LS 5653 - Culture 2 - TEARS OF A TIGER

BIBLOGRAPHY

Draper, Sharon M. 1994. TEARS OF A TIGER. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 0-689-31878-2.

PLOT SUMMARY

This is the first book in a trilogy about Hazelwood High School. The book is about a young man named Andy and how he relates after driving a car that was involved in an accident that killed his best friend. The book covers a seven month period and delves into the lives of Andy and his friends: Keisha- the girlfriend, B.J.-friend in the accident, Tyrone – friend in the accident, and Rhonda- friend to all. All of Andy’s friends and teachers try to help him adjust and move on but it seems very difficult for Andy to shake loose of the guilt from the accident. Andy does see a psychologist for a while after the accident and seems to be better and the sessions are called to an as needed basis. After this Andy’s academic, social and mental well being begin to spiral downward. The book ends tragically with Andy unable to cope with life after the accident and he commits suicide.
The social indications in the book surrounding the characters seem true to African Americans in today’s society. The language used between the students and interactions with the teachers were authentic. There were only a few references to clothing which seemed appropriate.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This book is very relevant to today’s youth since the novel covers: drinking and driving, car accidents, teenage death, responsibility and consequences, school, college, parents expectations, actions of parents and interactions between friends. Many parts of the book we see on the news and it reminds us of our own mortality. There is one section of the book where Andy tries to call out for help and the doors keep shutting in his face. It makes you wonder if someone you knew committed suicide and did you shut a door or leave it open. Draper does an excellent job portraying the characters and their interactions between newspaper articles, police reports, notes, letters, phone calls and just talking. The different modes of communication kept the reader interested in finishing the story. This story was written in a mainly African American high school but the topics are cross culturual since they apply to all of American culture.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
Coretta Scott King Award 1995
John Steptoe Award for New Talent
1996 ALA Best Book for Young Adults

VOYA – “As compelling a novel as any published in the last two decades. Buy it, read it, share it” (back cover)

School Library Journal “ This moving novel will leave a deep impression.” (back cover)

Publisher’s Weekly –“Draper's ambitious first novel tackles teenage drinking, suicidal depression and other front-page topics-and relates the action through dialogue or compositions ``by'' the characters.”

Booklist – “The story emerges through newspaper articles, journal entries, homework assignments, letters, and conversations that give the book immediacy; the teenage conversational idiom is contemporary and well written.”


CONNECTIONS

This would be an appropriate book for seventh grade and older. The topic would be useful when discussing drinking and driving and the consequences for actions taken. This would be an appropriate resource for Red Ribbon Week.

Website - Red Ribbon Week - http://www.justice.gov/dea/ongoing/red_ribbon/redribbon_history.html

Book cover image from Barnes & Noble.

LS 5653 - Culture 2 - SHOW WAY

BIBLOGRAPHY

Woodson, Jacqueline and Talbott, Hudson. 2005. SHOW WAY. New York:G.P. Putnam’s Sons. ISBN: 0-399-23749-6

PLOT SUMMARY

The story starts in the South of the United States during slavery. It talks about a little girl being sold away when she was just seven. She learns to sew and the quilt squares she sews becomes a way to “show” others the way to freedom. It goes on to show that the little girl grew up and had a little girl, Mathis May, who learned to sew and was also sold at age seven. Mathis May then sews quilts to “show the way” and clothes for the whites and slaves. She then has a little girl, that history lost her name, and when grown has a little girl named Soonie. Soonie learned to sew and grew up right after the Civil War in the 1860’s. Her family were sharecroppers. Soonie learned to sew the quilt squares also and others remembers the way. Soonie then had Georgiana who grew up to be a teacher and she had Caroline and Ann. These girls faced the Civil rights movement and segregation. The grow up and Ann has Jacqueline. Jacqueline learns to sew the quilt patches also and has a girl named Toshi. Toshi is told her family story by her mother and by the quilts.

The illustrations support the storyline. There are not any “spoken” parts of the characters it is just a story of their lives.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

I enjoyed this book because it showed a chronological progression of a family line and how they interacted with slavery, war, independence, segregation, civil rights and true freedom. Sometimes the spoken words of the characters can muddle the story. This story had a clean and direct message of showing the way and preserving the family history. The story also had very relevant illustrations showing the conditions and tradtions of the slaves at that time period. Seeing how one family grew through the generations of slavery, share cropping, civil rights, segregation and then today's society was moving. The family never gave up even under painful circumstances.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
Newbery Honor Book

Publisher’s Weekly “Talbott uses the quilt motif in rousing ways, piecing together quotes or news items for a pair of spreads about one generation "walking in a line to change the laws" as well as in softly quilted patterns that tie together the love of a child, a theme throughout this elegantly designed volume.”

