Speak

 

Author: Laurie Halse Anderson

Title: Speak 

Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction

Anderson, L. H. (2011). Speak. Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR).

 

 

Grade Level: 9th

Pages: 191 pages

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson is a contemporary realistic novel that follows the perspective of ninth grader, Mellie, who enters high school after a traumatic experience over the summer at a high school party. Mellie struggles to find her place in the school's social pecking order, while also having to deal with the toxic environment at home. Feeling that she is unable to express herself at home or at school, Mellie falls into self-destructive habits and allows her grades to fall.  However, with the help of her art teacher, she begins to discover her voice to speak out against her abusers and bullies in her life.

Possible Teaching Concerns: 

This novel is very explicit when it comes to abuse. Very early in the novel, there are themes of absuse mentioned in the narrator's past experience. This could be very triggering to some readers and it is important to note if teachers are going to teach this novel. There are also elements of self-harm through the novel. It is mentioned that Mellie hurts herself, and so do other girls in the school. Many of her friends (Heather) seem to struggle with eating disorders. There are several instances when the author decides to use rather crude and outdated language in the book.

Personal Reactions:

Personally, I find that this book was very moving, even though it address very sensitive material.  I don't think I would assign this book to the class and read it for a unit. I feel that would put too many students in an uncomfortable position if they found this material triggering and needed to come forward about it because of a past experience. Instead, I would probably offer it as a literature circle reading. Students could chose to read this book if they chose to, and I would be able to carefully moderator their progress throughout the book and give support on certain sections of the book. I think this gives me more control and awareness over the book's sensitive themes and how to communicate this to students in a safe way.

Canonical Work:

I decided to pair this novel with a couple of poems because of the heaviness of the material. I chose poems the talked about overcoming tribulation and trials and focused on the strength that people can find in themselves.  

"Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou

You may write me down in history

With your bitter, twisted lies,

You may trod me in the very dirt

But still, like dust, I'll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?

Why are you beset with gloom?

’Cause I walk like I've got oil wells

Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,

With the certainty of tides,

Just like hopes springing high,

Still I'll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?

Bowed head and lowered eyes?

Shoulders falling down like teardrops,

Weakened by my soulful cries?

Does my haughtiness offend you?

Don't you take it awful hard

’Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines

Diggin’ in my own backyard.

You may shoot me with your words,

You may cut me with your eyes,

You may kill me with your hatefulness,

But still, like air, I’ll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?

Does it come as a surprise

That I dance like I've got diamonds

At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history’s shame

I rise

Up from a past that’s rooted in pain

I rise

I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,

Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.

Leaving behind nights of terror and fear

I rise

Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear

I rise

Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,

I am the dream and the hope of the slave.

I rise

I rise

I rise.

 

 

This specific poem touches on racism, but I felt that the message was still very applicable when relating Speak. Throughout the novel, we watch Mellie struggle to find her voice and overcome her abuser. But in the end, she sees the strength that she has and rises above it. Not only is she able to confront her abuser, but she is also able to tell her story and rise from it. I chose this poem, because it focuses on themes of strength and hope that the narrator feels. These are feelings that I think apply to Mellie when she finally finds her strength to stand up and rise. 

"Fire" by Nikita Gill 

Remember what you must do
when they undervalue you,
when they think
your softness is your weakness,
when they treat your kindness
like it is their advantage

You awaken
every dragon,
every wolf,
every monster
that sleeps inside you
and you remind them
what hell looks like
when it wears the skin
of a gentle human

I have always seen Nikita Gill's poems on Pinterest and I saw this one and thought that it fit the themes of this books so well. It is a pretty short poem, but again, I think embodies what the readers see at the very end of Speak when Mellie fights back against her abuser. I think that every little girl needs to know that they are a warrior and that they can fight back. I love the empowerment that this poem offers and I think that it would pair well with the novel.

 

 

Night

 

Author: Elie Wiesel

Title: Night 

Genre: Non-Fiction

Wiesel, Elie, and Marion Wiesel. Night. Penguin Books, 2008.

