A Single Shard - Asian American Literature

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY


Park, Linda Sue. A SINGLE SHARD. New York: Clarion, 2001. ISBN 0395978270.


2. PLOT SUMMARY

Tree-ear has lived under a bridge with Crane-man for as long as he can remember, foraging for food from trash heaps and gathering rice left behind in fields after the harvest. Tree-ear and Crane-man are honorable, and believe in hard work. Tree-ear has become interested in the work of the master potter Min, hiding behind the leaves of a paulownia tree to watch the master create the beautiful celadon pieces prized by royalty and temples, until one day, Tree-ear accidentally damages one of Min’s pieces and begins to work off the debt by doing chores for Min. Hoping that this will lead to a time when Min will teach Tree-ear to throw pots on the wheel, Tree-ear works diligently for the short-tempered potter. After the debt is paid off, Tree-ear continues to work for Min, still hoping for that longed-for day when he, too, can learn to be a potter. Eighteen months later, still having not been allowed to work the potter’s wheel, Tree-ear volunteers to do a dangerous yet important job for Min with an unexpected outcome.


3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This novel won Linda Sue Park the Newbery Medal in 2002 for good reason. A beautiful story with a few twists and turns throughout, A Single Shard creates vivid pictures of the life of a young orphan boy and what it might have been like to be homeless in 12th century Korea at a time when virtually no one was homeless. “Have you eaten well today?” was the standard greeting among villagers. However, Tree-ear, and his guardian of the last 10 years Crane-man have turned the saying upside down, greeting each other with, “Have you hungered well today?” as their own little joke, for hunger is a constant companion for the pair. Tree-ear has happened upon a windfall of rice unexpectedly, and thus opens the story of this boy, who is perhaps twelve according to Crane-man’s estimations. Although the setting is foreign to young readers today, the descriptions are so vivid that readers can easily make mental pictures of the setting and the characters, as well as their daily activities as the village potters and their assistants prepare for the arrival of the royal emissary who will offer a commission to one of the lucky potters in the village.

The “Author’s Note” at the end of the novel explains several of the interesting points in the story, including the evolution of the role of potters in Korea, why the homelessness of Tree-ear and Crane-man would have been highly unusual in 12th century Korea, and even why Tree-ear may have had an irrational fear of foxes. The notes help provide the details of Park’s research that led to plot points and setting descriptions in the novel and are quite interesting.

Similar to Tracy Chevalier’s novel Girl with a Pearl Earring in which Chevalier creates a fictional account of how Vermeer’s painting of the same name came to be created, Park uses the famous "Thousand Cranes Vase, “the finest example of inlaid celadon pottery ever discovered [that] has been dated to the twelfth century,” and one of Korea’s most prized treasures, as the springboard for this novel. While the names of people, places, and artifacts may be difficult to pronounce, Park weaves the culture of 12th Century Korea seamlessly through the story in a way that is easy for the reader to follow. The only spot that gave me any trouble at all were the opening four paragraphs, which upon rereading twice, for a total of three times through, finally made sense. This worried me for the rest of the novel, causing me to believe I would not like it. That is unfortunate because this is one of the best stories I have ever read. I hope that the problems I encountered with the opening of the story were due to some reason specific to me, and not what other readers will experience. I would hate to think that a reader would not continue past the first page due to confusion surrounding the joke about the greetings with which the story begins.

While there is some predictability to the ending of the story, readers will nonetheless undoubtedly enjoy reading of Tree-ear’s experiences in this novel that covers approximately two years of his life, ending with a jump far into the future in the final paragraphs – a trip worth taking with him in this beautiful novel of determination and hope.


4. REVIEW EXCERPTS

*Publishers Weekly: “Park molds a moving tribute to perseverance and creativity in this finely etched novel set in mid- to late 12th-century Korea. . . . Readers will not soon forget these characters or their sacrifices.”

*Booklist: “This quiet, but involving story draws readers into a very different time and place. Though the society has its own conventions, the hearts and minds and stomachs of the characters are not so far removed from those of people today. Readers will feel the hunger and cold that Tree-ear experiences, as well as his shame, fear, gratitude, and love. A well-crafted novel with an unusual setting.”

*School Library Journal: “This quiet story is rich in the details of life in Korea during this period. In addition it gives a full picture of the painstaking process needed to produce celadon pottery. However, what truly stands out are the characters: the grumpy perfectionist Min; his kind wife; wise Crane-man; and most of all, Tree-ear, whose determination and lively intelligence result in good fortune. Like Park's Seesaw Girl (1999) and The Kite Fighters (2000, both Clarion), this book not only gives readers insight into an unfamiliar time and place, but it is also a great story.”


