Wow! What a journey we have been on! Looking back I cannot believe all that we have covered and all that I have grown and changed. This class has been such a great experience that I wish it wasn't ending here. Reflecting back upon the course goals outlined in the syllabus makes me see clearly what we have accomplished.
I do have a much more in-depth appreciation of diverse children's literature and am still formulating all the ways in which to incorporate this important piece of a complete curriculum for my students. My awareness of what is "good" and what is "not-so-good" has grown exponentially through this semester. I had experiences outside of this class that I was able to directly use my learning in this class on. It helped me to think about why certain things stood out and bothered and what I could do about them. I was able to see, rather hear, an example of the power of literature. We listened in another class to how devastating inappropriate literature can be on a family. I wish I could remember the name of the NPR clip that we listened to so that I could share it with everyone. The program featured a family that had to completely changed their lives after 9/11 because the school they were in distributed a very negative and harsh book that blamed the culture of their family for the tragedy that had happened. The book was distributed district wide and a mandated use of it was implemented. When the daughter brought the book home, hurt by its contents, her mother protested the school board and received no support for her or her family once the teasing and brutality against the children in the school began. I was appalled by the way the school allowed this awful piece of literature into their classrooms and allowed the devastation and trauma to happen to a family as the result. I hope that by having this class I will be able to help prevent such things from happening in the future, even if I can be in only one place at a time. I will now be able to help others see the appropriateness of the literature and help them to think about the impact of using such works.
In consideration to the other outlined goals, I do continue to recognize the power of images and their impact on youth especially. I have become acquainted with a great variety of professional resources that I will be sure to keep track for my future work. I learned a lot about the new technologies of blogging this semester and see how they can be beneficial to a class. I feel that I need much more experience with this technology before I begin to implement it into my classroom. Additionally, my ability to read texts as basic literary tools and as a forum for discussing issues of diversity has been enhanced. I feel that I can now more critically analyze texts on the aforementioned merits, though I am not yet perfect. I do know where to look when I have questions about this though, which will be helpful in my teaching career.
One of my favorite parts to this class was the discussion of and focus on the idea of a window and a mirror in literature. Through the readings in this class, I was able to explore numerous windows but also find mirrors in places I thought unlikely. This is something that will stay with forever and I will try eagerly to give this same understanding to my students and colleagues.
I am so appreciative that my classmates were willing to open up and share their ideas. I wish that we had more discussion time in this class. Perhaps the class could become a two-day a week class to allow for these discussions. We would get so wrapped up in the issues and follow the tangents into so many other issues of diversity that we hadn't started the conversation with. These were usually very illuminating. I was so happy to see that others were as confused as I was, but that we were able to learn from each other and grow together and overcome our confusion.
I am going to miss everyone and I would like to sincerely thank each and every one of you for accompanying me on this journey!
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Reflection on Jewish-American Literature Collection
Overall, I think that the collection of texts I used for this final project is a decent one, although incomplete. It would be impossible to believe that an outsider to the Jewish culture, or anyone for that matter, would be able to select a complete text set with only four books.
There were several themes that I discovered throughout all of the texts I looked at for this project. Although I tried to stay clear of Jewish-American texts focusing on the Holocaust or the holidays, it was nearly impossible. Three of my selected texts focused on World War II. Two of the books were survivor stories, actually survivor biographies, and the the third was a fictional piece about a Jewish-American family during the war. I found this to be an amazing contrast to the usually represented survivor stories. The fourth text in my collection was a true account of a Jewish family's history and tradition of passing a quilt through the generations.
After reading all of the texts in this collection it is clear that immigration to America has been a major factor in many Jewish-American families and that much of this illuminated immigration occurred during World War II. Family ties and morals are also illustrated through each of these texts which leads to the inference that Jewish families are very close knit within their own family and treat their friends and neighbors as family often too.
By reviewing the books in this collection, I also found that Jewish-American literature is and should be much more than just teaching outsiders about surviving and holidays. This set demonstrates that a Jewish family is like all others and that no one person should be fully defined by only one aspect of their identity. I found personal connections to these texts myself and I think that these books would be uplifting to all readers, and especially to the Jewish-Americans typically underrepresented in a positive and authentic way.
There were several themes that I discovered throughout all of the texts I looked at for this project. Although I tried to stay clear of Jewish-American texts focusing on the Holocaust or the holidays, it was nearly impossible. Three of my selected texts focused on World War II. Two of the books were survivor stories, actually survivor biographies, and the the third was a fictional piece about a Jewish-American family during the war. I found this to be an amazing contrast to the usually represented survivor stories. The fourth text in my collection was a true account of a Jewish family's history and tradition of passing a quilt through the generations.
After reading all of the texts in this collection it is clear that immigration to America has been a major factor in many Jewish-American families and that much of this illuminated immigration occurred during World War II. Family ties and morals are also illustrated through each of these texts which leads to the inference that Jewish families are very close knit within their own family and treat their friends and neighbors as family often too.
By reviewing the books in this collection, I also found that Jewish-American literature is and should be much more than just teaching outsiders about surviving and holidays. This set demonstrates that a Jewish family is like all others and that no one person should be fully defined by only one aspect of their identity. I found personal connections to these texts myself and I think that these books would be uplifting to all readers, and especially to the Jewish-Americans typically underrepresented in a positive and authentic way.