 

 

Grade Level: 9th

Pages: 121 pages

Night by Elie Wiesel is the story told from the perspective of 15-year-old Jewish boy, Eliezer, who survived concentration camps at Auschwitz and Buchenwald. Eliezer recounts the experiences that him and his family faced as they were rounded up and forced to work in unlivable conditions by the German Nazis during the Holocaust.

Possible Teaching Concerns: 

This novel is very graphic. There is so much violence in the very few pages of the novella. The reader watches the disturbing atrocities that the Nazis commit towards the Jewish people. Eliezer witnesses many people, including his father, die very gruesome and harsh deaths. I recommended this book for high school because I think it takes a certain maturity in order to fully understand these events that are recounted in this book's pages. People are shot, beaten, and hanged. It truly is extremely graphic and teachers should be aware of the violence and possible historical trauma.

Personal Reactions:

I read this book as a 5th grader and there are two scenes that I remembered vividly when reading this novella. The first was when Eliezer's father makes the comment to not look strong or rebellious when they are being examined by the Nazis, and the second is when Eliezer's father died. This book is one of those stories that truly haunts you, but that I think is so important for students to have exposure to. It is important for students to learn about historical atrocities such as this one. Although these are often hard to learn about, they did happen and it is important that we educate ourselves so that we are not responsible for the repetition of history in our own lifetimes.

Canonical Work:

The Book Thief is a powerful book that is also set during World War II. It follows the lives of Liesel Meminger, her adoptive father and mother, and her friend, Rudy Steiner through the perspective of Death throughout the novel. This book has been taught in grade levels 8th through 10th grade to talk about themes that surrounding the Jew's persecutions during World War II. Although both Night and The Book Thief talk about these themes, The Book Thief gives perspective from the German commoner's point of view. This is a very grabbing and powerful story. It is equally as heartbreaking as Night and provides students with opportunity to relate to these horrible events through characters that they have connected with. 

Audiobook Read Along

 

Interview with Elie Wiesel

 

 

The Book Thief (2013)

 

 

Monster

 

Author: Walter Dean Myer

Title: Monster

Genre: Drama/Crime Fiction

Myers, Walter D. Monster. HarperCollins, 2009.

 

 

Grade Level: 11th grade

Pages: 281 pages

Monster by Walter Dean Myer is a story written from the perspective of 16 year old Steve Harmon who is on trial for assisting in a murder. The novel flips back and forth between Steve's perspective and the play script that he writes for his trial as some argue for his innocence and others argue that his is a monster. Steven Harmon must contend with what he has done and who people perceive him to be because of his actions.

Possible Teaching Concerns: 

My concerns with teaching this book would be the violent nature of the men in the prisons. There are several instances where the narrator mentions men being gang raped in their cells, which is heartbreaking. Steve goes through some very traumatic and heartbreaking experiences. People are shot, beaten up, and abused by others around them. There is a mild enough language that might also be a concern. Again, it is important for teachers to know the students in their classrooms and what they can handle.

Personal Reactions:

I loved how creative this book was. It makes it all the more interesting to read. I can totally see students eating this book up because it is fairly easy to read and it is told from an interesting view point. I think this books has some very necessary themes that need to be discussed. It is heartbreaking, but in a way that opens your eyes to the injustices that there are in this world. I would definitely use this book for reading groups or lit circles where I would allow students to select a book of their choosing. I think this book would really interest young boys in the classroom and also provides very important messages.

Canonical Work:

 

 In Cold Blood is a very chillingly grabbing book for high school level readers. It is non-fiction novel written about the quadruple murder in Kansas. Capote details the murder of the Clutter family and the events in the murders' lives that lead up to the tragic night. e also details the arrests of Richard Hickrock and Perry Smith, who were later found guilty and convicted of the murdering of the Clutter family. This novel is often taught at the high school grade level and would pair very well with Monster. Although these stories surround two different cases, they both ask the same question: Is the justice system fair? In Cold Blood asks its readers to reexamine how we think of the death penalty in cases where it is called in consideration for retribution for another's life; especially when those who are convicted have diagnosis with mental illnesses. This is a chilling, but engaging book for young teenage men at the high school grade level. 