5. CONNECTIONS

• Go to this website to see examples of pottery that Linda Sue Park based her descriptions on. The pictures are fascinating, particularly after having read the book. http://www.lindasuepark.com/books/singleshard/singleshardbs.html

• This feature from the Metropolitan Museum of Art allows readers to interactively explore Korean ceramics with questions and pictures. Also on the opening page, readers can click on “Arts of Korea” in the text, then click on “Ceramics” and finally on any of the three pots under “Koryo Dynasty” to see further examples of the celadon pottery created by the masters of the 12th and 13th centuries. http://www.metmuseum.org/explore/celadon/html/startpage.htm

• In the “faq” section of her webpage, Park gives an address where readers can write, and if they include a self addressed, stamped envelope, she says she will write back and send an autograph! Have students write her a letter, including a return envelope, and see what happens. http://www.lspark.com/index.html

• Have students rewrite a scene from the book from one of the other character’s point of view – Min, Min’s wife, or Crane-man.

The Year of the Dog - Asian American Literature

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY


Lin, Grace. THE YEAR OF THE DOG. New York: Little, Brown, and Company, 2006. ISBN 0316060003.


2. PLOT SUMMARY

When Pacy finds out that it is the Year of the Dog, which is a good year for making friends and “finding yourself,” she decides to find out exactly who she is going to be when she grows up. She makes a new best friend when another Taiwanese girl comes to her school, and she finds out more about her close-knit family, but as she tries to figure out who she is supposed to be, she hits one snag after another, from losing the science contest, to talking herself out of trying out for the lead in the play. Pacy is afraid she will never figure it out. She doesn’t seem to be very good at anything. But just as time is running out on this Year of the Dog, something happens and she suddenly knows exactly what she will do with her life.


3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This first novel by prolific children’s author and illustrator is a delightful read. Told in first person from elementary-aged Pacy’s point of view, the reader will find stories within the story as Pacy’s mom and other friends or relatives stop to tell a story. “Did I ever tell you about Grandma and the paper piano?” Pacy’s mother asks. Then in a different font, a story is launched, including its title “The Paper Piano.” Pacy learns about her family through these stories, most of which help Pacy learn about her history and help her clarify confusions she has about who she is. Is she “Chinese,” “Taiwanese,” or “American”? Why is has her name been Pacy all her life until she starts school where suddenly she is now known as Grace? Her loving parents help her start to sort through some of the issues she has with being from a parallel culture.

Included throughout the novel are line drawings which Lin has included in just the right places to help the reader picture what the story is about. Children who are Chinese or Taiwanese will see themselves in these pictures of how to draw a dog for the Year of the Dog, what a New Year Tray looks like, and what the symbols for “tiger” and “pig” look like that Grandma painted on Pacy’s neck. Children who are not from these cultures will have a deeper understanding of what Pacy’s family is like.

Cultural markers are included throughout, again to the benefit of Chinese American children as well as those from other cultures. Sayings are directly translated in the same sentence or the following one. “ ‘Gong xi-gong xi! Xin Nian hao!’ they said. ‘Happy Chinese New Year!’ ” Pacy’s family eats foods like roasted duck, fried rice with pink shrimp, golden brown dumplings, steamed buns “that looked like enormous marshmallows,” New Year candy, and pan fried fish. They participate in the Red Egg party for baby Albert, and combine traditions from both Chinese holidays and American holidays as they celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas. The cultural markers are woven naturally and easily into the story, with enough description of each to help the reader understand anything that is unfamiliar, without going overboard and making the book feel didactic.

In an “Author’s Note” at the end of the story, readers find out that this book is inspired by Lin’s life, and while it’s “mostly true” some things did get “switched around and mixed up.” Readers age 8-12 will particularly enjoy this novel. It would be a lovely first chapter book for the readers at the younger end of the scale.


4. REVIEW EXCERPTS

*Publishers Weekly: “Lin creates an endearing protagonist, realistically dealing with universal emotions and situations," in this "autobiographical tale of an Asian-American girl's sweet and funny insights on family, identity and friendship.”

*Booklist: “Lin does a remarkable job capturing the soul and the spirit of books like those of Hayward or Maud Hart Lovelace, reimagining them through the lens of her own story, and transforming their special qualities into something new for today's young readers.”

*School Library Journal: “This is an enjoyable chapter book with easily identifiable characters.”


5. CONNECTIONS

• Lin invites readers to find out which parts of her book are exactly true and which are not. Have students go to her web page to find out which is which. www.gracelin.com

• Have students write about an incident in their lives, punctuating the story with simple drawings. Which parts of their story would most benefit from drawings to help the reader understand?

• Grace Lin’s husband Robert died a few years after they were married from cancer. Before his death, Grace wrote a book called Robert’s Snow about a mouse who wasn’t allowed to play in the snow. Later, she and Robert created a fundraiser where they bought 150 flat wooden snowflakes and asked their children’s book artist friends to paint them. They auctioned them off, raising over $100,000. View some of the snowflakes, then have students create some. Students might even want to participate in the 2010 Robert’s Snowflakes for Cancer Cure by donating to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute http://www.gracelin.com/content.php?page=family_robert

Tea with Milk - Asian American Literature

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY


Say, Allen. TEA WITH MILK. New York: Walter Lorraine Books, 1999. ISBN 0395904951.


