The Ear, The Eye, and The Arm

For me, The Ear, The Eye, and The Arm was an interesting read with a very intriguing setting. Placing the narrative in the future, but basing it in Zimbabwe, completely turns my Euro-American perspective on its edge. I never really thought I was so biased in thinking so, but after reading through this book I feel that there must be something to that.

       While the story was set far off in the future, and deals with issues that I would never understand or can relate to, the power struggles, particularly the socio-economic disparities, was something that stood out to me. It was an interesting situation, where the good guys/heroes of The Ear, The Eye, and The Arm are from a lower class. They live in the bad part of town. Even She Elephant's actions are rationalized towards the end, as her motives her outlined as having to do with her upbringing. The caring community that raises Trashman is touching, and even the children's father suggests redistributing the wealth found in Trashman's home. All of which really touched me, and inspired me.

       As a science fiction novel, the main elements that stood out were the robots and artificial intelligence that worked in homes, the flying automobiles, and even some genetic modifications such a s the Blue Monkey. There were also elements of what could happen from environment destruction, such as the toxic landfill and even the nuclear mutilations that occur for The Ear, The Eye, and The Arm. In the novel, they discuss how their special abilities are the exception to the typical reactions to drinking the contaminated water (or rather their mothers doing so).

       The numerous cultures that are portrayed and their interactions are an interesting topic that the book goes through. Like I mentioned earlier, the reversal of the typical Euro-American gaze to a Zimbabwean world is a great idea to work through. While it seems that the world is "post-race" with the only elements of racial terms being to describe the Ear, the Eye, and the Arm as being white, brown and black, respectively, the allegiances to tribal and ethnic groups is interesting. This book could generate some interesting discussions on those notions. And I think that is what the book wants, it wants to explore these notions of cultures and groups, and that could possibly be why Nancy Farmer added the glossary of terms and cultural practices to the end.

The Giver

The Giver

       I had heard many times over, about The Giver and how great of a book it is or about how much someone enjoyed it. After reading it, I strongly agree with those sentiments. The narrative pulled me in, and Jonas' growth was a part of my growth as a reader, as I learned of the major imperfections of life that were absent for many in the "perfect" community.

       The whole idea of memories, both being good and difficult, really touched me. All too often, many people think that they would rather live a life numb to emotions and unaffected by the rise and fall of life. Jonas learns that, but also learned another important lesson. Understanding that parents, adults, even the community as a whole projects not necessarily a "lie" in the crueler sense but rather a single narrative that goes unquestioned because it makes life easier. For me, and this is based on my personal economic beliefs, but I see the way of picking winners and losers in the community very similar to the ills of capitalism. You are born into a situation in which you profit or will be "banished" from the community and never will really be able to gain anything.

       The secondary world that is created in The Giver is one that mirrors the possibilities of our own world, but there are some scientific possibilities that allows this to be a science fiction story. The passing down of memories from The Giver to the Receiver through touch is an interesting element that I do not know if that would be fantasy then or not, but the scientific implications (genetic modifications were hinted at) are definitely a possibility.

       The world that is created is an interesting scenario, one where the society has decided to optimize human societal contribution and render choice obsolete. It is a scary situation where decisions are made for everyone and those that do not contribute or differ from the norm and expectations need to be "released". It is an interesting topic for the reader to think about, whether it is better to have a pain-free existence where one never has to ask what if, or to have a pain-riddled life where choices must be made and consequences doled out. The abrupt end of the story, and the lack of clarity of the third person narration, only hints at the outcome of what Jonas' decision led him to, a fade to whiteness rather than blackness.

