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How is the teaching life sublime? Let me enumerate the ways:
The palpable excitement of my colleagues as the new year begins ... it is indeed ELECTRIC...
The incredible wide-mouthed joy of a kindergartner meeting her teacher for the first time...
Getting the "do-over:" the chance to really improve your practice every year -- and seizing the opportunity to do so...with relish...
Meet the teacher day... when every student shows up with parent(s) in tow ... even in the pouring rain...
Alumni who return with their younger siblings and still oooh and aaah over the changes they see in their old school ... especially newly-minted sixth graders who then proceed to gush about their new middle school... enthusiasm is contagious...
The well-earned exhaustion that hits at the end of a frenetic day...
Sublime
The palpable excitement of my colleagues as the new year begins ... it is indeed ELECTRIC...
The incredible wide-mouthed joy of a kindergartner meeting her teacher for the first time...
Getting the "do-over:" the chance to really improve your practice every year -- and seizing the opportunity to do so...with relish...
Meet the teacher day... when every student shows up with parent(s) in tow ... even in the pouring rain...
Alumni who return with their younger siblings and still oooh and aaah over the changes they see in their old school ... especially newly-minted sixth graders who then proceed to gush about their new middle school... enthusiasm is contagious...
The well-earned exhaustion that hits at the end of a frenetic day...
Sublime
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The beginning of a new school year -- crunch time... and all the wonderful possibilities of new beginnings.
Dealing with roof leaks in both of my libraries. Too much rain in July and early August, and the last two storms brought the ceiling down (not in its entirety). I sense the mold already festering in the wallboard.
Arrggh -- cleaned my desk yesterday, only to walk in today to find a large box of ceiling tiles and their white crumbs sitting on top of it!
And yet, all I had to do was remember the lovely chat I had yesterday with a brand new student who was so eager and happy for the start of school ... it lifted my spirits.
Roofs get repaired, mold eradicated, ceiling tiles replaced... and learning goes on!
Dealing with roof leaks in both of my libraries. Too much rain in July and early August, and the last two storms brought the ceiling down (not in its entirety). I sense the mold already festering in the wallboard.
Arrggh -- cleaned my desk yesterday, only to walk in today to find a large box of ceiling tiles and their white crumbs sitting on top of it!
And yet, all I had to do was remember the lovely chat I had yesterday with a brand new student who was so eager and happy for the start of school ... it lifted my spirits.
Roofs get repaired, mold eradicated, ceiling tiles replaced... and learning goes on!
- Published on
Be forewarned: this post has nothing to do with books. But it does examine some specious, ridiculous writing, so allow me my rant.
Yesterday a curious catalog came over the transom: wishcraft produced by a company called chasing fireflies (lower case theirs). It consisted of 72 glossy pages of high concept, extremely overpriced Halloween costumes. OMG! Are there really people who would pay $198 dollars for a "Vampiress of Versailles" 3-piece get up? By the way, that does not include a "coffin cape," for which you would have to fork over another $78. Nor does it include the requisite tiara ($24), bat earrings ($9) or fangs ($5). For your vampire mate, you can get a five-piece set, which includes black velvet coat, brocade vest, lace jabot, top hat and boot covers, for a mere $178. You can also attire your vampire ankle-biters in similar fashion at similar cost. And according to the catalog copy: "out of the crypt beneath the French palace you sashay, dressed to kill..."
Yesterday a curious catalog came over the transom: wishcraft produced by a company called chasing fireflies (lower case theirs). It consisted of 72 glossy pages of high concept, extremely overpriced Halloween costumes. OMG! Are there really people who would pay $198 dollars for a "Vampiress of Versailles" 3-piece get up? By the way, that does not include a "coffin cape," for which you would have to fork over another $78. Nor does it include the requisite tiara ($24), bat earrings ($9) or fangs ($5). For your vampire mate, you can get a five-piece set, which includes black velvet coat, brocade vest, lace jabot, top hat and boot covers, for a mere $178. You can also attire your vampire ankle-biters in similar fashion at similar cost. And according to the catalog copy: "out of the crypt beneath the French palace you sashay, dressed to kill..."
Other costumes for children include the Empress Josephine, an unamed Russian czarina, a Renaissance princess (also nameless) and Marie Antoinette. Show me a first grader acquainted with the existence of Josephine and poor Marie-sans-tete, and I'll show you a unemployed history professor in the making. And none of these get-ups can be got for under a hundred dollars
(euros-- whatever)!
(euros-- whatever)!