Children's Literature and the Holocaust - Article Review and Questions
Kremer, S. Lillian. Children's Literature and the Holocaust
Children's Literature Volume 32 (2004), 252-263.
Accessed VIA Project MUSE at Michigan State University, April 2008.
http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/childrens_literature/v032/32.1kremer.html
This article is actually a review of the works by two Holocaust literary critics "well versed in children's literature" (252), Hamida Bosmajian and Adrienne Kertzer. These critics, as well as Kremer, take issue with the lack of true Holocaust knowledge gained after reading literature intended for children. The article describes how both Bosmajian and Kertzer focus on multiple genres and topics related to the Holocaust in their critical collections which are intended to "influence educators to think more critically about contextualizing Holocaust readings available for young readers and should influence authors of children's Holocaust literature to produce better texts for young readers" (262-263).
This article discusses how German children's authors reconstruct their view of the events World War II and omit "the lures of Nazism that attracted prewar and wartime young Germans" (253) in an effort to keep Nazism taboo and depict the Hitler Youth as 'alienated, diminished' victims of the propagandist pull of the constructors of the atrocities of the war. The article also describes the differences between East German and West German focus in literature when the theme is surrounding World War II and the Holocaust. However, German writers were and still are not the only ones reconstructing this history or memory. Writers focusing on Jewish victims of the Holocaust tend to exclude the horrors and emphasize heroic survivals and ingenuity. This leads to "misleading emphases in narratives focusing on Christian rescue and Jewish escape and heroism" (254).
I found this review to be extremely thought provoking and very well-written. Although, I have not read the main texts being reviewed, I intend to find them. Kremer provided a very detailed look at multiple sides to the critical stances on Holocaust literature, particularly children's Holocaust literature from around the world with focus on American, German, Jewish, and Christian perspectives and authorship.
Though I did not come across this article until after selecting my texts, when I was reading the books for the TE488 final project collection, I was curious if the focus of the Jewish-American children's literature pieces pertaining to the Holocaust had the most appropriate focus in regards to the intended audience. How biased are these texts and do they really provide the most positive addition to a Jewish-American child's mental library and internalization with historical identity? Yes, I agree fully that the human will and survival is an important theme in helping to develop identity, particularly in contemporary generations of Jewish-American children, but how much so if what was being faced is a sugar-coated gloss over of the true events? How do we teach children the full truth "about the Holocaust without frightening them" (257)? How do we provide hope for the future but avoid the atypical depictions of the Holocaust in children's literature?
The overarching critiques presented in this article were that of the idea that "absent from Holocaust literature produced for young readers are pervasive virulent antisemitic propaganda, behavior of the perpetrators, and the concentrationary universe" (256). I would like to know what my colleagues and others think of this. Is this true? If so, what can we as future teachers and educated persons of multicultural and diverse literature do about this?
Children's Literature Volume 32 (2004), 252-263.
Accessed VIA Project MUSE at Michigan State University, April 2008.
http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/childrens_literature/v032/32.1kremer.html
This article is actually a review of the works by two Holocaust literary critics "well versed in children's literature" (252), Hamida Bosmajian and Adrienne Kertzer. These critics, as well as Kremer, take issue with the lack of true Holocaust knowledge gained after reading literature intended for children. The article describes how both Bosmajian and Kertzer focus on multiple genres and topics related to the Holocaust in their critical collections which are intended to "influence educators to think more critically about contextualizing Holocaust readings available for young readers and should influence authors of children's Holocaust literature to produce better texts for young readers" (262-263).
This article discusses how German children's authors reconstruct their view of the events World War II and omit "the lures of Nazism that attracted prewar and wartime young Germans" (253) in an effort to keep Nazism taboo and depict the Hitler Youth as 'alienated, diminished' victims of the propagandist pull of the constructors of the atrocities of the war. The article also describes the differences between East German and West German focus in literature when the theme is surrounding World War II and the Holocaust. However, German writers were and still are not the only ones reconstructing this history or memory. Writers focusing on Jewish victims of the Holocaust tend to exclude the horrors and emphasize heroic survivals and ingenuity. This leads to "misleading emphases in narratives focusing on Christian rescue and Jewish escape and heroism" (254).
I found this review to be extremely thought provoking and very well-written. Although, I have not read the main texts being reviewed, I intend to find them. Kremer provided a very detailed look at multiple sides to the critical stances on Holocaust literature, particularly children's Holocaust literature from around the world with focus on American, German, Jewish, and Christian perspectives and authorship.
Though I did not come across this article until after selecting my texts, when I was reading the books for the TE488 final project collection, I was curious if the focus of the Jewish-American children's literature pieces pertaining to the Holocaust had the most appropriate focus in regards to the intended audience. How biased are these texts and do they really provide the most positive addition to a Jewish-American child's mental library and internalization with historical identity? Yes, I agree fully that the human will and survival is an important theme in helping to develop identity, particularly in contemporary generations of Jewish-American children, but how much so if what was being faced is a sugar-coated gloss over of the true events? How do we teach children the full truth "about the Holocaust without frightening them" (257)? How do we provide hope for the future but avoid the atypical depictions of the Holocaust in children's literature?
