Burned- Ellen Hopkins

I was lucky enough to buy a copy of this book from the local Goodwill (where I also work btw).  I was pretty excited to get a YA book that is pretty new.  It is also a book that I had tried repeatedly to get from the library a year ago but it was always checked out.  This book is by the author of Smack, a book which I have discussed before. 

Just like Smack, this book is written in verse.  It’s a really fun format.  As I was reading it, I thought it would  be a cool experiment to try with students; The idea of writing a book through verse.   It would be neat to try and form a larger body of work by writing small, tangible pieces.

The book deals with many heavy topics like religion, loss of faith, abusive parents, and teen sex.  I am not entirely sure how I feel with the way religion is portrayed in the book.  It deals mainly with extreme Mormonism and not in a very positive light.  I don’t personally take offense, but I think that some parents might be up in arms over this aspect of the novel more than the any other topic in the book.  Especially with all of the The Golden Compass controversy, it seems to be a heated subject.  But, kids are getting more mature faster these days and many of them are questioning the faith of the parents earlier.  I think the key point of the religion factor in the book is that the faith discussed is an extreme view and is not a typical case.

Overall I enjoyed reading the book, a little too much teen mushy love for my taste, but I am old and jaded.  The part that really was strange was the ending.  It really kind of comes out of the blue and left me going, “What the?”  I’m not really sure the final actions of the main character at the end are supported by the picture that has been created up to that point.  I was pretty turned off by the end in all honesty.  To be blunt, I thought it was pretty ridiculous.  I browsed about online to see what others felt.  Apparently the kids like the book a lot….

“This book was so awesome!! It makes you want to keep reading the book and not put it down! I know usually don’t like reading but when I started reading this book I just couldn’t stop and I actually finished it in the same day. At the end it made me cry. Everyone should read this book it is so amazing and you definatly won’t regret it”

“this was possibly one of the saddest books i’ve ever read. it adressed a lot of the topics that i had been questioning too: about faith, love, and a women’s role. it was so good i read it all in one sitting at barnes and nobles and had many people staring at me when i started bawling at the end of the book. definatly worth it though– excellent book “

“i read the book in one day too. And i did what everyone else did. I lauphed, and cried. and thought about how i related to her. And then cried some more=]. I just like these sorts of books. They put everything into perspective for you. They let you put them down, and return to reality. For me, thats even sadder than the book. but for some…it makes em happy. Happy and thankful. For all that they do have.
=]] “

more here

But, Miss Kimberly Pauley at www.yabookscentral.com seems to have my back on this one:

“The moment I turned the last page, I had two reactions: 1) What the heck just happened?? And 2) (and this one I actually said aloud, startling my cats) “Well, that was about the most depressing thing ever.” Before I go any farther, I should give you some background about me that will help you (hopefully) understand my reaction to this book.

I’m not an overly religious person. I’m pretty much a “believe as you like” kind of gal. I don’t really understand a lot of religious groups (The Church of Latter-Day Saints included), but I’m not necessarily against them either. The author – or, giving the benefit of the doubt – the main character feels that everything and everyone involved with the Church is evil. Like I said, I don’t understand them, but I find it hard to believe that everyone in this particular town are small-minded, evil, religious zealots” read the rest

Ellen Hopkins actually comments on Pauley’s review.  Behold. 

Not my favorite, but a good read for the style alone.

Smashed- Koren Zailckas

My nieces asked me to read this book, and since they are my precious, I decided to give it a go.  It’s a true story about Zailckas’ days growing up in high school, college and beyond with alcohol.  The craziest thing about this story is how unremarkable it is.  The story is tragic and sordid, but not unfamiliar or unique to many girls or women.  Just reading Zailckas’ drunken college exploits, I could identify myself and/or my friends in nearly every story.  When going through the experience they seem like the normal college experience, but when reading about them in this context it puts them in their proper light.  The book is sprinkled with stats and figures about alcohol abuse that seem to distract from the story a bit, but they reveal how common these tales are.  Zailckas is also no literary slouch as she references her experience with poetry, characters and novels.  These references might go over the heads of some young readers, but it could also introduce them to a few things to read. 

Howdy Howdy

I just came across this article from The Huffington Post.  I really can’t tell ya where that newspaper is from.  Anywho, it’s about “bad” books, focusing on PABBIS, the horrid internet site that has “bad” YA books listed on it.  I would go into more detail, and even add a few more posts, but I have dial-up, and it’s all I can do to just check my e-mail and my 18 celebrity gossip sites everyday.  I’m sure you understand.

Article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rachel-kramer-bussel/banning-bad-books-is-no_b_54205.html

The Amazonian Gateway

So, I browse Amazon.com a lot.  I rarely buy new books because they are too expensive and I am poor.  Most of my books come from consignment shops.  It’s a lot cheaper and it’s like a treasure hunt because you never know what you’ll find.  But, Amazon has been used often as well.  Generally, I just go to the book that I want and don’t mess around more.  But, I stumbled across the “categories” a few months ago.  OOhhh.  How fun.  YA books are split into categories, including social issues.  Social issues are further split into categories such as drugs, sex and depression.  Problem novels at your fingertips!

I also ran across some other books that I want super bad.  For example, Great Books for High School Kids: A Teacher’s Guide to Books That Can Change Teens’ Lives .  Someday, I will have money so I can buy such books.  Someday, I will have money so I can have high-speed internet. 

Of course, lack of money didn’t keep me from buying Nine Inch Nails’ Year Zero or Tori Amos’ American Doll Posse.  And I sure as heck am getting Bjork’s Volta next week.  These are true neccessities.  Thank God I already paid for Harry Potter 7 in February.  Shameless plugs.

1-866-445-6580

Basketball Diaries- Lots of shooting and plenty of scoring

Basketball Diaries- Jim Carroll 

Now, I have read of this book being a YA-ish book.  It’s an autobiography of a New York kid, full of dreams and drugs.  I have to say, it’s a bit more graphic then any other problem novels I have read.

 

There are plenty of books on Amazon.com that reference this book and how to teach it to adolescents.  It is graphic and real.  I think that if kids are going to read it then it is good to have it done in a classroom to give it perspective.  It isn’t “preachy,” it just is.  There is a lesson, but it doesn’t smack you in the face like a pop-up book.  It isn’t the usual obvious YA book, so some kids might not get the message without a bit of guidance.

And scene…

At the beginning of the semester I started a forum and created a poll on Quizilla.com about problem novels.  The purpose was to gather data from young people, as I know they visit the site often, and gather their opinions about problem novels.  It was to be my Coup de Grâce for those that thought problem novels were bad.  Well, the project failed miserably. 

The forum ran easily enough at first.  I simply started a thread asking, “What do you think about problem novels?”  I got a few responses and then I began to ask a few more probing questions like, “Have you read any in school?  What books do you read in school? etc.”  They could smell the academia from a mile a way and ran for the hills. 

The poll wasn’t much of a success either.  My goal was to see how much teens read problem novels, if they think they help and parent or teacher opinions of them.  I just couldn’t compete with polls involving the future of American Idol. 

However, collecting the few paltry research results as well as my own personal digging, I did come up with some conclusions.  Teens like problem novels and teens don’t like problem novels.  Some teens really like them because they deal with real issues and help them negotiate through the world by reading about similar people with similar issues.  Some teens don’t like them because they feel they are too “preachy,” and their only purpose is to be used as propaganda to scare kids away from drugs and sex.  I also got a few people saying that they didn’t like the idea of some “old” person writing about teen issues like they actual knew about them.  I think that’s a valid point, but I could easily say I don’t like reading books with female characters written by male authors. 

Parents and teachers are split on these books too.  Some schools are implimenting some into the curriculum while some are afraid they will corrupt the future of America.  In my poll I asked, “Have you ever gotten in touble for reading a problem novel?”  I gave a couple options and one student answered “yes.”  I do notice that on many of the books there is a little age disclaimer.  Many say 11 and up. 

As far as my meager poll results, everyone that took the poll listed that friends were the person they talked to when they had problems.  Well, no surprise there.  But, when teens are dealing with serious issues, like rape, depression or violence, they need to get help.  Help that friends can’t provide.  I think there is a great disservice in the “counseling” division of our schools.  They don’t do much.  At least none of mine did.  I saw every counselor and social worker at my school from elementary through high school.  Some I saw on my own accord and some pulled me into their office.  Not one did a thing for me.  Oh, wait, one did say to me, “If you think you’re going to cry, just blink real hard.”  I’m not joking.  In my quest of “what am I going to do with the rest of my life,” I was neck and neck between English Ed and School Psychologist.  I understand the need for available and helpful resources in the school system.  It took me almost a year to finally pick a career path and obviously I chose the English route.  I did this for two reasons; I love books and I can still help kids being a teacher.  Even more so since I actually get to see students on a regular basis.  Plus I get to deliver the gift of literature to their fertile little minds.

But, I digress.  The idea of problem novels appeals to both the english teacher in me as well as the psychologist.  I think they can be very usefully not only on a personal level, but also when used in the classroom.  The social issues can be so attainable and internalized that they helps students understand the same themes in the classical cannon.

All in all I think Kevin said it best when he said after hearing the Smack podcast, “So many people think problem novels glorify things like drug use.  There was nothing glorifying about that.” 

I have had a blast reading all these YA books.  Ideally, I would like to keep this blog updated.  I also want to continue reading YA books.  But, I know that things will cool down for a bit.  I still have a lot of the “classic canon” to conquere yet.  And one of these days I will read Ulysses whether my brain likes it or not.  But, I take comfort in knowing that after draging my brain through Naked Lunch, I will be able to find solitude in a YA book.  Maybe I will find one about a girl reading the world’s most obscure book and how she refuses to let some non-sensical jargon get the best of her.

The mother of all posts

In my earlier entries I was trying to stay away from straight up book review posts.  I have read quite a few “problem novels” this semester.  YA novels were pretty foreign to me, but I found the idea of YA books about social issues intriguing, so I dove in.  I have decided this post will be primarily “book review.”  When I was a younger, if I read a book then it was automatically good.  I didn’t really think anything I read was bad.  It was like t.v.  I could watch the worst show, but it was “good” because I was watching it.  So I wanted to give my grown-up take on some of the books that I have read. 

I have broken them all down into essentially 4 catagories: Drugs, Mental Illness, Violence/Abuse and Social Issues/ Coming of Age.  Of course, most of these books overlap catagories, but I went with the biggest theme. 

For further reference I will use a rating system.  The rating is not just based on how well the story is written, but how attainable it is.  Some of the stories were quite far fetched and rather unbelievable.  Some dealt with topics, like heroin abuse, that might happen to a minority of kids, but it was believable. 

So my brilliant rating system is *-****.  * being the lowest and **** being the highest.

Drugs

Beauty Queen- Linda Glovach- *

 I wanted to like this book.  I really did.  I heard that it was pretty heavy and edgy.  It is, sorta.  But, completely unbelievable.  A nice girl from a broken home has dreams of becoming an actress.  She becomes a stripper to earn the big bucks.  She is so scared of going onstage for the first time that she allows a stranger to inject her with heroin before the show.  Where did that come from?!?  Generally people work their way up to heroin, it’s not the first thing they try. Naturally she becomes addicted very, very quickly and her life is a big fat mess.  The author of the book is a recovering addict, so I assume the emotions and sensations of being on heroin are accurate, but I think a bit more plot was needed before an innocent young girl because a stripper junkie at the drop of a hat.

Crank- Ellen Hopkins- ***

 Like Beauty Queen, there was a little part of me that said, “wow she jumped into that fast.”  But overall, this story, written in a series of poems about a girl getting hooked on crystal meth, was quite believable.  I think that some readers might see this book as being “preachy.”  But, I know from experience that this stuff really does happen.  Just like that.  The format of the book is reason enough to get the book.  It looks huge but it’s a quick read that will get you thinking.

