Ten Books Without Fairy Princesses
Many disenfranchised students become disenchanted by
education when the literary selections they are fed in Language Arts classes
depict a world through rose colored glasses.
Teachers and more often parents wish to protect students from the harsh
realities of life and select novels with happy endings and little controversy
and nonfiction books that avoid social problems. The truth is many of these
students confront the harsh realities of life daily: crime, violence, child
abuse and neglect. Even those with
seemingly perfect domestic situations may be exposed to spouse and child abuse,
alcoholism, drug addiction and economic instability. The inconsistency in the world the literature
depicts and their own reality makes students question the authenticity of their
entire education. Teaching students
historic novels and nonfiction that accurately illustrates the problems they
may be facing or demonstrates how people from the past have overcome
difficulties in their own lives provides students with life skills to overcome
problems. When I taught in an
alternative school, I saw many high school aged students who felt their
problems were unsolvable. Reading about
others who have faced difficult problems successful increases the likelihood
that these students will develop a more positive attitude toward life problems. Some parents complain that showing students
the darker side history makes our county seem imperfect. Some parents complain that showing students
the darker side of man makes people seem despicable. The truth is our country is imperfect and
many people are despicable. If students
have a clear view of problems and are asked to develop methods to make the
country, the world or people better, the world could become a better place. Here are some books that I would suggest .
Although this Empire of the Summer Moon by S. C. Gwynne details the Comanche tribe violence and the violence committed against them, it captures the clashing of two different cultures and how both side committed horrible atrocities against each other in an attempt to obliterate the tribe and its life style. Most of the tribe did not survive, but despite losing everything, a sense of pride and a sense of responsibilities to each other continued. The book details the life of Quanah Parker whose mother, Cynthia Anne Parker, was kidnapped at ten year old by a Comanche chief. After having three children, Cynthia is rescued against her will, when her Native American husband and all of her companions are massacred. Her two sons escape, pursued by the soldiers and find their way back to camp. She and her daughter, Meadow Flower are returned to civilization. Meadow Flower is taken from her and dies. Her youngest son dies of fever and Quanah Parker, her older son, becomes chief. Quanah's struggle to free his people and finally to live in peace on the reservation is never without treacherous dealings with corrupt officials.
The Other Slavery by Andres Resendez non-fiction discusses the use of
Native Americans, Asians and other minorities were enslaved from Columbus until
the 1900. Despite laws created to
protect them, slavery continued by referring to it by different
terminology. The continual exploitation
and murder of women and children from the Caribbean (called the Caribbean so
justify enslaving Native Americans by accusing them of cannibalism) to the
Navajos in Western United States (justified because whites were saving their
souls by Christianizing them.) Most students are aware of the slavery of
African Americans, but many are unaware of the violence, and slavery that occurred
to other minorities. This book focuses
primarily on Native Americans, but it touches on all of the different forms of
slavery that occurred in the United States.
It also discusses how slavery continued by playing with language and
rights. As a result, many children and
women continued to be enslaved despite laws meant to protect them.
Bob Drury and Tom Clavin’s book The Heart of Everything That Is retells the story of Red Cloud, who
waged war on the United States Government to keep his tribal way of life
intact. He was successful for some
time. It is also a violent book that
describes the fight for freedom and the ferocious warriors of the Wyoming
west. Since those who believed in
Manifest Destiny also believed that Whites had the right to disregard treaties
and rights of the Native American, they were surprised at Red Cloud’s ability
to use his forces as an effective military leader. Eventually he destroyed the fort that was
built illegally on Native American land and maintained the freedom of his
people until his death.
Another book to consider is
Dee Brown Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee describing
a horrible massacre of women, children and older men at Wounded Knee. It is equally as violent and disturbing as The Heart
of Everything That Is but reading both books together helps the student
understand the anger and the violence.
Understanding why a people perpetuates violence is as important as
understanding that they behave violently.
The book describes a variety of masacres that occurred through out the
West and Midwest by military and westward expansion. Reading the story of Manifest Destiny by
those who lost gives students a second view of history.
Most Language Arts teachers have taught The Diary of Anne Frank to
provide students with an understanding of the suffering of World War II, but to
be honest it hardly does it justice. Lilac
Girls  |
| Caroline Ferriday |
 |
| Herta Oberheuser |
Herta Oberheuser was
also a real person who felt she was helping the cause by cutting into the legs
of young women, removing bones and muscles, inserting dirt, rocks, and
pathogens that she allowed to fester.
