Realism, Romance & Censorship ~ Story of a Girl

Book Cover Photo Source, Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/imageviewer.asp?ean=9780316014540, accessed September 26, 2009.

Bibliography:

Zarr, Sara. 2007. STORY OF A GIRL. New York: Little, Brown and Company.
ISBN 9780316014533

Critical Analysis:

One moment caused everything to change for Deanna Lambert. "I was thirteen when my dad caught me with Tommy Webber in the back of Tommy's Buick, parked next to the old Chart House down in Montara at eleven o'clock on a Tuesday night." Deanna's dad hasn't looked her in the eye "or talked to me, really talked to me since." Her peers have labeled her "the school slut" which, in the small town she lives in, defines who she is for the next three years.

Sophomore year is over and Deanna decides to get a job for the summer. Deanna's brother, Darren, and his girlfriend, Stacy, live in the family's basement with their baby, April. Deanna has decided that she will save enough money for them all to move out of her parent's house and into an apartment. Her friends Jason and Lee try to be supportive of Deanna, but she ends up feeling at odds with them as well. When Deanna shows up for her first day of work at the pizza parlor and discovers that Tommy, now 19, works there too, old feelings resurface. "My body did things again, nerves awake, something not quite good and not quite bad creeping over my scalp." Told in honest first-person dialog, the story is both credible and clever. Zarr explores Deanna's dysfuctional family life with sensitivity and perception, which in turn is convincing and believable to the reader. Her effective use of flashbacks, explains how Deanna became involved with Tommy and helps to tie up questions the reader may have about the relationship. Deanna's journal entries are scattered throughout the book like leaves blowing down an empty lane, adding a profound sadness to the story. In the end, forgiveness defeats fear and Deanna is able to overcome her past and find her true voice.

2007 National Book Award Finalist

Review Excerpts:

KIRKUS REVIEWS: "Sophomore Deanna Lambert made just one mistake to turn herself into the "school slut." Back in eighth grade, Deanna's father caught her having sex with a high-school boy. Nothing has been the same since that painful night, and Deanna's extremely dysfunctional family is not much help. There are just two people who are willing to take the razzing of being the friends of "slutty Deanna," and she misses her loving dad who has turned into a man who can neither look her in the eye nor give her any affection.

KLIATT: "Deanna Lambert is a girl with a past. Ever since she was caught by her father having sex with her brother's friend in the backseat of a car, her life has become a high school joke. The event not only haunts her but also defines who she is. Now that summer is here, Deanna is looking for a job that will give her enough money to help her brother and his wife and daughter to move out of a difficult home situation, taking her with them. The only job she can get is one working in a pizza parlor with Tommy, the high school boy from the backseat. Her brother Darren and his wife have a falling out and Deanna is caught in the middle. Deanna's friends Lee and Jason provide support and encouragement, but she finds herself uncomfortably in the middle of that relationship as well. In one weak moment she goes out with Tommy and almost becomes the girl in the high school joke. Instead she channels her frustrations, forgives Tommy and is finally able to put the past behind her."

Classroom Connections:

This book is a great way to talk to teens about how one mistake can make such a profound impact on our lives. After reading the book talk about what might have happened to Deanna if she had chosen not to sleep with Tommy at such a young age. How do you think the story would have been different?

What if Deanna's dad had been different after he caught her with Tommy? Would that have made a difference?

Realism, Romance & Censorship ~ The Chosen One

Book Cover Photo Source, Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/imageviewer.asp?ean=9780312555115, accessed September 25, 2009.

Bibliography:

Williams, Carol Lynch. 2009. THE CHOSEN ONE. New York: St. Martin's Press.

ISBN 9780321555115

Critical Analysis:

In her book, THE CHOSEN ONE, Williams finds the right balance of information and warning in her riveting story about a 13-year-old girl living in a polygamist cult. Kyra who longs to be free, finds shelter in a Russian Olive tree at the back of the compound where she lives in the isolated desert, with her father, his three wives and their 20 children. She loves climbing high in it's branches, the only place in the world that is truly her own. "I love being here," I say. "I love being able to see it all and having no one see me." She even goes so far as to walk outside the confines of the compound where one day she meets Patrick, who drives the local Bookmobile. Ever since "the cleansing" seven years before, books have been banned. Eventually, she begins to check out one book at a time, hiding them within the folds of her dress. Literature opens up a whole new world for Kyra, who learns of what life is like in the outside world. Kyra also has another secret, Joshua. Joshua is the boy that Kyra shares her first kiss with, and the boy who would choose her for himself if he could. One night, Prophet Childs comes to see Kyra's family and tells her father that Kyra has been "chosen" to be the seventh wife of her sixty-something year-old, uncle, Brother Hyrum. Kyra vows to herself that she cannot let this happen, but even with the support of her family, her pleas go unheard and she is faced with the unimaginable choice of running away and giving up her family, or staying and being forced into a marraige that will break her spirit.

Physical as well as emotional abuse run rampant through this book as does fear and even murder. The final scenes of the story are gripping and terrifying, and though you know what you are reading is fiction, you find yourself wondering if things like this ever actually happen. Although most teenage readers will not directly identify with Kyra's situation, her emotions are so complex and global that young adults will find this enticing book impossible to put down.

Review Excerpts:

VOYA: "Kyra has been Chosen. Prophet Childs received a vision: she is to be the seventh wife of Apostle Hyrum. Kyra is thirteen; her uncle Hyrum is in his sixties. They live on a desert compound, miles from town. Ever since Prophet Childs led the New Cleansing seven years earlier, books have been outlawed, medicine and doctors banned, children harshly disciplined, and young girls saved for older men. Such is life in a polygamist sect, but Kyra has rebellious thoughts and often walks beyond the walls of the compound to feel free for a few minutes. Recently she met the local Bookmobile along the road and has been checking out one book at a time, concealing them under her dress. Reading and playing the piano are two of her favorite things. The other is Joshua, the boy who would Choose her if he could. Suddenly Kyra is faced with an impossible choice—run away and never see her family again or stay and be forced into an unbearable marriage. "

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: "In this thriller, 13-year-old Kyra lives in an isolated polygamist cult. Life in the compound is as dry as the surrounding desert, more confining than the chain-link fence on its perimeter. But Kyra finds small freedoms despite the tightly controlled communal environment and is able to slip outside to wander the desert. There she chances upon a friendly book-mobile driver who opens the world of children’s literature to her. Kyra even begins a flirtation with her classmate, Joshua, a dangerous sin for which they will both pay dearly. The brutal leader, Prophet Childs, has plans for Kyra and will brook no disobedience."

Classroom Connections:

Have students list some of the things that intrigued them about the book. Do they think that this book was over the top or can something like this really happen? This book will make students think, but could also be problematic to teach in the classroom due to some of it's subject matter.

Realism, Romance & Censorship ~ Speak

Book Cover Photo Source, Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/imageviewer.asp?ean=9780142407325, accessed September 25, 2009.

Bibliography:

Anderson, Laurie Halse. 1999. SPEAK. New York: The Penguin Group. ISBN 9780142407325

Critical Analysis:

SPEAK is a story about rape, conflict and depression. At the beginning of the story we meet Melinda, who is getting ready to board the bus for her first day at Merryweather high school. "I am an outcast." This is how she sees herself and how she is viewed by others. As the story progresses we learn that Melinda called 911 during a teen drinking party over the summer. This is why she is an outcast. What her friends don't know is that she was raped by a popular boy in school whom she refers to as "IT". "I see IT in the hallway. IT goes to Merryweather. IT is walking with Aubrey cheerleader. IT is my nightmare and I can't wake up. IT sees me. IT smiles and winks. Good thing my lips are stitched together or I'd throw up." As the school year passes, Melinda withdraws more and speaks less and less. Her relationship with her parents is awkward at best and you find yourself wondering how they can be so ignorant of the increasingly alarming situation their daughter is in. Although Melinda is tortured by the memory of what happened to her, she chooses to suffer in silence.

At school, Melinda makes friends with a new girl named Heather, that she doesn't even like. Art turns out to be Melinda's sanctuary. "Art follows lunch, like dream follows nightmare." Mr Freeman, her art teacher, sees her potential and encourages her to use art as a form of personal expression. In turn, she finds refuge in her work as well as in his classroom. Mr. Freeman is also the only person who recognizes that something is terrribly wrong and lets Melinda know that he is there when she is ready to talk about her situation, whatever it may be. When Melinda has a physical altercation with her attacker, and finds her voice to scream "NNNOOO!!!", she can finally face her fears and begin the healing process. Many teens today face similar issues, as well as huge amounts of stress, and will identify with Melinda's character. Written in superb descriptive dialect, SPEAK will hold readers from the first sentence, "It is my first morning of high school." to the last, "Let me tell you about it."

