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Literary awards: Premi Critica Serra d'Or de Traduccio 2015
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Collection of poetry by Walt Whitman
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I struggled with this one my first attempt to read. I really don't love poetry and seldom find a connection to it. My second attempt was a bit better and I found several of the poems I enjoyed and a few resonated with me. The majority, however, were hard for me to appreciate.
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Literary awards: Coretta Scott King Book Award for Author Honor (1971)
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Here is a book as joyous and painful, as mysterious and memorable, as childhood itself. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings captures the longing of lonely children, the brute insult of bigotry, and the wonder of words that can make the world right. Maya Angelou’s debut memoir is a modern American classic beloved worldwide.
Sent by their mother to live with their devout, self-sufficient grandmother in a small Southern town, Maya and her brother, Bailey, endure the ache of abandonment and the prejudice of the local “powhitetrash.” At eight years old and back at her mother’s side in St. Louis, Maya is attacked by a man many times her age—and has to live with the consequences for a lifetime. Years later, in San Francisco, Maya learns that love for herself, the kindness of others, her own strong spirit, and the ideas of great authors (“I met and fell in love with William Shakespeare”) will allow her to be free instead of imprisoned.
Poetic and powerful, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings will touch hearts and change minds for as long as people read. (Source: goodreads)
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I have always known of this book as I have been aware of Maya Angelou and her lauded work in our world. It was my own admiration for her as a person and the fact that this is a highly banned book that got me to keep it on my To Read shelf until I could get to it. I finally got to it!
This was really a good book, though there were parts which were a bit slow. Her life and how she tells the story are so "real" and helps me understand, even a little tiny bit, what it was like for her growing up. The way she presented information so clearly helped me get a glimpse without barriers, which I think was masterful.
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This book was banned for so many reasons:
Rape of a child --- Maya at 8 years old is raped by her mother's boyfriend. Quite graphic and disturbing, keeping me awake a few nights. It was not done in any gratuitous way, however, and I think us knowing the bare facts and truth is not a bad thing.
Violence -- a man is beaten to death, yet we don't hear about the beating itself. Just that he was found. Someone gets shot twice and lives.
Profanity -- The N word is most often used, almost every instance is repeating what someone else has said. The next curse word is the B word, used about 6 times, twice in one sitting.
Sexual activity -- a teen boy "plays house" with neighborhood girls. This leads to actual sexual activity with one of the girls. At the very end of the book, a teenage girl has a random sexual encounter which leads to pregnancy.
Racism -- why would we ban a book from a black woman that includes racism?? Do we want to keep pretending it doesn't happen? Seriously. Same with a similar reason for banning: controversial racial and historical commentary -- controversial for whom? Maybe one needs to ask themselves why that's so controversial?
Alternative sexualities -- because a character briefly wondered if she was a lesbian? Oh, the horror.
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Literary awards: Agatha Award Nominee for Best Children's/Young Adult Novel (2012), Edgar Award for Best Young Adult (2013), Michael L. Printz Award Nominee (2016), Rhode Island Teen Book Award Nominee (2014), Milwaukee County Teen Book Award Nominee (2013), Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Nominee for Fiction (2012), The Inky Awards Nominee for Silver Inky (2013), Lincoln Award Nominee (2015), Scottish Children's Book Award Nominee for Older Readers (2012), North East Teenage Book Award Nominee (2012), Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Young Adult Fiction (2012), Carnegie Medal Nominee (2013), The Inky Awards Shortlist for Silver Inky (2013)
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Code Name Verity is a young adult historical fiction novel by Elizabeth Wein published in 2012. It focuses on the friendship between two young British women in World War II: a spy captured by Nazis in German-occupied France and the pilot who took her there. (source: wikipedia)
Plot-twisting, heart-wrenching, unforgettable WWII story. (source: common sense media)
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I have had this on my shelf for years and it has never been a first pick to read. I randomly landed on this to read on a road trip and I am glad I finally took the chance. This was really quite good. I enjoyed watching the friendship in the story grow and to see character development. I loved that I missed so many clues to the true nature of one of the characters and what she was saying when she wasn't saying it. You'll know what I mean when you read this, cuz I do recommend it. Be warned it talks about torture, war, and death, most of which tears your heart out.
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Activity Guide from TeachingBooks
First published January 1, 1972
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Literary awards: Premio Quinto Sol, NMBA Richard Harris Award (2016)
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Antonio Marez is six years old when Ultima enters his life. She is a curandera, one who heals with herbs and magic. 'We cannot let her live her last days in loneliness,' says Antonio's mother. 'It is not the way of our people,' agrees his father. And so Ultima comes to live with Antonio's family in New Mexico. Soon Tony will journey to the threshold of manhood. Always, Ultima watches over him. She graces him with the courage to face childhood bigotry, diabolical possession, the moral collapse of his brother, and too many violent deaths. Under her wise guidance, Tony will probe the family ties that bind him, and he will find in himself the magical secrets of the pagan past—a mythic legacy equally as palpable as the Catholicism of Latin America in which he has been schooled. At each turn in his life there is Ultima who will nurture the birth of his soul. (Source: goodreads.com)
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This is another 5 star book for me, which was unexpected. I love the symbolism, the culture, the thought-provoking questions about life, religion, healing. The characters are memorable and believable. I was entirely drawn in, making the ending deeply impactful. I highly recommend.
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Why was this banned?
Those advocating for restricting the book charge that it demeans organized religion, advocates occult beliefs, contains offensive language, depicts violence and is sexually explicit.
In 2010, the state of Arizona sought to restrict the book from public school curricula for other reasons. To the horror of many, including the author, conservative lawmakers drafted legislation that deemed the work as having the potential to teach students to “resent or hate other races or classes of people.”
My take:
This book does not demean religion, though it does challenge it.
It does not advocate occult beliefs, though it does explore them.
The offensive language is mostly in Spanish and did not seem gratuitous, but rather fitting to the characters and situations.
Depicts violence in that some men are shot and another loses an eye to a bird. There are a few physical fights as well. There are also many threats of violence.
I really don't recall anything sexually explicit. There is talk of a house nearby where "women of sin" live and men visit frequently, yet there is nothing explicit.
The potential to resent or hate other races or classes of people feels fairly ridiculous. I actually felt a love for the Hispanic culture depicted. If they are afraid that we may learn to hate or resent white people, it would not be unwarranted (speaking as a white person), though it really isn't in the book that I recall.
Common Sense Media says it well: Parents need to know that Bless Me, Ultima makes it quite explicit that morals are subjective and not absolute. Catholicism is treated reverently, but its long-held and sometimes contradictory beliefs are constantly questioned. At the same time, pagan magic is depicted more as a Native American passion for and connection to the earth and its elements than as witchcraft.
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Journal Prompts from Summit Learning
Reader's Guide from National Endowment of the Arts
Lesson Plans from National Endowment of the Arts
