Young Adult Lit/Crit

A question for Mary P.

Hi, Mary!  As you know, we finished reading AROLS and discussed it last Thursday.  An amazing book -- I found it difficult to put down and can only imagine how it might have impacted me when I was a young adult -- seems like a long time ago!  I teach at an alternative school and think Zoe would fit in just perfectly here.  In fact, I've seen many Zoes come and go throughout my short tenure.

Here's a question our group was still left with after our discussion: The narrator reports that Zoe's grandmother used to take Zoe and Kyle when they were small, and seems to suggest that she was very good to them, to both of them.  We wondered what happened between that earlier time and the present to change the grandmother into such a cold, hardened woman?

Thanks again for such a great read,

Jacqueline

Congratulations!!

I have just had word that the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators has just awarded Mary Pearson their coveted GOLDEN KITE award for A ROOM ON LORELEI STREET. This is the only such award given by fellow/sister writers and illustrators of books for children and young adults. The award won't be officially announced until March 1, but I thought you would be interested in an advance notice. Congratulations Mary.-- English 619, SUNY Cortland

Mary Pearson Podcast!

It's Dave!  I actually did some work on a Friday night (very unlike me) and the Mary Pearson/"A Room On Lorelei Street" podcast is completed!  Mary, I just relistened to it one more time before I uploaded it, and I realized that (while I thank you several times for reading the blog and commenting on our posts) I never thanked you for the book itself!  I think I speak for everyone when I say that it is a great read and you are a very talented author!  Thank you, once again.

(Before you open this, be advised that the intro music... not to mention the "outro" music... comes in pretty strong with no warning whatsoever.  Something I need to work on, I guess.  Anyway, be forewarned.)

Here's the podcast!  Enjoy!

Shout Out

Hi all-

I just wanted to give a shout out to Mary Pearson and my lit. circle.  Mary- your book was wonderful to both read and discuss.  Among other things, our lit. circle discussed the difference between reading for pleasure and performing a more analytical reading.  We worried that turning a critical lens on many books  diminishes the pure emotional connection that exists between the reader and the text.   Most of us have not only seen that happen in classrooms, but experienced it ourselves.  Your novel, however, thrives not only as a wonderfully personal read, but also as an example of layered and nuanced literature. 

By the way, the title seems like an allusion to Woolf's "A Room of One's Own."  If you have time, I would love to hear why you wanted to allude to that text and what implicit/explicit connections you are trying to make.

Warm regards,

Chris.

Discussion 2

Hi Everyone!

I just wanted to send out a few possible questions for us all to think on for Thursday night's upcoming discussion:

On pages 10-12 of the text, Zoe and her teacher Mrs. Jackson have a stand-off of sorts.  As aspiring teachers and life-long students, I am curious as to how these two rolls co-exist / conflict in us as we read this exchange- and as such, where our empathy lies.  Also, how might we translate such an exchange to our  interactions with our own future students?

As a sub-question, even though Zoe is not the narrator, we are given direct insight into her perspectives and thoughts.  If we question Zoe's reliability, how might characters such as Mrs. Jackson or Grandma be viewed differently?  Does having only the view-point of Zoe negatively skew later exchanges we have with each?  Does this limited point-of-view force the reader to project more of themselves into scenes or characters of the text than if we fully trusted our narrator?

Another aspect of YA lit. I am extremely interested in are the bridges we might make between the themes of the text between our own lives,  as well as other genres and works of literature.  Drawing from a character, scene, or general them, what are some connections you made with AROLS between  yourselves?  For example, I think Zoe's room  serves as a metaphor that forces us to individually question the extent our dreams can turn to obsessions- obsessions that could begin to morph or retard our dreams.  How much of our lives are controlled by these dreams/desires/obsessions and how dangerous this may be if there are no checks in our lives?   Returning to our dual roll as teachers  and as students, fleshing out a theme like this might make our students more self-aware and more aware of the problems that everyone is battling.  To what extent might fleshing out a theme such as this in class might also open up more candid, personal relationships with our students?  How might we use texts like AROLS to do this?

I hope this helps some or at least in disagreeing with me, sparks other veins of discussion. Thanks everyone!

a chopped up conversation

I appreciate all of your responses to A Room on Lorelei Street.  It is so interesting for me to see how each reader has a slightly different focus.  And NJP, don't worry if you can only relate to Zoe through your shared vice ; )  We all have to start somewhere, right? 

I have to confess, I am having a bit of a time navigating through the blog/categories.  I am sure I read a post--I think from Jackie--where she mentioned that family was everything to her--but now I can't find that post to comment!  Anyway, if it was you, Jackie, I am a family person too.  And so my mother doesn't come back and haunt me from her grave, I have to say that Mama in the story in not based on my mother.  Actually, I think because my mother was so dedicated to her family, I was able to recognize dysfunction when I saw it at a very early age.  And if you notice at the front of the book, it is dedicated to Helen and Dorothy.  These are my "mothers", my mother and my mother-in-law, both of whom died in the process of writing this book.  They were both examples of what mothers should be.  (okay, mom, I set the record straight)

Matt, I agree, there oughta be a fund.  Or you should have to get a license to become a parent.  I am a former teacher and while I encounterd a lot of wonderful parents, all it takes is one or two negligent ones to ignite your outrage.