Smack- Melvin Burgess- ****

 I loved this book.  I was all over it.  In a way it is kind of “Trainspotting for Kids.”  But, the message about heroin is clear.  I felt this book was more “grown up,” then a lot of the other YA books.  There were more characters and plotlines, and I really felt a connection with the characters.  Plus there are more issues than drug abuse that are very relevant to adolescent life.  Just read it.

Mental Illness

Burn Journals- Brent Runyon- **and a half

 This book is an auto-biography about a boy that tried to commit suicide by setting himself on fire.  The beginning of the book is great as it chronicles the pains and fears of the boy before his suicide attempt.  Most of the book deals with his recovery both physically and mentally.  It is an amazing story.  The boy is very defiant with therapist trying to help him.  Then suddenly he breaks through in therapy.  There wasn’t much about that aspect.  there was a lot about the physical recovery however.  I think I was just waiting for that moment when he realized why he did it or seeing him work therapy to become healthy.  That part was too laking for me, but overall it is a great book.

Cut- Patricia McCormick- ** and a half

 This is the story of a self-mutilator.  There were a lot of emotions about the mind of a cutter that I think McCormick captured very well.  Being a recovered cutter myself I thought there were quite a few things that were dead on.  However, as I stated in a previous post, I don’t like the idea of the character being in a hospital for cutting.  That is not realistic.  If she were suicidal, then I could see it.  But, cutters are not suicidal.  At least, that’s not why that cut.  I also didn’t like that the character seemed to get better so quickly.  Cutting is like an addiction.  It’s not something you can just stop doing that easily.   I know, I know, “Just don’t do it.”  That’s like telling an anorexic, “Just eat.”  It’s not that simple.  It took me many years to overcome this issue.  It was a horrible arduous journey that can’t be cured with the simple turning of a page.  But, I give praise that there is a book out there addressing this topic.  Maybe someday I will write one of my own on this topic.  I’ll just pencil that in.

Kissing Doorknobs- Terry Spencer Hesser- ****

 I stumbled across this book in the library and almost didn’t pick it up.  I hadn’t heard anything about it but I decided to give it a go.  This is the story about an obsessive- compulsive.  She does a lot of strange things that scare her, alienate her from her friends and anger her parents.  This book captured the frustration of mental illness really well.  Her struggle with the disorder is not one unique to just OCD.  I also like that this book showed the character while she was in the dark with her disorder.  It shows the methods she used to cope and conceal her thoughts and actions, as well as how others around her behaved because they didn’t understand what was happening with her.  Eventually she is diagnosed and legitimately struggles to cope and recover.  I am glad I decided to pick this book up.

Massive- Julia Bell- ***

 This story revolves around an English girl named Carmen and her anorexic/ bulimic mother.  Her mother tries to put her on restrictive diets and constantly bullies her about her weight.  Carmen resists but eventually falls into the same realm as her mother.  Both begin to fester away by supporting each other’s disorder.  I great book about the pressure to be thin.

Violence/ Abuse

Monster- Walter Dean Myers- *** and a half

 I’m not sure if this is a “problem novel” in the classic sense, but I have never found a solid definition of problem novel.  So, considering the social issues of this book I am including it as a problem novel.  The format of this book is really cool.  It is written like a screen play.  The book deals with an African-American teen on trial for accessory to murder.  The tension is great and the racial issues are pertinent.  There were a few moments when I got confused like, “Wait, who is this person talking now?”  But, that could just be me.  Note the 3 stickers on the book cover.  That’s how you know it’s good

 Prep- Jake Coburn- *** and a half

 I was looking for some problem novels that were geared toward males and came across this book.  It’s about prep school boys in New York City that take on the persona of street thugs.  The novel is based on the author’s own experience in New York City prep schools.  I was not aware of this world.  It’s amazing that despite all the money and advantages that these kids have, they resort to lives of crime and violence for excitement.  I think male and female readers with both like this book, but I am really glad to see a book that really deals with male characters and is geared toward a male audience.

Speak- Laurie Halse Anderson – ****

 Great book.  A lot of teens have read this and it’s being implemented into some school curriculums.  There are many themes in this book and perhaps I should have put it in the “Social Issue” section, but the acts of judgement and shunning are violent to me.  This book is probably the most popular YA book of the moment so I won’t go into great detail on plot.  You should just read.