1999 National Book Award Finalist

Review Excerpts:

KIRKUS REVIEWS: "A frightening and sobering look at the cruelty and viciousness that pervade much of contemporary high school life, as real as today's headlines. At the end of the summer before she enters high school, Melinda attends a party at which two bad things happen to her. She gets drunk, and she is raped. Shocked and scared, she calls the police, who break up the party and send everyone home. She tells no one of her rape, and the other students, even her best friends, turn against her for ruining their good time. By the time school starts, she is completely alone, and utterly desolate. She withdraws more and more into herself, rarely talking, cutting classes, ignoring assignments, and becoming more estranged daily from the world around her. Few people penetrate her shell; one of them is Mr. Freeman, her art teacher, who works with her to help her express what she has so deeply repressed."

HORN BOOK: "Speaking out at the "wrong" time-calling 911 from a teen drinking party-has made Melinda a social outcast; now she barely speaks at all. A conversation with her father about their failed Thanksgiving dinner goes as follows: "Dad: 'It's supposed to be soup.' / Me: / Dad: 'It tasted a bit watery, so I kept adding thickener....'/ Me: ." While Melinda's smart and savvy interior narrative slowly reveals the searing pain of that 911 night, it also nails the high-school experience cold-from "The First Ten Lies They Tell You" (number eight: "Your schedule was created with your needs in mind") to cliques and clans and the worst and best in teachers. The book is structurally divided into four marking periods, over which Melinda's grades decline severely and she loses the only friend she has left, a perky new girl she doesn't even like. Melinda's nightmare discloses itself in bits throughout the story: a frightening encounter at school ("I see IT in the hallway....IT sees me. IT smiles and winks"), an artwork that speaks pain. Melinda aches to tell her story, and well after readers have deduced the sexual assault, we feel her choking on her untold secret."

Classroom Connections:

After reading the book, discuss some of the different issues facing young adults today. Rape, depression, conflict, stress. Have students reflect their experiences in a journal.

Laurie Halse Anderson's website, http://www.writerlady.com/ has several units of study available to download in many subject areas.

A Young Adult Classic ~ The Outsiders

Book Covre Photo Source, Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Outsiders/S-E-Hinton/e/9780439903462/?itm=1, accessed September 14, 2009.

Bibliography:

Hinton, S. E. 1967. THE OUTSIDERS. New York: Viking. ISBN 9780670062515

Critical Analysis:

THE OUTSIDERS, by S. E. Hinton, was published in 1967 and is as popular today as it was then. It is the story of three brothers Ponyboy, Sodapop and Darry and their fight to stay together as a family. It is also the book which is credited for starting the revolution of modern young adult literature and remains the best-selling YA novel of all time.

The story is told from Ponyboy's perspective and includes the three bothers as well as Steve Randle, Soda's best friend, Two-Bit Mathews, the oldest of the bunch, Dallas Winston, the character of the gang, and Johnny Cade. "If you can picture a little dark puppy that has been kicked too many times and is lost in a crowd of strangers, you'll have Johnny." Ponyboy and the others belong to a group of poor teenage boys called greasers. Many of these boys come from broken families where abuse is not uncommon. They are resilient teens who live a sometimes turbulent life but always make it through what comes their way because they have each other. They are often antagonized by the socials, or "socs", a group of affluent, indulged boys who beat them up for fun. It is during one of these fights that Johnny kills a soc that is trying to drown Ponyboy. This action sets up a chain of events that is out of their control.

Told in candid detail, Susan Eloise Hinton brings the reader into this world with superb dialog and profound realism. The characteristics are credited for forever changing the way that Young Adult fiction was written. Hinton's novel also changed the way that teenagers read, enabling a generation to demand stories that reflected their actuality.

Since its publication, Ponyboy has become a hero for generations of teenagers across the nation and continues to impact their lives today.

