February Reads

February is Black History Month... and I'm still pondering the idea of resistance.... so I spent some time reading texts having to do with race relations and/or the Civil Rights Movement. With some other issues of discrimination being forefront in the news and my mind, it has been an interesting reading month. So here's what I read....

6) Our Time Together by Carol Burnett ****
(Hollywood, CA - Memoir)
Carol Burnett is by far one of the funniest women in entertainment. Her facial expressions are amazing and her sense of time is impeccable. This was actually her second memoir... but focused more on her career than her first. She talked some about her early life with her eccentric parents, but focused more on the process of her comedy and the shape it took with the people around her. It was fun to hear the more detailed side of some of my favorite sketches of hers. I listened to this one so there were probably times when the people driving next to me wondered what on Earth I was doing as I was laughing so hard down the road. Anyway.... here's one of my favorites of hers (You have to view it in two parts...sorry the quality's not great. What can I say, they're old and probably pirated):




7) Into the Wild by Jon Krauker ****
(Healy, AK)
This is a story of a man who goes into the wilds of Alaska and, unfortunately, finds his demise. The author tells of others adventurers and the many theories about the young man's death.  I appreciated the research that went into telling this timeline and the ideas of finding peace in God's world.

8) The Explosive Child by Ross Greene ****
Okay... this has 4 stars if you have a child who throws wild and crazy tantrums. It's also a 4 star if you're a psychologist looking for a way to help children who throw wild and crazy tantrums. Other than that, it's probably just a lot of babble. Psychobabble.

9) To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee *****
(Maycomb County, AL - 1001)
I love this book. I love Scout, her innocence, and her sense of justice. I love her trust of Atticus and Jim and her questioning of the 'status quo.' I love that she was a ham. Literally. I just love it. That is all.

10) Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman ****
(Savannah, GA)
This story reminded me some of The Secret Life of Bees but not quite as realistic. I'm not sure why, but it just wasn't. It was set in the 1960s and mentions a few moments of race relations, but doesn't bring it to the foreground like I thought it might. Anyway, it's a sweet story of a young girl reclaiming her life in the care of old southern debutantes. The eccentric neighbors and growing family add unique characters to a fairly simple plot. I also really liked the idea of 'finding your fire.'

11) Black Boy, White School by Brian F. Walker ***1/2
(Hoover, Maine)
I liked this book, but won't recommend it to any of my close friends/family due to language. As it is written, I'm assuming, for young African American males, the language is (in my opinion) stereotypical and derogatory. Unfortunately, it is what I hear more often than not coming out of the mouths of the students I work with. Does that make it good reading for them, as it is something they can relate to? I have mixed feelings. But I did appreciate the story line. Finding a niche in an environment where you are different is a journey of character, and one that I think a lot of people have to take. So would I recommend this book to some of my students? Probably. But with most books I recommend to students, I'd want to have a discussion before, during, and after reading.

12) Sources of Light by Margaret McMullan *****
(Jackson, MS)
This story was set in Jackson, MI in 1963 and is told from the point of view of an adolescent girl. She finds herself in the middle of the Civil Rights Movement and is trying to figure out who her friends are and who's right. With some references to photography and finding light in the shadows, it brings a unique analogy to the idea of right and wrong.

13) Farewell Summer by Ray Bradbury ***
(Illinois)
I liked the fist 85% of this book... I enjoy Ray Bradbury and his use of imagery and enjoyed the idea of this story. Waging war on the end of summer or waging war on young miscreants... good times. Then there was the last 15%. It was bizarre and completely unrelated. No bueno.

Time and Place

There is a time and place for everything.

School is usually not it.

Twinge-y

Occasionally I tell my chiropractor that my back feels 'twinge-y.' It doesn't really hurt... but old injuries make it a little uncomfortable. Nothing to write home about, but enough that I take notice.

Sometimes it's like that with Valentine's Day. I'm really not unhappy being single... but, seeing all the flowers, chocolates, jewelry, etc that comes flowing to my friends and co-workers (and my sisters and mom, right??) from their significant others, my lonely bone remembers that I won't likely receive any such sentiments. It doesn't really hurt... but it twinges. Just a little.

Sorry

Dear Parent,
I'm sorry I scared you.... because I really hope the only reason you responded the way you did was because of fear. I'd be scared, too.

I'm sorry I had to tell you what I did... but I had to. Because your student needs you to know.
I'm sorry we've bombard you with a whole slew of 'professionals' that, in your experience, lead up to nothing but trouble.
I'm sorry we've all been trying to talk to you, thinking we were on the same page, when clearly we were not.
I'm sorry that you feel like we've been ganging up on you... we're just trying to help your student. But it became very clear to me today that we've been going about in all the wrong ways.
I'm sorry that you can't trust us... and that we seem untouchable.
I'm sorry that you're frustrated...I can only imagine what it's like for you.
I'm sorry that we made such a scene today... but we were scared, too.
I'm sorry that you think we think your student is broken... they're not. They are beautiful and wonderful and we love them. But there are things on which they could improve. That doesn't mean there's something wrong with them... or with you.
I'm sorry if it seems like we're coming after you and that we hurt your feelings... we want you on our team; but our recruitment efforts obviously need some fine-tuning.

I'm sorry I hurt you...
...please, will you forgive me?

Stealth Mode

I like driving my car...

...in stealth mode...

...with the windows down.

It's just so quiet...

just sayin'