If you are the type of person who dresses your dog for Halloween, you can also purchase attire for your pooch, including Yoda and Princess Leia costumes -- a steal at $18! If your pet walks on the wild side, he (or she) could be a pirate this year, complete with a hook! (I think if the ASPCA saw the photo of the poor bulldog in this get-up, it would descend upon the photo-shoot and swoop the beast away.)
And the ultimate degradation? Here's the catalog copy: "Your 'Toto' can be Dorothy. Just slip her into this blue-and-white costume with attached arms. Comes with a pigtail wig." Yes, it's a some tiny, sad excuse for a dog dressed as Dorothy Gale. But what, no ruby slippers?!?! I'm shocked, simply shocked...
Dorothy, too?
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I love Lenny Abramov, the protagonist of Gary Shteyngart's wicked satire of a tech-crazed, dystopian America in serious decline, Super Sad True Love Story. Okay, so he's a bit of a loser. His taste in clothes is horrendous. He's out of shape. He's definitely not fashion-forward in his choice of tech gizmos, either. So what attracts me to Lenny? He loves books -- or, as the novel calls them, "bound, printed, non-streaming Media artifacts."
In my libraries this year, I will be celebrating these amazing creations that have been around for over 500 years (in printed form, thanks to J. Gutenberg) and will, I hope, be around for at least another 500 (though I won't be around to enjoy them). I am no Luddite, but let me sing the many praises of the low-tech book.
I have long been curious as to differences in reading on paper as opposed to reading in an electronic format, and, frankly, I am concerned that e-readers (in all formats) do not promote "deep" reading. Now the results of studies are beginning to trickle in. For example, a grad student at the University of Washington, Alex Thayer, completed research on the use of Kindles among academics. His findings indicate that e-readers were useful for what he calls "receptive reading," that is, simply reading from start to finish in a straight line, without much depth. (Think summer beach book). However, the e-format was not very good for what he calls "responsive reading," which involves a deeper interaction with the text to build knowledge. Hmmmm... For further reading on this provocative topic, I suggest Nicholas Carr's examination of the Internet's effect on our reading and thinking processes, The Shallows.
Then, there is the matter of all the electronic waste we are fast-accumulating. What's going to happen to all those old Kindles and Nooks and iPads, when the next generation comes along? Something tells me they will wind up smouldering in a dump in China (after the precious metals have been extracted).
Books have been and always will be fully recyclable.
So let's hear it for something that:
1. is portable.
2. won't break if you drop it.
3. you can loan to friends and if they lose it, well, it's not the end of the world.
4. you can use a cute bookmark to note where you left off.
5. doesn't need batteries or recharging.
6. are free (at your local library).
7. lightweight yet durable.
8. come with attractive covers.
9. come in all different kinds (think genres).
10. let you use your imagination.
11. can take you all over the world (and to new worlds).
12. help you learn how to FOCUS (maybe the most important skill of all).
So thanks, Lenny, for appreciating those "bound, printed, non-streaming Media artifacts." May they live forever.
In my libraries this year, I will be celebrating these amazing creations that have been around for over 500 years (in printed form, thanks to J. Gutenberg) and will, I hope, be around for at least another 500 (though I won't be around to enjoy them). I am no Luddite, but let me sing the many praises of the low-tech book.
I have long been curious as to differences in reading on paper as opposed to reading in an electronic format, and, frankly, I am concerned that e-readers (in all formats) do not promote "deep" reading. Now the results of studies are beginning to trickle in. For example, a grad student at the University of Washington, Alex Thayer, completed research on the use of Kindles among academics. His findings indicate that e-readers were useful for what he calls "receptive reading," that is, simply reading from start to finish in a straight line, without much depth. (Think summer beach book). However, the e-format was not very good for what he calls "responsive reading," which involves a deeper interaction with the text to build knowledge. Hmmmm... For further reading on this provocative topic, I suggest Nicholas Carr's examination of the Internet's effect on our reading and thinking processes, The Shallows.
Then, there is the matter of all the electronic waste we are fast-accumulating. What's going to happen to all those old Kindles and Nooks and iPads, when the next generation comes along? Something tells me they will wind up smouldering in a dump in China (after the precious metals have been extracted).
Books have been and always will be fully recyclable.
So let's hear it for something that:
1. is portable.
2. won't break if you drop it.
3. you can loan to friends and if they lose it, well, it's not the end of the world.
4. you can use a cute bookmark to note where you left off.
5. doesn't need batteries or recharging.
6. are free (at your local library).