"When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home...." ~ Ponyboy Curtis

Review Excerpt:

THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW: "Few books come steeped in an aura as rich as S. E. Hinton's novel "The Outsiders," which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. At a time when the average young-adult novel was, in Hinton's characterization, "Mary Jane Went to the Prom," "The Outsiders" shocked readers with its frank depictions of adolescents smoking, drinking and "rumbling." Although other pop culture offerings had dealt with these themes--most notably "Rebel Without a Cause" and "West Side Story"--their intended audience was adult. By contrast, "The Outsiders" was a story "for teenagers, about teenagers, written by a teenager.""

Classroom Connections:

This novel can be read in any High School English class as a classic and the first Young Adult novel of the 20th century. Some of the discussion questions that could be introduced are:

Compare and contrast the Curtis brothers Darry, Sodapop, and Ponyboy. How does their relationship change over the course of the novel?

Think about the role of physical violence in the novel. Is the violence shocking, predictable or boring? Do you think that such violence has a different effect on readers today than it did when the novel wa first published?

How is "Nothing Gold Can Stay," the Robert Frost poem that Ponyboy recites to Johnny at the church, relevant to Ponyboy and Johnny's story?

Recent Award Winner ~ What I Saw and How I Lied

Book Cover Photo Source, Barnes and Noble: http://searh.barnesandnoble.com/What-I-Saw-And-How-I-Lied/Judy-Blundell/e/9780439903462/?itm=1, accessed September 13, 2009.

Bibliography:

Blundell, Judy. 2008. WHAT I SAW AND HOW I LIED. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN 9780439903462

Critical Analysis:

"The match snapped, then sizzled, and I woke up fast. I heard my mother inhale as she took a long pull on a cigarette. Her lips stuck on the filter, so I knew she was still wearing lipstick. She’d been up all night.”

Judy Blundell's WHAT I SAW AND HOW I LIED is a fast paced, intriguing novel set in the months after World War II has ended. Evie, the main character, is a naive fifteen-year-old being raised by her glamorous mother, Bev, and stepfather, Joe, in Brooklyn, New York. One night, after receiving a phone call that obviously agitates him, Joe tells Evie and her mother that they are going on an extended vacation to Palm Beach, Florida. Once there, they meet Tom and Arlene Grayson, whom Joe decides to go into the hotel business with. They also meet Peter, the dashing young army acquaintance of Joe's, who becomes upset by Peter's presence in Florida. As Evie falls in love with Peter, the reader is drawn in to the mystery and intrigue surrounding the complex characters in the story. When a hurricane hits and causes a suspicious death, Evie must grow up quickly, examine what she knows to be true and do whatever it takes to save her family.

The author's use of dialogue is superb and her use of chic language and imagery keeps the reader focused on all that the book has to offer. "I breathed in and out, perfume and smoke, perfume and smoke, and we lay like that for a long time, until I heard the seagulls crying, sadder than a funeral, and I knew that it was almost morning." The underlying message of of anti-Semitism and hidden agendas will keep you guessing and the courtroom drama leads to an unpredictable and climactic ending. This book would be great as a classroom assignment or as a pleasure read as it gives good insight to the details of the era.

Winner of the 2008 National Book Award for Young People's Literature

Review Excerpts:

VOYA: "This smart 1940's coming of age novel is steeped in noir mystery, suspense, deceit, scandal and lies. Fifteen-year-old Evie lives in the shadow of her mother's glamorous beauty. amidst the intense changes wrought upon daily civilian life by the impact of the end of the Second World War. Her stepfather Joe's return from war put the family on a new track headed down to Florida where they stay in a posh hotel, meet wealthy and intriguing guests with secrets of their own, and Peter, a young, handsome veteran and the focus of Evie's first crush. The reader finds herself peeling awkward little Brooklyn Evie like an onion, page by page, until a confident, in-control and mature Palm Beach Evelyn emerges."

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: "In 1947, 15-year-old Evie, her mother, Bev, and her stepfather, Joe, leave Brooklyn for a vacation in Palm Beach, FL, during the off season. There they meet Arlene and Tom Grayson, who lavish attention on the family and convince Joe to go into the hotel business with them. When Peter, an army acquaintance of Joe's, appears, Evie is smitten by his charm and attention. Her budding interest in romance, while protectively discouraged by her parents, is actually encouraged by Arlene, who helps Evie develop a sense of style. Evie enjoys her outings with Peter and interprets her mother's insinuating presence as protective, when in reality Bev is having an affair with the younger man."

