YA Text Response #6 – Asiya Fatima

Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger

Published: July 1951

Link to Find: Any bookstore or online store and the library

This novel is about a teenage boy, Holden Caulfield who narrates his story. Caulfield is struggling with life and this is a story of his experiences as he leaves his third school, Pencey Prep. Holden struggles with depression and he decides to leave his school couple of days before Christmas Break. He explores New York City and tries to figure out what he wants in his life. He feels like he is missing something and he wants to feel like he belongs. He goes through a whirlwind as he rides trains, visits his teacher, breaks into his parents house, goes on a dates, etc. He does find happiness in his younger sister, who becomes his companion and the reason he goes to get help.

I remember reading this book in high school and I loved it so much. So, I decided that I was going to read it again with a different lens. I was 16 years old when I read this before and now, I’m 22 years old, so I felt I could have different views now. While reading the novel, I realized so much I didn’t before. I felt like I could understand Holden and his struggles. The idea that students need a sense of belonging rather than a sense of imprisonment. Which, Holden felt in all the schools he went to and that forced him to act out. I felt reading that it would connect with a lot of students who struggle with motivation. It can also connect with students who are going through depression or any other mental disorder.

Pedological Response: Theme

This novel has a lot good themes for young adults. One theme that is throughout the story and relates to the idea of growing up, is alienation. Holden throughout the book has this idea that he doesn’t belong in the world. He struggles with seeing himself as a part of the society because he doesn’t think like them or act like them. He continues to throughout the novel look at people as if they are fake or in his words, “phonies.” He makes him self superior to them, so he could  control his fear and sense of alienation. Holden struggles to feel loved and wanted, but he can’t open up to all these problems. He shields himself from all the problems he has. He can’t that love and belongingness because he is cynical and bitter. In the story when he goes on a date, he drives away the girl because he insults her. This is because she couldn’t understand him and he couldn’t understand her. He thinks no one will understand him, but he doesn’t want to give it a chance with anyone else. He convinced himself that he is not a part of this world, which causes him to lose relationships in his life and act out. He can’t get what he wants because he doesn’t accept himself and doesn’t love himself. When he visits his sister, he sees the way innocence is present in her. He sees how little she has seen of life. He sees how important it is to be a better person. He gets think urge to be better for his sister and to be there for her. He grow up in a sense because he wants to protect his sister from the cruelty of the world. His sister shows him that he isn’t alienated in the world and that someone loves and needs him.

Bao-Bao 宝宝

Title: Bao

Released: 6/15/18

Director: Domee Shi

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZN02raRHC0

About and Thoughts:

I first heard about this short from my cousins after they came back from watching The Incredibles 2. Bao is about a Chinese mother who creates a typical snack, the bao. The bao comes to life and takes on a personality of its own. The mother raises the bao, but as it grows up, it starts to drift from the mother. At the end, we see that bao is a representation of her son, who also drifted apart from his mother. My cousins had some mixed reviews about it. Some thought it was weird that she treated the bao as a person only to eat it at the end. I enjoyed the short because of the portrayal of the mom. It shows that she values family a lot and she would do anything to protect it, only to drive a wedge between them.

Theme:

A theme that I would pull from the short would be, family. The short describes a mother who always protected her son and found it really difficult to let him go when he grew up and wanted to start a family of his own. Though the son drifted from his parents, mainly his mom, he comes back to visit the mom and it’s like he never left. This is an important theme because young adults will start developing their own sense of identity and often times it will clash with their parent’s views. It’s important for young adults to know that parents are trying to protect them in a way they seem fit. On the other hand, it is also important for parents to understand that everyone is there own person and have their own views. But at the end of the day, family is still family.