2. PLOT SUMMARY

May was born in the United States and has lived there all her life when her parents decide they are homesick and move the family back to Japan when May is a teenager. Now she doesn’t fit in at all. Although both her parents are from Japan and May speaks Japanese, she’s more American in the sight of her classmates and teachers than she is Japanese. She’s tired of trying to sit on the floor like a “proper Japanese lady” and is appalled when her parents hire a matchmaker to find her a proper husband. May feels like an outsider and longs to be an independent woman like she would have been in America where she would have graduated from high school and gone to college if her family had stayed there. One day, she puts on the brightest dress she has brought from the United States and sets out to find a life that fits who she wants to be. Will May find her place in this strange land that is foreign, but at the same time, “home”?


3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Allen Say’s story about his mother’s journey toward finding “home” is a moving story. Filled with the heartache of her situation, May is sympathetically portrayed in both words and illustrations. Say describes May in realistic terms that help the reader understand the serious feelings she is experiencing without getting sappy or heavy handed. “Once they arrived in Japan, she felt even worse. Her new home was drafty, with windows made of paper. She had to wear kimonos and sit on floors until her legs went numb. No one called her May, and Masako sounded like someone else’s name. . . .I’ll never get used to this place, she thought with a heavy heart.” Writing teachers are constantly admonishing their students to “show, not tell” when they write. Say does an exceptional job of showing through his words what May is going through.

But his words are not the only story-tellers in this book. Say’s watercolor paintings are some of the most expressive paintings I’ve seen. The illustration accompanying the passage excerpted above is one of a hopelessly sad teenager who lives in a place that does not feel like home. The slight tilt to her head, the flat gaze lacking any spark, and the down turned mouth of girl who has exchanged dress for kimono and is surrounded by the trappings of a Japanese home all draw the reader into the life of this girl who is extremely unhappy. Together the words and illustrations take us through the life of a young woman who is born in the United States to Japanese parents, and who learns to find home and happiness in a world she did not choose.

Tea with Milk is generally stated as being for grades K-6, with Booklist placing it in the grades 4-8 age range. However, I am sure the students of immigrant families I work with in high school would be able to relate to the feelings May expresses. They are first generation Americans, having been born in the U.S. of parents born in other countries, and don’t feel quite right in either place. Students who feel out of step in both their birthplace (U.S.), and their parents’ birthplace (generally a Central American country), will relate to May and how hard it is to fit in when you don’t fit in.

My only complaint with Tea with Milk is the title. Throughout the book, Say uses the phrase “tea with milk and sugar.” I would have liked for the title to be the full phrase and wonder why he shortened it. Otherwise, this is a wonderful story of a young person trying to find a place in the world.


4. REVIEW EXCERPTS

*Publishers Weekly: “Say's masterfully executed watercolors tell as much of this story about a young woman's challenging transition from America to Japan as his eloquent, economical prose . . . . Through choice words and scrupulously choreographed paintings, Say's story communicates both the heart's yearning for individuality and freedom and how love and friendship can bridge cultural chasms.”

*Library Journal: “This perfect marriage of artwork and text offers readers a window into a different place and time.”

*School Library Journal: “This is a thoughtful and poignant book that will appeal to a wide range of readers, particularly our nation's many immigrants who grapple with some of the same challenges as May and Joseph, including feeling at home in a place that is not their own.”


5. CONNECTIONS

• Before reading the book, show students the illustration on p. 7 where May is in Japan, dressed in traditional Japanese clothing in a Japanese home. Have students write their own story about this girl. What is she thinking? What is happening to her? After writing their own stories, read the book aloud and discuss similarities and differences between the book and the students’ stories.

• Have students write definitions of “home.” What does it mean when someplace feels like home? Students who are from parallel cultures may want to share their experiences with their classmates.

• May hates sitting on the floor in Japan where her legs go numb. Show students pictures from other cultures that include differences in foods, furniture, customs, etc. What is something you would particularly miss if you had to leave the culture of the U.S. to live somewhere else?

Navajo: Visions and Voices Across the Mesa - Native American Literature

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY


Begay, Shonto. NAVAJO: VISIONS AND VOICES ACROSS THE MESA. New York: Scholastic Inc., 1995. ISBN 0590461532.


2. PLOT SUMMARY

In this volume, Shonto Begay, celebrated Navajo artist, pairs 20 of his paintings collected from his body of work with 20 of his original poems and prose writings to present an intimate view of Navajo life. From the perspective of someone who endures the “constant struggle for balance – balance in living between the “New World” and the ancient world of [his] people, the Navajo,” we see the past and the present, the ancient and the modern, the spiritual and the every day expressed in his deeply personal words and pictures.


3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Shonto Begay begins this volume with an Introduction which is both touching and revealing. He describes the painful time in the past when he was sent to a boarding school at the age of five as required by law, and moves into the present where he splits his time between his “square-cornered house” during the week surrounded by all the modern conveniences, to his Hogan built on the site of his birthplace where he spends his weekends with no electricity, running water, television or telephone, and where no English is spoken. The Introduction sets the stage for the words and pictures that will reveal a life that embraces both past and present.