Classroom Connections:

Although this book has some mild adult situations, it could be used for discussions on the pre and post World War II era in the United States. Students are exposed to terms such as rationing and Victory Gardens and learn what happened economically in the United States after the World War II ended.

Discussions about the Holocaust and how Jewish citizens were treated in Europe and the United States could also follow the reading of this novel.

A Michael Printz Award Winner ~ The First Part Last

Book Cover Photo Source: Barnes and Noble: http://searchbarnesandnoble.com/first-part-last/Angela-Johnson/e/9780689849237/?itm=1, accessed September 12, 2009.

Bibliography:
Johnson, Angela. 2003. THE FIRST PART LAST. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0689849222

Critical Analysis:
In THE FIRST PART LAST, by Angela Johnson we meet Bobby the teenage father of Feather, who at the beginning of the book is just days old. At 16, Bobby is struggling to come to terms with the fact that he is now a father, while trying to keep up with school, his childhood friends, and his parents sometimes high expectations.

Told in alternating chapters of "Now" and "Then" the language in this brief novel is both believable and appealing to young adult readers. In these, we learn that "Then" refers to the period of time when Bobby and Nia, the baby's mother, find out about the pregnancy and struggle to make the right choice regarding it. "Now" refers to the present with Bobby struggling to care for Feather, as a tragedy surrounding her birth has left him to do this alone. Bobby, who comes from a middle-class, supportive family, fluctuates between total love and adoration for his daughter, and panic of his situation. Johnson's superb writing urges the reader to analyze the changes that take place in Bobby's character and his situation. The ultimate tragedy in the story is that Bobby doesn't realize what he has in Nia until it is too late. The author does a great job of not revealing the climax until it happens, although the reader wonders why Bobby is alone all through the book.

Unique in that it is told from the boy's point-of-view, this emotional, novel does a great job in showing the awesome responsibility that comes with teen pregnancy and parenthood, without lecturing the reader. Given the length of the story, it could easily be listened to in 2 class periods, making it a great choice for high school classrooms.

Winner of the 2004 Coretta Scott King Award (Writing category)

Winner of the 2004 Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature

Review Excerpts:
KIRKUS REVIEWS: "Sixteen-year-old Bobby has met the love of his life: his daughter. Told in alternating chapters that take place "then" and "now," Bobby relates the hour-by-hour tribulations and joys of caring for a newborn, and the circumstances that got him there. Managing to cope with support, but little help, from his single mother (that wants to make sure he does this on his own), Bobby struggles to maintain friendships and a school career while giving his daughter the love and care that she craves from him at every moment."

CHILDREN'S LITERATURE: "Narrated in first-person point of view from the perspective of Bobby, a young, black male, this adolescent novel depicts life before and after having a child. By showing the tremendous responsibility that accompanies teenage parenthood, Johnson attempts to compel teenagers to evaluate the ramifications of premarital sex and pregnancy. Because most stories are written from the viewpoint of the teenage mother, the author presents her story in a unique way by writing from the viewpoint of a teenage father."

Classroom Connections:
Pre-reading Question: How do you think your life would change if you suddenly had the responsibility of an infant? Based on your answer make a schedule of your life as it is now, and how you think it would be with a baby.

Cooperative Learning Project:

In groups of 3 or less explore and research one aspect of teen pregnancy from the list provided (or choose one of your own):

• How sex education affects pregnancy rates


• Social implications of teen pregnancies on communities


• Long-term effects for the mother (and/or father) for future success


• Long term success for the infant in health and education


• The availability of birth control and other services on pregnancy rates


• Which children are most at risk for teen pregnancy


• Adoption


• Foster care system


• Teen shelters


• Outstanding programs for young mothers and fathers
  
• Abstinence programs

Report your findings to the rest of the class.

Book Reviews ~ Advanced Young Adult Literature, Fall 2009

The book reviews that will follow this post are to fulfill the requirements for LS 5623 ~ Advanced Young Adult Literature ~ with Dr. Sylvia Vardell. This class is being taken in the Fall 2009 semester to fulfill the requirements of the Graduate Program in the School of Library and Information Studies at Texas Women's University in Denton, Texas.

Shannon Dutton