YA text# 6 The Outsiders

Title: The Outsiders

Genre: Fiction

Author: S. E. Hinton

Published Date: April 24, 1967

I found this book because I heard of this book long time ago when I was in eighth grade and I saw the other class was reading about it, but I did not have a chance to read it by myself. It is also a popular fiction novel for young adults and it is one of the best sellers for YA text. So I check out this book from a Chicago Public Library and it can also buy on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Outsiders-S-Hinton/dp/014240733X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1544343087&sr=8-1&keywords=the+outsiders+book

Brief description: The Outsiders is about the main character, Ponyboy Curtis, that lead the readers to go through his two-week life experience/story during the age of fourteen that plays a significant role on impacting rest of his life. The story is about the struggle and rivalry between two groups of gang teenagers that divided according to the socioeconomic status, the Greasers and Socs. Greasers are referred to the teenagers from the poor East side of the town and Socs are referred to the teenagers from the rich West side. So, Ponyboy and his two brothers are the Greasers and the story starts with Ponyboy getting beat up and hurt from the Socs gang member. This kind of incident of fighting, conflict, and rivalry between two groups of teenagers centered around the whole story which happens throughout the book in different situation. Characters are also experienced with their internal conflict and grief.

My thoughts as a viewer/reader: It was a great book to read and I love it. The book takes me to story that happened with the two groups of teenagers, especially understanding the life of Ponyboy with his experiences and struggles. Even though the book was published a long time ago, but the story still relevant to young adults today. I can see many young adults can related to some of the themes and conflicts for having similar life experiences. The book also makes me feel emotional with some moments.

Pedagogical reflection (theme)

A central theme that I pull from The Outsiders is self-identity. It is how the characters see themselves throughout the book and being who they are. Every character is developing their own unique self-identity in the story through exploring and finding in different ways. Even though Ponyboy is belongs to the Greasers, he is considered an outsider from the group because he is different. Ponyboy is finding who he was after experiencing Bob’s death and willing to start friendship with Socs to develop his own unique identity. I will complement this theme of self-identity with other texts, such as American Born Chinese, and “The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian” to support students to develop an understanding in self-identity of the characters through the texts and also reflects on their self-identity on who they are.

Post #6: Unwanted

What I read: The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees by Don Brown

Published on: September 18th 2018

Find on: Amazon

Brief Description: Syrian refugees have been moving all over the world since 2011 as the war has continued to heighten to chaotic levels in Syria. This graphic novel depicts the crisis in different ways: through providing a historical overview of the war, stories from survivors, and how the events have continued to unfold over the last seven years.

What you thought of it as a reader/viewer: As a reader, I thoroughly enjoyed this text. The ongoing and heartbreaking refugee crisis is something I admit I am not well-versed in and the graphic novel format of this nonfiction text made the hard-to-swallow information accessible to anyone. The book is brief, is a great stepping stone to further research and awareness on the topic.

Pedagogical Reflection: Theme

A theme that could be pulled from this text is the refugee crisis. It is a difficult experience to discuss in a classroom, but an important one; thus a text like this one is a great point of conversation. A few other books that could be paired with this text are: Illegal by Andrew Donkin and Eoin Colfer, which is also a graphic novel, Refugee by Alan Gratz, and Sea Prayer by Khaled Hosseini.

YA Text Response #5: I am Malala (Young Readers Edition)

I Am Malala

How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World

Written By: Malala Yousafzai with Patricia McCormick

Publication Date: 2014

Genre: Non-fiction and Memoir

Book Length: 224 pages

Where I found this book?:

I found this book at the Chicago Public Library, West Town Branch. This book was in the young adult section of library under non-fiction. This book can also be found on Amazon.

Link:

Brief Description:

I Am Malala is a memoir about Malala Yousafzai’s life. She is a young Pakistani girl who lives in the valley of Swat, Pakistan. She grow up during a time of turmoil. The Taliban was creating fear and chaos in her country. The Taliban created strict rules in her country, including girls were banned from going to school after the age of 13. Her father, owned his own school and Malala loves school very much. She takes pride in being the best student and strives to be the best. She is a bright young girl and nothing will stand between her and her education. Malala and her father spoke out against the Taliban, which was very dangerous because the Taliban will hurt and kill anyone who speaks out against them.  This does not stop Malala. She fights for her right for an education and everyones right to an education. With her strong devotion to education, this ends up in pain for Malala. She is shot by the Taliban but they could not kill her fighting spirit. This is a story of girls fight for education as well as women’s rights.

