Thoughts on "Becoming Naomi Leon" (Group B)

Reading "Becoming Naomi Leon", by Pam Munoz Ryan, was truly enjoyable. It was interesting to read the Barrera and Quiroa article before hand ("The use of Spanish in Latino Children's Literature in English: What Makes for Cultural Authenticity?") and then see the parallels between the article and the book. In the article, the authors discuss the role of kinship and families in Latino Literature. During the novel, Naomi's mom shows up unexpectantly (after years of her being gone) and Naomi grapples with her identity in relation to her family.

What was refreshing about this novel was how gender roles were "reversed" in some ways. Rather than reading about an uninvovled and destitute father, we see a father who loves his children and wants to be with him. After reading so many books that shed father's in a negative light, this book gives one a fresh outlook. Also, the book high lighted extended kinship systems; Naomi not only had Gram and Owen as her support system, but neighbors and extended family members. The book also showed how cummunal the Latina community is, as when Naomi traveled to Mexico, her family accepted her immediately and worked together to find Naomi's father.

Another element of this book that made it unique from other reads was Naomi's voice. For a child who is struggling with problems between two parents, this novel offers a "friend" or voice that one can relate to. Often, problems within families are kept under wraps, or "hushed". Children dealing with these problems may not have an outlet or source to relate to. This book gives children a character to that they can turn to when coping with the same sort of issues.

I think this book is an outstanding resource, not only does it confront issues with families, it also exposes children to the Latina community in a positive and non-stereotypical way.

Thoughts about "From Charlie's Point of View"

This week we read "From Charlie's Point of View" by Richard Scrimger. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I liked the progression of the characters and how the three main character's - Charlie, Bernadette, and Lewis - were equally and similairly developed.

I think that this book would be a good one to use in future years; however, I feel that it would be equally beneficial to read a book about a person who has a different disability. A few of the books about Autism that Valerie brought to class seemed very interesting and it would be a unique read. Personally, I've never been exposed to a young adult book that deals with a topic such as Autism.

My favorite thing about reading "From Charlie's Point of View" was all the questions that it raised. Everyone in my discussion group brought a different question and it was exciting to see how people read and view texts in comparison to my own view point.

Thanks for reading :)

Women In Juarez, Mexico

Hello All!

I am taking a Women and Literature class this semester and the past few weeks we have been talking about the Juarez Murders in Mexico. I thought that this was a relevant topic to this blog because it has to deal with women's issues and it is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT to spread the word about this situation.

I'm not sure if everyone knows about the Juarez Murders, and I am not the most scholarly person on the subject but here is a little bit of background. Basically, about 10-15 years ago, around the time that NAFTA was initiated, women in Juarez started going missing. Currently, over 450 women have been found dead or are still missing - no one knows the real number. Many of these women are from small towns in central Mexico and have no family in Juarez - meaning, it takes some time for someone to become aware that these women have gone missing. If this isn't bad enough, many of these women are raped and mutilated beyond imagine. So far, NO ONE HAS BEEN CONVICTED of these murders and the government is not working to solve the problem.

This is just a rough description, but I encourage everyone to read more about this and find out information. This situation is devastating and not many people know about it (I had no idea until I took this class).

Here are some website links and a FICTIONAL book (based on true events) of the situation:

http://www.mujeresdejuarez.org/
http://www.amigosdemujeres.org/AboutUs.htm

Desert Blood: The Juarez Murders by Alicia Gaspar de Alba

Group Post about Awards

Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association
The purpose of this Award is to recognize authors and illustrators who create a representation of Asian/Pacific Americans and heritage in a positive way. The selection criteria is simply that the author or illustrate represents Asian/Pacific heritage in an accurate and positive way. The authors and illustrates do not have to identify themselves as being of Asian/Pacific heritage. The organization itself has been established for nearly thirty years, but the American Librarians Association sponsored award is relatively new in creation. There are three separate awards that are given under this title for illustrations in children's picture books, youth literature and adult books. The Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association has a section dedicated on their site for the members of the selection committee although it is not made completely clear 'who' the members are. The accolades of the members are given as a quick biography and perhaps in defending their position on the committee, but further information isn't really clear. No picture is given as a representation as to who the members are and that is something that our particular group thought it was interesting that the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association would choose not to give you a face for their organization.Over all, we had a very difficult time finding books in the library that have won this particular award. "Kira-Kira" by Cynthia Kadohata, "A Step from Heaven" by An Na and "Project Mulberry" by Linda Sue Park were either winners or nominees for this award and were the only ones that were locatable.Our group thought that the criteria for this award sent a positive message in that when considering winners, the committee paid close attention to content verses identity of the authors or illustrators. We all felt that it added an interesting twist to the insider/outsider debate considering that the criteria doesn't specify that the creators have to be of Asian/Pacific heritage or association, but that of the three books that we were able to locate two of the authors were of Asian/Pacific heritage.We welcome questions or comments on this award and wonder what you think about the criteria saying that the authors and illustrators don't have to be Asian/Pacific American, but those are the people who seem to represent the winners of the award as a majority. Let us know!