A Wrinkle in Time

“We look not at the things which are what you would call seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal. But the things which hare not seen are eternal.” (205)

A Wrinkle in Time was a fun read, and would be enjoyable to many middle school students. The sci-fi/fantasy world that Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin, travel through was intriguing and inviting to think about. The combination of the three as social outcasts, ones that do not truly belong to main-stream was a powerful combination that could really be related to by many who identify with a subculture group or clique. Many people are like Meg and Charles Wallace, they are not seen as “smart” by the standardized notions of that term. And then there are many like Calvin, who are seen as popular, smart and athletic, but really do not identify as being such. It is a great idea and relatable idea.

            I also really enjoyed the harsh fascist regime of Camazotz, where group-think reigns supreme. The ability of fantasy to build this fictitious worlds that can be relatable or at least serve as a learning tool to think of our own world is great. I think that L’Engle does a great job of toying with the ideas of strict “
equally” where everyone is alike, and shows the readers that it is best and a gift to think differently.

            Critically, the book is an easy read for the middle grades and is fully understandable. I think the themes that come up, that being social outcasts and going against the “norm” are important topics to be explored by adolescents. L’Engle does a great job of showing that children can do things on their own and that adults do not always know what is best.

            The images that are used to explain tessering are extremely helpful, and I am glad that they were used. It gives a great image to understanding complex mathematics. The quotes that Mrs. Who uses also give it a little bit of an additional literature/philosophy aspect, aiding little snippets of major works. There is only one fault that came up, and is something that Nikki brought to my attention, and granted it takes place in the film adaptation, but still it appalled me. Apparently they cast an African-American female to play Mrs. Whatsit, in the beginning when she is seen by some to be a witch. Then she transforms into an uberly white porcelain centaur who is all good. It is an disturbing message that the film portrays and that the book I am not sure desires.

Voices

“Freedom is a lion let loose, the sun rising: you cannot stop it here or there. Give liberty to have liberty! Set free to be set free!” p 290

                Voices was a powerful tale, of a fictional people experiencing a very real fight. The enslavement and military occupation of Ansul provides many connections to a real refugee experience, and allows for an interesting examination from a distance. To begin with there is a lack of communication and knowledge of the “other” that makes any hope at relationships between the groups impossible, an issue that often occurs in reality. There are a lot of hurt emotions from the fighting of the past, and the outcomes of fighting and rape. Mesmer for example, has a father who was an Ald and a mother who was from Ansul. It is within these complex ideas of identity that the lack of knowledge of differing believes can cause significant problems and forms of oppression.            

One such instance, deals with the cultural/religious differences and misunderstandings between the people. The Alds believe in a monotheistic religion, that directly confronts and labels the Ansul gods as demons. In a fair opposition, the Ansul people label the Ald’s and their beliefs as invalid. This reminded me of the hybrid religious beliefs of Mai’s family in Tangled Threads, and in a way I think that is what the elder Ald Lord somewhat desired, through his wishes to hear the stories from the Maker. If the barriers would have been broken, he would have been able to understand that books were not evil, that he could learn from the people of Ansul and they could from him. Instead, because of the lack of communication (and many more issues such as slavery), there is a hatred and fear of the other.

                Critically, this book brings up an interesting view of the experience of an occupied people. Thinking through a post-colonial lens, it is interesting to read the first person narration of Mesmer. She is very frank and blunt about her beliefs, and hates the Alds as much as she perceives them to hate her people. However, there is a growth within her and within the city, as they reach a peaceful accord. But it remains a valid and very honest narration of her feelings.

                The themes of this book for me, were that of peaceful revolutions, of forming/framing governments, and of the power of knowledge (or the power of censure). These difficult and complex ideas, along with the difficulty of remembering all these fictional races and lands, makes it a challenging read that would work well in a high school classroom. I see it fitting in well as a comparative text to a refugee experience, as it does give the perspective of what it is like to live in fear and being unable to practice cultural norms and values. It would also work great with a post-colonial lens, seeing the occupation and its affects.

My name is...