My thoughts:

I absolutely loved this book. Malala is so strong and encouraging. She stood up for what she believed in and never stopped, even in the face of danger. I like Malala. She is brilliant and determined. We have the same thing in common, we both love school. Just like Malala, I loved to pretend I was a teacher of my own classroom. I enjoy doing projects and getting good grades just like Malala. We both strive for excellence. What we do not have in common, is Malala’s strength and determination to change the world. She is so very brave and inspiring. I love that about her. She never once cried during her traumatic experience; it only gave her the courage to achieve more. This story is wonderful. I remember when I was younger hearing about Malala, about the girl who got shot by the Taliban, but never knew why. I never knew she was the same age as me yet so wise beyond her years. I am happy that I got to read about Malala, she is a true hero.

Pedagogical Response: Theme

There are many themes in I am Malala. 

One theme is the power of education. Malala fights for her rights for an education. Even when there was a ban on education for girls, Malala still continues her education because of her love of learning. She did make sure she kept her education a secret but still continued it. Malala stood tall and spoke out against the Taliban. It was because of her education that Malala was able to stand tall.

Another theme is childhood and maturity. This memoir takes place over the time frame from birth to sixteen years old. Malala shares her triumphs and hardships with the readers. From fights with her friends and siblings to terror invading her life in Swat. Malala was able to live a carefree childhood with laughter, education, and love from everyone around her until she was 10 years old and the Taliban took over. Malala grew up fast from there. She never stop being determined and is wise beyond her years.

A third theme is religion and faith. Malala and her family are devoted Muslims. Malala practices her faith everyday and this is anchor in her life. She prays for good health, good grades, education for everyone, and peace on earth. Her faith is what keeps her going. She is devoted Muslim and God is her anchor.

A fourth theme is fear, suffering, and hope. Malala was shot by the Taliban because her dream of education for all. She was targeted and taunted by the Taliban. This created fear in her life. She was fearful of the Taliban and this did create suffering in her life. But she did not give hope on her dream. She continued to fight with a hopeful outlook even when she was suffering and fearful of her life.

Three of themes I have listed above;  childhood and maturity, religion and faith, and fear, suffering, and hope, can be matched with the memoir, The Diary of Anne Frank. Anne Frank is a Jewish Dutch girl living in an attic during WWII. Her family and another family lived in hiding for two years and during these two years, Anne documented her life in a diary. All three of these themes can be used to explore both texts and how these two girls defied two evil powers and continued to live and fight for their rights. Malala fought for her rights for education and Anne fought for her right to live, both wanted peace. Religion plays a hug role in their lives as well as coming of age because of their circumstances. Both girls experienced triumph and joys. Both girls lived during a time of war that effected their daily lives. They both suffered and had fear but had hopes to continue there fights. Students could explore, under the lens of these themes, how these two young defied two evil powers for the rights in life. They could compare and contrast these Malala and Anne and also to themselves. These theme would be a good way to explore how students are similar and different from Malala and Anne.

 

Manipulation of Children

Title: Hitler Youth: Growing up in Hitler’s Shadow
Author: Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Year: 2005
Where to find it: I found this book at my local library and I rented it for about a month.

As a reader this book was very interesting. This book talks about the reason why Hitler choose to focus on propaganda that targeted children. The book talks about different children that were youth at the time that Hitler was gaining power, and how Hitler did everything he could to get these children to adore him and pretty much do whatever he wanted them to do. I always question how people could just follow someone and forget all of their morals and beliefs and do bad things just because someone tells them to do it. This book shows how hard hitler worked and how brainwashed these kids really were.

