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The Family Romanov by Candace Fleming

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Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey by Nick Bertozzi

Bibliographic Data

Bertozzi, Nick. Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey. First Second, 2014. Print.

Summary

A graphic novel about Earnest Shackleton’s 1914 voyage to Antarctica on an expedition across the continent, Nick Bertozzi’s Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey takes the reader along for the trip.  Bertozzi tells about the preparations, the hardships, and the life-and-death decisions with a mixture of art, conversation, and maps and charts.  Shackleton and his crew, suffering from starvation, frostbite, and hard labor, battle the weather and ice to achieve their goal.  Will they be successful and all survive?

Analysis

In writing his graphic novel about the 1914-1916 Shackleton expedition to the Antarctic, Nick Bertozzi has incorporated an artistic interpretation of the events along with stylistic elements which make an account interesting and informative.

Bertozzi recognizes his limitations.   In a note to the reader, he says he wasn’t able to draw the 300 pages it would have taken to provide all the details of the expedition.  He has necessarily compressed some of the timeframes and actions in order to accomplish his work on Shackleton.  For example, there is a two- page condensation of the history of exploration to the Antarctic and one page detailing the whole Shackleton plan to walk across the continent.

While constructing his graphic novel about serious goals and risks, Bertozzi recognizes his teen audience.  His sense of humor is evident. He draws a monster seal which attacks Mr. Orde-Lees.  It probably wasn’t that large in reality, but the shock magnifies the danger the men were in without supplies. He draws imaginary sea creatures lurking beneath the ice.  They were not real either, but manifestations of imaginations running wild with the noises of the ice cracking and heaving beneath the men.  There is scatological humor involving bathroom habits and flatulence. Even when the situation is grave and survival is questionable, Bertozzi uses an illustration of each of the men reacting with alarm to their scarce water supply’s contamination, except for Crean who says, “Not Bad” (108).

Even with humor in evidence, Bertozzi does not convey levity in his drawings of serious events which occur during the expedition.  Danger is conveyed with panorama drawings and the crew reduced to small, unidentifiable figures in a mostly white box.  Dark waters and grey figures are prominent in the evening water scenes.

The strength of Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey is in the humanity conveyed by Bertozzi’s illustrations.  The facial expressions, physical actions, and interpreted conversations all seem to point to very human reactions to a possible fatal situation.  The crew is shown taking their minds off their troubles by playing soccer (33), holding a mock trial (37) and dog races (38), riding a bicycle (44), and storytelling (60).  When Blackborow’s frostbitten toes are amputated, the illustrations show suspense and concern (94).

If there were room to improve Bertozzi’s book, it might be suggested that he include a lexicon of expressions and clearer maps.  Some terms were used that were not made clear at all, and some had to be guessed as to their meanings.  For example, “scurvy” is the sixth word in the novel and the illustration of Shackleton’s face makes it seem as if he has pneumonia.  The term “semaphore” is somewhat understandable two illustration boxes away from its use.  Bertozzi has been excellent in including information for the reader, such as blueprints of the Endurance on the inside covers and as background to the escaped-dog incident (22-23); thus, a lexicon would be useful for the reader. The lexicon could be illustrated also.  As concerns the maps, they are somewhat difficult to use because the illustrations are in black, white and gray. The reader will find himself orienting events and places by the maps on pages 54 and 71.  Both maps have gray sections; however, the gray on one map seems to indicate water but on the other map, gray is labeled a peninsula.  If teens aren’t paying attention to the geography of the events, there could be some confusion.

Bertozzi’s Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey would hold great appeal to young adults. To study history is to cope with numerous names, dates, and places.  A graphic novel can be not only more interesting, but it can make the history “come alive,” possibly encouraging more reading on its subject.  Even more, because today’s teens are visually-oriented due to so many technology devices, a graphic novel seems a fit with their reading styles.

Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey is developmentally appropriate for all teens.  There is something for young teens as well as older to take away from reading.  Bertozzi illustrates both dramatic and lighter-hearted events without dismissing the life-and-death undercurrents of Shackleton’s expedition to Antarctica.