The overarching critiques presented in this article were that of the idea that "absent from Holocaust literature produced for young readers are pervasive virulent antisemitic propaganda, behavior of the perpetrators, and the concentrationary universe" (256). I would like to know what my colleagues and others think of this. Is this true? If so, what can we as future teachers and educated persons of multicultural and diverse literature do about this?
Review Article - The Future of the Past: Countermemory and Postmemory in Contemporary American Post-Holocaust Narratives
Sicher, Efraim. The Future of the Past: Countermemory and Postmemory in Contemporary American Post-Holocaust Narratives. History & Memory - Volume 12, Number 2, Fall/Winter 2000, pp. 56-91 - Article
Accessed VIA Project Muse through Michigan State University, April 2008. http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/history_and_memory/v012/12.2sicher.html
Accessed VIA Project Muse through Michigan State University, April 2008. http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/history_and_memory/v012/12.2sicher.html
This article discussed numerous topics about Jewish identity and memory of the Jewish Holocaust during World War II. Sicher focused on literature and other media portrayals of this time in history to illustrate his points. The article described how Jewish identity is impacted and sought after by and through memories of the Holocaust whether first-hand experiences, generational knowledge passed down, or imagined through media. Sicher seems to hold a critical eye about how the legacy of the Holocaust is interpreted and passed on in today's generations.
Sicher contrasts narratives about and experiences of the diaspora of the Jewish people in Eastern Europe to other narratives and experiences of victims from such atrocities as domestic abuse, rape, and other war casualties to name a few. Sicher also discusses the Jewish Holocaust's place in history as "an open question whether the Nazi genocide is to be understood as exceptional, a hiccup in normalcy, or routine barbarism which exists cheek by jowl with high culture" (p59). Developing a personal idea about the place in history will ultimately impact how narratives are written and thus the impact on one's identity from writing or reading these narratives.
The article is well-written and very informative, although lengthy and rather wordy at times. Although this article did not focus on children's literature specifically, it did highlight many important ideas relevant to the current and future generations of Jewish people which ultimately affects children's literature with this focus. I found this article useful when I thought about the biographies I selected for my collection. This included Peter Lane Taylor's "The Secret of Priest's Grotto: A Holocaust Survival Story," for example. Sicher says that the obligation to tell the story of what happened is a stronger force in continuity than public memorials and ruins that "stand as mute" because these "sites of memory have been neglected, destroyed, or altered" (P61). In "The Secret of Priest's Grotto," those authors and site archaeologists take efforts to preserve the caves as best as possible, which combats the idea of a mute site of memory. This as well as the stories told "cannot revive the dead, but they can rescue them from oblivion" (P70). The victims of the Holocaust need to be remembered as truth and history and not just a fictionalized time that is used to sell movies, plays, books, and etc. "The Jewish writers of the second generation are in effect attempting a rescue of memory, and in the return to a past which they have not experienced they are reconstructing their biographies and life histories in narratives of identity which can then be transmitted to the next generation" (P70). The desired identity to be rescued and transmitted is one of "moral leadership and an almost heroic pride.. in a macho society that worships prowess and success (63)." This is an utterly significant idea to be portrayed through Jewish-American children's literature and I believe that it is in texts like "The Secret of Priest's Grotto."
The Journey that Saved Curious George - Review
Borden, Louise. The Journey that Saved Curious George. The True Wartime Escape of Margaret and H. A. Rey. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2005.
This book was a very interesting biographical tale into the complete lives of Margaret and H.A. Rey which payed special attention to their escape from Europe during the second world war. The book's title relates to the fact that the Rey's carried the Curious George manuscripts with them as the fled, although the story was called "The Adventures of Fifi" at the time.
The author of this book is not a direct Jewish insider, however, she did exquisitely thorough research into the Rey's lives and incorporated their personal journals, letters, photographs, illustrations, and manuscripts into this text. She also visited many of the places along the Rey's path through Europe and spoke with many who knew them well. The imagery in this book adds exponentially to the story being told. Although much of the imagery came from the personal estate of the Reys, the additional illustrator was able to maintain a Rey-ish form of illustration that flawlessly meshed into the surrounding text.
The book provides vast details into the lives and journeys of the Margaret and H.A. Rey that were unknown to many before this publishing. One interesting part of the text is that their last name was not originally Rey it was Reyersbach, but Hans changed it because his friends in Rio de Janeiro had difficulty pronouncing it. This text is very informative, however, slightly difficult to read. The author tried to share the biographies in a story-like manner that did not seem to work well. There were sentences that stuck out and had very little support in the rest of the text. For instance, Borden notes that Hans bought two newspapers one day, but then never says why this is significant enough to include in this book. Some of the text is also italicized but no explanation is given as to why. I was curious as to whether these were the thoughts of Mr. or Mrs. Rey or of the author directly. Furthermore, though the text followed a chronological pattern, it was often difficult to read flowingly.