Begay dedicates this volume to those who do not know what it is like to be an Indian. “To those who yearn for vision into our world, I give this collection of paintings, which are pieces of myself.” And it is the paintings which are the strength of this volume. Most are originally acrylic on canvas, with a few being watercolor, pencil and ink on paper. But they all present strong pictures of the life of the Navajo, both past and present, drawing the viewer into a sparse but warm kitchen, to a deserted hogan where someone has died, or out to the empty villages of the Anasazi who were blown away by a strong wind for their disobedience long before the Navajo arrived. Portrayals of people still living are warm and welcoming – people we would like to meet if we had the chance. Spirits of the past subtly haunt the backgrounds of some where the people are no longer present in the physical sense.

The poems are intensely personal and strictly Navajo, but do not have the same power as the paintings. Still, they will give the reader a sense of what the life of the modern Navajo is like as the traditions and teachings of the past meld with the modern world. Begay’s volume is organized “in a certain order to recreate the essence of my world.” He begins with the spiritual world and the traditional stories, to the Navajo community and rituals, and finally ends on a note of hope for this and future generations. “In My Mother’s Kitchen” is my personal favorite, both the painting and the poem. In the hectic suburban lifestyle I lead, it is a chance to escape to a peaceful, warm, restful place, and in some regards, experience life as it seems it should be and as I often wish it were.

This volume is a wonderful collection that will speak to readers through both words and visuals. Navajo: Visions and Voices Across the Mesa should be included in libraries and classrooms where readers can experience the beauty that is the Navajo Nation. This volume is the newest addition to my personal library.


4. REVIEW EXCERPTS

*Publishers Weekly: “With these heartfelt paintings, poems and memoirs, the noted Navajo artist fulfills his stated goal of taking the reader ``into the corners of my world, the Navajo world. . . . each reveals an intimate knowledge of a people in harmony with the land.”

*Children’s Literature: “By pairing his striking oil paintings with powerful and graceful poetry, Navajo artist Shonto Begay shares many aspects of his life and culture in a very personal way. As explained in the introduction, the twenty paintings and poems cover a wide range of Navajo life, from memories of his past, to rituals, and his feelings about protecting the earth. This beautiful, large-format picture book should appeal to a wide range of readers.”

*Booklist: “Although his poetry especially speaks to the ongoing struggle of living in a "dual society," his paintings are firmly rooted in the Navajo culture. His work is not angry or sentimental; there is an honesty and straightforwardness that allows his readers/viewers insight into his world-view. The variety of images reflects the complexity of life that many contemporary Navajo face. An excellent addition to poetry and art collections.”

*School Library Journal: “Powerful and appealing in both word and image, this reflective book should find a wide audience of sympathetic readers.”


5. CONNECTIONS

• Create a sensory chart by labeling five columns “sight,” “sound,” “taste,” “touch,” and “smell.” Place the images from the poem “In My Mother’s Kitchen” (p. 21) into the chart in order to see how Begay uses all the senses to help us feel like we are in the kitchen with him.

• Have students use “In My Mother’s Kitchen” (p. 21) as a template for writing a poem about a room in their own house or apartment. Use sensory images (as analyzed above) to help the reader feel as if he or she is there.

• Compare the creation story of “Creation” (p. 10) with the creation story from Genesis 1 in the Bible. Find creation stories from other cultures to read and compare. How are they alike? How do they differ?

• Many of the paintings seem to be inspired by pointillism – a style of painting where the paint is dotted onto the canvas. (See pp. 19, 20, 38, 41-42 for examples) Try creating a piece of art using the same technique.

Indian Shoes - Native American Literature

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY


Smith, Cynthia Leitich. INDIAN SHOES. Illustrated by Jim Madsen. New York: HarperCollins, 2002. ISBN 0803722761.


2. PLOT SUMMARY

Ray Halfmoon has been living with his Grampa Halfmoon in Chicago since his parents were killed in a tornado when Ray was a baby. This collection of inter-related stories follows Ray and Grampa from one adventure to another, from babysitting the neighborhood’s pets when everyone is gone for Christmas to getting creative with a very bad homemade haircut. Ray loves his grampa, and the stories illuminate their relationship in a way that will make readers wish they had a grampa just like Ray’s.


3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Although Ray and his grampa are members of the Seminole-Cherokee Nation, their experiences are universal to any child living in the United States, and the stories will appeal particularly to younger elementary children, many of whom may have helped take care of a friend’s pet, or had an art project ruined by too much water in the paint, or gotten a bad haircut. Each chapter is a separate story about something that has happened in Ray’s life, and how his grampa helps him overcome the obstacles with love, encouragement, and sometimes just by letting Ray figure out what to do on his own. Children will enjoy the fact that something mentioned in one chapter will be mentioned in another, carrying threads of the story along the entire book, making it feel cohesive rather than just like six separate stories. For example, in one chapter, Grampa’s truck has died its final death, and in the next chapter, Ray and Grampa are in Grampa’s new truck. Even “the worst Christmas ever” turns into a beautiful Christmas when Ray and Grampa weather it together.

Cynthia Leitich Smith, a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation herself, weaves cultural markers skillfully into the text, making them a natural part of the story without feeling contrived. In one story, Grampa notices a pair of men’s moccasins in a thrift shop, which reminds him of home, and in another, Ray is tucked in bed, cozy under a Cherokee Seven Clans quilt, not willing to crawl out for a pre-dawn fishing trip with his grampa. Each chapter has two or three pencil and paper illustrations that accurately portray descriptions in the text. Ray and his grampa have facial features and coloring that look Native American without becoming stereotypical. Grampa has long dark hair held back in a ponytail, and both Ray and Grampa dress as anyone who lives in Chicago would dress - in jeans, t-shirts, sweaters, sneakers and boots. The relationship between grandfather and grandson is close and nurturing. Even though they do not live on a reservation but rather in a suburban neighborhood, the close multi-generational relationships that exist in Native American families are nicely portrayed between Ray and Grampa.

Although the stories never reveal Ray’s age, the activities he participates in along with the illustrations lead readers to believe that he is six or seven. His age, coupled with the simplicity of the stories and predictable plot structure will appeal to younger elementary readers.


4. REVIEW EXCERPTS

*Publishers Weekly: “Though the author affectingly portrays the strong bond between grandson and grandfather, the narrative bogs down with flowery or overwritten passages (e.g., "Ray's and Grampa's breath puffed cloudy as they trudged next door to the Wang home. In the driveway, Mrs. Wang's VW Bug waited to be freed from the snow like a triceratops skeleton embedded in rock"). Kids may have trouble sticking with this collection.”

*School Library Journal: “There are no mystical nature spirits or cathartic history lessons, only the everyday challenges common to any contemporary kid, as experienced by an Indian boy who is firmly grounded in his own family's heritage. With its unadorned portrayal of urban Indian life, Shoes is a good book for any elementary-aged reluctant reader, and a necessity for indigenous children everywhere.”

*Booklist: “The stories' strength lies in their powerful, poignant evocation of a cross-generational bond and in the description of the simple pleasures two charming characters enjoy.”

*Kirkus: “A very pleasing first-chapter book from its funny and tender opening salvo to its heartwarming closer. . . . An excellent choice for younger readers from the author of the bittersweet Rain Is Not My Indian Name (2001).”

*CCBC (Cooperative Children’s Book Center): “Smith has adroitly woven cultural details about her characters' Seminole-Cherokee heritage into the stories, and uses colloquial language to further enhance this fine collection of brief contemporary fiction.”


5. CONNECTIONS

• Research Cherokee Seven Clans quilts. What are they? Why are they made? This link shows an example of a Cherokee Seven Clans quilt.

http://museum.msu.edu/museum/tes/thc/exhibit%202.htm

Create a class quilt with blocks that represent the countries or nations that the students ancestors are from.

• Ray negotiates for the moccasins for his grampa because he understands that the moccasins represent “home.” Have children think about what represents home to them – what objects in their house are important to their parents?

• Have children find out what is in their homes that represent their ancestry. Perhaps have a show-and-tell time where children can bring something that is reflective of their family’s heritage.

The Heart of a Chief - Native American Literature

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY


Bruchac, Joseph. THE HEART OF A CHIEF. New York: Puffin Books, 1998. ISBN 0060295317.


2. PLOT SUMMARY

Chris Nicola is a member of the Penacook Nation, and he is leaving the reservation for the first time to attend the public middle school in town. Before long, Chris finds himself in the middle of two conflicts – one on the reservation where a casino is planned for the island in the heart of the reservation, and one at school where his English group is taking on the controversy over their school mascot, the Chiefs. Chris shows great courage as he expresses his opinions over these two issues while he and his family also deal with his alcoholic father. Through his thoughts and actions, Chris certainly shows that, even at his young age, he has the heart of a chief.


3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Bruchac’s novel opens with an "Author’s Note," explaining that because of the sensitivity of the issues in the novel (alcoholism, gambling, leadership), he is not using an existing reservation. Instead, he has created one where none exists. While the Penacook Nation is real, there is no reservation in New Hampshire, and in fact, there is currently no state or federally recognized Penacook community. However, the Penacook is a nation that is part of Bruchac’s own Western Abenaki people. Bruchac’s view of “contemporary Indian America” comes from years of working with Native American kids as an insider, and while this particular reservation is fictitious, the Nation is not, and Bruchac has insider knowledge.

This insider view seems to provide the sensitivity toward the issues included in the story, while still portraying the seriousness of each one. But it almost feels as if Bruchac is trying to address every major issue faced by Native Americans in one book – just in case this is the one book students read. From my adult reader’s point of view, it feels as if he’s overdoing it by covering the issues of alcoholism, casino gambling, poverty, mascot names, and prejudice in one story.

The story is filled with Penacook vocabulary which is immediately translated literally into English, and phraseology that is common to the Penacook speakers (i.e. “the sun is two hand high above the hills” p. 74) It is also tightly packed with cultural markers and motifs, including mentioning Indian names which are not to be spoken under certain circumstances, notice by the characters of inaccurate portrayals of Pocahontas in a doll, and other American Indians in novels such as Sign of the Beaver and Indian in the Cupboard, and a reference to problems with the Thanksgiving story. Chris even gives a description of “real” Indians on pp. 23-24. The traditional and spiritual characters of Gluskabe (assistant to the Creator) and the Manogies (“little people” who keep watch over things) are included. Couple the Native American cultural issues with the cultural markers and the book almost overwhelms.

Nonetheless, Chris and the classmates in his group are likeable (and definitely overly mature for their age). The story centers around the issue of the school’s mascot and why "Chiefs" is not an appropriate choice. Readers will be curious how that plot line resolves as many community members inside and outside the Native American community become involved. The kids act with wisdom and intelligence. The plot line dealing with the casino to be built on the reservation provides some tense moments, but resolves quickly and easily (perhaps too easily). A third plot line involving Chris’s interaction with his alcoholic father who is in a rehab facility adds yet another dimension. The subplots slightly weigh down the overall effect of the novel, but are not confusing or difficult to follow.

With all these plots going at once and all the issues Chris must deal with at once, is the story believable? I don’t know. It all seems a bit heavy-handed and like Bruchac has an agenda with this story. However, it is in enjoyable read mostly because of the way he handles the characters, and curiosity about how both the school mascot issue and the casino issue will resolve will keep students reading.  It presents a strong portrayal of life for contemporary Native American children growing up in two worlds – that of the reservation and that of the outside – for children who live in both those worlds and those who do not.  Because this book is written by an insider, one who is additionally knowledgeable of how children respond, The Heart of a Chief has the potential to provide lots of thoughtful questions and discussion points for readers between 5th and 9th grades. 


4. REVIEW EXCERPTS

*Publishers Weekly: “Bruchac explores what it means to be Native American in a modern society through the perceptive first-person narrative of 11-year-old Chris Nicola. Chris’s compelling voyage of self-discovery is grounded in everyday events that readers will recognize . . . allowing readers to see into the heart of this burgeoning chief.”

*Children’s Literature: “Bruchac writes with a passion and understanding of life on the reservation and expresses contemporary Native American conflict beautifully through Chris’s words and stories.”

*Booklist: “Bruchac has trouble weaving the three strands into a unified whole: the conflicts emerge quickly and are resolved too easily. What works are Chris' dignified struggle and the honest dialogue, which is never preachy despite the book's overtly political themes. Bruchac perfectly captures a boy's pride in his culture and the pain and anger he feels when his rich identity is mocked by a "tomahawk chop" from a sports fan. Readers who see injustice in their own lives will admire how much Chris accomplishes with a simple message of respect.”

*School Library Journal: “This upbeat narrative does not disguise the harsh realities of reservation life or the social and emotional struggles of Native Americans. Rather, the qualities of leadership emerge in Chris as he taps into his rich cultural past, recognizes his own potential, and stands up for his values.”


5. CONNECTIONS

• Do some research like Chris’s class did; brainstorm controversial topics and research them, preparing a class presentation. Or research Chris’s group’s topic of Native American mascot names. Do you agree with Chris’s group that it is disrespectful?

• Think about the management tools Chris employed as leader of his group (p. 95) – the talking stick and the fact that every member must agree with group decisions. Have small groups try these discussion rules. Many classrooms already utilize the “talking stick” idea, so students may be used to it, but have they ever tried it in a small group? Have them try it and report back their reaction.  Are there other "norms" small groups thing are important to employ?  What are they and why?

• Discuss the mascot issue. Provide articles about it, examples of schools that have changed their names, etc. Is it possible to “accidentally” offend someone even when you didn’t mean to? What should be done about that?

• Are there inaccuracies in how your own culture is portrayed or perceived by outsiders? How does it make you feel? Is there such a thing as being “too sensitive”?

• Research the topic of casino gambling. There is an American Indian casino very near Dallas, just over the state line in Oklahoma. What are the pros and cons? Do the casinos provide the income the reservations hope for? Are there any serious disadvantages?

A Fire in My Hands - Hispanic American Literature

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY


Soto, Gary. A FIRE IN MY HANDS. New York: Harcourt, Inc., 2006. ISBN 9780152055646.


2. PLOT SUMMARY

This second edition of Gary Soto’s popular poetry collection combines former favorites with new additions. Focusing on events from everyday life, from the embarrassment of spewing root beer out one’s nose, to going on a first date, this collection of Soto’s poems are inspired by his childhood in California’s Central Valley. Although the poems are not totally autobiographical, they portray the normal events and thoughts of a boy growing from childhood to manhood in powerful, emotional language that teenagers in middle and high school will be able to relate to. One of the poems, "The Boy’s First Flight," was commissioned by NASA to celebrate the new millennium.