Nick Bertozzi’s Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey has a place in Young Adult literature.  It has been awarded Kirkus Reviews’ Best Teen Books of 2014, SLJ’s Top 10 Graphic Novels 2014, and YALSA Great Graphic Novels for Teens 2015, Nonfiction.

Activity

Playing board games having to do with exploration will provide teens with the opportunity to experience some of the events, both positive and negative, which occur on expeditions similar to Shackleton’s. They also can strategize for their expedition’s success.  Teens can form teams to encourage collaboration, just as the crew members of the Endurance did.

·        Historical: Expedition: Famous Explorers published in 2013 by 8^th Summit.  Recommended ages 13 and up.  2-6 players.

·        Hypothetical: Settlers of Catan: Explorers & Pirates published in 2013 by Mayfair Games.  Recommended ages 12 and up.  2-4 players plus 5-6 expansion.

·        Imaginary: Eldritch Horror: Mountains of Madness Expansion published in 2014 by Fantasy Flight Games. Recommended ages 14 and up.  1-8 players.

·        Specific: Roll to the South Pole published in 2012 by Rio Grande Games.  Recommended ages 10 and up. 2-5 players

Related Resources

1. Providing teens with another visual opportunity to learn about Shackleton’s expedition would increase their appreciation of the courage exhibited by Shackleton and his crew.  Because Shackleton is a Collector’s Edition, it contains special features:  a 50-minute presentation on the making of the movie, an A&E biography of Shackleton, and a History Channel 2-hour program on Antarctica. The Last Place on Earth is about the competition between Amundsen and Scott to plant their respective flags in Antarctica, a fact noted by Bertozzi .

Shackleton – The Greatest Survival Story of All Time (3-Disc) Collector’s Edition. Dir. Charles Sturridge. Perf. Kenneth Branagh, John Gillo, Paul Humpoletz, Phoebe Nicholls, and Eve Best. A&E Home Video, 2002. DVD.

The Last Place on Earth: The Complete Epic Miniseries. Dir. Ferdinand Fairfax. Perf. Martin Shaw, Sverre Anker Ousdal, Sylvester McCoy, Hugh Grant, and Bill Nighy. BFS Entertainment, 2011. DVD.

2. Bertozzi’s graphic novel is inspiring; the illustrations convey courage and problem-solving under pressure.  Tim Jarvis recreates Shackleton’s portion of the expedition from Elephant Island to South Georgia and Shackleton’s walk across South Georgia in admiration of Shackleton’s efforts.  Jarvis’s book contains original pictures of the expedition and of his reenactment. A DVD is also available if desired.

Jarvis, Tim. Chasing Shackleton: Re-creating the World’s Greatest Journey of Survival.  HarperCollins, 2013. Print.

Chasing Shackleton. PBS, 2014. DVD.

Published Review

Hunter, Sarah. “Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey.” Booklist 110.19/20 (2014): 62. Web. 25 July 2015.

The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion & the Fall of Imperial Russia by Candace Fleming

Bibliographic Data

Fleming, Candace. The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion & the Fall of Imperial Russia. Schwartz & Wade, 2014. Print.

Summary

Kings have been exiled, poisoned, overthrown, and beheaded throughout history, but rarely has one been gathered with his wife and children in a dank cellar to be shot to death.  In her informational book The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion & the Fall of Imperial Russia, Candace Fleming has written a well-documented, interesting narrative history of Tzar Nicholas II and his rule over the Russian Empire until his and his family’s assassination at the hands of the revolutionary Bolsheviks in 1918.  Readers may be familiar with the doomed family’s ultimate fate; however, Fleming takes the reader in the fabric of Imperialist Russia to trace the rule of a Tzar and the lives of his people who revolted against oppression.  Would the revolt ultimately result in Russian freedom or just a shift in oppressors?

Analysis

Candace Fleming’s information book, The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion & the Fall of Imperial Russia, manages to walk a fine line between historical fact and humanizing interpretation. 

