot pink socks, Ms. Elywn is special. She rocks, rolls, dances, and her sense of play is catching and uplifting to the children. I like the “something about the author” portion on the back jacket where it tells us of Mr. Millman’s ethnicity……..born in France to Jewish immigrants for Poland before becoming U.S. citizens. Millman also mentions his military career, his family, and his degree from the prestigious Pratt Institute.
There is just no stereotyping, no labeling, making children’s faces look less than intelligent, or like a Down Syndrome Child. Sign language makes this kids powerful and their potential limitless. Having a teacher like Mr. Samuels would be most special indeed. The field trip was very special to each child but for Moses who already loved to play the drums at his house at such an early age this positive meeting with another percussionist is the kind of story that middle aged men and women talk about “changes their lives.” Bravo to Tillman. I already want to read it again.
On the first page Max has a dog, a Dalmatian. He is not on a leash but something that looks a bit like an old cloth jump rope has them together in a circle within it’s arms. Little things are important in this story too. You can’t quite tell if the buses are ‘short buses” (which children automatically associate with Special Ed.) or regular size buses. I just can’t find a thing I would ask Millman to improve. I’ve got to see if this guy has written any other books!
So a wonderful story with lovely pictures that ALSO JUST HAPPENS TO BE ABOUT DISABILITIES. Hurray!
Ah, ha. I’ve just found out this is a series of books………..Moses goes to school, Moses sees a play, etc.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS:
Well, I guess here we go with the disagreements about “insider knowledge” and authenticity.
An amazon customer review:
Since this book was not written by a hard of hearing person, it does not give an appropriate view of the hard of hearing world. This book could not apply to deaf people becasue deaf people cannot hear music -- only feel the vibrations. The book gives a clear view of how hearing people view the heard of hearing world. It is a beginning, but it is not the best book.
School Library Journal comments,
“Cheerful watercolor illustrations show the multiethnic children enjoying themselves at the concert, while smaller cartoon strips feature Moses's additional comments in sign language. A page displaying the manual alphabet and a conversation in sign language in which Moses tells his parents about his day enhance the upbeat story.?Sally R. Dow, Ossining Public Library, NY
Cheers from Publisher’s Weekly:
“The seemingly incongruous premise of this harmonious debut a class of deaf children attends an orchestral concert leads to a revelation for readers who may well have assumed that the ability to hear is a prerequisite for enjoying music. Holding balloons that their teacher passes out to help them "feel the music," Moses and his classmates are thrilled to pick up the vibrations. Afterward, they visit with the orchestra's deaf percussionist, who, intriguingly, performs in stocking feet so she, too, can feel the beat. She lets the students play her instruments and, using American Sign Language (precisely illustrated in easy-to-read diagrams), explains how she worked hard to achieve her career goal…..An introductory note explains how to interpret the sign-language diagrams, which are integrated throughout the clear and colorful illustrations. Fiction and instruction make beautiful music together on these cheerful pages.” Ages 5-up.
Reviews accessed from:
http://www.amazon.com/Moses-Goes-Concert/dp/0374453667/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-7575722-4136600?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1186282720&sr=1-1
D. CONNECTIONS:
The above other books in the series would be my first choice. Besides the titles mentioned above there is also MOSES GOES TO THE CIRCUS.
I really don’t know another “Special Ed.” book, certainly not another book about deaf children that can hold a candle to Millman’s work.
A. Millman, Isaac. MOSES GOES TO A CONCERT. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux for Frances Foster Books, 1998. (Millman is the illustrator as well as the author.)
B. PLOT SUMMARY
Moses is a deaf student and he goes to a concert with kids from his school who are also deaf. Moses plays the drums at home and he can’t hear them like a child with good hearing but he feels the vibrations in his hand as he plays. At the symphony the lead percussionist is deaf. The children did not know ahead of time that the star of the show was deaf and that she would perform in her sock feet because that’s how she picked up the vibrations of the melody and harmony. The class uses sign language during the performance just as others might whisper before the show starts. Their teacher, Mr. Samuels is a dedicated one and he wants to maximize each child’s potential for learning, for fun, and the ability to participate by blowing up a balloon for each student. They can feel the vibrations of the concert in their balloons. After the show they get to ask the percussionist, Ms. Elywn about music. Elywn lets the kids take turns banging on her snare drums, bass drums, xylophone, etc. The whole ordeal turns out to be a marvelous day for everyone.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (WITH CULTURAL MARKERS)
I just first have to start with the fact that I think this is a rare and exceptional picturebook. The pictures are vivid and appropriately bright without overdoing it. The pictures Moses’ room full of toys that are just a little bit messy, of the yellow school bus, the bus drivers expression, the children skipping and holding hands are so on the money. The expressions of the teacher as he turns his head to count the students on the bus and model good behaviors are done extremely well, very true to life.
This book would be very well received by almost any child Pre-school through at least grade 2. I think this would be an exceptional cream of the crop book for “Children with disabilities” week, etc. It would be so extremely effective because for the most part it’s just a bright, exciting picture book that anyone can enjoy. I think that is it’s biggest strength.