She believed she was helping injured German soldiers and the lives of
the concentration prisoners were unimportant because they had been sentence to
death anyway.
Kasia Kuzmerick is a combination of many prisoners at the
camp. The problems and the solutions
were real and the cooperation of the prisons to increase the likelihood of
their survival is also true.
This is an excellent novel to discuss how people cooperating
with each other can increase everyone success; however, there are some sexually
explicit parts that might make it objectionable in some communities.
Beneath A Scarlet Sky by
Mark Sullivan is a true story of Pino Lella who was a seventeen year of Italian
boy living in Millan whose parents sent him to live in a monastery in the Alps
where he and his fifteen year old brother led Jewish immigrants, downed British
pilots and others to freedom over the Alps to Switzerland during World War
II. Afraid Pino would be drafted and
sent to the Russian front when he turned eighteen years old, his parents insist
he enlist in the Nazi Army. Using the skills,
Pino learned from his race car driving friend, he becomes a driver for the
premier Nazi in Italy where he is able to pass information to his uncle and the
underground. The book is violent and has
some sexual scenes that are handled delicately.
Although this book does not have the brutality of Lilac Girls, it
could be used to demonstrate that evil can be overcome through brave behavior. The advantage of an historic novel like
Lilac
Girls
and Beneath
A Scarlet Sky is they motivate students to research the real people.
The Orphan Tale by Pam Jenoff is another World War II story based on a true story. A young teenage girl from Holland finds herself expecting after a Nazi soldier quartered as her parents house pays her an unexpected visit. Rejected by her family, she travels to Germany and works cleaning train car. Since she has blonde hair and blue eyes, she is persuaded to have her baby at a home for unmarried mothers where her child will be given to a good German family. Unfortunately, her child does not have blonde hair and blue eyes. Depressed and fearful about the fate of her child, she returns to work cleaning train cars. When she hears the cries of babies, she finds an entire train car of Jewish babies. Seeing one still alive, she grabs the child and runs into the woods being pursued by the German soldiers. Finally exhausted, she collapses in the woods where she is rescued by a circus clown. She learns to be an aerialist by a famous German aerialist who is also a Jewish and being protected by the circus owner. The details of the book are based a real stories from the war even though some of it is fictionalized.
Finally another book, Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand about World War II, is the story of Louis Zamperini who was an incorrigible youth who became an Olympic champion. He overcame poverty and prejudice to achieve his skill with the support of a loving family. During World War II his plane was shot down in the Pacific and he was taken to a Japanese Prisoner of War Camp where he suffered unbelievable hardship. Despite every obstacle, he continued to endure. Every young person needs to know that despite what obstacle one has to face, it is important to never give up. Regardless of the cruelty of the camp's leader, Louis did not allow himself to lose hope, a lesson that would help many young people today.
A Thread Unbroken by Kay Bratt is a fictitious account of child trafficking set in modern day China. Two twelve year old girls are abducted by a woman and sold to a family living on a junk. The family wishes one to become a bride for one of their two sons and use both girls as domestic servants. Many students will find the ending of this book unrealistic because one of the girl's father eventually finds them and all of the guilty parties are punished. I used to teach Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens and my students complained that they ending was too contrived. They preferred Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame because the ending seemed more believable. (In the book everyone dies because of their character flaw.) I think most students are too sophisticated and recognize that life is often not fair.
Finally another book, Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand about World War II, is the story of Louis Zamperini who was an incorrigible youth who became an Olympic champion. He overcame poverty and prejudice to achieve his skill with the support of a loving family. During World War II his plane was shot down in the Pacific and he was taken to a Japanese Prisoner of War Camp where he suffered unbelievable hardship. Despite every obstacle, he continued to endure. Every young person needs to know that despite what obstacle one has to face, it is important to never give up. Regardless of the cruelty of the camp's leader, Louis did not allow himself to lose hope, a lesson that would help many young people today.
F
Before We Were Yours by
Lisa Winegate is based on a true story of Georgia Tann who kidnapped or usurped
control of indigent children and sold them to wealthy families. Although families attempted to retrieve their
children, Georgia Tan used her political connections. Although this nightmare continued from
1930-1950, Ms. Tan was not tried until 1950 when she died before her trial
concluded. This book takes place in
Memphis in 1939 when the 12 year old Rill Foss and her three sisters and one
brother are abducted by this heartless woman. This is an
excellent novel to discuss whether the rights of poor parents should take
priority over the kind of life style a rich family could provide.
