Young Adult Lit/Crit

Duke U Athletes

I meant to mention this last night--has anyone thought about INEXCUSABLE in relationship to the Duke case..the lacrosse players suspended for an alleged rape? I sure have. What do you think? KES

Do bad books make people do bad things?

Dawn's Girls Will be Girls post really got me thinking.  In it, she questions whether or not teachers should stock their shelves with books that might encourage sex, drugs, and rebellion.

Of course they should!  But they should also include titles that might appeal to a more conservative audience.

In an ideal world we wouldn't make it our place to judge, but to offer a diverse text set and then offer opportunities to discuss these texts.  In this way, we admit that life is complicated and demand that individuals be responsible for making good choices about their lives.

That's all for now,

Jacqueline

Seminar Invitation

Deja Vu!
After browsing recent  news articles, I began to wonder if the recent conflict in Iraq is an instant replay of the  Vietnam conflict?  Recent news headlines, reminiscent of those I remembered reading  during the Vietnam conflict, report  anti-war protests on college campuses and in cities around the  globe  in response to  the 3rd anniversary of U.S. involvement in Iraq.  Political cartoons depict governmental "concern" over the conflict. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world young men proudly give their lives in the fight for peace.

Why study about Vietnam?
1. According to Herz and Gallo, contemporary teens have a greater interest in the Vietnam conflict than previous wars.
2. Interdisciplinary connections with American History classes.
3. Students can make connections with parents, family members, and  friends who are Vietnam  Vets.
4. Students will become aware of war and its effects.

My seminar focuses on the Vietnam conflict and  its effects on society and individuals. We will  examine and discuss four categories of Vietnam novels: the Vietnam experience, the war at home, the refugee experience, and the next generation. The books to be reviewed include the following:
Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myer's
A Boat to Nowhere by Maureen Crane Wartski
In Country by Bobbie Ann Mason
Saigon Illinois by Paul Hoover

Please join me on April 13 during the second hour in a seminar about the Vietnam conflict, the first war fought on television and to a rock-and-roll soundtrack.

Nancy

What I'm writing - new for everyone, even my group...

So ok, I've now written the opening to my story three different times, and taken it in radically different directions. Sinc e I'm no longer writing the 'Coming-Out' narrative, I've had to dig into my characters and see how accepting of themselves they really are. I've decided that a lot of bravado will come through in the dialogue, but that a close reading of what actually happens reveals all the insecurities of any teenage boy when it comes to sex and sexuality.

Here's the opening to my story. The only that's remained consistent across all three drafts is the very first line. I just can't seem to shake it, and it's really the force driving the story:

“Well, you can’t rape the willing.” I said jokingly.

That’s how our relationship began. If you can even call it a relationship.

“Oh, and you’re willing?” Pete answered; only half joking.

“Maybe.”

I probably should have figured it out right from the start that all he was interested in was the sex. And, let’s face it, the sex was good. Too good. Sneaking around, getting away with it right under everyone’s nose – there’s just something fun about pissing off the heteros. Of course, they didn’t know anything. Never underestimate the power of denial.

So there we go, that's just as the curtain rises, so to speak. It's going to be taking place at Scout camp between Cole, 17 and Pete, 19. Cole's a councilor up at the camp, and Pete's there as an assistant scoutmaster. Figured it could be both provocative and controversial (and you know how I love controversy). I mean, they're only two years apart in age, but their roles have placed them into a situation where, technically, charges can be brough up. So it's going to deal with how Cole, the protagonist, deals with the fact that he actually loves Pete, who apparently was just in it for the sex and can't seem to wrap his mind around the idea of 'love'

It's the kind of thing I wish I'd been able to read as a kid, and my main difficulty will be in keep tone and language age-appropriate. Any feedback on the piece or requests for more are welcome. :)

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Girls will be girls

So when I read the article on what girls are reading, the "Clique" and "Gossip Girls" books, I was not surprised, since I had come across another article that mentions the censorship of these books in some libraries and schools. 

However, that does not mean that I am not outraged at the extent to which "Sex and the City" and other adult dramas have infiltrated the YAL.  Teens, sure, will read what they want to regardless, but the topics of these books not only seem to advertise, but to condone what they preach.  Honestly, I am predisposed to pick up one of these books to read before I disregard them (and I will), but what reviews I have read have not convinced me that the amorality included in these books is appropriate for teen girls. 