Children’s Literature, Susie Wilde-“This story sets up a pattern of how fabric, tales, and familial love thread through Woodson's family tree, becoming "show ways" that first guide slaves to freedom and later become symbols of how each generation found courage to live brave, artistic, full lives.”

School Library Journal “An outstanding tribute, perfectly executed in terms of text, design, and illustration.”

Kirkus Reviews “In this beautiful volume, quilts are the connecting threads of the generations, from Soonie's great-grandmother, sold away from her Virginia home as a girl of seven, to Soonie's great-great-granddaughter Toshi, Woodson's daughter.”

CONNECTIONS
This is an interesting way to tell a family history. One could tie this to a multitude of units of study: family, slavery, freedom, underground railroad, quilts and their meanings.
Here are some other resources that follow the same subject matter.
Deborah Hopkinson's Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt (1993) ISBN-13: 9780679874720
Deborah Hopkinson’s Under the Quilt of Night (2001) ISBN-13: 9780689877001
Doreen Rappaport's Freedom River (2000) ISBN-13: 9780786803507

Book cover image from Barnes & Noble.

LS 5653- Culture 2- MINTY

BIBLOGRAPHY

Schroeder, Alan and Pinkney, Jerry. 1996. MINTY: A STORY OF YOUNG HARRIET TUBMAN. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 0-8037-1889-6

PLOT SUMMARY

Minty, AKA Araminta or Harriet, was living on the Brodas plantation in Maryland. She does not like her life as a slave and is sent from working in the house to the fields. She sets some animals free from their traps just as she wishes she was free. For this she is whipped and is then even more determined to run away. Her father, Old Ben, teaches her some skills in case she does decide to run away. She learns how to swim, catch food and “read” the forest. He also shows her the North Star and the “Drinking Gourd” to follow to freedom. The book ends with her crying herself to sleep and dreaming of freedom. The Author’s Note at the end the of book tells the factual story of Harriet Tubman’s adult life.
The language and clothing portrayed seem to fit the time period and ethnicity of the characters. The slaves did not speak proper English and were pictured in work clothing.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Even though the book was fictional as little is know of Harriet’s early life it still inspired the reader as to the strong will of such a young child to know that life was not right and there was a better place somewhere else. The illustrations support the text and add the vision one may need as reading through the story. When you finish reading the story you almost wish it were nonfiction so you could have a glimpse into her life as a young child. The book does show that it didn't matter to the slave owners how old the slaves were when they were punished. Minty is whipped as a young child. This is a fictional account but we do not know if the event really happened. This shows the disregard that the owners had for the slaves and some of them truely treated them as property and not people.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
Coretta Scott King Award Winner
ALA Notable Book
An American Bookseller "Pick of the Lists"A Time Magazine Best Children's Book of the YearWinner of the Christopher AwardAn IRA/CBC Children's Choice

Publisher’s Weekly “This fictionalized account of Tubman's childhood on a Maryland plantation provides a cruel snapshot of life as a slave and the horrid circumstances that fueled the future Underground Railroad leader's passion and determination.”

Children’s Literature “Schroeder gives a slice of Tubman's early life that reflects her spirited desire for freedom and the obstacles she faced in its attainment.”

School Library Journal “This is a dramatic story that will hold listeners' interest and may lead them to biographical material.”

Kirkus Reviews “Told in rhythmic prose and colloquial dialogue, the plot has actual events that are small, but it is rich with melodrama, suspense, pathos, and, of course, a powerful vision of freedom.”

CONNECTIONS

This would be an excellent book to introduce slavery, the Civil War, the underground railroad and many other topics for this time period. Even though it is fiction I think it gives a good beginning picture for younger students to understand what African Americans went through during this time.
Here are a few other references.
David A. Adler's A Picture Book of Harriet Tubman (Holiday, 1992) ISBN-13: 9780823410651
Ann McGovern's Wanted Dead or Alive: The True Story of Harriet Tubman (Scholastic, 1991) ISBN-13: 9780833562142

Book cover image from Barnes & Noble.