Fleming includes the Romanov family’s daily and special events, the political personages who create the Bolshevik unrest culminating in revolution and testimonies of individual peasants as to how their lives were impacted by the upheavals occurring in Russian society during the early 1900s.  This combination presents the reader with a more rounded picture of the times.

To accomplish her work, Fleming includes several informational tools and writing techniques. The book begins with a very illuminating table of contents whose titles intrigue the reader, followed by a note to the reader giving her quick overview of difficulties which a reader may encounter while reading about Russian history.  A detailed, two-page family tree provides reference for the reader should he want to remind himself “Who’s Who.”  A map is also included which orients the reader to the geographical details about the Czar and his family’s journey from St. Petersburg to Ekaterinburg.  Among the pages of her story, Fleming inserts shaded boxes which give individual comments from peasant stories to diary entries by Lenin of the time.  Before some chapters are quotes and poems attributed to famous people.  The chapters themselves contain helpful section headings.  There are more than ten pages of black and white photographs to accompany the information Fleming presents.  After the Acknowledgments, Fleming again talks to the reader about her motivations for writing the book and lists her sources which are in print and online.  She includes notes for each chapter, giving validity to the quotations, details, and explanations she uses.  Finally, there is a detailed index for the reader’s convenience.

The strengths of Fleming’s The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion & the Fall of Imperial Russia are in the storytelling and consideration of her readers.  She flows between three sets of perspectives, seamlessly integrating quotes from sources which she documents at the end of the book in her notes for every chapter.  Those quotes appear as conversation between Romanov family members and observers during the political upheavals.  She has definitely prepared her book to be reader-friendly.  The inclusion of ancillary material is impressive and satisfying.

To identify weakness in Fleming’s book is difficult.  Only a reader who had previous knowledge about the Romanovs and Russian history of the times might find something is missing.  The young adults for whom this book is an introduction will probably agree that they have an information book which tries to provide answers to any questions they might have while reading.

The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion & the Fall of Imperial Russia would appeal to young adults because of its humanizing aspects.  The Imperial Family of Tzarist Russia goes on picnics and the children are shown misbehaving at times.  Nicholas is a typical father who enjoys his family, sometimes to the exclusion of his royal duties.  Alexandra dotes on her son Alexei, the heir, absorbed in constant prayer about his health.  The four daughters, Olga, Tatiana, Marie, and Anastasia are portrayed as loving sisters.

Fleming’s informational book on the Romanovs is developmentally appropriate for all young adults.  Perhaps the description of the execution scene, because it is not imagined but documented, might be very graphic for younger readers.

The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion & the Fall of Imperial Russia has a definite place in Young Adult literature.  It has been recognized as a 2015 YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Finalist, the 2015 Robert F. Sibert Nonfiction Book, a NCTE Orbis Pictus Award winner, the 2014 Cybils Award in Nonfiction for Young Adults, the 2015 ALSC Notable Children’s Books, Older Readers, the 2014 Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Book, a SCBWI Gold Kite Award for Nonfiction, and the 2014 School Library Journal Best Book.

Activity

Who, What, Where Trivia

For this activity, teens would be divided into teams which will compete in identifying the who, what, and where of pictures, words, and items mentioned in the novel, The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion & the Fall of Imperial Russia.   The librarian could use an overhead projector displaying a Web 2.0 tool, a PowerPoint presentation, or a video which she has created to make the game interactive.  The game would be a mixture of pictures being revealed piece by piece, a series of questions asked, and/or physical items displayed.  The top three teams with the most correct answers could win prizes consisting of copies of the book, Russian chocolates, and/or Matryoshka dolls (nesting dolls).

This activity should be announced before reading the book to encourage the teens’ participation.  With this program, teens will increase their cultural literacy and historical knowledge, while learning to collaborate with team members.

Related Resources

Because teens will be reading a lengthy and involved informational book, related resources available to teens would be especially interesting in the formats of pictures and films in addition to other novels on the Russian Revolution.

1. Nastia Dashaiov collection of videos uploaded on her YouTube channel shows photos and home movies of the Romanov family.  Nastia created these videos in tribute to the Romanov family.