Netflix's New Film for Monster (2021)

 

 

Lawyer Scene from Monster (2021)

Monster Movie Trailer (2018) 

 

 

 

The Secret Life of Bees

 

Author: Sue Monk Kidd

Title: The Secret Life of Bees

Genre: Historical Fiction/Coming-of-Age Fiction

Kidd, Sue M. The Secret Life of Bees. Penguin, 2003.

 

Grade Level: 11^th Grade

Pages: 336 pages

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd is a coming-of-age novel told from the perspective of 14 year old Lily Owens in the year of 1964. Lily runs away from her abusive father with her housemaid, Rosaleen, and finds refuge in the Boatwright sister's home. Through her journey, Lily comes to terms with the loneliness and betrayal she feels from her mother early death and finds a new family with the people she surrounds her with.

Possible Teaching Concerns:

This novel does deal with some pretty horrible abuse between Lily and her father, T-Ray. There are several scenes where the readers witness this abuse inflicted on Lily, and it is extremely heartbreaking. There is also some language used within this novel that is characterized by the time period, and teachers should be aware of that and set standards and guidelines in the classroom to keep it a safe place for all students. There are also elements of suicide in this novel, which teachers should again be aware of in case it might be triggering to anyone in their classrooms. 

Personal Reactions:

I loved this book a lot. It made me cry several times. It uses the found family trope which is one of my favorite tropes, and is a book that definitely pulls on your heartstrings. There is so much to talk about with this books. This book is full of themes and symbolism which would be great for discussions in the classroom. I think that I would definitely use this book for a Socratic Seminar in the classroom. I paired it with an older grade because I think this book would foster such great discussion. There is so much to pull from the story and it is a very enjoyable read as well.

Canonical Work:

Beloved by Toni Morrison is a powerful and moving novel about the traumatic history of slavery. It follows the character Sethe, a previously enslaved woman, who is haunted by the ghost of her dead child, Beloved. Although Beloved and The Secret Life of Bees are completely different story lines, both talk about racism and the effects of slavery after it was made illegal in the United States. This are important topics to be addressing in the classroom. The Secret Life of Bees serves as the perfect stepping stop to integrate this classic in the classroom. 

Movie Trailer (2008) 

 

 

Why Read Beloved? 

 

Cut

 

Author: Patrica McCormick

Title: Cut

Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction

McCormick, Patricia. Cut. Scholastic, 2011.

 

Grade Level: 10^th Grade

Pages: 151 pages

Cut by Patrica McCormick is a moving novella that focuses on themes of mental illnesses. It is written from the perspective of 15-year-old Callie, who finds herself committed to Sea Pines, a residential treatment facility. Callie must find her voice and confront the trauma she has experienced in her life in order to finally understand why she cuts herself.

Possible Teaching Concerns:

This novella deals with very mature themes that could be disturbing and triggering to some readers. Concerns that I would have when teaching this novella are the parts of the story when the narrator describes the need or the action of cutting herself. She talks about feelings of worthlessness which are very disheartening for the reader to read. I think that when teaching this novella, the teacher should be very aware of the effects that this could have on students. I would not allow students to read this novella on their own. I think it is important that teachers are able to guide constructed and knowledgeable discussion of the topic, and also take the time to be aware of how this novella is effecting their students. Since these themes could be triggering for other students who face similar issues, it is vital that teachers are aware of their students and continuously checking in on them to prevent relapses in students and to keep tab on their mental health.

Personal Reactions:

Although this novel is a hard novel to read, I believe it is necessary. Obviously, I don't believe that this is a novella to read in every class. I think that teachers should be aware of their students and their maturity and make a decision to teach this novella based on whether or not they believe that this novella would be beneficial to the class. The themes in this story are hard, but they are also real life. I think that it is important that these conversations are talked about in school and in the classroom. Just this year, I have known two people who have lost their lives to suicide. Unfortunately, I knew countless others who lost their lives while I was still in middle school and high school. As someone who has struggled with mental health, I feel that bringing thoughtful conversation about mental health in the classroom would save countless lives and would also bring awareness that this is a real issue and these are real people who suffer from these terrible illnesses. I think that this topic is something that needs to be talked about in the schools, and I think this novella does it beautiful. Again, I believe this novella should be read as a class with teacher supervision, not for students to pick up on their own.

Canonical Work: 

Stilling thinking of Canonical Work