Extra Credit Blog: What Are Teenagers Reading?

I just attended the "What Are Teenagers Reading?" Women's Studies Research Forum presented by Kathy Headley, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Naturally, I always loved to read while I was growing up.  At my elementary and middle school, we had Accelerated Reading points, and I always made it my priority to have the most points in our class.  Headley focused on middle school reading, and we talked about some of the reading we did at this age.  Of course, most people chimed in with some Harry Potter talk, though I myself was never a huge fan.  A few of the series mentioned I remembered reading at that age, such as The Princess Diaries.  She also mentioned that many middle schoolers are reading The Twilight Saga  and The Vampire Diaries, which was surprising to me, since I figured these were targeted to the high school age group.  She said that the classics would always be the classics, such as Where the Red Fern Grows and The Giver, but teachers should try to implement pleasurable reading with these assignments.  Research done by her creative inquiry class showed that most students this age do not like the assigned reading.  Around 44% said that they did not like the assigned readings because they weren't relevant to their lives, and 34% said they didn't like the assignments because they were boring.  I agree with Headley's remark that the classics will never be replaced, but perhaps the teachers should try to employ more interesting activities to encourage better participation, and thus better understanding of the readings.  She also discussed the books she read in a group over the summer, which included After Ever After, I Will Save You, and If I Stay.  She said that all of these books dealt with very sad and serious situations, like battling cancer, dealing with a mental disorder, and encountering a car accident.  All of these books were chosen by the readers, showing that middle school readers are not just reading fantasy books, but are also interested in literature about real life situations.  Along with this, she made the point that adolescent students are reading less than ever before, since there are so many other options of spending time.  This is a major problem, and research has shown that teachers and media specialists aren't even encouraging and recommending certain books to students nearly as much as you would think.  Reading helps learning in all aspects, and it is important for students to read in order to build their vocabulary and improve complex reasoning.  Without gathering these skills, students will have a harder time adapting to collegiate teaching styles.  This was a very insightful presentation that really put our youth's reading habits into perspective.

Anne Moore's Life

This short story about the life of Anne Moore practically turned it’s own pages.  I can barely fathom the life she led and experiences she had.   From the beginning, the author had us hooked with the story of Fred, the teenage boyfriend of Anne’s sister, Susan.  The revelation that Fred had killed both of his parents, and quite possibly thought about killing Susan and Anne after driving them over to his house, was the start to a series of shocking and disturbing events in Anne’s life.  The first serious relationship Anne was involved in was with Paul, a painter.  This may have been the beginning of her struggles, in my opinion, for their sporadic behavior seemed to spark even more from Anne as the story progressed.  They just up and decided to travel to Mexico where they met Ruben.  The Frog in Mazatlan that was “frequented by tourists” sounded very similar to the Senor Frogs in Nassau that we visited while on spring break during my senior year of high school.   Returning to Mexico with Paul a couple of years later, Anne found herself having an affair with Ruben, and staying with him in Mexico long after Paul had left.  At this point, Anne had a long succession of men come and go in her life.  From Charles, whose “fondest dream was to have a whore,” who pushed her into selling her body for money for one night, to Tony, whom she married and left only to find that he had killed himself soon after, I began to wonder how she carried on the way she did.  The author wrote, “One day Anne’s love for Tony ran out and she left Seattle.”  This was very interesting to me, since it seemed like her love for whichever partner she was with at the time eventually “ran out.”  While I know this happens all the time, I don’t believe that a person can really fall in and out of love quite as much as Anne did in this story.  I feel like she was just lonely, albeit independent, and used each of these men mentioned, and the other ones following until she was ready for the next one.  I also got the feeling that the narrator had cared deeply and fallen pretty hard for Anne, though it seemed that he was only another one of her victims.  Don’t get me wrong; I know she fought some pretty rough battles.  I assume the disease she developed was cancer, which would be terrifying, but it shouldn’t have made her run away from someone (Bill) who told her that “she could count on his support.”  Perhaps she was scared that she was running out of time and wanted to see the world by fleeing to Europe, but she seemed, in my eyes, to be a very selfish person, never once caring how her decisions might impact others.