One of the themes in the book that I really think would be a great topic for discussion is Manipulation of Children. When I think about this topic many different videos and books come to mind. The movie “The wave” which is a 2008 film is about a school teacher of history, Rainer Wenger who is forced to teach a class on autocracy. When his students, third generation after the Second World War do not believe that a dictatorship could be established in modern Germany, he starts an experiment to demonstrate how easily the masses can be manipulated. This is a great connection to the book because it talks about Germany and how manipulation played a huge role. The students forget about their individual needs and start thinking of each other as a community. Another video that comes to mind is the brown eyes and blue eyes racism experiment ( Children session). This shows us how kids were so easily manipulated to treat each other  badly just because the teacher said the blue eyes kids were smarter and better. These are the resources I would use to discuss this theme.

 

Rules in Society

Book read: The Giver by Lois Lowry

Year: 1993

I knew about this book because I read it when I was in middle school.

This book is about a utopian society that is written in the point of Jonas, an eleven year old boy. It follows his journey through the celebration of 12, where every eleven year old gets an Assignment. This assignment is determined by what these children have spend volunteer hours and what the community recognizes as something they would be good at and would enjoy doing as a job. Jonas gets the assignment of being a Receiver, which he works with the Giver to take memories that the society has gotten rid of. Once Jonas begins his training as the Receiver, he realizes that the society he lives in is not so great after all.

 

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Giver-Quartet-Lois-Lowry/dp/0544336267/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1542144478&sr=8-1&keywords=the+giver

As a reader, I enjoyed this book. I always think it is interesting when reading about societies different than my own and how things are different. One thing I really enjoyed reading about was the sameness amount everyone and how no one around Jonas seemed to question any rules given by the government that they had.

 

Pedagogical reflection:

Theme: One theme that I pulled from this text is the theme of rules in society. I chose this theme because the book is centered around this society that has rules that everyone has to follow. This makes the society very same where no one is different than anyone else.

Two books that I thought would complement this theme in The Giver is the Hunger Games and the Divergent books. For the Hunger Games, the people live in different districts that follow different sets of rules. Each district also has its own focus in the society such as technology, fishing, power, ect. In the Divergent series, everyone is divided into five different factions. Each faction has its own rules and characteristics that the people must follow to be successful in their factions.

Both of these books would relate to The Giver and are YA books that students seem to enjoy. I think that these books would engage the students in the classroom and while also showing the theme of rules in society.

Warriors Don’t Cry – Theme

I read: A non-fiction text titled, Warriors Don’t Cry

Creators: Written by Melba Pattillo Beals

Year of creation: 1994

Found: I first read this autobiography in a high school history class and then again for a college course a few semesters ago.

Brief description: Warriors Don’t Cry is a powerful autobiography about Melba’s teenage life living in Little Rock Arkansas in the early 1950’s.  Melba and 8 other African American students (the Little Rock Nine) attempt to integrate into an all-white, Little Rock High School.  When Melba was a young teen, the Supreme Court ruled that separate schools for white students are illegal, but Melba saw little change in segregation.  She signs up to attend the all-white Central High School with almost 20 other African American students.  Because of the violence, the number of African American students enrolled in Central High School drops to 9.  Throughout the book, Melba describes the experiences she faced being one of the first African American students to attend an all white high school.  The story is told from first person point of view and is told with great detail. 

Link: http://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Warriors-Dont-Cry/Melba-Pattillo-Beals/9781416948827

