God Help the Child by Toni Morrison
The first thing I have to say about this book is that I truly enjoyed it, but the second thing is that it still felt a little off to me. Off is the worst word possible to describe what I mean. I guess, oftentimes, when I read a book I totally love, I can’t find anything to critique. This book didn’t feel like that for me, and yet I can’t pinpoint exactly what it was about it that made me feel that way. Okay, enough with my completely vague babbling. God Help the Child centered around Bride, a young, beautiful woman who is finding success despite being raised by her mother, Sweetness, who showed her little affection as a child because of her blue-black skin color. The novel is shaped by many events, the largest being a beating Bride receives when she visits a woman she put in jail by testifying that she was abusive. Also significant is the abandonment Bride feels after her boyfriend leaves her unexpectedly. The shifts in point of view and the use of both first and third person help in elevating Morrison’s characterization. The creation of such distinct, believable characters is this book’s greatest strength. The overall themes of child endangerment and the power of the past are strong as well, making this a book I would recommend.
The Giver by Lois Lowry
This is a book I’ve always known I should read, but for whatever reason I avoided it. This year, one of my students kindly asked, “You’ve never read The Giver? And you call yourself an English teacher?” That was the catalyst I needed. I found the book on the shelf in my classroom library the following week and started reading. I was not disappointed. The Giver is awesome. It is set in a community far into the future where Sameness has been embraced. Sameness meaning that members of the community have their lives completely structured and planned, and all share this same path. They are matched with spouses, jobs, children, etc. and completely deprived of basic pleasures. This way of living is designed to eliminate pain, and, ultimately, the human condition. A book I would recommend for readers of any age, The Giver’s message is so strong, and it creates so many powerful discussion points, that I can understand why my student was shocked I hadn’t embraced it yet.
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