Romanov Family

Dashaiov, Nastia. “Romanov Family: The Flame is Still Alive (1613 2013).” YouTube. Web 17 July 2015. <https://youtu.be/y-M-UsV3-zY>.

Dashaiov, Nastia. “A special tribute dedicated to the Romaov You have not gone because you are still here.” YouTube. Web 17 July 2015. <https://youtu.be/gqSOz_0RDtk>.

Tatiana

Dashaiov, Nastia. “Tanushka Nicolaievna Romanov’s birthday.” YouTube. Web 17 July 2015. <https://youtu.be/-MuXNyUvp2I>.

Alexei

Dashaiov, Nastia. “Alyosha Nikolaevich Romanov’s birthday.” YouTube. Web 17 July 2015. <https://youtu.be?HAdKxfIaf5I>.

Marie

Dashaiov, Nastia. “Mashka Nicolaievna Romanov’s birthday.” YouTube. Web 17 July 2015. <https://youtu.be/EwKJkqljYR0>.

Works Cited

“Nastia Dashaiov.” YouTube. Web. 17 July 2015. <https://www.youtube.come/channel/UC-BRIMEp0CEQXuHFxLnWInQ>.

2. Russia’s Last Tsar 

Narrated by Jeremy Irons, this National Geographic Special presentation of Russia's Last Tsar, brings to life the reign of Nicholas II in Russia of the early 1900s.  Being able to visualize the events and people described in Fleming’s informational book creates a realistic dimension for teen readers and viewers.  This movie is also available on YouTube in four 15-minute segments, which could be integrated into a teen programming series.

Russia's Last Tsar. National Geographic Video, 1995. DVD.

Published Review

Cruze, Karen. Rev. of The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion & the Fall of Imperial Russia, Candace Fleming. Booklist 111.7 (2014): 63. Web. 17 July 2015.

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

Bibliographic Data

Rosoff, Meg. How I Live Now. New York: Wendy Lamb, 2006. Print.

Summary

Meg Rosoff’s How I Live Now is a story about a teenager whose remarried father sends her to live with her Aunt Penn in England.  Just as Daisy begins to adjust to country living with her four cousins, Osbert, Edmond, Isaac, and Piper, The War breaks out, and Aunt Penn is unable to return from Norway where she is doing “war work.”  The teens are on their own, experiencing freedom at first, then separation, privation, and violence brought on by The War.  Daisy determines to reunite with her cousins, especially Edmond with whom she had fallen in love, even if it means surviving in the midst of foreign occupation.

Analysis

Meg Rosoff’s How I Live Now is a first-person, science-fiction narrative of a teenager’s survival in the face of being sent away to live in a foreign country with an aunt and cousins only known from pictures and of being caught in the midst of a nameless and threatening wartime occupation. 

The setting of the novel is a modern England of the future, but during a fictional war between the English and an occupying force.  Rosoff uses capital letters to refer to anything associated with the war in order to keep the reader aware of the setting, but not to name it specifically.  For example, she capitalizes “Them and Us,” “Things Happened,” and “Hostage Situation with Sixty Million Hostages.”

The main character, Daisy, is a precocious fifteen-year-old with a quick sense of humor which she shares with the reader and her cousins.  As the story progresses, Daisy begins to invest in her “new” family only to have The War interfere and cause heartache and separation.  A substantial portion of the story involves how she and her youngest cousin, Piper, survive as they attempt to find the other cousins and avoid being captured by the Occupiers.  Daisy is changed by her experienced from a sassy stranger into a protector and caretaker who is responsible for others’ welfare.

One strength of How I Live Now is in the portrayal of Daisy.  She is believable, funny, perceptive and strong.  She is introspective and expressive about her situations.  For example, in talking about Piper’s feelings about having to run and hide from the Occupiers, Daisy says, “I didn’t have to ask why she was crying.  The fact that we were clean and more or less safe just made the absences more glaring and for all my longing after Edmond at least I’d come to terms with losing my mother a long time ago but all Piper had left out of a mother and three brothers was me, a dog, and a whole lot of unanswered questions” (154). Another strength in the novel is the suspense created by the nameless war background.  The reader is always conscious of the possibility of violence if Daisy and Piper are caught.