This book did not focus heavily on the Jewish-ness of the Reys, but more so on the lives of two extraordinary people who have had a huge impact on the world especially in and through the realm of children's literature. Thus, the story of the Reys can be looked upon in a very positive manner by all who read it. Although the intent of the book was to provide a positive look into the lives of the Reys, I feel that it may have sugar-glossed over the devastating issues and impacts of the war the Reys survived. I do appreciate that the Nazis were not directly mentioned as being monsters as I have found is the case in many texts regarding World War II. Considering the positive and accurate portrayals of Jewish and other people within this text, I feel it can be considered a piece of quality diverse children's literature.
I also appreciated the text to self connections that could be made while reading this book. As a child, I was always a fan of Curious George and my experiences in schools tell me that the newer generations are also fans. This may be in part due to the motion picture that was made, but the children are still reading the books. Reading this text may encourage students considering a dream of theirs, like writing for example, to push forward and attempt their goals against all obstacles. If the Reys can do it, so can everyone else.
This book was a very interesting biographical tale into the complete lives of Margaret and H.A. Rey which payed special attention to their escape from Europe during the second world war. The book's title relates to the fact that the Rey's carried the Curious George manuscripts with them as the fled, although the story was called "The Adventures of Fifi" at the time.
The author of this book is not a direct Jewish insider, however, she did exquisitely thorough research into the Rey's lives and incorporated their personal journals, letters, photographs, illustrations, and manuscripts into this text. She also visited many of the places along the Rey's path through Europe and spoke with many who knew them well. The imagery in this book adds exponentially to the story being told. Although much of the imagery came from the personal estate of the Reys, the additional illustrator was able to maintain a Rey-ish form of illustration that flawlessly meshed into the surrounding text.
The book provides vast details into the lives and journeys of the Margaret and H.A. Rey that were unknown to many before this publishing. One interesting part of the text is that their last name was not originally Rey it was Reyersbach, but Hans changed it because his friends in Rio de Janeiro had difficulty pronouncing it. This text is very informative, however, slightly difficult to read. The author tried to share the biographies in a story-like manner that did not seem to work well. There were sentences that stuck out and had very little support in the rest of the text. For instance, Borden notes that Hans bought two newspapers one day, but then never says why this is significant enough to include in this book. Some of the text is also italicized but no explanation is given as to why. I was curious as to whether these were the thoughts of Mr. or Mrs. Rey or of the author directly. Furthermore, though the text followed a chronological pattern, it was often difficult to read flowingly.
This book did not focus heavily on the Jewish-ness of the Reys, but more so on the lives of two extraordinary people who have had a huge impact on the world especially in and through the realm of children's literature. Thus, the story of the Reys can be looked upon in a very positive manner by all who read it. Although the intent of the book was to provide a positive look into the lives of the Reys, I feel that it may have sugar-glossed over the devastating issues and impacts of the war the Reys survived. I do appreciate that the Nazis were not directly mentioned as being monsters as I have found is the case in many texts regarding World War II. Considering the positive and accurate portrayals of Jewish and other people within this text, I feel it can be considered a piece of quality diverse children's literature.
I also appreciated the text to self connections that could be made while reading this book. As a child, I was always a fan of Curious George and my experiences in schools tell me that the newer generations are also fans. This may be in part due to the motion picture that was made, but the children are still reading the books. Reading this text may encourage students considering a dream of theirs, like writing for example, to push forward and attempt their goals against all obstacles. If the Reys can do it, so can everyone else.
The Secret of Priest's Grotto - Review
Taylor, Peter Lane and Nicola, Christos. The Secret of Priest's Grotto. A Holocaust Survival Story. Minneapolis, MN: Kar-Ben Publishing, 2007.
This book is the true story about several Ukrainian Jewish families that survived the Holocaust through extraordinary means by hiding in caves and grottoes. This biography pays considerable attention to one family, the Stermer family, that lives mostly in Montreal and several parts of the US today. The story begins by sharing the details that led Taylor and Nicola to the discovery of the cave and the story of the survivors as well as to meeting the survivors. The rest of the book details the exploration and documentation of the cave by Taylor and Nicola while telling the entire story of the Stermer's survival as well as comparing it to the known world-record for human underground survival. Additionally, excerpts from a memoir written by one of the surviving matriarchs, Esther Stermer who was called the "hero of Priest's Grotto" (19), are woven into the text. Furthermore, this text not only portrays the families' survival in the Holocaust but shares the aftermath and longevity of such a journey with the readers.
It was difficult to fully distinguish whether or not to consider this book written by an insider or an outsider. The first author of the book, Peter Lane Taylor, is not Jewish, but the caving veteran, Christos Nicola is. Also, the family sharing their incredible story is obviously comprised of insiders. This book was well-received and honored by the Sydney Taylor Award Committee, which indicates that others, with far more experience that I, found this book to be of authentic, insider quality. Upon great reflection, I chose the authors of this text as discoverers and editors of the amazing story of the Stermer family and their fellow survivors.
