Author: adriennereeves6709

Cristina Henríquez completely blew me away with her novel, The Book of Unknown Americans. It has been thus far my favorite novel that we have read in YAL.  Although I have caught myself saying this about a few other books, the raw/real emotion that Henríquez displays through the different characters moved me to tears on more than one occasion.  Being able to see the different perspectives from each of the characters was one of the things that interested me the most.

Before I started reading the novel, I flipped through the pages, skimming them to get a feel for it (which is something I usually do before reading a book) and immediately I felt wary because it changed perspectives so much, and I normally do not enjoy that.  But, just a few chapters in and I knew that would not be the case for this book – I love books that take you by surprise.  So many times, we have a limited perspective in what we read, and we automatically become biased.  I think Henríquez is trying to stay away from this particular type of bias in the novel.  She introduces you to a character, and just when you think you have that character figured out, he or she speaks for themselves, or vouches for themselves in a way.  For example, Quisqueya’s character is known as a busybody, and while she certainly does like to gossip with the neighbors or “stir the pot,” it is much easier for readers to sympathize with her (or at least it was for me), when we read her section in the novel.  Quisqueya says: “Later, I told my mother what he had done to me, but she didn’t believe it. She accused me of trying to ruin things for her.”  I think Henríquez wants her readers to see why Quisqueya is the way she is – her mother did not truly see her or want her, so she spent the rest of her life trying to be visible in whatever way possible.  Overall, Henríquez uses the multiple perspectives throughout the book as a great learning tool for readers to understand the characters in a better way than one would by getting a limited one-person perspective.

 

Freedom of choice – it’s something that many of us take for granted in our everyday lives, and it is also something that not everyone in the world has.  Lowry brings her readers into a world where freedom of choice does not exist.  The novel shows how important it is for a society to have choices, and what can happen when they do not.  In the novel, freedom of choice is stripped away from each individual and from the society as a whole. For the most part, individuals seem to be happy with the jobs that they are given, but, that decision is still taken away from them. While the committee has watched them and studied each individual at great lengths, they do not do this in their best interest, but rather to keep the community running how they want it to.  

 Instead of taking pain and suffering away as the community hopes to do, they have hidden it.  The Giver had no choice in becoming the receiver, and neither does Jonas.  Instead of ending pain and suffering, they are instead placing all the pain and suffering on one individual.  It is obvious that The Giver has led a life that has been hard, and not of his choosing.  While freedom of choice can be a scary thing in the world, it is what makes each individual unique in their own way.  The society that they are forced to live in strips away their individuality and identity.  Although they are encouraged to feel and Jonas and his family members do tell one another about the dreams they have, it feels very much like a formality or something that is done only because it is required. 

 Making choices is something that defines a person, and for the most part the individuals in the novel are not allowed to make their own choices.  In a world such as the one in The Giver, it would be hard for individuals to create their own set of morals, and individuality and identity becomes something hazy and unimportant.  

 A question that I would leave readers with is, what are some advantages or are there any advantages to a society such as the one depicted in The Giver? 

 

Reading The Hate U Give made me realize the very few times that I have actually thought about being white.  Until coming to college and talking about what it means to be white in a class with Dr. Tucker (African American Literature), I can’t think of a single time before when I have thought about being white. I believe this was when I started to truly understand white privilege.  When Starr talks about having to be two different people, and how exhausting that is, I tried to imagine what it would feel like to literally and physically feel as if you are two people living in the same body, having to constantly be on guard with what you say, and how you react to things.

Being a teenager is difficult enough, but Starr also feels forced to conceal fundamental parts of who she is. She feels forced to act a certain way in front of her friends at Williamson (literally from fear of what will happen if they see the “Garden Heights Starr”). Identity is integral to the text.  I started to think about my own identity while reading, and what it would mean to live a double life.  While writing this, I am still thinking about my own search for identity growing up – figuring out my likes and dislikes, who I was apart from my parents.  The difference between Starr and myself is that I was and still am not forced to see myself through two lenses.  There is a quote in the novel by Starr that really resonated with me:

That’s the problem. We let people say stuff, and they say it so much that it becomes okay to them and normal for us. What’s the point of having a voice if you’re gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn’t be?

As I read this passage, I understood that Starr was talking about speaking out on behalf of her own race and standing up for her own identity, but I also felt that she was making a call to people who are not ‘other’ to speak out for minorities and for the marginalized of society.