Stereotypes in "Bronx Masquerade" by Nikki Grimes

In class yesterday I didn't have time to formulate my thoughts or get them together before we moved on from this topic. I feel as though I may have had a different read of the book as opposed to some of my classmates. I didn't think that the characters in the book were stereotypes, I took them to be real students that many children could relate to. As some one in our class mentioned, the book gives voices to those who may not have this kind of exposure otherwise. Furthermore, it was brought up that the teacher in this novel represents a stereotype of the white teacher who goes into the inner city schools and tries to fix everything - which is why he started the whole Open Mike thing. However, the character Tyrone in the beginning writes a poem instead of an essay, which the teacher asks him to read. After Tyrone reads the poem aloud, the other students want to do the same thing. The Open Mike sessions develop from this. Thus, I don't believe that the teacher fits into the stereotypical "savior teacher" role.

I understand why others could read into these characters as stereotypes, and they could be right. I just saw the characters in a more realistic light and thought that their stories were ones that other students could relate to.

Thanks for reading :)

Insider/Outsider Debate

For this post we are to discuss our opinions on the "insider/outsider" debate. Until a few weeks ago when this was brought up in class I had never really thought about this issue. After reading the articles and thinking about the points brought up in class, I think that what is relevant is not whether the author is an insider or an outsider but if they are well researched, authentic, and truthful. I recognize that it a person who is an insider has a lot more insight into a particular lifestyle. However, if an outsider was genuinely interested in a certain topic then he or she could find out about the the topic in many ways. The most authentic way for an outsider to gain insider access is to ask the insiders. I would bet that most people would want to tell their story or talk to someone if the person he or she was talking to was genuine and thoughtful.

I don't think that just because a person is an outsider that he or she should have any less access to information about different lifestyles. In fact, if whatevers being written is written in a respectful way, then I commend the outsider for their careful attention to the topic. In class, I would like to explore how published authors feel about this topic. I would imagine that many people who are insiders have read outside accounts that are offensive and this might lead one to believe only insiders should tackle certain issues.

I would also like to see good examples of outsiders who have written about certain topics. Lastly, I would like to explore how someone is classified as in insider or an outsider - I know this seems fairly simple but how does one know for sure whether the person writing is genuinely an insider or outsider.

Thanks for reading :)

First Post

Hello!

My name is Carrie O'Brien. I am currently a senior at Michigan State University majoring in Child Development with a specialization in Language Arts. This semester I am taking the class TE 448 which is a class focused on Issues of Diversity in Children's Literature. My sophomore year I took the pre-requisite class TE 348, which also focused on diverse children's literature. I have always loved literature...even when I was younger. I try to expose myself to diverse literature in my everyday leisure reading. However, when I was younger I don't recall a genuine collection of diverse books in my classrooms. I remember doing "token" books such as "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry" by Mildred D. Taylor. In fact, I found that book so intriguing that I read almost all of her other stories about the Logan family. Other than that, however, I remember few books that dealt with diversty... until reaching middle school.

I had an excellent professor for TE 348 and she would come to class with suitcases full of her books. It blew my mind that she had such an extensive collection and also that one could have such a well stocked library. My favorite assignment in that class was making our own library. I will bring all of those books with me to my future classroom and am glad that my library started out on such a good note.

As far as questions go, I can't think of too many. I'm very excited about all of the books we are reading. My main concern is that the ideal age that I want to work with (k-2) may not understand all of the concepts presented in many of these diverse books. I know that all children are different and that one should never underestimate them... but I would like to be exposed to more picture books that tackle diversity rather than all chapter books. I know that I can read the chapter books aloud but I think the children might have a more meaningful experience if they can look at the books themselves.

I think that is all for now... ciao!