7. lightweight yet durable.
8. come with attractive covers.
9. come in all different kinds (think genres).
10. let you use your imagination.
11. can take you all over the world (and to new worlds).
12. help you learn how to FOCUS (maybe the most important skill of all).
So thanks, Lenny, for appreciating those "bound, printed, non-streaming Media artifacts." May they live forever.
- Published on
Today I want to sing the praises of authors who focus on nonfiction -- but who are able to turn facts into gripping drama that keeps you turning the pages long after you should have turned off the light.
I am currently reading Hot, Flat and Crowded by Thomas Friedman (Version 2.0) and I can barely tear myself away from the book. Okay, the topic is already compelling: our global environmental crisis. (And if you've spent any time in the Midwest and southern Great Plains this summer, you would be witness to evidence that global warming is not a myth: severe drought in many southern areas, extended heat waves, and extremely violent storms and flooding in the north.) So, yes, he's already got me at the topic -- but his way with the written word is compelling as well. His sentences are vivid; his choices of anecdotes and quotes are incisive; and his ability to take a dense concept and slice it into accessible, digestible chunks should be the envy of all writers. And, above all, he writes with passion about his topic.
That's something that we teachers tell our students all the time: choose a topic that you are passionate about and your writing will benefit immensely. It's something that I notice in my book club discussions: the best discussions grow out of books that we either loved or hated. The mushy middle provokes nothing but more mush.
Jon Krakauer, author of Into the Wild and Into Thin Air, is another writer who breathes both poetry and the tension of the commercial cliffhanger into nonfiction. "Nonfiction that reads like fiction" may be a cliche, but I was there on Mount Everest with the climbers. Krakauer's descriptions of the disastrous 1996 expedition had me checking my own fingers and toes for frostbite; kept me up until 3 a.m. compulsively reading "just one more page" because I couldn't bear the thought of leaving those foolhardy, yet brave men and women clinging to life on the mountain.
I recently re-read The Devil in the White City for my book club and once again fell under the spell of Erik Larson's incredible nonfiction writing. As a Chicago girl, born and bred, I appreciated the extent to which he delved into his topics: the creation of the 1893 World's Fair juxtaposed with the serial killer H.H. Holmes. His details are meticulous -- his prose is compelling, even nail-biting as he swoops from the the broad expanses of the fairgrounds as the exhibition is slowly, agonizing shaped by the hand of architect Daniel Burnham to the claustrophobic confines of the hotel of death that Holmes built and to which he lured his fair-going victims. This is nonfiction writing that sinks it teeth in you and doesn't let go.
I am currently reading Hot, Flat and Crowded by Thomas Friedman (Version 2.0) and I can barely tear myself away from the book. Okay, the topic is already compelling: our global environmental crisis. (And if you've spent any time in the Midwest and southern Great Plains this summer, you would be witness to evidence that global warming is not a myth: severe drought in many southern areas, extended heat waves, and extremely violent storms and flooding in the north.) So, yes, he's already got me at the topic -- but his way with the written word is compelling as well. His sentences are vivid; his choices of anecdotes and quotes are incisive; and his ability to take a dense concept and slice it into accessible, digestible chunks should be the envy of all writers. And, above all, he writes with passion about his topic.
That's something that we teachers tell our students all the time: choose a topic that you are passionate about and your writing will benefit immensely. It's something that I notice in my book club discussions: the best discussions grow out of books that we either loved or hated. The mushy middle provokes nothing but more mush.
Jon Krakauer, author of Into the Wild and Into Thin Air, is another writer who breathes both poetry and the tension of the commercial cliffhanger into nonfiction. "Nonfiction that reads like fiction" may be a cliche, but I was there on Mount Everest with the climbers. Krakauer's descriptions of the disastrous 1996 expedition had me checking my own fingers and toes for frostbite; kept me up until 3 a.m. compulsively reading "just one more page" because I couldn't bear the thought of leaving those foolhardy, yet brave men and women clinging to life on the mountain.
I recently re-read The Devil in the White City for my book club and once again fell under the spell of Erik Larson's incredible nonfiction writing. As a Chicago girl, born and bred, I appreciated the extent to which he delved into his topics: the creation of the 1893 World's Fair juxtaposed with the serial killer H.H. Holmes. His details are meticulous -- his prose is compelling, even nail-biting as he swoops from the the broad expanses of the fairgrounds as the exhibition is slowly, agonizing shaped by the hand of architect Daniel Burnham to the claustrophobic confines of the hotel of death that Holmes built and to which he lured his fair-going victims. This is nonfiction writing that sinks it teeth in you and doesn't let go.