What should we do when girls WANT to read these books about sex and drugs and disregard for authority?  Sure, we want them to read and read whatever they can get there hands on, but aren't there some better options?  Is there anyway to use these books to segue into something less surface-level and with more complex, intriguing characters?  I would definitely hope so!

So, do we put these books as options for independent reading/book club in our classrooms, especially if teen girls request them? 

The choices seem to be: do we self-censor the books we include in our class libraries, or do we stock our shelves with all kinds of books for the picking of different students?

What do you think?

Dawn

An Excerpt From My Story

Alrighty, here's a sneak preview of my short story, or what will probably turn into a chapter to a longer piece.  It's not exactly realistic fiction, but it's not exactly fantasy. 

Here goes:

                  Mattea walked past the condemned building , peering into the murky darkness for the old woman.  Though she couldn't tell if the homeless woman with the baggy clothes and wrinkled, lined face was there, Mattea knew she would be.  She was always there, especially when Mattea needed to talk.

                  Squinting her eyes against the fading sunlight, she went to the door, trying to see where Rose was.  Abandoned boxes and empty crates sat in the dusty storefront beyond the partially borded doorframe, and Mattea pushed down the loose board, ducking through the gab and squeezing into the room without much difficulty.

                 "Rose?  Are you in here?" she called, her voice barely above a whisper.  She knew the old, bent woman tried to nap in the early afternoon (she liked the nighttime best of all), and she hoped she wasn't going to wake her needlessly.  Again.

... well, that's all for now.  a nice little tease. 

Comments??  Questions??  Suggestions??

Dawn ;)

Project Pandemonium

Hey everybody.  I have two projects for some reason.  First of all, I’m in the writing group with Chris, Jesse, and Nick.  I’m writing one long-ish short story.  It’s about a suburban drug dealer who gets himself in too deep.  Too deep into what?  That’s the mystery.  As he stumbles through his life trying to figure out what exactly is going on, he runs into a particularly bizarre character who is some unholy cross between Sherlock Holmes and Nicoli Machiavelli.  I’m keeping it vague for now, because you should know as little as possible about a mystery story before you read it.

My blog is my other project.  Frankly, I’m starting to regret it.  It’s like a galactic vacuum cleaner that sucks time.  If I had known it would be this much work, I would have done something easy… like technology tips! (Just kidding Dave.)  But I am proud of some of my more recent posts, so check it out if you want to read the BEST BLOG EVER!  The link is just over there in that column to the right.  But if you read it, you are obliged to leave a comment.  Feel free to tell me how brilliant I am.  Alternatively, feel free to tell me how much I suck.  It’s all the same to me.     

-James

Project Update

I have changed horses in midstream, so to speak, on my webquest project because I couldn't figure out how to set one up (without subscribing to a canned version).  So, I am now reviewing the 2002 Annenberg Foundation (PBS) video library   "Making Meaning in Literature."  The  first video is narrated by Judith Langer, Ph.D. , professor,  author, and director of CELA at SUNY Albany. Dr. Langer presents  model teachers and their classrooms to illustrate  how to empower student's learning and making meaning of literature through " envisionment." I promise to blog soon about what I learned in  detail.
Nancy

Stranger in a Strange Land

Wow! I feel like I fell off the face of Blogland and am trying to scramble back up over the ledge... Need... more... upperbody... strength...

My project: As some of you know, I have decided to resign from the writer's group. Unfortunately, the story I was planning to write as YA just doesn't feel like YA to me. It's a very important piece that I've invested a lot of time in, and I just can't allow myself to turn it into something it's not. I know, I know, I could start something new. Sad to say, but I don't think I have it in me right now.

Instead, my attention has shifted to creating a weblog for my students at Evergreen. I started teaching six new classes on Monday (Documentary, Lyrics & Poetry, Prisons, Horror, Multicultural Literature, and The American Family) and I'm hoping to build a bridge among those classes via the weblog.

Two problems have arisen so far: (1) My administrator still hasn't given me the go-ahead, and (2) I am scared to death! I will let you know when it is up and running so you can check it out.

Book Club: I'll be discussing Sexy tonight. I hope some more people will pick it up -- it's a fascinating read, extremely insightful. One of my goals for this class was to read YA books with male narrators. I'm proud to announce that I'm doing very well in that department.

Other things I'm thinking about: Spring is here. I am exhausted. I feel sick and anxious ninety percent of the time. Is this what they call senioritis?