The novel has no real weaknesses.  Perhaps the stylistic use of extremely long sentences through most of the novel is somewhat distracting, and the reader may lose focus sometimes trying to absorb all the information at once.  Rosoff  may have been deliberately making several sentences into a run-on in order to show Daisy’s breathless way of coping with her situation because towards the end of the novel, the sentences are of average length and even short, demonstrating that Daisy has gained control and strength from her experiences.

How I Live Now would appeal to young adults on several levels.  What teenager wouldn’t like to live without adult supervision, which was the case when Aunt Penn could not return to her family because of The War?  Teenagers might like the mix of realistic detail with a hypothetical experience. The fact that there is also an available film based on the novel would be of interest to teens.

Rosoff’s How I Live Now is developmentally appropriate for teens.  Incidences of incestual sexual behavior, violence, and abandonment are subtly portrayed; however, teens would find Daisy’s sometimes witty commentary a comic relief to those circumstances.

As an award winner, Rosoff’s How I Live Now has a place in Young Adult (YA) literature.  It was the winner of the 2005 Michael L. Printz Award, the 2004 Guardian Award for Children’s Fiction, and the 2005 Branford Boase Award for a First Novel.

Activity

War Survival Scavenger Hunt

Playing on the survival scenarios in the novel, I propose a War Survival Scavenger Hunt.  This activity not only supports the novel, but also engages the teens in teamwork, knowledge of their library, cultural and survival literacies, critical thinking, and a fun challenge.

This program would consist of teens searching the library for items, necessary to basic survival, based on a handout with clues as to where items can be located.  For example, cans of food would be located by the book Andy Warhol and the can that sold the world by Gary Indiana in the 759s.  The teens would have a backpack which could hold only so many items or so much weight.  Each item would be worth so many points.  The teen or team of teens with the highest points in survival items wins a prize.  To create suspense, obstacles could be created, such as Occupying Soldiers trying to capture the teens or confiscate their items and bring them back start over. 

Related Resources

1.  Eating Mud Crabs in Kandahar: Stories of Food during Wartime by the World’s Leading Correspondents by Matthew McAllester

Eating Mud Crabs in Kandahar is a collection of stories told by journalists of their food and eating experiences when they were on assignment in war zones.  It gives the reader information about the countries’ cultures and conflicts in addition to the availability of food.

McAllester, Matthew. Eating Mud Crabs in Kandahar Stories of Food during Wartime by the World's Leading Correspondents. Berkeley: U of California, 2011. Print.

2.   Build the Perfect Bug out Survival Skills by Creek Stewart

Creek has written several survival books, and Build the Perfect Bug out Survival Skills is meant to teach how to cope in a survival situation to provide shelter, clean water, warmth, and food.  He covers how to survive with only primitive means, explaining skills with photos and step-by-step instructions.

Stewart, Creek. Build the Perfect Bug out Survival Skills: Your Guide to Emergency Wilderness Survival. Living Ready, 2015. Print.

Published Review

Baker, Deirdre F. Rev. of How I Live Now. Meg Rosff. Horn Book Magazine 80.5(2004): 597-598. Web 10 July 2015.

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

Bibliographic Data

Ng, Celeste. Everything I Never Told You. New York: Penguin, 2014. Print.

Summary

Set in a small Ohio town, Celeste Ng’s novel, Everything I Never Told You, is an incisive study of a Chinese-American family as the parents, brother and sister try to cope with the death of their daughter and sister, Lydia.  The family is broken and bruised by the absence of a family member so central to the parents’ concept of a successful, socially-accepted young adult.  The Lees each have secrets which they keep from one another because of tension, disappointments, fears, and anger which have been simmering and finally surface upon Lydia’s death.  Several incidents occur which are personally interpreted and weighed against a backdrop of discrimination, sexism, high parental expectations, and desertion.  Will Lydia’s death be the catalyst of the destruction of the Lee family?