- Published on
Like I said, mistakes and misinformation pull me out of a story faster than I can eat a handful of M&Ms -- and believe me, I can eat them pretty fast. I recently picked up the novel Outside of the Ordinary World by Dori Ostermiller. The opening grabbed me -- but her first flashback is set in 1968, involving a family moving from Chicago to California. They are traveling along I-80 in Nebraska. Whoa! I-80 was not completed across Nebraska until 1974. Yes, there were sections of I-80 open in 1968 -- but a family on the move from Chicago to California would probably not have opted to try to drive an incomplete road through the middle of the Great Plains. The still-preferred choice of travelers headed West in 1968 was the Mother Road, Route 66. My own family tooled along that fabulous highway in 1968 on the standard "Grand Canyon or bust" vacation. We attended a Sunday morning mass in Joplin, Missouri, gorged on Big Boy burgers in Amarillo, Texas, sweated and baked through New Mexico, and ogled the Painted Desert at sunset like the slack-jawed city-slickers we were.
So I guess I just couldn't accept the notion that this family in the novel would have been on some half-completed I-80 in the middle of Nebraska. Just wasn't happening. Again, where's an editor when you need one?!? I stopped reading, put the book back on the shelf and bought a copy of George Orwell's 1984 instead. Seems like a good time to revisit that world.
So I guess I just couldn't accept the notion that this family in the novel would have been on some half-completed I-80 in the middle of Nebraska. Just wasn't happening. Again, where's an editor when you need one?!? I stopped reading, put the book back on the shelf and bought a copy of George Orwell's 1984 instead. Seems like a good time to revisit that world.
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As a librarian, I pride myself on providing my library patrons with accurate, up-to-date information in all forms -- which recently meant pitching all the nonfiction books that referred to Pluto as a "planet" and purchasing new titles which referenced its new status as a "dwarf planet." That's just one example.
So it pains me when I read fiction that plays fast and loose with facts. I am perfectly willing to hand myself over to the author's universe, but if you are writing realistic fiction, make sure you get it right -- or you risk pulling me out of your story. Case in point: The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. The novel is set in Seattle during both the early 1940s and 1984 as it tells its Romeo and Juliet tale of a Chinese-American boy and Japanese-American girl who experience first love amidst the Japanese internment after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
My problem with this novel? It makes several references to the protagonist's son going "online" in 1984 and finding his father's long-lost love through a short "Internet search." Sorry -- this just wasn't even a remote possibility in 1984. The author, who was questioned about this on his own blog, talks about going online in 1984 with Compuserve for $100 per hour. Yeah, that was a possibility -- but the "online" on 1984 was not the "online" of today -- or even 10 years ago. Where's an editor when you need one? I found myself shaking my head as I was reading the story -- saying "nope, wouldn't happen."
Now, middle school students -- who really seem to be the audience for this novel -- probably wouldn't even think twice about it -- for them, the world has always been online. But for those of us of "a certain age," it just cried out for a re-write and a more plausible situation.
Authorial laziness? Maybe. Editorial laziness? Definitely!
So it pains me when I read fiction that plays fast and loose with facts. I am perfectly willing to hand myself over to the author's universe, but if you are writing realistic fiction, make sure you get it right -- or you risk pulling me out of your story. Case in point: The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. The novel is set in Seattle during both the early 1940s and 1984 as it tells its Romeo and Juliet tale of a Chinese-American boy and Japanese-American girl who experience first love amidst the Japanese internment after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
My problem with this novel? It makes several references to the protagonist's son going "online" in 1984 and finding his father's long-lost love through a short "Internet search." Sorry -- this just wasn't even a remote possibility in 1984. The author, who was questioned about this on his own blog, talks about going online in 1984 with Compuserve for $100 per hour. Yeah, that was a possibility -- but the "online" on 1984 was not the "online" of today -- or even 10 years ago. Where's an editor when you need one? I found myself shaking my head as I was reading the story -- saying "nope, wouldn't happen."
Now, middle school students -- who really seem to be the audience for this novel -- probably wouldn't even think twice about it -- for them, the world has always been online. But for those of us of "a certain age," it just cried out for a re-write and a more plausible situation.
Authorial laziness? Maybe. Editorial laziness? Definitely!
- Published on
Welcome to my blog, where I will be commenting on books, reading, writing and various other topics of interest to a radical, militant librarian and regular folks as well.