This book was well constructed and exceedingly informative. However, its length and detailed scientific descriptions may be a challenge for children to initially read on their own. This book seems directed towards young adult readers than early and emerging readers. Though young readers would be overwhelmed by the amount of text, they would gain something from looking at the multitude of images present in this text. Real photographs of the Stermer family in the WWII era and modern photographs of the cave, its inhabiting artifacts, and survivors and their current families as well as photographs of camps during the war were used to provide more to the story than just the printed text. A visually literate person would be able to decipher the difference between the black and white family photographs in the beginning of the text with similar post-war photographs. Also, maps were drawn and used throughout the text to give a real sense of location for the readers.
I attempted to locate the memoir "We Fight to Survive" by Esther Stermer to aid in the details that may not have been covered in this text but was unable to find it because of its private publishing. Esther stated that she wrote the memoir so that the future generations of her family will be able to know her record of one of the darkest epochs in recent history. As this text is semi-autobiographical, there are no negative stereotypes against Jewish people. The comments made about Jewish as a whole were provided from a personal experience perspective and interpretation by insiders. However, there was one aspect of the reference to Jewish people that stood out to me. The authors repeatedly referred to the families in the caves and the survivors as "the Jews" or "Jews." I do not think that this was the wrong choice necessarily, but being an outsider, to me it seems as though a better word phrase could have been used as this could be rather offensive to some Jewish people. Furthermore, the attempt to portray the Nazi troops accurately throughout the war mixing with the personal statements of the survivors, may lead to some concern about the implications of those statements. When considering this, the bias in the writing becomes aware to the reader.
Overall, this book stands as a strong piece of diverse literature and can be used as both a mirror and a window text. The mirror would occur by any family or person that has survived such atrocity due to their own will and capabilities, especially a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust. The book is also a window in numerous ways. For instance, it can be a window for the newer generations of Jewish people to into the history of their culture. Also, it is a window for anyone with no experience or knowledge of the events detailed by the text. On a different level, the text provides both the mirror and window effect by providing details about cave exploration and the desire to share those findings. The window opened up to people without caving experience to understand the depth and extremities faced by cavers. The mirror was provided in a similar instance but for cavers and authors that rarely see themselves in the extraordinary stories they unravel.
This book is the true story about several Ukrainian Jewish families that survived the Holocaust through extraordinary means by hiding in caves and grottoes. This biography pays considerable attention to one family, the Stermer family, that lives mostly in Montreal and several parts of the US today. The story begins by sharing the details that led Taylor and Nicola to the discovery of the cave and the story of the survivors as well as to meeting the survivors. The rest of the book details the exploration and documentation of the cave by Taylor and Nicola while telling the entire story of the Stermer's survival as well as comparing it to the known world-record for human underground survival. Additionally, excerpts from a memoir written by one of the surviving matriarchs, Esther Stermer who was called the "hero of Priest's Grotto" (19), are woven into the text. Furthermore, this text not only portrays the families' survival in the Holocaust but shares the aftermath and longevity of such a journey with the readers.
It was difficult to fully distinguish whether or not to consider this book written by an insider or an outsider. The first author of the book, Peter Lane Taylor, is not Jewish, but the caving veteran, Christos Nicola is. Also, the family sharing their incredible story is obviously comprised of insiders. This book was well-received and honored by the Sydney Taylor Award Committee, which indicates that others, with far more experience that I, found this book to be of authentic, insider quality. Upon great reflection, I chose the authors of this text as discoverers and editors of the amazing story of the Stermer family and their fellow survivors.
This book was well constructed and exceedingly informative. However, its length and detailed scientific descriptions may be a challenge for children to initially read on their own. This book seems directed towards young adult readers than early and emerging readers. Though young readers would be overwhelmed by the amount of text, they would gain something from looking at the multitude of images present in this text. Real photographs of the Stermer family in the WWII era and modern photographs of the cave, its inhabiting artifacts, and survivors and their current families as well as photographs of camps during the war were used to provide more to the story than just the printed text. A visually literate person would be able to decipher the difference between the black and white family photographs in the beginning of the text with similar post-war photographs. Also, maps were drawn and used throughout the text to give a real sense of location for the readers.
I attempted to locate the memoir "We Fight to Survive" by Esther Stermer to aid in the details that may not have been covered in this text but was unable to find it because of its private publishing. Esther stated that she wrote the memoir so that the future generations of her family will be able to know her record of one of the darkest epochs in recent history. As this text is semi-autobiographical, there are no negative stereotypes against Jewish people. The comments made about Jewish as a whole were provided from a personal experience perspective and interpretation by insiders. However, there was one aspect of the reference to Jewish people that stood out to me. The authors repeatedly referred to the families in the caves and the survivors as "the Jews" or "Jews." I do not think that this was the wrong choice necessarily, but being an outsider, to me it seems as though a better word phrase could have been used as this could be rather offensive to some Jewish people. Furthermore, the attempt to portray the Nazi troops accurately throughout the war mixing with the personal statements of the survivors, may lead to some concern about the implications of those statements. When considering this, the bias in the writing becomes aware to the reader.
Overall, this book stands as a strong piece of diverse literature and can be used as both a mirror and a window text. The mirror would occur by any family or person that has survived such atrocity due to their own will and capabilities, especially a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust. The book is also a window in numerous ways. For instance, it can be a window for the newer generations of Jewish people to into the history of their culture. Also, it is a window for anyone with no experience or knowledge of the events detailed by the text. On a different level, the text provides both the mirror and window effect by providing details about cave exploration and the desire to share those findings. The window opened up to people without caving experience to understand the depth and extremities faced by cavers. The mirror was provided in a similar instance but for cavers and authors that rarely see themselves in the extraordinary stories they unravel.