What I thought of it as a reader: When I read Melba’s story in high school, and even a few semesters ago, I found myself stopping as I read to ask myself many questions.  I remember asking what would I have done if I was Melba?  Would I be able to be as brave as Melba?  At such a young age too – only 16!  It also made me realize my privilege even more.  When I was 16, of course I struggled with different things as a young adult, but I didn’t have to face violence every single day based on the color of my skin.  I didn’t receive death threats – I didn’t have to fear for my life. I wasn’t kicked down the stairs, mocked, have somebody attempt to throw acid in my eyes. Melba and the other children were just trying to go to school and had to endure all of this.  As I read Warriors Don’t Cry more recently and being placed in extremely segregated Chicago public schools around the city for my fieldwork placements, I realized even more that not much has changed.  I have been in a couple of schools that have been extremely diverse, but the majority are segregated.  The way students are treated and their lack of freedom at many of the schools compared to schools like South Loop, Ravenswood, Volta is real.  I made many strong connections while reading Warrior’s Don’t Cry to what is still happening today. As a reader, I really appreciate how much information Melba provided to me.  I appreciate that she allowed me to receive insight into her life and the hate and fear so many people felt.  I would definitely recommend this book to other readers.

Pedagogical reflection: Theme

Theme: One theme I would pull from this text is racial discrimination.  In Warrior’s Don’t Cry Melba explained how she faced experienced racial discrimination right from birth when she tells how she wasn’t properly treated for an infection after birth.  A black janitor told Melba’s mother that the white doctor told the white nurse that the procedure Melba received for her infection had to be treated every two to three hours.  The nurse wasn’t doing what she was supposed to and told Melba’s mom, “we don’t coddle n*****s*.  Melba continued to grow up facing racial discrimination.  She explained how she felt fear whenever she was among white people.  She noticed from a very young age how all of the ugly and dirty drinking fountains and restrooms were reserved for people of color.  During the “desegregation” period of the 1950’s Melba experienced even more racial discrimination.  Melba explains of the racial discrimination she faced from the white students as she walked the halls of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas.    While Warriors Don’t Cry focuses on racial discrimination of the 1950’s and the Brown vs. The Board of Education case, there are other really good YA texts that focus on the theme of racial discrimination – some regarding the Civil Rights Movement and some not.  Many of them would make a great compliment to Warriors Don’t Cry for a unit.

First, I will discuss a text that I had to read parts of for another college course that I think would go great compliment with Warrior’s Don’t Cry. The “March” trilogy by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell has very similar parallels to the theme of racial discrimination in Warrior’s Don’t Cry.  The first book in “March” also recounts events of the civil rights movement and segregation much like in Warrior’s Don’t Cry.  John Lewis discusses the harassment and violence he endured as a young teenager in Alabama.  It’s worthwhile to note that the March trilogy is a graphic novel trilogy which can offer variety of text for this unit.

Link for the March trilogy: https://www.amazon.com/March-Trilogy-Slipcase-John-Lewis/dp/1603093958

Another book I would use is “Freedom’s Children: Young Civil Rights Activists Tell Their Story” by Ellen Levine.  This would be another great text to use to teach the theme of discrimination.  This text is a collection of true stories from 30 African American’s who were teenagers during the 1950’s and 1960’s.  These writers talk about what it was like to be discriminated against.  This text being comprised of short stories offers even more variety of text for the students.  

Link for “Freedom’s Children: Young Civil Rights Activists Tell Their Story”: https://www.amazon.com/Freedoms-Children-Rights-Activists-Stories/dp/0698118707

The Dream is Now

Hello readers, and welcome back to the Reading Corner! This time, we’re taking things in a different direction with an intense, non-fiction short film The Dream is Now.

Directed by David Guggenheim, this April 2013 documentarty hits home on a critical topic that has been a part of our nation’s lives for many years: immigration, deportation, and the familiess split apart by this on-going issue. To be perfectly honest, I was just looking for short films and documentaries when I found this one.Want to watch it for yourselves? Go here! http://www.thedreamisnow.org/documentary 

As a viewer, this personally hit home for me because of all the friends I have that the topic of immigration is either picky or causes unrest. Some are here on greencards, some are working on getting visas and their citizenship papers, and some are just trying to get by. Not to mention, I live on campus of UIC, where many of our students have immigrated from overseas just to learn about our cutlure, get a better education, or get a better life. This piece hit home because, as a teacher, I want nothing more than for my students to chase after their dreams and pursue what they want to do in life. But because of our on-going immigration problem right now, some of these students’ bright futures are jeopardized, and that hits home the worst.