3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

While Soto writes from a distinctly male point of view, Soto’s poems are wide-reaching and will appeal to teenagers of all ages, both male and female. Over and over again, I found myself saying, “I felt just like that!” or “That happened at our house.” When the 17-year-old young man in “Some Words About Time” (p. 50-51) describes his boring job at the carwash, I thought about my similarly monotonous job as a clerk for the city police department, and when the 12-year-old child keeps hoping for his dog to return in “Hope” (p. 30-31), I thought about my little brother crying for his lost dog.

Soto also writes as a Mexican American in a voice that is authentic and real. He uses vocabulary from Spanish that is woven seamlessly into the English text. His use of Spanish occurs in specific instances – when there is no direct translation (for example food names such as tortilla and salsa), as part of dialogue (such as when his grandmother calls, “Baile, hijo, baile!” and to convey an intimate family relationship (such as when his refers to his grandmother as abuelita when he thinks fondly of her home). None of the nine Spanish words that I counted are translated literally. Two words that are not translated at all are words that have no direct counterpart in English but are familiar to most English speakers – tortilla and salsa. The other seven words have contextual translations with clues given in the English text of the poems in which they appear. While there is no glossary provided, there is no doubt that he respects both his monolingual readers and his bilingual readers. He provides enough context to allow monolingual readers to understand the poem while not bogging down bilingual readers with unnecessary translation. In the one or two instances (rancheras, baile), monolingual readers may lean over to their bilingual friends to ask for a translation, but even if there is no one handy for a quick English version, the comprehension of the poem will not be hindered. The overall effect is a natural use of Spanish that enhances the English-based text and draws all readers into the poems, whether they are Hispanic American or from another culture.

Other features of the text that enhance its likeability include an introduction by Soto which gives some background on the development of his career and these poems in particular, an anecdote for each poem that supplies the reader with the back story for each one (sometimes clarifying whether or not the poem is autobiographical), and a Question/Answer section at the end where Soto addresses common questions he receives about his writing.

Gary Soto has won numerous awards, and his second collection of poetry The Tale of Sunlight (1978) was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry.


4. REVIEW EXCERPTS

*Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA): “Soto explains that he writes poetry to give life to the small details of the days, moments that add up to life itself. The poems collected here are fine examples and excellent teaching tools to encourage teens to write about the small but ultimately meaningful experiences of their lives.”

*School Library Journal: “These simple, free-verse selections skillfully capture that which is commonplace and transforms it into something mesmerizing and lovely.”

*Booklist: “One of the best poems, Saturday at the Canal, captures the feelings of a teen sure that everything is happening somewhere else and dreaming of escape.”


5. CONNECTIONS

• Use Soto’s poems as models for writing lyric and narrative poems. He defines both and tells the reader where to find examples of each within the text.

• In the Q and A at the end of the volume, Soto stresses that poetry comes from everyday events and experiences, not special events or extraordinary occurrences. As a class, brainstorm personal experiences in various categories (i.e. embarrassing moments, sad/happy/scary moments, family memories, etc.) and select one to write about.

• For bilingual readers and writers, use Soto’s examples of contextual translations to try including words from the students’ home languages into English-based text. Analyze Soto’s use of words – how infrequently yet naturally he uses them, and how he translates them through contextual clues as models.

The Woman I Kept to Myself - Hispanic American Literature

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY


Alvarez, Julia. THE WOMAN I KEPT TO MYSELF. Chapel Hill, NC: Algonquin Books, 2004. ISBN 1565124065.


2. PLOT SUMMARY

This volume of poetry is a collection of previously published and new poetry from Alvarez, well known for her novels How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents and In the Time of the Butterflies. Autobiographical in nature, the 75 poems present a picture of Alvarez’s thoughts and feelings based on experiences from both her childhood in the Dominican Republica and her youth and adulthood in the United States. From being called a spic in elementary school, to being an anorexic teenager, to getting divorced and finding love again, to pondering death, Alvarez’s voice speaks strongly through this collection.


3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Alvarez presents 75 poems – every one of which is 30 lines long broken into three stanzas of 10 lines each, causing me to wonder if these poems were some sort of exercise for the author in writing in this particular style.  Each poem also feels less like poetry and more like very short stories. However, her use of language had me continually thinking, “that’s a very nice turn-of-phrase.” For example when describing how a branch of her family tree had found it’s way onto foreign soil when a great-aunt married a German, the result was “blond cousins / with year-round suntans.” A recurring metaphor through the collection is that of different trees representing various characteristics - the show-off maple, the mighty oak synonymous with strength, the vague elm best viewed from a distance, the arborvitae trees of life, the locust tree full of activity, the tall saman allowing views into neighbors’ yards, and the sad weeping-willow; all illuminate people and feelings throughout the poems.


Allusions to biblical references such as Isaac’s near-sacrifice, and Jesus multiplying the loaves to feed the multitudes, along with uncommon Spanish vocabulary such as campesinos, cortesia, and allegria have no explanations or translations at all. The volume does not include footnotes, a glossary, or even context clues for many of the references and words. Sheila Janega, in a review for the School Library Journal, says, “Teens approaching adulthood will appreciate the poet who turned to "paper solitude" and through many drafts discovered ‘the woman I kept to myself.’” However, I find that the content of most of the poems will probably appeal to the adult reader rather than the teen reader. Written from a strong woman’s point of view, this volume seems best suited for the adult woman from either culture – Hispanic or American.