Vocabulary Words

-Insufferable:  intolerable

-Imperceptibly: so subtle, slight, or gradual as to be barely perceptible 

-Barbiturates:  any of a class of sedative and sleep-inducing drugs derived from barbituric acid

The Lazarus Project (Pages 249-292)

This last section of The Lazarus Project was rather surprising to me.  As Brik said goodbye to Iuliana, his infatuation with her was evident.  On page 252, Rora even asked Brik, “Did you bang her?” Brik retorts with, “She has a husband,” to which Rora responds, “You have a wife.”  I found this rather interesting.   The way he’s regarded Mary has changed so much over the course of the novel.  He even goes back to say on page 254 that “the thought of Mary leaving me was ever present in my mind.”  While this may be true, his feelings toward Mary had definitely shifted at this point, and would continue to shift as the story progresses.  After facing the death of Rora, his long time friend and accomplice during the trip, Brik is unsure whether he wants to go back to America at all.  I thought it was pretty ironic that Brik said, “He deserved a good beating, but not death.  Nobody deserves death, yet everybody gets it,” in regards to Rambo killing Miller.  This worked as a foreshadowing device for Rora’s fate during his reappearance in Sarajevo.  On their way there, though, Rora and Brik took it upon themselves to save their fellow rider from a life of prostitution.  While Brik’s hand didn’t healthily withstand the confrontation, he knew he had done the right thing.  When they arrived in Sarajevo, memories washed over Brik, and he said, “Home is where somebody notices your absence.”  It is clear in this statement that he no longer finds this place home, but instead a vague recollection.  I also found it interesting that the cab driver in Sarajevo actually wanted Brik to buckle up, which was much the contrary to the other drivers along the way.  I expected the story about Lazarus to end the way it did, though I was definitely taken aback by the contemporary ending when Rora was shot.  Olga was left alone, without a brother, friend, or probably even a job, while Brik was left alone in Sarajevo completely rattled, unsure about his future and where he truly belongs.

Vocabulary Words

• Redolent (Page 258):  strongly reminiscent or suggestive of
• Ululating (Page 270):  howling or wailing as as an expression of strong emotion, typically grief
• Ampoules (page 279):  a small glass vessel in which liquids for injection are hermetically sealed

The Lazarus Project (Pages 53-96)

From the very first chapter, I’ve been hooked on this novel.  Starting out with the murder of Lazarus Averbuch, Hemon used a wonderful tactic of keeping the reader intrigued.  He also accomplishes this by alternating between the story of Lazarus and his own personal goals of getting to the bottom this mysterious murder that happened over a century ago, which relates to memoir The Same River Twice and it’s structure.  This second section begins with the “Fitzes” busting up into Olga Averbuch’s home, interrogating her about her brother.  I thought it was absolutely terrible how they refused to come right out and say he had been shot, but instead took her to the morgue to see his dead body with her own two eyes.  She wasn’t at all expecting to see her brother dead, which was evident in her fainting thereafter.  All of the policemen seem like truly crooked people.  Although it is 1908, and all of the equality rights have yet to be established, it still surprised me at just how terribly this situation was handled.  Even putting the actual shooting aside, the way the policemen bitterly act toward his grieving sister literally sent chills down my spine.  I feel so lucky to live in a society that, while still far from perfect, knows that there is nothing okay about this murder or how the officials are handling it.  I am so interested to learn what Lazarus was there for to begin with; however, I know Brik will have to do a lot of uncovering to uncover this hidden truth, since the chief of police picked up the letter himself.  I have a feeling it had absolutely nothing to do with anarchy.  The police end up telling Olga by the end of the chapter to “Think of others, of their disrupted live.  Imagine how they might feel.  This is a time for sacrifice.”  This really angered me, for Olga merely wanted her brother to be buried according to Jewish tradition, and they wouldn’t even allow her to do so.  They had already killed her brother under unclear circumstances, and now they wouldn’t even let Olga put his body to rest as custom in her society.  And on top of that, they have the nerve to tell her to imagine how others might feel!  How about her feelings?  I cannot even picture the pain she felt.  In the next chapter, Brik and Rora begin their journey to Lviv, Ukraine.  When discussing Rora’s time with Rambo’s unit, the narrator says, “What does not need to be seen will not be seen.”  I feel like this relates directly to the story of Lazarus.  I thought it was really interesting how the blackout Later, when the chapters switch again, Olga reflects on her brother’s life and thinks, “All the lives he could have lived.”  This is repetitive from the beginning of the book, a thought Lazarus had while walking the streets towards the store.  The line, “She will never laugh again,” on page 95 exemplified how much her brother’s death had affected Olga, and at the end of the chapter we see her fantasizing as she lies in bed that Lazarus knocks on the door, and she embraces him, still alive despite all that has happened.  I really hope that justice shines through in the end, though given this time period, I realize this wish is very doubtful.

