If I were to list the books related to this course off the top of my head that affected me, I would immediately have to say Kate DiCamillo's The Tale of Despereaux and Brian Selznick's The Invention of Hugo Cabret. I think the inventiveness on behalf of the author -- from DiCamillo's "unlikely hero with big ears" that made my heart swell twenty times the size of my chest a zillion times throughout the novel to Selznick's innovative method of story-telling through prose and illustrations -- is what make these stories unforgettable. Personally I am glad I have copies of these books in my possession since I hope I can share them with my children in the future.
I should also note that Judy Blundell's What I Saw and How I Lied also touched me as it made me think of the subtle and not-so-subtle power issues of anti-semitism prevalent in America even after World War II. This very adult matter (rather than the scandalous romantic entanglement[s]) struck me as unique. I've read reviews where people felt the theft from the Jews during the Holocaust was cliched, but I think anti-semitism is more than just her step-father's questionable actions. We see anti-semitism in how the Graysons are treated at the hotel and how Ruthie is treated by Evie's former best friend. By offering Evie (and the audience) that very up-close and personal encounter with anti-semitism helps shape the protagonist's future outlook.
Overall, I highly enjoyed the reading list for this course. However, if I had to name one book that left me underwhelmed, I think it would be Avi's Cross of Lead. I enjoy Avi and really enjoyed the video of him that we watched. But when it came to this particularly novel, I struggled to connect to it.
This class has helped me reconnect to a part of literary consciousness that I felt I missed out on. I was too busy reading "adult" books (Jurassic Park and the Hot Zone for example) that I missed out on such gems as these.
1 comment:
To Kati:
I definitely agree that both "Hugo" and "Despereaux" are great books that cause such a strong reaction and readability in all ages. I hope to share them with my friends and children. I also enjoyed Blundell's book as well, and the topics in them are a bit scandalous to me, but they are tastefully done and well written. I do believe that Blundell stretches her readers with "What I Saw and How I Lied". It was a pleasure reading this book and learning more about the 1950's, I believe. I had not realized that anti-Semitism was such a prevalent and deciding factor in this time period. The novel was a great novel from start to finish!
Thank you for your blog!
~Kim
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