LS 5653 Culture 1- HELLO BABY!

BIBLOGRAPHY
For, Mem and Jenkins, Steve. 2009.HELLO BABY!. New York: Beach Lane Books. ISBN: 978-1-4169-8513-6

PLOT SUMMARY
The book is for reading aloud to young children. It starts with a babies hand and then shows a part of an animal or shadow and on the following page it show the animals and gives a short sentence for the animal. The animals portrayed are not all from one area but from different continents. At the end of the story you see an adult and babies hands reaching for each other. On the previous page there is the endearing question “ Are you my treasure?”.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The book was short as it was meant to be read aloud to young children. The illustrator, Steve Jenkins, did a good job in rendering the illustrations using a collage technique. I think this lends depth to the animals using the different layers. The book introduces the listener to different animals that they may not have encountered before in life. This is a simple book that can be used in a variety of different ways.

REVIEW EXCERPTS

Publisher’s Weekly Starred Review :“In mellifluous motherese, the narrator poses a series of playful questions to a baby” from the Mem Fox website

Kirkus Reviews Starred Review: “This picture book brims with fascinating animals, brilliant words and engaging artwork; it begs for cozy nightly readings.” From the Mem Fox website

Booklist Review:” Here, her rhythmic, rhyming couplets take the form of queries inviting kids to compare themselves to a zoo full of animals.” From the Mem Fox website

School Library Journal: “This collaboration results in a lovely read-aloud for preschool storytimes or a perfect selection for one-on-one sharing.-Lisa Glasscock” from http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Hello-Baby/Mem-Fox/e/9781416985136/?itm=3&USRI=hello+baby!#TABS

CONNECTIONS
This is a great read aloud for younger children. This could easily be used in a unit study about families and/or animals and their young.

Mem Fox website: http://www.memfox.com/welcome.html
Growing up wild 1: amazing animal babies, DVD
Shaw, Marjorie Betts. ZOOBOOKS: ANIMAL BABIES. ISBN-13: 9781888153057
Martin, Jr, Bill. BABY BEAR, BABY BEAR, WHAT DO YOU SEE?. ISBN-13: 9780805089905

Book cover image from Barnes and Noble website.

LS 5653 - Culture1 - THE SHADOWS OF THE GHADAMES

BIBLOGRAPHY
Stolz, Joelle. 2004. THE SHADOWS OF THE GHADAMES.New York:Delacorte Press. ISBN 0-385-90131-3
(originally published in France in 1999 by Bayard Editions Jeunesse(Les Ombres de Ghadames), translation by Catherine Temerson)

PLOT SUMMARY
Malika, about 12 years old, lives in a time where women have very different cultural roles than men. Malika has a half brother, Jasim, who is a little older than her. Her mother, Meriem, is steeped in tradition and does not like change. Her father’s second wife and Jasim’s mother is Bilkisu. She is a little more worldly and knows how to read and write. At the beginning of the story Malika’s father is getting set for a long journey to Turkey for business. In his absence many things happen including Bilkisu’s decision to go against tradition. Stolz’s description of the way the houses looked, the appearances of the people and dress and the customs of the times come to life throughout the story.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
I enjoyed reading the story about two strong women who had different ideas of the future and how they were being conveyed to a young girl. Malika is approaching the age of marrying and forever leaving her childhood wonderings behind. She pays close attention to the unsaid looks and gestures as well as the spoken words in the household. I would have liked the story to be a little longer or have a follow up book.


REVIEW EXCERPTS
The Batchelder Award 2005
ALA Children’s Notable book 2005

Children’s Literature “This novel's females are independent, strong, and resourceful, mentoring each other, questioning rules, and adjusting societal expectations” Elizabeth D. Schafer from : http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Shadows-of-Ghadames/Joelle-Stolz/e/9780385901314/?itm=2&USRI=stolz%2c+joelle

School Library Journal “This quiet story is notable for the intimate picture of the traditional Muslim world that it conveys; unfortunately, not until the author's note at the end is the time period made evident.”Kathleen Isaacs from: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Shadows-of-Ghadames/Joelle-Stolz/e/9780385901314/?itm=2&USRI=stolz%2c+joelle#TABS

Kirkus Reviews “Setting her tale at the end of the 19th century, Stolz not only weaves the sights, sounds, and daily rhythms of life in Ghadames into a vivid tapestry, she creates a cast of distinct characters, each of which displays a unique blend of strengths and weaknesses, as well as sometimes unexpected intelligence and compassion.” From : http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Shadows-of-Ghadames/Joelle-Stolz/e/9780385901314/?itm=2&USRI=stolz%2c+joelle#TABS

CONNECTIONS
This book would be useful for ages eight and above in studying world cultures, especially the middle east .

