Franny and Zooey

Franny and Zooey created by Araceli Gonzales

101 Poems That Could Save Your Life: An Anthology of Emotional First Aid

101 Poems That Could Save Your Life: An Anthology of Emotional First Aid is a collection of poems designed to help people in times of emotional need. This is why there are sections within it called “Divorce” and “Illness”, as well as more commonly useful ones such as “First Wrinkle”. It alternates between humor and something that never quite reaches the melancholy stage. After all, this book is supposed to help, not send more sensitive souls tumbling into depression.
While I am not particularly well-versed in poetry, I did manage to find some poems in this book that I rather like. “Perpetual Motion” by Tony Hoagland, particularly the last three lines (“I am here—/here where the desire to vanish/is stronger than the desire to appear.”), struck a chord in me for this particular feeling is a very old friend and, at times, my companion. I’m sure everyone has felt the desire to vanish at one point or another, but it’s more like wanderlust in the poem. Of course, the inability to stay in one place could have to do with either, but, to me, traveling truly is something that speaks of a certain amount of loss, even if it brings a world of possibilities.
“Do Not Stand At My Grave and Weep”, whose author is unknown, is precisely what the title implies, a poem of death and loss that somehow manages to be lovely. Perhaps it is because it rhymes nicely or it may simply be the tempo of the words, but I didn’t mind re-reading it any number of times.
On the opposite side of the scale, there is a charming poem by Lord Byron in Don Juan that goes by the name of “Hock and Soda Water” that makes me want to giggle because of the images it brings to mind. The basic gist of it is a friend urging his own friend to get very drunk.
Some of the more mature topics make me recommend this for high schools and above rather than middle schools. While poetry is appropriate for all age levels “Don’t Let the Bastards Get You Down” is perhaps a bit more appropriate for an older group than middle school.

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein is my all-time favorite book. Even thought it is a children book, I think that it is a book for people of all ages, for the universal themes of love, caring and sacrificing are timeless. I associate the giving tree with my grandmother, whose unconditional love and sacrifices made her my idol.
The plot and the language of the story are so simple, yet so deep. The story is about a loving relationship between a demanding little boy and a selfless tree, which made sacrifices all her life just to make the boy happy. From early childhood, the tree was giving the boy everything she had: the apples to eat, the branches to swing on, and the shade to hide from the sun. When the boy was little, his demands were quite innocent. But as the boy grew older, he became more demanding, yet the selfless tree always obliged. So, when the boy became a man he wanted to build a boat to sail away and the tree in an ultimate act of self-sacrifice let the boy cut her down and use the lumber to build his dreamboat. Many years later, when the boy became an old man he returned to the tree, which was nothing more than a stump. The tree was very sad because it had nothing left to offer the little boy. To the tree’s surprise, this time he boy wanted nothing but a quiet place to sit down and rest. Just like the good old days, the tree was more than happy to offer the little boy her stump to sit down on and rest.
This story clearly describes the selfless relationship between parents and kids, where the parents’ unconditional love to their kids propels them to give without any expectation for reciprocity. Even when the kids ask for more than the parent can offer, the parents are always willing to sacrifice every last things they have as they try to satisfy their kid’s needs.
I think this picture book is a very useful material for the high school educational setting. In English classes the teacher can use it, when studying the metaphors, symbolism, and personification and encourage students to reflect on the deeper meanings this simple book carries. It can also be a great resource for students to reflect on their often selfish and self- centered behavior and teach them to be respectful and grateful to their parents. Finally, it can also be a great resource in Health classes for teaching young adults the responsibility of parenthood and the sacrifices parents have to go through in order to satisfy their kids’ needs.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

The Help by Katherin Stockett is a really outstanding book. If I have time, I would like to reread it again. This novel is dedicated to the lives of African-American people in the South in times of segregation, when they were suffering from social injustice and racial discrimination. The story is told by three different women: two African-American maids, Abileen and Minny, and one rather brave young white southern girl by the name of Skeeter. Their lives weave together in a strange and unexpected way, when Skeeter, a 22 year old college graduate, tries to get a job as an editor, but gets rejected for not having any work experience. Instead she is advised to write about something that really disturbs her, “particularly if it bothers no one else”. When Skeeter meets Abileen and actually manages to engage Abileen in conversation, she gets so moved by her story that she decides to pursue the writing project, that will gather the experiences of many African American maids working in the white people’s homes. Skeeter also meets Minny, Aibileen's best friend, who is known in town for her sassy and daring attitude and her sharp tongue. Together they manage to convince more and more black maids to come forward and share their stories with Skeeter, who eventually ends up writing her controversial book, The Help, about the lives of African American maids in white households in Mississippi. The book release causes a lot of turmoil among Skeeter’s white friends and puts Skeeter’s reputation in jeopardy and the lives of the maids in danger. Eventually, though, the book becomes a best seller, giving Skeeter an opportunity to leave her town and move to New York, and the maids who contributed to the novel receive their royalty payments.
In my opinion, the author of this book deserves the praise, because her book is moving, heartbreaking, inspirational, and entertaining at the same time. I can’t believe that the book was the author’s debut novel. She did such a great job with it, that the fact that the book is nearly 500 pages long, didn’t matter; I simply couldn’t put the book down. I recommend this book to anyone who hasn't read it yet, including my high school students and teachers. It is a great resource for History and Social Studies teachers who are doing the unit about civil right movement and segregation.

Shonen Jump Manga proudly presents a book by Masashi Kishimoto a story about a young ninja named Naruto on his way to be a Ninja. The book is chocked full of Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Martial Arts, and a hint of Romance added in between. In Test of a ninja shows the background of Naruto and how the people surrounding him treat him. During the Day of his Ninja examination Naruto completely flunks the exam and doesn’t earn the right to be a ninja-or does he? In the next section we introduce 2 other main Characters Sakura Haruno and Sauske Uchiha making up Squad 7 lead by Kakashi Hatake. Near the end Nartuto, Sakura, and Sauske are put under a vicious training exercise to see if they have indeed earned the title of being called a ninja or head back to the academy. Only 2 out of 3 of them will be able to pass-Who will make it and who will be sent back?

I greatly recommend this novel for middle scholars because it shows how hard work and determination can take you far in the world. Having the sense of making it big in the world is everyone’s dream but no one can hand it to you, you have to work for it to earn your place. This book is for all ages, not only does it show life lessons but it also delivers a great deal of entertainment and Action. So look this book up and hope you enjoy this series as much as I did.

 Pablo Quintana

The Elephant Man (play)

The Elephant Man, a play by Bernard Pomerance which is based on the life of a real man, is a very thoroughly depressing story. John Merrick—also known as The Elephant Man due to his physical deformities—seems to be an individual who suffers from being a delightful book inside a horrid cover.

His personality remains a bit of a mystery throughout the whole play as many of the things the reader learns about him seem to be other people projecting things they themselves are and assuming that is what he is; however, it is acknowledged that he is smart, artistic and kind.

His very existence seems to attract the pity of others and many donate so he is able to stay at the hospital until the end of his life. He whiles away the time by making a model and chatting with his new friends—such as the Bishop and the actress, Ms. Kendal.

Dr. Treves is the one who he has the closest relationship to, perhaps because Treves was the one who brought Merrick to the hospital and the one who allowed him to make his other friends. While their relationship may seem harsh at times, Treves seems to care about Merrick the most he can.

The ending is rather predictable, but any other ending would not really fit with the tone of the play and that would make it far worse than merely predictable.

This play, while disheartening most of the time, is perfectly suitable for a high school library. While certain parts of it may seem risqué, the play itself covers some important themes that people should take to heart, such as the age-old “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” Younger age groups may have a difficult time with the language used, but those in high school should at least be able to muddle through it. The concepts covered in the play might also be a little hard for younger age groups to grasp completely, but high school level analysis and above should make them perfectly clear.

All in all, this play—while not to my taste—would be enjoyable to certain audiences

Jane Bandak

Sylvia Earle by Beth Baker

On August 30, 1935, Sylvia Alice Earle was born. Eventually, the child would become a respected marine biologist, concerned with environmental issues and persuading the government to invest in funding underwater research. She formed the values that caused her to fight for her causes during her youth.

Her upbringing stressed that one must protect and care for nature; her mother was an amateur veterinarian. She could often be found outdoors, collecting data on the areas around her house. She was particularly fascinated by the ocean from the age of three when she leapt up after being knocked down by the water she was playing in (6).

She kept this mindset throughout her whole life, never losing her passion for the ocean and the life within. Enamored with it all, she didn’t understand how people could do any sort of damage to it.

One of the experiences she cites as “most exciting” happened in 1977 when she was able to swim with humpback whales. After her first time in the water with them, she “never worried since in all [her] encounters with humpback whales” (58). During a particularly vicious storm, Sylvia still went in to swim with them, even though she was aware that there were sharks in the water: “Sylvia has more guts than almost anybody you can name” (63).

In the Just the Facts Biographies book Sylvia Earle, one can learn even more about this incredible woman’s life and the challenges she faced. It also provides various pieces of information on things mentioned in the text, such as improvements to diving equipment. Through this biography, one can imagine the passionate, driven nature of the woman who manages to accomplish so much. Most pages have one or two pictures, which help with visualizing the information being read. Certain pieces of anecdotal information are not particularly useful, but some may find them interesting.

The book does not simply consist of information on Sylvia Earle. Besides the notes that are information on other people, the book includes a Glossary, Sources and Further Reading.

The language used in the book is almost simplistic at times and certain situations seem to be a bit simplified. The book is probably appropriate for middle school and some elementary students with a higher reader level. Grades 4 to 8 would probably find this book the most helpful.

Jane Bandak