Love You, Soldier - Review
Hest, Amy. Love You, Soldier. New York, NY: Four Winds Press, 1991.
This story focuses on the numerous changes that happen within two Jewish families in New York City during World War II. Told from a small girl's perspective, this brief chapter book is quite a touching look into the life of Katie from seven to ten years old.
Katie's father goes to fight in the war while Katie and her mother continue on in the most normal way possible for them. They read and re-read all of her father's letters in an effort to keep him present in their lives. Katie's mother works extra hours at the local hospital and continuously knits items for the soldiers abroad. A pregnant family friend comes to live with Katie and her mother because her husband is away at war also. Katie ends up helping Louise, the family friend, get to the hospital and give birth. Louise's husband comes home, but Katie's father does not and they receive the dreaded telegram.
This book was honored by the Sydney Taylor Award committee because it provides a realistic depiction of Jewish families and neighborhoods in the World War II era. Though Jewish elements are very present in this text, it is not a teaching text. The events and actions described through Katie's eyes occur so casually, that if you were not seeking them out they would not stand out excessively as being Jewish. Some of these experiences included a mourning tradition, Katie learning to cook chicken soup, and about their community being like a family and celebrating the Sabbath together.
The text was well-written and free of negative stereotypes. Being an insider, the author was able to write using her own life experiences and perceptions of her culture. The style of writing from a child's perspective would be easy for any child to pick up, read, comprehend, and make some sort of connection to. Additionally, without the known fact that this story is set in WWII, this book can easily be read as a book about any war. Children experiencing the effects of the wars of today on their families would be able to effortlessly make personal connections to the characters and content. Additionally, Jewish children would be able to look to Katie's character and see a positive role model reflected back to them. For others, this book would provide a solid window base to look through into a Jewish family experience in World War II.
This story focuses on the numerous changes that happen within two Jewish families in New York City during World War II. Told from a small girl's perspective, this brief chapter book is quite a touching look into the life of Katie from seven to ten years old.
Katie's father goes to fight in the war while Katie and her mother continue on in the most normal way possible for them. They read and re-read all of her father's letters in an effort to keep him present in their lives. Katie's mother works extra hours at the local hospital and continuously knits items for the soldiers abroad. A pregnant family friend comes to live with Katie and her mother because her husband is away at war also. Katie ends up helping Louise, the family friend, get to the hospital and give birth. Louise's husband comes home, but Katie's father does not and they receive the dreaded telegram.
This book was honored by the Sydney Taylor Award committee because it provides a realistic depiction of Jewish families and neighborhoods in the World War II era. Though Jewish elements are very present in this text, it is not a teaching text. The events and actions described through Katie's eyes occur so casually, that if you were not seeking them out they would not stand out excessively as being Jewish. Some of these experiences included a mourning tradition, Katie learning to cook chicken soup, and about their community being like a family and celebrating the Sabbath together.
The text was well-written and free of negative stereotypes. Being an insider, the author was able to write using her own life experiences and perceptions of her culture. The style of writing from a child's perspective would be easy for any child to pick up, read, comprehend, and make some sort of connection to. Additionally, without the known fact that this story is set in WWII, this book can easily be read as a book about any war. Children experiencing the effects of the wars of today on their families would be able to effortlessly make personal connections to the characters and content. Additionally, Jewish children would be able to look to Katie's character and see a positive role model reflected back to them. For others, this book would provide a solid window base to look through into a Jewish family experience in World War II.
The Keeping Quilt - Review
Polacco, Patricia. The Keeping Quilt. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc., by special arrangement with Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 1988.
The Keeping Quilt is the true story of the author's family's heritage in America through a quilt. The story is told in first person and begins with Polacco's great-grandmother arriving in America wearing her favorite babushka. This babushka, along with other family articles of clothing, was turned into a quilt in honor of the family's 'backhome in Russia' that was passed through the generations of the family from mother to daughter to granddaughter and so on.
This is a warm story with positive reflections on Jewish families. It illustrates how the family's culture changed as well as remained the same through the years in America and highlighted many examples of experiences that were shared by many immigrant families. These initially included strong family bonds, the children learning English and being translators for their parents, and the creation of a supportive neighborhood community comprised of people who share cultural beliefs. Polacco's great-grandmother lived in a New York city neighborhood comprised mostly of fellow Jewish families. One tradition that remained in tact through all of the generations was the giving of a gift of gold, a flower, salt, and bread at a wedding or a birth. A tradition which changed, and was noted by the author, was that of who and how weddings were celebrated.
The concerns that I have with this text are primarily with the illustrations. Though craftily done with selective color, I am concerned that they present Jewish people in a stereotypical light. Almost every person has a rather predominantly large nose, including infants. The only exceptions to this occur in the last pages at the wedding ceremonies when it is noted that non-Jewish friends were invited. It could be assumed that these smaller-nosed people are not Jewish and that everyone is based on the rest of the book's illustrations. Other than the illustrations, I did not notice any other factors that could be considered to shed a negative light on Jewish people.