Willis, Terri. LIBYA. ISBN: 9780531124802
Hasday, Judy L. LIBYA. ISBN: 9781422200834

Book cover image from Barnes and Noble website.

LS 5653 Culture 1 - SOUL MOUNTAIN

BIBLOGRAPHY
Xingjian, Gao. 2000. SOUL MOUNTAIN.New York:Harper Collins.ISBN 0-06-621082-8
(originally published as LINGSHAN in Taiwan in 1990 by Lianjing Chubanshe later translated from the Chinese by Mabel Lee)

PLOT SUMMARY WITH CULTURAL MARKERS

The narrator is in China during the mid 1900’s. The narrator is the main character with some minor companions along the way. The narrator does not have a name in the story. The main theme is that the narrator is on a journey to document folk songs of the different villages and find a particular village by the name of Lingshan. During this journey the descriptions of the landscapes, people, housing, welfare and way of life are very detailed. Xingjian describes the different faces and houses of each of the villages the narrator encounters. The narrator has interactions with the local peoples and a lot of Chinese history is discussed.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

In reading this book I discovered that although part of the book contained historical facts part of the book was fiction. As you read through the chapters you were thrown back and forth into different what seemed to be sub novels. There was his (the narrators) time in the mountains with the panda scientists, the stories with the young nurse, stories from his childhood which often were intertwined within the other stories, stories where he is on his own and exploring without a companion. The stories with the young nurse were hard to follow because of the back and forth conversations between them it was challenging to ascertain what was a “story” and what was really happening between them .

I understand that when a country goes through a cultural revolution (which is mentioned several times in the book) that many horrific events can take place. Over 30 of the 81 chapters in the book reference sex and most often rape. In some chapters it is mentioned more than once. In this respect this book was difficult to read to completion.

The well written descriptions of the landscapes and colors of the sky, people, ruins and other items were so expertly done that one could close their eyes and “see” the picture in front of them. The encounters with the priests and rituals were well documented and when reading you could feel the emotion of the time.

There is one line early in the novel that suggests he has found Lingshan. However, near the end of the novel he is still looking for Lingshan. The jumping around chapter to chapter in different places and with different people kept you on your toes to follow the storyline which at times seemed nonexistent.

REVIEW EXCERPTS AND AWARDS
Nobel Prize for literature 2000

Publisher’s Weekly “Seeking out old singers and shamans like a connoisseur of extinct cultures, Gao has created a sui generis work, one that, in combining story, reminiscence, meditation and journalism, warily comes to terms with the shocks of both Maoism and capitalism. Agent, Georges Borchardt. (Dec)” from http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/0060936231/ref=dp_proddesc_0?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books


Booklist “Gao Xingjian's masterpiece expresses sorrow and anger, wonder and confusion, humor and metaphysics, lust and tenderness, and a profound longing for meaning and freedom. Donna Seaman” from http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/0060936231/ref=dp_proddesc_0?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books


The Economist “He travels on the margins of society to evade political persecution and the horrors of collectivism in China's Past are often evoked.” From http://www.bookbrowse.com/reviews/index.cfm?book_number=686

Le Monde “Chinese literature [of the future] will have to contend with the creative energy and the daring of Gao Xingjian.” From http://www.bookbrowse.com/reviews/index.cfm?book_number=686

Courier-Mail ( Austrialia) “It is a relief to come to a book that celebrates the pleasures of literature with such gusto and knowingness.” From http://www.bookbrowse.com/reviews/index.cfm?book_number=686

CONNECTIONS
This would be a novel that could be used as part of a study about Chinese culture or history. Due to the sexual references I would exercise caution to the type of audience that would use the novel.

Nobel Prize Biography : http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/2000/gao-bio.html
Guillian, Charlote. CHINESE CULTURE. ISBN: 1432912186
Chai,May-Lee. CHINA A TO Z.ISBN: 97804522888874
Doeden, Matt. THE CHINESE:LIFE IN CHINS’A GOLDEN AGE. ISBN: 9780822586814

Book cover image from Barnes and Noble website.