Things Change- Patrick Jones- N/A

 Ugh.  Apparently this is a book about teen dating violence.  I’m not sure because I didn’t get that far.  I got to about page 70 and had to quit.  First of all, the main male character has long hair, wears a jean jacket, drives a firebird (or similar car) and only listens to Bruce Springstien.  I had to look and see if the book was written in the ’80’s, but no, this century even.  The thing that got me was this guy was supposed to be really funny, or so the book said.  And his girlfriend was supposed to be really smart, or so the book said.  The part that killed me was when this super funny guy starts making fun of Hamlet by referring to it with breakfast foods.  “To be or not to be, that is the omelet.”  Not only is this the lamest thing I have ever heard, his super smart girlfriend laughs like he’s brilliant.  I just couldn’t do it anymore.  Apparently a lot of other people like the book. I just had to stop because my eyes were beginning to hurt from rolling them so much.

Social Issues/ Comming of Age

Athletic Shorts: Six Short Stories- Chris Crutcher- *** and a half

 This was another book on my quest for problem novels for boys.  Most of the characters in the short stories are based on characters from Crutcher’s other books.  Every short story has its own theme and issues which makes it a great read.  It is definitely great for boys because many of the stories revolve around athletics or other “boy” activities/ interests.  These stories are not afraid to raise some serious issues and have gotten some flack for that, but it also makes for some excellent short stories very pertinent to adolescents.

Blankets- Craig Thompson- *** and a half

 I might get in trouble for listing this book here.  Barnes and Nobles states in bold that this book is, “Not appropriate for children.”  It isn’t technically listed as a YA book, but as a graphic novel.  Graphic novels don’t really have an age bracket.  I chose it because it’s a coming of age story based on the author/ illustrator’s life.  It’s very beautiful and subtle.  It is also a graphic novel which makes it super cool, but which also gives it its disclaimer.  There are cartoon pictures of nudity.  There are a few of little boys peeing, one of a pedophile babysitter and a few of teenage girl.  I have to say that they are really not shocking or pornographic.  Even the pedophile is drawn in a way that makes him seem a grotesque caricature.  I understand that some parents might have issues with this however.  Many parents have protested this book as being “pornographic.”  But, the pictures of the girl are so beautifully drawn that I don’t understand how they could be deemed pornographic.  It would be like telling your children not to look at “David” because he’s naked and dirty.  So, perhaps this book should be left to the older kids.  I thought it was very well written and beautifully illustrated.

The Body of Christopher Creed- Carol Plum-Ucci- ***

 A kid that no one likes disappeared one day.  He left a note but no one knows if it was a suicide note or if he simply ran away.  The kids of this upper-class town become suspicious, make jokes about him and blame the “bad” kids in school for killing him and hiding his body.  One student crosses the line from being the cool kid to seeing people for who they really are.  The book’s a great mystery with a lot of great social themes.

Fat Kid Rules the World- K.L. Going- ***

 How can you not love a book with a title like that?  A “fat kid” tries to commit suicide but is saved by a boy that introduces him to a new life.  A life of punk rock music.  The book is so funny in parts and very touching in others.  Troy, the fat kid, finds something that makes him feel more than his label.  Music takes him out of himself, which is what he really needed. There is actually a lot of people that like this book because of it’s “punk rock” theme.  I didn’t really think of that, but when doing a bit of research I found a lot of people saying they liked it because of it’s portrayal of the punk music scene.  On top of that, it’s a great book about a kid finding himself.

Ophelia Speaks: Adolescent Girls Write about Their Search for Self- Sara Shandler- ***

 I actually just picked this book up at Goodwill with a few others and didn’t really think of it as “problem novel-esque.”  Well, it’s not a novel.  It’s a collection of personal essays written by girls on various issues; issues that problems novels discuss.  Theses essays shed so much light on the reality of the issues problem novels are discussing.  It validates them by saying, “Hey, this actually happened to me.”  There are quite a few different categories.  I wanted every category to be filled with more essays. That would be my only critique.  Perhaps there will be “Ophelia Speaks 2.”  By the way, Sara Shandler started this writing project in high school.  She sent out packets of info to schools across the nation and had girls mail their pieces to her.  She edited the book and it was published when she was a freshmen in college. 