"They are survivors, not just victims, and they have not only a past, but a future." inside cover

My name is... was a very powerful and emotional read. The stories that these young people wrote and shared were moving, highlighting the trials that occur with the refugee experience. The tales were from a variety of locations (Somalia, Sudan, Mexico, Laos, Afghanistan, and more) which to me just reiterated to me that we live in a global community and that throughout this world there are many stories of pain and struggle that need to be shared. At the same time, there are many glimmering hints at happiness in these tales as many wrote about their dreams of education, connecting with family, women's rights, and the kindness of people.

The thing that really hit me the most was the ability of the writers to move past anger or calls for sympathy but rather they are able to look at their past experiences and while never really forgetting what happened, they do not ruminate on their sufferings. Instead they show such incredible resilience in their stories and also in their lives. It was very inspiring.

Critically, it is quite impressive the language abilities of these young refugees. The writing is at a rather high level for English Language Learners. It makes me curious since some of them have only been in the US for a few years, as to what the editing processes were. Regardless, it is very well written.

The narratives are juxtaposed with various illustrations of experiences with cultural aspects or images of homelands. I enjoyed this positioning, as well as the randomized order of how the stories were placed. It was not a section on Somalian refugees followed by Hmong, but rather intertwined, which I feel demonstrates what occurs in society. You never know who has these experiences and what sort of community is there that surrounds them.

Tangled Threads

“I nodded. I'd never seen a dead person up close before, none that I remembered. My parents had died when I was three, and we had fled west immediately toward Thailand. I remembered their smiles the way people remember the pictures of loved ones, more than the loved ones themselves. That is quite a trick the mind plays, framing the loved ones silent, motionless, unable to feel pain, but still able to cause it." (199)

           I enjoyed reading Tangled Threads, but while thinking of the discussions we have been having lately in class, about truth and facts, I was a bit cautious about whether I can fully believe this tale. Granted, it is a novel (and claims to be on the cover of the book) but I imagine it to be accurate. One of the biggest questions it brought up for me was that of the role of Christianity, and whether many Hmong join immediately and adapt their customs like Mei's family did.
       Other than that, I found the book engaging and inviting. While the story focuses on Mei's experience, with her narration providing amazing insight into her world, and simultaneously seeing her try to understand the actions of those around her. Mei is a teenage girl and does have many experiences that all readers can relate to. She has crushes, need to belong, and as an ELL she has struggles (and successes) in the American school. Her resilience throughout the story is incredible, in particular, her focus and determination to go to school and gain an education was very moving. Another part that touched home with me, was the experience with losing her grandmother. When the New Year's celebration came around, I could empathize with her emotion and could feel the absence of her grandmother with a hint of her constant presence. Holidays are very tough, yet important and moving, for those who have experienced loss.
       I appreciate Pegi Deitz Shea's labeling this as a novel and the additional disclaimer that this is a work of fiction, but at the same time I hope that it is not inaccurate and could be considered contemporary realistic fiction. I do not know much of the refugee experience or that of the Hmong culture, and this book provides a great vantage point into both of them.
       The image of threads comes up multiple times and in many contexts. The threads of the Hmong traditional pa'ndau, the spirit threads that the shaman ties on the wrists of the sick, the threadworm that sickens Mei, and the threads of all the characters' lives allow for a deep understanding of the intricate nature of the refugee and immigration experience. The title being "Tangled Threads" alludes to the tangled nature of the differing generations and their mixed desires to assimilate while maintaining their cultural identity.
       This book is easily accessible to a young audience and I feel would definitely be a great addition to my curriculum as I feel that many students do not have knowledge about the experiences of their classmates and community members. There is a valuable glossary of terms, traditions, and additional resources in the afterword.
       Critically, I am a bit weary that the book does not have any endorsement from the culture the author is writing about. She claims to have "studied the Hmong people" and "treasures he many Hmong friends" (back dust jacket). But this is troubling, although I stated previously that that it would not matter to me if the author is not part of the culture. Here I think it troubles me most, because I do not know the culture much at all and the traumatic experience is not something to profit from.