My literary history is hazy, to say the least. I do not remember going to bed and being read to, although I know it happened. I do not remember what book gave me the “eureka” moment as a child, although things get a little clearer somewhere around second grade, when I became engrossed in the AR program and read everything under the sun. In this sob story, a boy with a mullet and no friends reads Boxcar Children books at recess. Other books included any fiction book about baseball and the Fudge series. I read lots of books by Matt Christopher and R.L. Stine.
We’re blurry in middle school. Somewhere those years got lost in the shuffle. I read what was assigned to me and nothing more. The Giver. That’s all that’s coming to mind.
High school rolls around and I start to come into my own in terms of worldview, political view, sense of humor, all that jazz. I remember reading Breakfast of Champions and Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut multiple times over, as well as the rest of his work. I was blown away by the fact that an author spoke to me, wrote the exact things I was thinking at the time, and more importantly, did so in a way that never stopped being funny and never stopped being intelligent. If you read those books, Vonnegut is making some pretty scathing critiques of institutions: social, political, religious, etc. But he does so in a way that is amused, clever, witty. As someone who tends to worry about things, those books are a pleasant reminder to sort of live the best way you can and not to stress about things that can’t be helped. Other books at the time included One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Catch-22. All funny books, all very observant and critical. I got into Hemingway and Faulkner a great bit during this time, as well as Camus’ works The Stranger and The Plague.
In college, I majored in political science and read those textbooks and little else. After I finished my major early, I tacked on an English minor; it was the best decision I have ever made, just because it got me back into reading heavily. I took a class on Cormac McCarthy, Larry Brown, and Wendell Berry, which to date is my favorite class ever. It was a great deal of reading, but well worth it. Wendell Berry should be taught in every classroom, although he gets very little recognition outside of being a poet. He is a brilliant essayist and despite coming from a different perspective than myself, his works on community, food, the environment, and politics resonate with me. “Praise ignorance / for what man has not encountered / he cannot destroy.” You just shivered, didn't you? Likewise, with Cormac McCarthy, you've got this incredible, vivid prose describing these horrific situations and deeply flawed people. Basically, every time I have read one of his books (Child of God and Outer Dark are at like four times apiece at this point), I have had the same sick feeling in my stomach when I reach certain parts. That's when you've succeeded as a writer.
It was during this time when I also began writing creatively again; for a while, it was all I did and I still would give anything to sit and write without having to do anything else. I wrote many short stories over the year I was out of school, as well as a longer piece that I am still working on, thanks to the writer workshop we did earlier in another class. I have sort of reached a point now where I don’t immediately hate what I write, and I generally get good feedback from people with whom I share, but I still get really nervous when people read anything I’ve written. On the bright side, I no longer play in a band, so people aren’t listening to me sing what I’ve written---that, my friend, is abysmal stuff. (Side note: I'm pretty sure that movie "War Horse" got its general premise from a song by my old band RankResistance called "Horseshoes and Hand Grenades". I mean, I haven't seen the movie, but still, Mr. Spielberg...)
I am constantly trying to expand my literary territories (hooray for buzzwords). I want to be able to relate with as many of my students as possible, as well as make suggestions that may help them find things they enjoy. It really only takes one book to resonate with someone to hook a lifelong reader, and I hope to be the facilitator of that. I intend to have a book suggestion wall (like the one that was in my last placement) and start out the year with some sort of questionnaire to find what type of books (if any) my students like, as well as films/music/etc. As a nerd of all media, I could talk endlessly about any of that, and themes translate across different forms (i.e. If you are a fan of this movie, you should read this book.) I never really bought into the whole concept of a book changing one’s life, but in the past couple of years or so, I’ve become a believer.
OK, I’m going to close up shop here (sorry for the length), but before I do, I will put up my short list of books that have “shaped” me into the person I…true or not, it still sounds cheesy. I can provide explanations later.
Breakfast of Champions/Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut (see above.)