Analysis

Celeste Ng’s debut novel, Everything I Never Told You, is a penetrating exploration of a family struggling to adjust to the death of a daughter and sister.  Ng, as the omniscient narrator, enmeshes the reader in the lives of each of the Lee family members.  She uses the literary technique of flashback to explain through thoughts, words, and actions that the parents, James and Marilyn; the brother, Nate; and the sister, Hannah all have suffered discrimination growing up.  When Lydia goes missing, the family dynamics change and Lydia’s absence brings forth underlying issues for each family member. 

Ng’s ability to describe the inner thoughts of each character with tremendous sensitivity and poetic imagery is a definite strength for the novel. 

“All their lives Nath had understood, better than anyone, the lexicon of their family, the things they could never truly explain to outsiders: that a book or a dress meant more than something to read or something to wear; that attention came with expectations that – like snow – drifted and settled and crushed you with their weight” (263).

She also creates suspense by analyzing a character’s words and actions at the time they happen, using foreknowledge because of her omniscience.  “It would be almost eight years before school would seem real and possible and tangible again, but Marilyn didn’t know that” (50). 

The novel so realistically portrays the emotional trauma Lydia’s death creates that there is little to criticize.  Perhaps several of the depictions of the parents’ individual struggles are more mature than a young adult would appreciate or comprehend. 

Young adults might connect with Ng’s novel on several levels.  They would read how prejudice occurs in ethnic heritages.  If they had lost a sibling, they might feel empathy with the Lee family’s emotional states.  Parental pressure might be a touchstone for teens who struggle to meet their parents’ expectations.

Everything I Never Told You would be developmentally appropriate for older teens.  Although the treatment of death and family disunity is sensitive and perceptive, younger teens might come away sad and somewhat depressed since each character has an issue which seems to be unsolved by the end of the novel.  They might concentrate more on what happened to Lydia and not actually understand the psychological aspects of the story.

As an award winner, Ng’s Everything I Never Told You has a place in Young Adult (YA) literature.  It was the winner of the 2015 Alex Award, the 2014-2015 Asian/Pacific American Award, and a New York Times Bestseller and Book Review Notable Book of 2014.

Activity

Trace and discuss discrimination against Asians in American by watching available DVD presentations about Chinese railroad workers in the American West and the Japanese internment camps out West during World War II.

Related Resources

1. Our American Century collection

This collection will enable the librarian to provide the young adult user context for understanding the times in which Ng’s novel takes place.  It includes pictures and explanations of people, places, events, and cultural items mentioned in the novel.

Our American Century: The American Dream: The 50s. Alexandra, Va.: Time-Life, 1998. Print.

Our American Century: Turbulent Years: The 60s. Alexandra, Va.: Time-Life, 1998. Print.

Our American Century: Time of Transition: The 70s. Alexandra, Va.: Time-Life, 1998. Print.

2. When Half is Whole Multiethnic Asian American Identities by Stephen Shigematsu

This collection of stories involving several individuals of mixed heritage enables the library to examine the questions which multi-ethnic Asian Americans have about their identities.

Shigematsu, Stephen. When Half is Whole Multiethnic Asian American Identities. Palo Atlo: Stanford UP, 2012. Print.

Published Review

“Everything I Never Told You.” Kirkus Reviews 82.11 (2014): 132. Web. 6 July 2015.

Step from Heaven by An Na

Bibliographic Data

Na, An. A Step from Heaven. New York: Speak, 2002. Print.

Summary

A Step from Heaven, written by An Na, is story of a young Korean girl’s transition to life in a foreign country.  With America’s being the land of promise and opportunity, Young Ju’s family travels from their homeland of Korea across the Pacific in search of a better life.  On arrival, they find their dreams out of reach because of money, pride, language, and tradition issues.  Feel what Young Ju experiences as she grows up in an American house under Korean cultural restrictions, attends an American school, and makes an American friend.  Read as her hard-working mother struggles to save money and her prideful father loses himself in drink and violence because of his grief and anger.  Observe as Young Ju attempts to find her authentic self in the cultural mix.