Overall, I feel that this text celebrates a Jewish family and places a positive emphasis on family togetherness and tradition. This text does not seem intent on teaching a lesson about the Jewish holidays or comparing a Jewish family to others in gray light as is often seen in Jewish-American books today. Additionally, I think that this book could be enjoyed by any young reader as well as those a little older and it would be a positive addition to any library.
The Keeping Quilt is the true story of the author's family's heritage in America through a quilt. The story is told in first person and begins with Polacco's great-grandmother arriving in America wearing her favorite babushka. This babushka, along with other family articles of clothing, was turned into a quilt in honor of the family's 'backhome in Russia' that was passed through the generations of the family from mother to daughter to granddaughter and so on.
This is a warm story with positive reflections on Jewish families. It illustrates how the family's culture changed as well as remained the same through the years in America and highlighted many examples of experiences that were shared by many immigrant families. These initially included strong family bonds, the children learning English and being translators for their parents, and the creation of a supportive neighborhood community comprised of people who share cultural beliefs. Polacco's great-grandmother lived in a New York city neighborhood comprised mostly of fellow Jewish families. One tradition that remained in tact through all of the generations was the giving of a gift of gold, a flower, salt, and bread at a wedding or a birth. A tradition which changed, and was noted by the author, was that of who and how weddings were celebrated.
The concerns that I have with this text are primarily with the illustrations. Though craftily done with selective color, I am concerned that they present Jewish people in a stereotypical light. Almost every person has a rather predominantly large nose, including infants. The only exceptions to this occur in the last pages at the wedding ceremonies when it is noted that non-Jewish friends were invited. It could be assumed that these smaller-nosed people are not Jewish and that everyone is based on the rest of the book's illustrations. Other than the illustrations, I did not notice any other factors that could be considered to shed a negative light on Jewish people.
Overall, I feel that this text celebrates a Jewish family and places a positive emphasis on family togetherness and tradition. This text does not seem intent on teaching a lesson about the Jewish holidays or comparing a Jewish family to others in gray light as is often seen in Jewish-American books today. Additionally, I think that this book could be enjoyed by any young reader as well as those a little older and it would be a positive addition to any library.
Why I chose to focus on Jewish-American Literature
My initial choice was to focus on Persons with Disabilities in children's literature, but by the time I was able to sign up it was already rather full. I also wanted to learn more about a literature that I was more unfamiliar with as well as a culture that I have always been interested in knowing more about. I have always wanted to know more about the Jewish religion and culture as it has often been compared to Catholicism, which is the religion I identify with. I have had many Jewish friends and even dated a few Jewish people, but for some reason these experiences still never gave me the full understanding I was looking for. I wanted to know more and I thought that by exploring children's literature, I could get at least one step closer.
Additionally, I was in the Sydney Taylor Award research group, and I thought that by finding those books I would have a starting place to look for quality pieces of Jewish-American literature. This was accurate, however I discovered that it is very hard to find a large collection of books about this culture, even in our local libraries. I also found that it was difficult to find substantive articles relating to Jewish-American children's literature. This encouraged me to look further and in many other places. I now also feel that though the books have received an award, the merit of the book should still be reviewed and not revered simply because it has an award. The award criteria may not stand as the appropriateness of the book to be used in one's classroom.
Additionally, I was in the Sydney Taylor Award research group, and I thought that by finding those books I would have a starting place to look for quality pieces of Jewish-American literature. This was accurate, however I discovered that it is very hard to find a large collection of books about this culture, even in our local libraries. I also found that it was difficult to find substantive articles relating to Jewish-American children's literature. This encouraged me to look further and in many other places. I now also feel that though the books have received an award, the merit of the book should still be reviewed and not revered simply because it has an award. The award criteria may not stand as the appropriateness of the book to be used in one's classroom.
Literature VS other Medias
So, recently, there have been several reality TV shows about dating and focusing on cultures. One of these shows is "Tila Tequila's Shot at Love." This show is about a bisexual celebrity looking for love and having competitions between straight men and lesbian women (as they state it). For some unknown reason, I tend to watch this show and every time I do I become more sickened by the sheer ignorance of many people. For example, on the first episode of the new season, one of the male competitors says that "all women crave the wang bone. Why else would they have dildos, vibrators, and things of that nature. I'm going to win because I come stocked with wang bone." I could not believe that someone would go on national television and say something like this. I found it offensive on the part of women and of the LGBTQ community but really didn't know what to do about it. I was more concerned with the youth that watch this channel throughout the day and what images and messages they receive from such shows.
Another appalling example of reality TV is contained within the show "My Big Fat Redneck Wedding." This basis of this show is to put on display the most stereotypical "redneck" families and couples there are in America. This show in no way flatters the couples. It shows them doing the most stereotypical actions, like making a camouflage wedding dress, and the way the footage of their dialog is cut, they sound very unintelligent. The host of the show even pauses the footage to make fun of these people. This show airs on the country music channel and as a fan of country music, I've often been asked if I am a redneck. I have rarely been able to answer that question and now with this show I wonder if they are trying to tell me to use this show as a role model if I do identify as a redneck. Sadly, I see how this show represents reality by ignorant people laughing at others' cultures, however, I desperately wonder how can this be turned positive.