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller (Just like Vonnegut in the sense that it shows you can be critical and even angry, but still keep your wits about yourself and still sit back and marvel at the absurdity of behavior from time to time. Sometimes life gets rough---it's best if you can find a way to laugh to keep from crying.)
1984 by George Orwell (Was great for me to have when I was getting politically socialized. Lit a fire under me.)
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner (Hands down my favorite book of all time. I can't even write about it. Let's just have coffee and discuss it.)
Tobacco Road by Erskine Caldwell (I read this as a companion piece to As I Lay Dying. Like if you want the visceral reaction, but want to be able to understand it on the first go-around.)
Sex, Economy, Freedom and Community by Wendell Berry (a pretty well-rounded collection of essays comprising Wendell Berry's thoughts about everything except the Oxford comma)
Billy Budd, Sailor by Herman Melville
Child of God/Outer Dark by Cormac McCarthy (See above. I get sick when I read both of these books. But I can't look away.)
The Plague by Albert Camus (The importance of this book to me probably has more to do with the timing of when I read it more than the book itself. That's all I've got)
Gorgias by Plato (Everyone should be taught Gorgias. Took it in a political rhetoric class and it is by far the most important lesson you can teach a student: the power of words to inform and to deceive. It is the most important text I can think of, at least.)
OK, seriously, that's all.
Nick,
ReplyDeleteFirst off I am astonished we have not talked about our mutual obsession of Boxcar Children books as kids. I also loved the Fudge series and still want to know if it is true that a child can swallow a turtle and have no problems.
We have talked before of my dislike of Faulkner's As I Lay Dying. However, as I read this for class, in a group project no less, I believe you have convinced me to give it another shot. Would you ever teach this in class or use it as a book club selection? One of the reasons I say this is because like you I hated Catcher in the Rye the first time I read it and now really enjoy it, just as you do.
As this seems to be common, and on average we are probably more well read than many of our peers were in high school, how do we as teachers pick the right books for students? Is it okay that they do not grasp a book? Should we make them reach and push them out of their comfort zones? Or instead should we give them something they will understand?
I love the idea of a book suggestion wall with surveys. I'm going to have to sit down with you and find out more about it. I really like your idea of bringing in other media as well. I think that is a great way to bring students into literature.
Did you know there's a fourth book to the Fudge series? I didn't. Note to self...there are also two sequels to The Giver. Go figure.
ReplyDeletePlease do give As I Lay Dying another try. It's definitely a hard read, and it's frustrating, but it's unlike any book ever written. It's a work of genius. I could go on for days.
You should read Tobacco Road by Erskine Caldwell, too. It is a quick read and, like As I Lay Dying, it has all of these really conflicted characters who are really flawed and it's just a really sad depiction of the South in the Great Depression. And it's much easier to read.
You and I did the Vygotsky podcast, so naturally it goes without saying that we should push them out of their comfort zones. However, we have to first establish a basis and make sure they have an enjoyment of reading and a willingness to continue. I think choice when you are teaching a particular theme is fine. It is our job as future teachers to be sure we are implementing the assessments that best identify whether or not they are actually comprehending and thinking critically and to adjust if necessary.
Are they not visualizing the text? Is the vocabulary just way too advanced? Are they simply not interested in the text? It's case by case, I believe.
There wasn't much to the suggestion wall. It was just a place with index cards where students would read a book and hang up a card with the title/author and perhaps a blurb. I looked at it initially thought "Eighth graders aren't going to take this seriously" but over the course of my placement, they utilized it a great deal. You'd see one student reading a Meg Cabot or Maureen Johnson book and then next week, you'd see another student reading the same book. And even more important than the community it would build is the info it gives me; I want to read young adult lit. I want to be able to converse with students and catch them off-guard when I make it obvious that I'm putting forth an effort. I want to read all the popular fiction, the series books, and find out what it is that is causing at least a sliver of teenagers to be wholly enthused about a book and not have the slightest hint of embarrassment about it and to channel that enthusiasm to approach broader themes that extend beyond literature. That possibility, that potential, is what excites me and removes any shred of doubt I may have had about picking this career path.