Analysis

          An Na’s first novel, A Step from Heaven, is a genuine first-person narrative which explores a young Korean girl’s experiences growing up in America.  It touches on many of the cultural adjustments and misinterpretations possible when immigrant life is so different from expectations.  Young Ju’s mother has Young Ju’s hair permed because she believes that all Mi Gook girls (American girls) have curly hair.

          Besides coping with cultural differences, Young Ju experiences problems those differences cause within her family.  Asian cultures are paternalistic and obedience-oriented.  Apa (“father”) and Uhmma (“mother”) have marital difficulties which are exacerbated by Apa’s drinking and not working and therefore gradually losing “face” in Asian terms.  He spirals into depression, alcoholism, and incidents of family violence. 

          The strengths of the novel lie in its writing style.  An Na writes this first novel in the first-person and in present tense.  The reader feels as though he or she is inside the mind and heart of Young Ju.  For example, “I close my eyes and put my hands together tight. I move my lips the way I see Halomoni do, but without the sounds.  God must have very strong ears to hear the words” (9).  The lack of quotation marks contributes a diary-like quality to the story.  Finally, using Korean terminology throughout draws the reader into the culture immediately and creates a relationship to the characters.

          The novel is so well-written that weaknesses aren’t readily identifiable to the reader.  Perhaps because details are implied more than stated, the reader doesn’t always know when Young Ju has become older as the story progresses.

          A Step from Heaven holds appeal to young adult readers.  It deals with several of the struggles which teenagers might experience: saving money, being obedient, studying, lying, and feeling jealousy.  Readers might also enjoy participating in Korean culture by all of its references included in the text.

 

          The novel is developmentally appropriate for younger as well as older teenagers.  It accurately portrays the ups and downs of cultural assimilation with sensitivity.  Although incidents of family violence are present, there exists restraint in their exposition.  “I do not see Apa’s hand.  It is too fast.  I only hear the slap, loud as breaking glass” (35).

          A Step from Heaven has earned its place among culturally diverse Young Adult novels.  It has been honored with several awards, such as the Michael L. Printz Award, a New York Times Best Book of the Year, and an ALA Best Book for Young Adults.

Activity

To expose students to various cultures, the librarian could schedule an interactive, cultural Jeopardy Game.  In addition to the categories and dollar numbers, there could be a section of slides of such multicultural subjects as art, objects, and famous people for young adults to identify.  Money earned by all participants could be used to purchase Friends of the Library (FOL) books and game winners could win prizes donated by the community or FOL.       

One resource would aid in creating the Jeopardy questions:

Morrison, Terri, and Wayne A. Conaway. Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands: The Bestselling Guide to Doing Business in More than 60 Countries. 2^nd ed. Avon, Mass.: Admas Media, 2006. Print.

Related Resources

1.  Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preuss

Should any young adult ask for a Read-Alikes for A Step from Heaven, the librarian could recommend Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preuss.  It is based on a true story of a young Japanese boy who was rescued by a sea captain after being shipwrecked and who was eventually adopted by him and taken to America.  Manjiro learns whaling and American culture of the time, all the while confronting issues of discrimination and trying to maintain his Japanese identity.

Preus, Margi. Heart of a Samurai: Based on the True Story of Nakahama Manjiro. New York: Amulet, 2010. Print.

2.  The Art of Crossing Cultures, 2^nd ed. By Craig Stori

This anecdotal, but mostly seriously informative book contains advice for anyone who is contemplating living in foreign country and experiencing a foreign culture.

Storti, Craig. Art of Crossing Cultures. 2^nd ed. Yarmouth, Me.: Intercultural, 2001. Print.

Published Review

Brabander, Jennifer M.  Rev. of A Step From Heaven. An Na. Horn Book Magazine 77.4 (2001): 458-459. Web. 27 June 2015.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Bibliographic Data

Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Dary of a Part-Time Indian. New York: Little, Brown, 2007. Print.