I hope that literature in schools can combat this growing amount of disgustingly offensive reality TV. Is it possible though? If we teach our students about why such statements and moments should not happen through exploring diverse literature, will it change this realm of TV. Perhaps in the future? I fully believe that we can change the look of tomorrow by using diverse literature in schools and teaching students the importance of respectful diversity, but what can we do about the older generations that just don't seem to care as much?
Another appalling example of reality TV is contained within the show "My Big Fat Redneck Wedding." This basis of this show is to put on display the most stereotypical "redneck" families and couples there are in America. This show in no way flatters the couples. It shows them doing the most stereotypical actions, like making a camouflage wedding dress, and the way the footage of their dialog is cut, they sound very unintelligent. The host of the show even pauses the footage to make fun of these people. This show airs on the country music channel and as a fan of country music, I've often been asked if I am a redneck. I have rarely been able to answer that question and now with this show I wonder if they are trying to tell me to use this show as a role model if I do identify as a redneck. Sadly, I see how this show represents reality by ignorant people laughing at others' cultures, however, I desperately wonder how can this be turned positive.
I hope that literature in schools can combat this growing amount of disgustingly offensive reality TV. Is it possible though? If we teach our students about why such statements and moments should not happen through exploring diverse literature, will it change this realm of TV. Perhaps in the future? I fully believe that we can change the look of tomorrow by using diverse literature in schools and teaching students the importance of respectful diversity, but what can we do about the older generations that just don't seem to care as much?
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Connections to Confessions of a Closet Catholic
Being able to read "Confessions of a Closet Catholic" helped to solidify my choice of a final project. I accidentally read this book out of order and over spring break. I was able to see both a window and a mirror through this book. Justine's confusion was so much like mine at that age, but it was in reverse. I was the Catholic girl wanting to know more about this "Jewish-thing" I had heard about. However, Justine's journey was a bit easier than mine. My hometown provided nothing for me to experience anything about the Jewish culture other than reading it in textbooks. There were some books in our public library that I read, but looking back from this class, I think that they were trickled with negative implications and stereotypes. I do not think they stayed with me so much, but they must have impacted me somehow. Since learning about Jewish culture was only a slight interest of mine at the time, it slowly faded to near black because of all the walls I hit trying to learn more. This desire to know more was rekindled once I came to MSU though. I feel that Justine's journey into self-discovery will continue throughout her lifetime as well.
Justine's relationship with her grandparents and their identities was one that I was easily able to relate to. My mother's parents are Catholic and thus raised my mother Catholic who in turn continued the religious tradition to her children. I was born and raised Catholic and tried to hide my curiosity of other religions from my grandparents especially because I did not want them to think I was disrespecting them. My Catholic affiliation actually allowed me to be a large part of my grandfather's funeral ceremony. Of his 20 odd grandchildren, only myself and one other cousin remained active members of his church and so we were asked to assist in the ceremony. In the last year or so, I found out my grandmother was not raised Catholic but converted. This surprised me as I had never thought about that possibility before. I tried to ask her why she did this and her answer was very vague but along the lines of it felt like the right thing to do in my heart. This to me is the real life example of Justine's journey. I also connected to the physical representations of identity, namely the necklaces in this story. I have a cross necklace that I wear often because my grandfather gave it to me and it not only connects me to my religion but to him, much like Bubbe's star did for Justine.
Thinking about these necklaces made me question how much of one's identity should be displayed and in what ways. There are always those comments about how much you can tell about a person by looking at their bathroom or something, but how true is it? How much does wearing a cross or a Star of David really indicate about a person? Perhaps that person just likes the way it looks on them and has no identifying stakes laid into it. I have not fully processed these ideas, but am interested to know what others think.
Justine's relationship with her grandparents and their identities was one that I was easily able to relate to. My mother's parents are Catholic and thus raised my mother Catholic who in turn continued the religious tradition to her children. I was born and raised Catholic and tried to hide my curiosity of other religions from my grandparents especially because I did not want them to think I was disrespecting them. My Catholic affiliation actually allowed me to be a large part of my grandfather's funeral ceremony. Of his 20 odd grandchildren, only myself and one other cousin remained active members of his church and so we were asked to assist in the ceremony. In the last year or so, I found out my grandmother was not raised Catholic but converted. This surprised me as I had never thought about that possibility before. I tried to ask her why she did this and her answer was very vague but along the lines of it felt like the right thing to do in my heart. This to me is the real life example of Justine's journey. I also connected to the physical representations of identity, namely the necklaces in this story. I have a cross necklace that I wear often because my grandfather gave it to me and it not only connects me to my religion but to him, much like Bubbe's star did for Justine.
Thinking about these necklaces made me question how much of one's identity should be displayed and in what ways. There are always those comments about how much you can tell about a person by looking at their bathroom or something, but how true is it? How much does wearing a cross or a Star of David really indicate about a person? Perhaps that person just likes the way it looks on them and has no identifying stakes laid into it. I have not fully processed these ideas, but am interested to know what others think.
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