The Perks of Being a Wallflower- Stephen Chbosky- ****

 This book was a nice calm retreat from the frantic ravings of many YA books.  It was much more grown up but still so attainable.  This book could fall into any category.  I honestly think there is just about every “problem” at least referenced in this book.  But, somehow it doesn’t seem overwhelming or pushed.  It unfolds naturally and calmly.  The characters are real and lovable.  This is a book that many of my friends have read.  I actually didn’t know it was YA until this class.  It crosses over age demographics smoothly.

The Pigman- Paul Zindel- N/A

 I had to read this book in middle school.  Well, I was supposed to at least.  I’m pretty sure that never happened.  I do own the book however.  I buy books like some women buy shoes.  About 30% of my library is unread because I can’t stop buying books.  Anyway, I’ve had it for a bit and it’s a classic YA book.  So I yanked it off the shelf and gave it the old college try.  Nope.  Didn’t work.  I tried.  I really did.  But, it bored me to tears.  I know this is apparently some great book, I just couldn’t get into it.  The characters drove me crazy.  So I apologize to anyone out there that thinks this book is the bomb.  Maybe I will try it again someday and it will be a better go.  I have to find it first; I think I threw it under a table somewhere.

Rubber Houses- Ellen Yeomans- ** and a half

 This book is hot off the press, printed in January of this year.  This is a book about loss and grief.  Like Crank, it is written in poetry.  Unlike Crank, it was about 400 pages shorter.  The idea is great, the poetry is great, the emotion is great.  But, I really wanted more.  It seemed too brief.  I got the idea, but I didn’t sink into it.  I wanted to sink not skim on the surface.

Stargirl- Jerry Spinelli- ****

 I loved this book.  I want to be Stargirl when I grow up.  This is the story of Stargirl, the odd girl that is free and loves life fully and those that want her to conform to society.  I was a bit on the odd side in school, not to Stargirl’s standards, but odd enough for my small town.  I want to be that free.  As I was reading the book I was reminded of an interview that I read about Bjork, whom I love and adore.  During a recording session for one of her albums, she dragged a microphone out to the ocean and sang to the sea.  She literally sang to the sea.  That is beyond amazing and beautiful to me.  Bjork is Stargirl.  I look at the women I respect and they are all Stargirl.  I felt empowered and connected after reading this.  I really want to read it again.  Right now actually.

TTYL- Lauren Myracle- **

 This book is a fun novelty toy, as it is written entirely in instant messages.  I didn’t think it was as difficult to read as I thought it would be.  There are some lighthearted issues in the book and a few more heavy and sinister.  The story itself isn’t bad, but I do call this a novelty because it’s going to be irrelevant soon enough.  Technology is moving so fast, in 5 years IMing could be a thing of the past.  I’ve gotten a chuckle out a few books where the kids had “beepers.”  Remember those?!?!  So, for now it’s a fun and a neat way to get kids to read, but I don’t see this sparking interest in the not so distant future.  But, if this genre really is you thing, Myracle has written a few more in same vein.  Buy them and put them in the time capsule.

What My Mother Doesn’t Know- Sonya Sones- *

 The secret isn’t worth knowing, trust me on this one.  If you really want to know, open any 8th grade girl’s diary.  Here is premise of the book, “I love this boy!  It’s true love I just know it!  We broke up!  I’m going to die!  Oh, I love this boy now!  This time it’s for real!”  It made me ashamed to be a 13 year old girl.  But, I imagine a lot of 13 year old girls will like it because I remember thinking that same stuff at that age.  But, now that I’m old and jaded I just wanted to yell at the female characters and tell them to shut up.