4. REVIEW EXCERPTS

*School Library Journal: “This tightly structured collection of 75 poems is divided into three sections, and each poem has three stanzas, exactly. Alvarez's voice, however, is as free and strong as the free verse she composes.”

*Library Journal: “Quotidian events, a storylike structure, and colloquial diction make Alvarez's latest book seem more like a memoir (albeit one written with attention to the sounds of language, especially alliteration) than a book of poetry. . . . Alvarez at her best writes in a style reminiscent of Billy Collins. There are deceptively simple conversational poems, like "Saman" and several others here, which resonate in a bright mesh of metaphors. Yet most of the work in this collection does not attain that level.”

*Publishers Weekly: “Author of the popular novels How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents and In the Time of the Butterflies, Alvarez continues to explore themes of cultural difference and personal experience in her new collection of poems. The book, which marks her fourth collection of poetry, comprises 75 poems of 30 lines each; the formal constraint is an organizing principle for these sometimes meandering autobiographical poems.”


5. CONNECTIONS

• Compare Alvarez’s poems to those of other women writers. Which do you like best and why?

• Try telling stories through poetic language as Alvarez does.

• Choose a poem and use it for inspiration for writing a fictional short story. For example, use the poem “Weeping Willow” as a basis for writing a story about why the father is crying. He seems to be in severe distress, but the poem does not answer the question “why?” Write a story about why, and how a young girl feels about seeing her father cry for the first time.

• Use photographs of family scenes from home, or pictures found in magazines and other print materials, as a jumping off place for writing narrative poems.

My Own True Name - Hispanic American Literature

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY


Mora, Pat. MY OWN TRUE NAME: NEW AND SELECTED POEMS FOR YOUNG ADULTS, 1984-1999. Houston: Pinata Books, 2000. ISBN 1558852921.


2. PLOT SUMMARY

My Own True Name is a collection of poems, some published previously, and others presented here for the first time. The lyrical poems are selected with young-adult readers in mind, and were written between 1984 and 1999. They give glimpses into the life of the Mexican American family – the struggles, joys, and daily life of those whose ancestors recently made a new country their home. My Own True Name gives voice to the experiences of many Mexican American families.


3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

In this collection of Pat Mora’s work, many readers will wonder if all these poems are about her personal family and experiences. Based on the title of the volume, one might guess yes, but in the introduction, “Dear Fellow Writer,” she does not address this question. She does, however, give writing tips to those who would follow in her footsteps and become writers. Her suggestions are concrete, letting the reader in on “the secrets” of being a writer, and her encouragement is warm and genuine.

Many of the poems are immediately engaging. Some are more difficult to understand and are more suited to the high school reader who will enjoy them with guidance in getting into the poems. Titles are integral to the comprehension of many of them - the meanings of some poems may be cloudy until attention is paid to the title. Students who are bilingual and from families who recently immigrated (in the last generation or two) to the United States will undoubtedly recognize themselves, their parents, and their grandparents in the words of these poems. Those who are not from bilingual families will gain a better understanding of what it is like to immigrate to a new country and struggle with language and cultural issues. One of my favorite poems is “Elena” which is told from the point of view of a 40-year-old mother who is working to understand English so that she can communicate with her children who attend American high schools and no longer sit and converse with each other in Spanish. Through Mora’s words, it is easy to feel the fear and frustration of this mother who desperately wants to speak English well and is embarrassed that she cannot.

Mora uses footnotes for Spanish words or phrases which need translating. Four poems are printed side-by-side on a two-page spread with the English version on one side and the Spanish version on the other. Did Mora originally write the poems in Spanish and then translate them to English, or the other way around? No notes are included to answer these questions. A nice organizational technique she uses for the volume was the parts of a cactus – blooms, thorns, and roots – grouping poems in these categories according to the theme of each poem:  joy and love, issues and concerns, and family respectively.


4. REVIEW EXCERPTS

*Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA): “Mora celebrates her rich bilingual heritage, deep love for her desert environment, and passion for language--both English and Spanish. Mora's lyrical voice rings clear and true.”

*School Library Journal: “This anthology speaks to a young adult audience, and it should find many readers.”

*Booklist: “The rich, symbolic imagery, raw emotion, and honesty will appeal to mature teens, and young writers will find inspiration in the warm introduction addressed to "Dear Fellow Writer," and its challenge to ‘Listen to your inside self, your private voice . . . explore the wonder of being alive.’”


5. CONNECTIONS

• Use Mora’s poems as models for writing lyric poetry.

• Using the cactus metaphor of blooms, thorns, and roots, find other poems that fall into these categories. Create a new metaphor and use it to categorize poems students write throughout the year. By placing the metaphor on a bulletin board, students can post their personal poems as a way to self-publish and share their work.

• Use the poems as starting places for journal entries. Students who are moved by particular poems can write about their personal experiences.