Now considering that the book is full of American Sign Language could be a pleasant aside or it could be the primary reason for selecting the book. The introduction to the book gives information on ASL: American Sign Language. There is a rather straightforward chart at the beginning of the book that teaches “How to Read the Arrows and Symbols” used in the book. Each double spread page has Moses signing a sentence at the bottom of the page on the right. The arrows help to show words and sentences that would contain more than one static symbol so children could easily practice some simple 1st grade level words. The back page is so very beautiful. It’s entitled “The Hand Alphabet” and shows a clear picture of the sign. On the :hand alphabet” page Millman has drawn subdued and very detailed pictures of each letter to show how more often that not the hand signal letters resemble the letter they are portraying.
The book does a really special thing by making “special education” children look just like regular children. These kids get excited, some of them wave at the percussionist rather than clapping. The students on the bus with Moses are black, white, dark, fair, wear braids, pigtails. There is a character or two that may be Asian Pacific Americans but it is hard to be certain. Nonetheless, the children are close to reality of what a class of deaf children would normally be, pretty much equal numbers of boys and girls, and many ethnicities represented. A small but powerful thing that creeps in at the very end of the story when Ms. Elywn is talking about her job is that the children could begin to see that they will be able to go into most any career field they are interested in, despite their handicap. People, including many teachers say we spend way too much time dealing with “self esteem” but for kids that don’t have much a little goes a long way of allowing them to think of themselves in different positive roles at work, of encouraging them and reminding them that they have unlimited potential. The part of the book that says it all, that sums up the beauty and message of the story is when Moses shares with his parents about the concert: “When you set your mind to it you can become anything you want when you grow up…….a Dr,. Artist, Teacher, Lawyer, Farmer, Electrician or Actor. I want to become a Percussionist.” The other thing that is so noteworthy is that the percussionist is in love with life. From her hot pink and black tuxedo top, traditionally colored black pants and hot pink socks, Ms. Elywn is special. She rocks, rolls, dances, and her sense of play is catching and uplifting to the children. I like the “something about the author” portion on the back jacket where it tells us of Mr. Millman’s ethnicity……..born in France to Jewish immigrants for Poland before becoming U.S. citizens. Millman also mentions his military career, his family, and his degree from the prestigious Pratt Institute.
There is just no stereotyping, no labeling, making children’s faces look less than intelligent, or like a Down Syndrome Child. Sign language makes this kids powerful and their potential limitless. Having a teacher like Mr. Samuels would be most special indeed. The field trip was very special to each child but for Moses who already loved to play the drums at his house at such an early age this positive meeting with another percussionist is the kind of story that middle aged men and women talk about “changes their lives.” Bravo to Tillman. I already want to read it again.
On the first page Max has a dog, a Dalmatian. He is not on a leash but something that looks a bit like an old cloth jump rope has them together in a circle within it’s arms. Little things are important in this story too. You can’t quite tell if the buses are ‘short buses” (which children automatically associate with Special Ed.) or regular size buses. I just can’t find a thing I would ask Millman to improve. I’ve got to see if this guy has written any other books!
So a wonderful story with lovely pictures that ALSO JUST HAPPENS TO BE ABOUT DISABILITIES. Hurray!
Ah, ha. I’ve just found out this is a series of books………..Moses goes to school, Moses sees a play, etc.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS:
Well, I guess here we go with the disagreements about “insider knowledge” and authenticity.
An amazon customer review:
Since this book was not written by a hard of hearing person, it does not give an appropriate view of the hard of hearing world. This book could not apply to deaf people becasue deaf people cannot hear music -- only feel the vibrations. The book gives a clear view of how hearing people view the heard of hearing world. It is a beginning, but it is not the best book.
School Library Journal comments,
“Cheerful watercolor illustrations show the multiethnic children enjoying themselves at the concert, while smaller cartoon strips feature Moses's additional comments in sign language. A page displaying the manual alphabet and a conversation in sign language in which Moses tells his parents about his day enhance the upbeat story.?Sally R. Dow, Ossining Public Library, NY
Cheers from Publisher’s Weekly:
“The seemingly incongruous premise of this harmonious debut a class of deaf children attends an orchestral concert leads to a revelation for readers who may well have assumed that the ability to hear is a prerequisite for enjoying music. Holding balloons that their teacher passes out to help them "feel the music," Moses and his classmates are thrilled to pick up the vibrations. Afterward, they visit with the orchestra's deaf percussionist, who, intriguingly, performs in stocking feet so she, too, can feel the beat. She lets the students play her instruments and, using American Sign Language (precisely illustrated in easy-to-read diagrams), explains how she worked hard to achieve her career goal…..An introductory note explains how to interpret the sign-language diagrams, which are integrated throughout the clear and colorful illustrations. Fiction and instruction make beautiful music together on these cheerful pages.” Ages 5-up.
Reviews accessed from:
http://www.amazon.com/Moses-Goes-Concert/dp/0374453667/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-7575722-4136600?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1186282720&sr=1-1
D. CONNECTIONS:
The above other books in the series would be my first choice. Besides the titles mentioned above there is also MOSES GOES TO THE CIRCUS.
I really don’t know another “Special Ed.” book, certainly not another book about deaf children that can hold a candle to Millman’s work.
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