Pain in Break the Bodies, Haunt the Bones 

 

While reading Break the Bodies, Haunt the Bones, one recurring theme that stood out to me was pain.  While there are many things happening in the novel, pain is at the center of it.  Although I couldn’t understand on a personal level what each character was going through, I was able to connect with all of the characters because each one had their own pain to deal with outside of the pain the town as a whole felt.  Pain is universal.  Whether it was Trigger’s feelings of guilt about his brother, or Hogboss’s loss of Dennis, each character experienced his or her own unique pain.  While it might be easy to get lost in each character’s story and their own specific painful circumstances, it is also easy to see how pain brings them together. The robot and Jane’s mom’s ghost were able to find love in their pain. Henry was able to help Hogboss through the pain of losing Dennis, because he too knew what it felt like to lose Dennis.  It was beautiful to see how the pain the characters faced individually helped them to better understand the pain that others experienced.

In November 2018, Massachusetts voted to maintain an anti-discrimination law that protects transgender and non-binary individuals.  It baffles me that this even had to be brought to a vote and doing so seems tantamount to saying that we need to vote on common decency and human rights.  While the vote and resultant law is a good thing, it is still shocking, that as a society, we are still grasping at what makes us human, almost as if it is barely in reach.   

When the Moon Was Ours was the most interesting read for me yet. The unrefined quality of the novel only serves to make it more accessible for a reader.  While reading, I felt like many things in the novel were speaking to current events in the transgender community – transgender and non-binary people still working to have their voices heard – and the dangers that they and the rest of the LGBTQIA+ community face daily.  The novel makes us hyper aware of gender identity and the role that it plays in our society. 

Sam’s journey throughout the novel helps readers to see someone’s personal struggles with gender identity.  Because the LGBTQIA+ community is still trying to find and keep its voice, this novel becomes an even more important read for young adults, or any age for that matter. It helps to shed a light on the discrimination that LGBTQIA+ people still face. The circumstances that Sam faced feel very real.  Through the novel, Sam explores ways in which to reconcile his gender identity. There is an interesting conversation between Sam’s mother and Miel where Sam’s mother says: “He’ll get there” referring to Sam one day leading his life as a girl/woman.  Instead of his mother trying to understand his gender identity, and who he really wants to be, she expects him to transition to a woman when the time comes.  Instead of expecting this, Sam needed support, and he needed for the people around him to be understanding.  

Because I can’t put it into words more eloquently than she did, I will quote McLemore:  

To the boys who get called girls, 

The girls who get called boys,  

And those who live outside these words. 

To those called names, 

And those searching for names of their own. 

To Those who live on the edges, 

And in the spaces in between. 

I wish for you every light in the sky.  

For me, this is the take away: be understanding, be respectful, and be an advocate for the voices that are fighting to be heard.  

I have included some additional resources here: 

https://transequality.org/issues/resources/understanding-non-binary-people-how-to-be-respectful-and-supportive

https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/415402-massachusetts-passes-ballot-measure-preserving-transgender-rights

With my not ever having been a victim of sexual assault, it is almost impossible for me to understand the complicated feelings that silenced Melinda.  I do, however, have nieces who are the same age as Melinda, and I cannot envision their being able to speak up about experiencing sexual assault.  Embarrassment and fear would almost certainly silence them.  I think that most teenage girls would feel this embarrassment and fear, and that it would take a very special relationship with either parents or a teacher for a young person to speak up about this.  Not only was the sexual assault enough to silence Melinda’s voice, but the things that took place after that night at the party, both at home, and at school only worked to silence her more.  I believe this novel is a testament to the devastating effects of sexual assault.  

How was Melinda expected to be anything but silent with what and who surrounded her? It makes me shiver to think that this happens so often, and that many victims of sexual assault will never be able to speak up.  In Melinda’s case she tried desperately to speak up about what happened to her.  So many “what ifs”.  What if her environment at home and school had been different? What if her mom and dad had given more time to the family dynamic?  What if teachers at school (excluding Mr. Freeman) had paid attention?  What if her so called “friends” (Rachel, Heather, Ivy) had really been there for her?  

As a future educator I took something away from this novel that will help me greatly with my students: always listen (and know it won’t always be words that you are listening for).  It was interesting to me to see the different grades at the end of each period, and especially that Art was always an A. One can’t help but think that if it hadn’t been for Mr. Freeman, Melinda might not have been able to finally gain her voice.  Not only did he help Melinda to find her voice, but he also helped her to find the meaning in her life, after she had lost it. 

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton