Showing posts with label Lessons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lessons. Show all posts

April 24, 2009

Becoming Myself: Reflections on Growing Up Female

Title: Becoming Myself: Reflections on Growing Up Female
Author: Willa Shalit
ISBN: 1-4013-01139-8
Recommended Grade Level of Reader: 9th and Up
Publisher: Hyperion
Media Type: Book
Copyright: 2006
Genre: Non-Fiction






Reader's Annotation: It’s hard growing up female, but somebody has to do it. Stories, insights, and lessons from women who know.

Plot Summary: Becoming Myself is a collection of short stories written by famous women about growing up female. The premise, as Willa Shalit states in the introduction, is that the women write about significant memories from growing up. While some of the writers focus on a specific memory, it seems that each memory relates to an important issue relating to women. Kate Winslet's story, for example, deals with the issue of body image. A few of the women are more prominent figures in popular media such as Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Julie Stiles. Many of the lesser known individuals like Taina Bien-Aime and Ma Jaya, however, discuss relevant issues and present insightful ideas.

Evaluation: (B) Many of the stories were relevant to my life or at least provided meaningful insight. Not all of the stories, however, were entertaining or particularly significant. It seemed as if some of the celebrities were included in order to provide for diversity in ages, specifically younger 20-something women, which resulted in somewhat shallow, irrelevant, or uninspiring passages. Overall, the book provided inspiration and encouragement for overcoming common issues faced by women.

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Body Outlaws

Title: Body Outlaws
Edited by: Ophira Edut
Forward by: Rebecca Walker
ISBN: 1-58005-043-3
Recommended Grade Level of Reader: 9th and Up
Publisher: Seal Press
Media Type: Book
Copyright: 1998
Genre: Non-Fiction

Reader's Annotation:  Real women.  Real bodies.  Real beauty.
  
Plot Summary:  Body Outlaws is a collection of stories from a diverse population of females ranging from Jewish and Hispanic women to tattooed and plus-sized beauties.  Each woman tells a story of how her own image has affected her life and how, as a result of her looks, other people have treated her.  While each woman tells a different story, the reader can see that beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder.  

Evaluation:  (A)  The range of women and stories in the book is significant.  By providing a cross section of ages, races, and ethnicities Body Outlaws appeals to many.  Ultimately, the diversity in women helps to combat the popular conception that beauty is defined by Barbie-like characteristics.     

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Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul on Tough Stuff

Title: Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul on Tough Stuff
Author: Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, and Kimberly Kirberger
ISBN: 978-1-558-74942-9
Recommended Grade Level of Reader: 9th and Up
Publisher: HCI Teens
Media Type: Book
Copyright:  2001
Genre: Non-Fiction

Reader's Annotation:  Coming-of-age tales that will help to sooth the souls of teenagers everywhere.   

Plot Summary:  Like the plethora of other Chicken Soup for the Soul books that have come before this, it contains a collection of stories written by different authors.  In this case, teenagers are the ones sharing stories.  The content includes topics relating to self acceptance, drugs and alcohol, relationships, and peer pressure, among other social issues.  The young adult contributors help to convey the message that other teenagers, facing many of the issues discussed in Tough Stuff, are not alone.   

Evaluation:  (B)  With a wide variety of social issues, teenagers will surely be able to relate to or learn from experiences and insights shared by their peers.  Canfield, Hansen, and Kirberger select a handful of articulate and expressive teenagers to compose the pages within this book.  It is the honesty and sincerity of some of the young contributors makes this edition of Chicken Soup for the Soul appealing.    

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Things I Want My Daughters to Know


Title: Things I Want My Daughters to Know
Author: Elizabeth Noble
ISBN: 978-0-061-12219-4
Recommended Grade Level of Reader: Adult Crossover (May Appeal to 9th and Up)
Publisher: William Morrow
Media Type: Book
Copyright: 2008
Genre: Fiction



Reader's Annotation: Good advice is always hard to come by, but when it comes from your dying mother, words of wisdom are hard to forget.

Plot Summary: As a mother of four daughters, Barbara Forbes has lived and experienced enough to have a few sage words of wisdom. She realizes, as she is dying of cancer, that she has advice to offer her children. As each of the four young women is different, Barbara has specific advice based on the daughters’ individual personalities and circumstances. She writes a letter to each of her daughters and it is in each letter that she offers her advice. The letters help the daughters deal with their mother’s passing after she succumbs to her terminal illness.
Evaluation: (B)  The storyline of this book is unique and the content is well written. Through Noble’s descriptive writing, one can understand and feel each daughter’s story. The writing is so genuine that this account of a mother’s love and consequently, a daughter’s love for her mother, is emotional and touching. The life lessons in Things I Want My Daughters to Know are applicable to many.
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To Kill A Mockingbird

Title: To Kill a Mockingbird
Author: Harper Lee
ISBN: 978-0-445-08376-9
Recommended Grade Level of Reader: 9th and Up
Publisher: Popular Library
Media Type: Book
Copyright:  1960
Genre: Fiction







Reader's Annotation:  Through prejudice, cowardice, and bravery, a young girl is able to see that some things aren’t always what they seem. 

Plot Summary: Lee’s Pulitzer Prize winner has become a standard on school reading lists across the country. To Kill a Mockingbird is filled with powerful issues such as racism, rape, and injustice and equally powerful lessons and insights. This novel is from the perspective of Scout Finch, a young African American girl in Alabama. As a child, Scout is able to provide an innocent point-of-view on the activities of the town and its citizens. While simple and childlike, Scout is arguably wise for her age as she contends with prejudice and intolerance and is the daughter of a lawyer who defends a black man accused of raping a white woman. With her astute sense of awareness and understanding, Scout’s account makes for an interesting and inspiring read.

Evaluation:  (A+)  It is evident why To Kill a Mockingbird is a required read for high school students across the nation.  From the plot line and the characters to the lessons integrated into the novel, this book has appeal.  The storyline, set in a racially charged south in the 1930s, is believable.  The idea that Atticus Finch is defending a black man on trial and the notion that Scout is fascinated, yet frightened by Boo Radley is realistic.  Furthermore, Lee does an excellent job at intertwining the plot and the subplot in order to bring together a suspenseful climax and a realistic resolution.  Lastly, the author’s ability to subtly incorporate meaningful, timeless lessons such as, “you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them,” (p. 282) gives the novel depth that is critically important to many lesson plans and is thought provoking and relevant even in today’s society.      

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