Bright Ideas

I love conferences.  Once upon a time when I was going to be a band director I went to quite a few music educator conferences.  I love learning.  This was my first english ed conference.  I love this stuff…

I liked the keynote speaker Jacqueline Woodson a lot.  I must admit, I was worried it would be a droll boring lecture.  But she was fun and spirited and made me forget it was 8:30 in the morning.  I not only enjoyed her book excerpts, but I loved that she had all of that stuff memorized.  My mind told me, “Wow.  She really cares about what she does!” 

I also had to laugh when she made the comment about putting “stickers” on her books, because kids want to read books with stickers on them.  Yeah.  So do I.  I have read a few YA books this semester.  On my many trips to the library I have a few goal books in mind and then I peruse.  Then I see the book with the sticker and think, “Oh, there’s a sticker on this one.  I should get it.”

So, now I think I will be checking out a few of her books from the library.  With or without stickers.

I went to the “Acing the Interview: What Principals Say They Value,” session.  I had high hopes.  I have a brilliant friend that has been trying to find a teaching gig for awhile now but to no avail.  We have done the “What is wrong,” brainstorming, and all I can come up with is that he has a Master’s Degree.  Other than that his resume is phat.  So I was hoping to get some tips out of this sessions for both me and him.

I have to say, virtually everything was pretty much common sense.  In my opinion at least.  “Dress properly, don’t show tattoos, don’t show piercing.”  Yeah, I didthat for the crappy job I have now.  Next.  The thing that threw me the most was the comment that according to principals polled, “20-100+ applicants apply for a single position.”  Roughly 10 make it to the interview round.  So, how do I become one of the ten?  That’s what I really want to know.  Once I get in their I can rely on my sparkling personality.  It’s a lot easier to be on out of ten than one out of one-hundred.

I did go to a cool session called,” Reading, Writing & Eurythmics: Infusing Popular Music and New Media in the ELA Classroom.”  This session was great for me.  Being a music geek, the idea of combining the two was fabulous.  If there was a Literature and Psychoanalysis session there too, all of my academic dreams would have come true. 

The idea of the class was inspiring readers, especially “at risk” students to read by showing them references to literature in popular music.  The idea was, “Even your favorite artist that didn’t graduate high school is well read.”  And the cool thing was that the music was diverse.  Eric Federspiel and Luke Rodesiler of South Lyon High School have created a wiki site where teachers can easily find these music/lit references.  I have to say, I am listening to my music so closely now hoping to spot one so I can add it to the site.  I went to the site and I was highly disappointed that someone had already added the two Bjork references that I was going to add.  And of course my Kate Bush/ Wuthering Heights reference was there too.  I did find some Tori Amos references and submitted them.  I’ll wait and see if they make the cut.  This is an ongoing project, so if you know some stuff to add you can submit it!  The site is http://pclit.pbwiki.com/.  If you want to add any info you can sign in as a guest with the password BrightIdeas….shhh, don’t tell.

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Kurt Vonnegut- “He’s up in Heaven now.”

This is not a problem novel post, but I really need to put this post up.  I have some other posts in the works however, so no worries.

My favorite author and author of my favorite book Galapagos, Kurt Vonnegut died.  My friend told me last night.  I cried a bit.  So it goes.

I know he wasn’t exactly young, but it was still a shock.  Ironically enough, I just reread God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian a few days ago, a book where Vonnegut is brought to near death by Dr. Kevorkian so he can interview people in heaven.  I just hate the idea of people dying and all of their ideas, their imagination, their mind is gone from this world.  I just wonder what else could have been created by that mind.  I grieve that lost insight. 

Below is an excerpt from the introduction of God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian:

I am honorary president of the American Humanist Association, having succeeded the late, great, spectacularly prolific writer and scientist, Dr. Isaac Asimov in that essentially functionless capacity.  At an A.H.A. memorial service for my predecessor I said, “Isaac is up in Heaven now.”  That was the funniest thing I could have said to an audience of humanists.  It rolled them in the aisles.  Mirth!  Several minutes had to pass before something resembling solemnity could be restored….So when my own time comes to join the choir invisible or whatever, God forbid, I hope someone will say, “He’s up in Heaven now.”  Who really knows?  I could have dreamed all this.