Vocabulary Words

Moribund:  being in the state of dying

Promulgated:  formally made public

Gossamer:  a gauze fabric with extremely fine tecture 

Loaves and Fishes Writers' Harvest Extra Credit

I thoroughly enjoyed the Loaves and Fishes Writers’ Harvest last night.  Although it was extra credit, I left feeling like my time was well spent.  Last semester, I went to a similar event during Clemson’s Literary Festival in which poems were read in various languages.  I have always enjoyed reading, writing, and basically all aspects of English, so it was wonderful to listen to writers read their own beautiful works of art.  John Pursley III kicked it all off with his poems written from Western movies.  By taking something that had already been created and making something unique to his own style, he really allowed his passion towards writing to shine through.  Lindsey Jones took the stage next, reading a piece about a little Haitian girl she took care of while in America for corrective leg surgery.   I really liked this one.  It was very personal for her, and I loved hearing about her experience.  The next reader, Steve Catz, was a character.  I honestly spent more time admiring his outlandish outbursts than I did concentrating on his poems.   He certainly was a memorable man who was obviously very enthusiastic about his work.  The last speaker before the intermission, Keith Lee Morris, read what, in my opinion, was the most appropriate short story for the audience.  His story concerning two guys that were freshmen roommates was very entertaining.  The entire crowd was intrigued, enjoying his delivery, as well as the impossible events that he conveyed through his outrageous story.  I really liked the part about Ray Charles coming to stay with them, as well as the part depicting a battle of toy soldiers.  I really hated to see so many people leave during intermission; perhaps next year they should consider not having one to encourage higher attendance in the second half.  When Jillian Weise read her poem about Zahra Baker, I was impressed with how she related her life and disabilities to the situation.  I couldn’t believe I hadn’t heard about this case, being a South Carolina resident, and was very interested in what Oberdan had to say about it.  Afterwards, Jillian Weise read several of her poems.  My favorite one was “Pinecone”.  From there, my professor Alexander Kudera shared a piece from his novel “Fight For Your Long Day”.  I was so excited to see him read an excerpt from his book because he had mentioned it a few times during class.  I really liked how he said he went against a “writing no no” and wrote about writing.  However, the section he read depicted his relationship with his father and his opinion about his father’s efforts in finding a job.  All in all, I thought this was a wonderful presentation by several very talented writers, with the proceeds going to an awesome cause.

"Orbiting" by Bharati Mukherjee

In this short story, we discover a family coming together on Thanksgiving Day.  I can relate to this, because this is the one holiday that my entire family comes down to my grandmother’s house to celebrate.  As the scene opens, Rindy’s father arrives with the turkey.  When he says that her Mom thawed the turkey because she wouldn’t have had room in her mini-fridge, Rindy retorts with, “ You mean Mom said Rindy shouldn’t be living in a dump, right?”  I feel like this is the typical among American families.  I know my parents always wanted better for me, which is why I was always encouraged and motivated to do my very best in school so I could continue my education at the collegiate level.  A few pages later, Rindy suggests that her father had been having a time with her mother; having grown up in a culture that didn’t have electricity or running water, her mom didn’t find it necessary to drive anywhere and was content with staying at home.  I liked when she said “She used those wolves for all they were worth…” because as humans, we often find ourselves using any excuse we can to resist change.  I also liked whenever Rindy pointed out that her father “uses ‘even’ a lot around me.  Not just a judgment, but a comparative judgement.”  I thought this was extremely interesting.  I myself often use “even” in order to emphasize something, and the fact that Rindy recognizes this emphasis her dad puts on comparisons in Rindy’s life shows her father’s disappointment.  Later in the story after the family has arrived, Rindy’s boyfriend Ro shows up.  Her dad embarrasses her almost immediately as he encourages Ro to spell his name.  She then kisses him “really sexy so they’ll know I’ve slept with this man.  Many times.  And if he asks me, I will marry him.”  This was completely different from the way I carry myself when I’m with my boyfriend and parents.  I dated the same guy for five years throughout middle and high school, and never once did I hold his hand in front of my parents, much less kiss him passionately.  Even now, being older, when I bring a guy home, I give just as much respect.  I’m scared to even imagine how my father would react to such a show; I would be scared for the guy’s well being, honestly.  I also thought it was interesting that Ro denied her father of a scotch and soda, altering the mood as the father became angry at the realization that Ro doesn’t consume alcohol and he does.  Whenever Franny’s critical personality examines Ro, Rindy says, “I hate Franny for what she’s doing to me.  I am twenty-seven years old, I should be more mature.”  The way Franny was inspecting Ro made Rindy see things about him that made him different, things she had never seen before.  She quickly put it all behind her, though her anger towards Franny did not subside.  By the end of the story, Rindy vows to “teach him how to walk like an American, how to dress like Brent but better, how to fill up a room as Dad does instead of melting and blending but sticking out in the Afghan way,” showing that despite the fact that he may not fit perfectly into the family, Rindy definitely wants Ro in her life for good.

