World War Z

Alright, so I try to give every book the benefit of the doubt, but this book was just yucky. I felt so confused the whole time and I still have o idea what the main characters name is even. I guess I could understand why some people would find this book interesting, but it just wasn't for me. I really don't think this is an in class teachable book. I feel it would be better suited on the classroom bookshelf for students to check out at free will. I feel as though I would have been better prepared to read this book if I had a good geography lesson ahead of time. Also, since I'm not an avid history buff, I really didn't know what parts were made up and what were true. For example, the part towards the beginning where the guy talks about the Israelis being moved, I feel like that's true, but I really have no clue. I don't know, this book just didn't do it for me.

Maus I/Maus II

I was very excited to read these books (although I am tired of reading sad things). A few semesters back I had read the last snippet of the first book in an anthropology  class and I had no idea such a Holocaust story existed. When I first started reading I was highly worried about getting confused as to where I was supposed to read next since the frames were not always left to right and top to bottom. However, as I read, I realized that I didn't even think twice about where I was reading, it all just flowed naturally together. I feel as though Art's piece of history is very different from every other piece of Holocaust literature. He told it in a way that was very intriguing, but also in a way distracted you from feeling like "oh, another Holocaust story". I feel like the part of the book that made it so compelling was the fact that it was a dad telling the story to the son so it felt, in my eyes, as though my grandpa were telling me a story (if I had a grandpa to tell me a story).

I loved the fact that the first book could stand alone and just be a good story, but the second book is what really engraves the idea into your mind that it is a Holocaust story. I really feel like the way he tells the story seems almost "happy" rather than the depressing idea that you normally see in Holocaust stories. I don't know if it's because other Holocaust stories are usually told from the point of view of someone who was not involved in the Holocaust and was more or less going off of facts whereas this story was more or less a first hand account of the Holocaust so Vladek basically just wanted to remember a happier version of that time in his life? It's really hard to say. All I know is these two books were very interesting and although I do not like graphic novels anymore now than when I first started reading the books, I feel as though I would teach this book in the classroom. I feel as though the pictures are helpful for those who are picture readers and the words are helpful for the readers who actually read. Although they compliment each other well, you could read that entire story without glances at the pictures too often. The pictures definitely give a better sense of who people were because it was hard to keep many of the names straight, but with the different features such as the mice being Jews and such, it was easier to tell who was "good" and who was "bad".

Night/Hitler Youth

Night was a very powerful book. I had never heard of it or read it before. I feel as though the telling of the story was intense and painful to think about, but at the same time it was still readable and wasn't unbearable. He had a way of telling the story that showed the tragedy, but didn't give horrendous details that made it difficult to read because it was so graphic. I believe this is a very teachable book in a classroom. I think that the best way to teach a book about the Holocaust would be to incorporate the war aspect of the whole situation. Honestly, I truly do not know what was actually happening in the war and who was on whose side, etc. I think that incorporating a historical book similar to the Hitler Youth book except about the war would be a very beneficial teaching opportunity. I think the most heartbreaking piece of this book was how after his father had made the decision to leave the camp and not stay in the infirmary he states that those people were freed. I feel like that is almost something I would not want to know. I am very curious about his current life, did he ever find out what happened to the rest of his family, did he ever return to his home again? If he has written books about those pieces of his life, I think it may be an interesting way to make a unit. Since this book is so short, if the others were as well then it would be a nice way to make a unit about the holocaust and its aftermath.

Hitler Youth was a very different approaching to looking at the war. Often times I feel like the Holocaust overshadows everything, I'm not saying it wasn't important because it was, it's just that I feel we forget about everything else and why Germany was actually at war. I feel that the layout was not helpful for me though. I don't know why but I almost feel like I didn't actually learn anything. I feel as though it wasn't very informative. I think that if I were to use a book like this in a classroom they would be helpful but only if they specifically related to the context of what I was teaching. Throughout my years as a student I know my teachers never assigned a book like this to further our understanding of a topic. I feel that they are a unique way of teaching students.

Warriors Don't Cry

I have never read a book quite like this one before. My writing teacher always tells us, "Write about what you know". I often think to myself, my life is so not that interesting so why would anyone want to hear about it? Although Melba's life is much more traumatic and demanding of her than mine is, I can see why people would write about what they know. If people didn't write about what they knew and they just assumed that everyone knew it, then we would most likely live in a very dark world where no one really seemed to understand other people. I feel as though these last three books have really given me a deeper understanding of what it meant to be a black American in history. I have never experienced the struggles of black people the way I have through these last three books. I have long since forgot about the fact that blacks still had a hard time "fitting in" to society even after slavery was abolished. I feel as though I was only taught textbook material, the standard: slavery existed, slavery was abolished, end of story. To have a book like this in classrooms would be so beneficial. I feel as though (in my hopeful mind) students may be more appreciative of their education and how easy it is for them to go to school and learn. I also loved the way God was incorporated into this book. My parents sent me to a Catholic school and God was shoved down my throat for the years that I attended that school. Although I do believe in God, I do not support some of the things that the Catholic church teaches and often struggle with my faith in that regard. I feel that the way God is presented in this book is a very gentle approach and I could see how it may be a problem for some parents, but at the same time I feel as though it isn't something that would be really stressed upon in classroom discussions. Overall, I feel this was an excellent book and also an excellent way to get students interested in autobiographies.