Saturday, November 21, 2009

Why do we read?

This question seemed to be glaringly significant after the class discussion for We Were Here, by Matt De la Pena. The discussion became somewhat heated and some feelings seemed to be hurt, but I think it very much boiled down to the question, why do we read?

Do we read to relate to our characters or the plot or setting of the book? Do we read to expose societal issues? Do we read to have a different experience or learn something new? Do we read simply to enjoy? I'd argue that all of those are great reasons to read, and there are so many more.

Reading the posts from the high school class in Michigan, they often referenced how the YA lit they were reading was easier to relate to, dealt with issues they deal with, and was more interesting. I simply stated that I believed that a book like We Were Here would not necessarily provide them with what they were looking for, if that in fact was it.

We Were Here is the story of a teenage boy who's committed an awful crime that he cannot face. He is sentenced to a year in a group home, where he must record his feelings and experiences in a journal. Along the way he meets a few different boys who teach him several lessons about himself, his experiences, and dealing with tragedies. The story is really one of forgiving- others, yourself. Running from life simply isn't the answer.

I could definitely see the concept of this book used in a classroom, but the profanity in this specific book may be difficult to bring into a classroom, depending on the district. The title of this section was "unheard voices", and I think that's something worth examining.

Do we bring voices into the classroom specifically because they are unheard? Or can we simply bring this book into a classroom because it has important themes and perspective, and it just happens to have three boys of color as its main characters. I think that the story is worth telling, and these questions are so important to discuss with students. It's a teacher decision, but students should understand the issues.

Not my cup of tea, but enjoyable

Graceling, by Kristin Cashore was a part of our "page turners" section of this class, and it falls specifically under fantasy with a very visible element of romance as well throughout. I'm not a fantasy person, but the book was definitely fun, smart, and enjoyable.

I could see where it was a YA book, but I also felt at times that the book was really mature. The romance was fairly mature, and there was a non-detailed sex scene at one point, but the characters themselves were very mature for their ages. The romance is fairly mature, and there is a very present issue of marriage and if you should get married and why or why not, which I thought to be advanced as well for some young readers. Although I suppose they might just not pick up on it.

This book obviously displays an extreme case, but it begs the question, do you use the powers (whatever they might be) you have to rule over people just because you can? Because the government has power over its people, should they take advantage of it? Or should they rule FOR the people?

The only issue I had with this book is this sort of question. Teen readers say they want something to "relate to" and such, but is this question really relevant in their lives? On some level maybe, but it's seems to be sort of a strange and abstract question. Even the romance, like I said, is so mature, it seems a little much for teen readers.

Though I think it was an interesting and enjoyable read, I would probably recommend it to an older crowd interested in fantasy, and I'm not sure I'd use it in the classroom. I just think there are so many other books out there with more pressing issues for high schoolers.