Jack, I've mused a lot myself on how far obligations go.  And then wondered when does obligation and loyalty cross the line and become enabling?  Whether we have alcoholics in our lives or not, I think we have all encountered times where boundaries were crossed and we had to put our foot down, not just for our own sakes but others as well.  It is wrestling with when that time comes that can unhinge us.

oh, and Jack, I know that recently on YALSA they came up with a whole list of books that dealt with body image.  I am not sure if there is a way to access that or if you can have someone pass it along to you, but a few books off the top of my head that deal with body image are:

UNEXPECTED DEVELOPMENT by Marlene Perez

STAYING FAT FOR SARAH BYRNES by Chris Crutcher

THE EARTH, MY BUTT, and OTHER BIG ROUND THINGS by Carolyn Mackler

DANCING IN RED SHOES WILL KILL YOU by Dorian Cirrone

FUNNY LITTLE MONKEY by Andrew Auseon

ALT ED by Catherine Atkins

You might also check Nancy Keane's site (www.nancykeane.com)  She has booktalks by subject listed.

Professor Stearns asked me if I would talk a bit about my WIP.  I can't say too much yet, but it is nearly done and right now it has the working title of SLIVER, which will surely change since someone told me that is also the title of a bad Sharon Stone movie.  It is very different from my other books--a near future story about a girl who has lost her memory and piece by piece she comes to understand why.  It deals with science and ethics and just how far a parent will go to save their child.  It is nearly finished and I hope to have it off to my editor in the next month or so--but lately life has been getting in the way so it might be a bit longer than that.

Nancy, thank you for the stats.  If you figure in other types of substance abuse and emotional abuse we can see that there are a lot of Zoe's out there.

I just realized that by now you are probably all at class.  I hope you have a great discussion.  I am sure you will bring up things I never thought of.  As I always say, I don't own the words, I just put them down.

all best,

Mary

Lorelei Street

Some alcohol-related statisics:
Alcohol abuse is the 4th leading cause of death among people in the 10 - 24 age bracket.
The average age that kids begin to drink is 12.
One out of 4 children are exposed to alcoholism in their families.
You can find more facts about alcohol at the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry "Children of Alcoholics" page at:
http://www.aacap.org/publications/factsfam/alcohlc.htm
(I hope that linked).
So, if I have a class of 20 students, at least 5 of them may have the same family life experiences as Zoe. You can bet that I will keep AROLS in my classroom :-)

Nancy

Thinking

This book really makes me think, and it is important to read, every so often, something that makes you question life and other large questions.  For me, it makes me wonder why certain people, like Zoe, are born into the most difficult lot in life possible, and why it is usually family that makes you test your strength, will, and emotional reserves to fight them for your own independence!?  If Mama hadn't lost "the love of her life" would she have spiralled downward, trying to take her children with her?  If Zoe wasn't there, what would have happened to Kyle?  And if Grandma would only LISTEN to what Zoe was saying, couldn't she see that her favorite daughter, the "miracle child," was ruining her own children's lives?!? 

I really see a lot Zoe's misfortunes in the lives of young adults, though to a lesser degree.  Adults don't really understand what is going on in the youth of America, and the world, today.  They don't see and they don't, probably, want to see!  Adolescents have to work, for the most part, to supplement the family income!  It is crazy how many students lead double or triple lives, trying to juggle more than we could probably imagine (I was one of them!), and yet, our demands for them only increase and make their burdens heavier. 

"If only" seems to be a common factor in Zoe's life and her issues with her family.  She is tough and strong, but ALONE, and if only she had someone to tell everything to, she might be able to regain her sense of community with at least another soul!

I'm more than halfway done with the book, so don't spoil it tonight!!

Dawn :)

Simple Reader Response

I don't know Zoe.  I can't feel her.  Ms. Person holds her out like a chocolate she wants me to taste...

But I don't know what it's like to be parent to a parent,

To

Bury  a father and not be able to watch a younger brother grow.

But that doesn't mean I can't share in obligation and the realization of dreams.  Zoe often dreams but cannot envision herself IN the dreams.  How many of us envision ourselves in our dreams?

Who has more of an obligation, each to the other--Zoe's mother or Zoe?  Does Zoe's obligation to her own well-being trump her obligation to her mother?  Is obligation itself obligatory?

What happens if there is no obligation to anyone, for anyone?  Is obligation then replaced by love, affection, desire--other emotions that are perhaps more difficult to comprehend?  I think maybe those other emotions are what create obligation.

All I'm  saying is that I am enjoying the story.  The joy of the book is peeking through Pearson's perspective on a troubled, female adolescence.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Train Wreck in Slo-Mo

Zoe, no.  Oh, Zoe don't do it.  What the hell?  You're going to have a change of heart right?  Oh shit...look what just happened.

It was one of those things that you had this feeling it was going to come to, but you just had to hope against hope that it wasn't going to happen.  I reaffirm my earlier statement; Zoe is stong, stronger than I. 

There oughta be a teenage rent fund so that stuff doesn't happen.

-Matt W