With that said, one of the major themes that I have pulled from this documentary is social justice. We are all alive in a time where anyone can make a difference in the world. Of course, a great way to be able to engage students in such a critical topic would be to have books for them to read. Below, I’ve compiled some books that can be used in a unit on immigration that will have students start thinking and viewing things in the world through a social justice critical lens.

Harbor Me by Jaqueline Woodson

Summary: It all starts when six kids have to meet for a weekly chat–by themselves, with no adults to listen in. There, in the room they soon dub the ARTT Room (short for “A Room to Talk”), they discover it’s safe to talk about what’s bothering them — everything from Esteban’s father’s deportation and Haley’s father’s incarceration to Amari’s fears of racial profiling and Ashton’s adjustment to his changing family fortunes. When the six are together, they can express the feelings and fears they have to hide from the rest of the world. And together, they can grow braver and more ready for the rest of their lives.

Malala’s Magic Pencil by Malala Yousafzai

As a child in Pakistan, Malala made a wish for a magic pencil. She would use it to make everyone happy, to erase the smell of garbage from her city, to sleep an extra hour in the morning. But as she grew older, Malala saw that there were more important things to wish for. She saw a world that needed fixing. And even if she never found a magic pencil, Malala realized that she could still work hard every day to make her wishes come true.

Refugee by Alan Gratz

JOSEF is a Jewish boy living in 1930s Nazi Germany. With the threat of concentration camps looming, he and his family board a ship bound for the other side of the world  . . . ISABEL is a Cuban girl in 1994. With riots and unrest plaguing her country, she and her family set out on a raft, hoping to find safety in America . . .MAHMOUD is a Syrian boy in 2015. With his homeland torn apart by violence and destruction, he and his family begin a long trek toward Europe . . .
All three kids go on harrowing journeys in search of refuge. All will face unimaginable dangers — from drownings to bombings to betrayals. But there is always the hope of tomorrow. And although Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud are separated by continents and decades, shocking connections will tie their stories together in the end.

Pedagogical Reflection #3: David Hogg’s Speech at the March for Our Lives Rally

What I Listened to: Parkland Shooting Survivor David Hogg’s speech at the March for Our Lives Rally in D.C. on March 24, 2018

Where I Found It: https://youtu.be/YUGiaYGr1T8

My Thoughts: This incredibly powerful speech calls for action from D.C. & solidarity from voters. He calls for cliche “thoughts & prayers” to be replaced by action & policy reform to end the terrible trend of mass shootings that is devouring our country. This speech and the coalition that stemmed because of it is evidence to our youth that their voices matter and that they are worth more alive than dead.

Unit: Times in history young adult activists took the lead.

Examples of Youth Activism on a National

Example	Cause	Supplemental	Year
March for Our Lives	Gun Control	Speech by David Hog	2017
East LA Walk Outs	Equal Education	Public Media Group Article East LA Walkouts	2018
Children’s Crusade	Ending Segregation	We’ve Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children’ March	2012
Speech at UN	Feminism/Gender Rights	Speech by Emma Watson	2014

 

The theme that can be pulled from David Hog’s speech on the importance of gun control at the March for Our Lives rally is young adult activism. It is evidence that in a modern era there is still work to be done in order to ensure that everyone in this country feels safe. It is also evidence of the work done and continues to be done by youth. Each of the texts within this unit explores that theme. In an effort to be inclusive towards a variety of students there is a variety of causes that are acknowledged including gun violence, rights to education, racial rights, & gender rights. These texts are also no more than 6 years old in an effort to ensure relevance, accuracy, and to ensure that they in keeping with the current climate of the culture. The speech at the March for Our Lives rally opened a lot of doors to David Hog and his cause. It sparked a nationwide grassroots movement fueled by young adults motivated by tragedy.