Vocabulary Words

Petulant (Page 60):  showing sudden, impatient irritation

Emirate (Page 61):  the office of an emir

Ferraro button (Page 66):  a political advertising button for Geraldine Ferrraro

The Same River Twice (Pages 153-188)

In this last section of The Same River Twice, the memoir neatly wraps up the latent expectations that I have had from the beginning with Rita’s pregnancy.  When Chris decides to leave Boston to be a naturalist in the Everglades, he had a heck of a time catching a ride that far down.  I thought it was pretty funny how other hitchhikers had left a heads up to the rest that it was going to be a hard task to accomplish by engraving how long it took to get a ride on the back of a road sign.  Once he got to the swamp, he wrote, “Initially, life in Flamingo reminded me of a rooming house—inhabited by kooks and outcasts, dice that rolled off the table, wrinkles on the face of God.”  This quote included several metaphors that helped draw a picture of the type of people Chris was amongst.  However, after meeting the Captain, Chris seemed to find someone to trust in.  Whenever he slept over with the captain and his wife, though, Chris said, “His son has come between us in a way I never understood.  Captain Jack seemed to resent knowledge of him, the way a man feels anger toward a friend who saved his life.”  In my opinion, the captain built a barrier between himself and Chris afterwards as not to get too close to him.  He had seen the same characteristics within Chris when he jumped into the “shark water” to save the boy that he knew his son had possessed to save three men during war, and he didn’t want to get close to Chris in fear of losing him as well.  From there, everything just seemed to get worse for Chris as all of his co-workers seemed to turn their backs on him.  He was at his lowest point, which is well represented whenever he said, “In the sudden rain I realized I was crying, utterly frustrated by my failure to be defeated.”  Failure usually means defeat, but that was not what Chris was seeking.  He wanted to be defeated; he wanted it all to end.  It was as if he had come to an epiphany that he was too old to be living such a reckless, unstructured life, realizing that after twelve years, he had nothing to show from his adventures, not even a reliable friend.  Things started looking up for him after Hurricane Jacob, whenever he left to go back to Boston to stay with Shadrack.  It was there that he met Rita and his life began to fall into place as an adult’s should.  They eventually got married, moved around a few times, and settled in Iowa after he was accepted into a graduate program there.  It was there that they decided to have a baby, and Rita’s pregnancy was recorded in every other chapter of the memoir.  Their son finally arrived in the final chapter, and in the Epilogue he is three months old.  Chris carries him on his back to his first escapade in the woods, remarking, “The load on my back weighs nothing and everything.”  I loved this quote, which suggests that even though the baby is very light, he has come to mean everything to him.  So much as changed in Chris’s life, but he realizes just how much these changes mean to him.  We have finally seen Chris grow up to be a real man with real priorities.

Vocabulary Words

Ø  Vagrant (Page 154):  a person without a settled home

Ø  Androgynous (Page 159):  having characteristics of both male and female

Ø  Corrugated (Page 162):  creased, shaped into folds

Ø  Egret (Page 171):  a heron that is white or buff

Ø  Preemptive (Page 178):  taken as a measure against something possible, anticipated, or feared