Summary

Brought up on the Spokane Indian Reservation (the rez) in Washington state, Arnold Spirit, Jr. is a 14-year-old adolescent Indian boy whose misshapen body earns him a great deal of taunting.  His mind and inner spirit are not damaged, and he yearns for hope and a future.  He decides to risk leaving the rez to attend a nearby white school in Reardan, even though he feels he won’t be accepted.   He becomes a “part-time” Indian: one-half interacting with white, privileged teens and the other half living dirt-poor with his family on the rez.  Arnold has much to experience during his first year at Reardan, both in school and at home.  He draws upon the love and spirit of his family to help him face discrimination, survive puppy love, build relationships, and cope with death.

Analysis

Through the eyes and thoughts of a young Spokane Indian, Sherman Alexie writes of the human spirit which endures discrimination and poverty.  Arnold Spirit, Jr. “never gives up” and decides to beat the odds of his never leaving the reservation to find his place in the world.

Through a first-person narrative with asides to the reader and several of Arnold’s revealing drawings which help him to maintain hope beyond his situation, the reader follows Arnold as he works out his life through several incidents at school and heart breaks at home.  Alexie gives Arnold a sense of humor and a perceptive point of view.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian contains some strengths.  It creates sympathy for the plight of the American Indian living on a reservation.  Arnold’s inclusion of cultural comments, such as ­“Everybody in Reardan assumed we Spokanes made lots of money because we had a casino.  But that casino, mismanaged and too far away from major highways, was a money-losing business.  In order to make money from the casino, you had to work at the casino” (119), informs the reader of just how poverty-stricken and hopeless reservation Indians are.  The words of Arnold’s mentors and his Grandmother Spirit show that life has its special people who can inspire hope and accomplishment.

These strengths in the story are sadly subordinated by a seemingly excessive use of qualities which has earned ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­it a place in the “ALA’s ten most frequently challenged books of 2014” (“Frequently”).  Crude, explicit language and controversial topics and images invade the pages.  It is understood that hormonal teenage boys can be uncouth, and to a certain extent, some off-color language or comments are to be expected if the character is to be believable to teenage readers.  However, with too much questionable content, the message becomes obscured and the book is read more for the next wise-crack.  To his credit, Alexie includes a few lines of meaningful prose after particularly offensive passages.  For example, the passage about books and “boners” is over two pages, but it ends with Arnold’s gratefulness to Gordy for his help in school.

The appeal to young adults, mainly boys, consists in its portrayal of a teenager’s point of view on his life.  It is a “coming-of-age” novel, a modern-day Catcher in the Rye.  Young adults may see Arnold as the one who gets away with what they would like to.

Concerning age appropriateness, parents would be the best people to gauge whether or not their children should read The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.  The librarian should be honest with the teenager and parent, informing them that the novel has been the subject of complaints for objectionable language and situations.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian’s place in young adult literature, according to professional critical reviews, is solidly in the award category.  It is a National Book Award Winner, a New York Times Bestseller, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, a Kirkus Reviews Best UA Book, and a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year – among others.

Works Cited

"Frequently Challenged Books of the 21st Century." American Library Association. Web. 19 June 2015. <http://www.ala.org/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10>.

Activity

Who inspires you?  Who supports you?  Whom do you admire?  Arnold Spirit has several people he admires.  Teens could share their experiences about someone in their lives who has had a positive influence on them or has been an inspiration to them.

Related Resources

1. Navajos Wear Nikes by Jim Kristofic

Kristofic’s work gives authenticity to Arnold’s experiences because it is the autobiography of a half-Navajo who also grows up on an Indian reservation

Kristofic, Jim. Navajos Wear Nikes: A Reservation Life. Albuquerque: U. of New Mexico, 2011. Print.

2.  Rez Life by David Treuer

A work of non-fiction, Rez Life describes reservation life for the Indians from several points of view, identifying past and present issues.  Arnold speaks of the past and present situations of his reservation, and this resource could substantiate his statements.

Treuer, David. Rez Life: An Indian's Journey through Reservation Life. New York: Grove, 2012. Print.

Published Review

Sutton, Roger. Rev. of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Sherman Alexie. Horn Book Magazine 83.5(2007): 563-564. Web. 19 June 2015.