Wintergirls

Title : Winter Girls
Author : Laurie Halse Anderson
ISBN : 9780670011100
Publisher : Penguin Group
Copyright Date : 2009

Plot Summary - Laurie Halse Anderson's Wintergirls attracted my attention as controversial literature was being discusses in class. It is the story of two girls who struggle with eating disorders, one who is alive and the other dead. While it is possibly unfair to label the story simply about two different girls given the vast majority of the novel is about the one girl and how she deals with her anorexia, the other girl is a sort of spirit that runs throughout the novel. One cannot escape her spirit as it permeates everything and everyone.

At the beginning of the novel we find out that the one girl is dead from some unknown source, but that she has contacted her friend who she hadn't been in touch with for six months the night of her death. In fact, she had called her over 30 times to try to reach out to her and the other girl failed to do anything. Lia then explores the depth of her feelings about her friend and it all spirals down to one moment where she must make a choice about her own future. Is she going to experience the fate of her friend who died all alone, or is she going to overcome her own experiences to be able to lead some semblance of a normal life?
Ultimately she decides that it is better to face her future and live a life where she is connected to people, no matter how dysfunctional they are. She takes meaning from her dad's new family and her step sister. She finds that despite her mother's desire to control her situation that she really does love her. And ultimately she finds that life is worth living.

Critical Evaluation - There is a beauty and a haunting ethereal feel for most of the novel. Written from the first person of the character of Lia the readers explore the depths of Lia's soul. It covers the internal pain that she has experienced through the splitting of her family and how that has wrenched her soul. It also covers the pain of her friend Carrie and how that has impacted her. It deals thoroughly with the parents, despite their well meaning, struggling with a split family and failing to connect with the daughter in some meaningful way. Thankfully Laurie Anderson does not do the readers a disservice by having external circumstances force Lia into changing her ways. Ultimately Lia has to come to her own conclusions about what gives her life meaning. And for Lia it is the only way that true change will happen. Despite this insight into human change, Anderson does have one problem with the novel. She spends so much time digging her lead character into her own personal hell that by the time she comes out of it, its seems overly fast and somewhat contrived.

Reader's Annotation - Lia confronts her fears about her life as her parents want more and more control.  Lia seems to allow herself to get out of control  as she spirals in a downward direction after the death of her friend form complications with anorexia.

--Information about the Author--
Laurie Halse Anderson, according to the author, has never written anything to send a message.  She claims she is only out to tell a good story.  But in the writing of Wintergirls, she has not only told a good story, but connected to girls who are experiencing pain and are seeking release.

Curriculum Ties - Have a discussion of banned books. Why we ban books from Huck Finn to the Present?  - Literature 

Discussion the nature of anorexia and bulimia. - Health

Discuss the uses of Ghosts and specters in other pieces of literature.

Reading Level - Grade 10+

Book Talking Ideas - Discuss how to handle friends who need help - suicide, eating disorders.  Provide numbers and hotlines that people can call at the end of group.

Challenge Issues - This is an intense story of anorexia and bulimia. A parent may consider it possibly not age appropriate.

Ghosts and other Phantasms

Overcoming Challenge Issues - To confront this issues I would bring up studies of kids at an early age suffering from body issues such as obesity and anorexia and the need to talk about this with teens, especially as peer pressure mounts.  I would have both articles on studying kids with health problems and peer pressure issues.

Why included - I included this because I was interested in teen books on controversial subject matter.

Everybody Hurts : An Essential Guide to Emo Culture

Title - Everybody Hurts : An Essential Guide to Emo Culture
Author - Leslie Simon
ISBN - 9780061195396
Publication Date - 2007

Plot -  This is a loving tribute, or possibly a satire, to all things Emo.  For the teenage set, this would be a book written to see if one fits into a particular type of subculture, while for the older set trying to explain whether or not the people they know would fit into this sub-culture. Emo, according to the book, is not just a style of "emotional" music that developed in the 80s and really took flight in the mid to late 90s.  Emo is a whole entire lifestyle.  It is characterized by several important qualities.  The first is depression.  Misery loves company as the author puts it, and depression has driven this subculture together to form a unique bond. The second aspect is Effort(lessness).  This requires a great deal of effort to look like one doesn't care about themselves.  Then there is Empathy, or deep feeling of another person's pain.  We move onto faith, which is a firm belief in whatever an Emo person believes, regardless of the evidence to the contrary.  Then there is Insecurity, or the realization that someone somewhere is having it better than you are.  And the final rule of the Emo subculture is non-athleticism.  One should not, must not be caught dead doing anything that would include the word exercise in it.  While the entire book exists in this tongue in cheek style, there is a method to the madness of the author, who is trying to appreciate the people of the scene (as they consider themselves to be of this scene), while having a level of self-depreciation at the same time.  They are paying homage to what it means to be Emo.

Book Review - While the style of this book is firmly tongue-in-cheek, it is a fascinating read about all things emo.  It has a list of people and whether or not they fit into the Emo subculture and why: selecting John Mayer as completely un-emo while Kelly Clarkson maybe considered slightly emo.  It directs one's attention to one of the largest methods of emo communication at the release of this book, MySpace.  While most think of this as a social networking site, it is appropriate that it was so popular among the emo culture that in that it allowed exposure to a lot of lesser known bands that people could connect with.  While music is not all of emo subculture, it is an essential part of it.  I was even taken a back about the listing of "porn" sites that are considered emo.  While this may get the censors out in mass, certainly the self-depreciating humor about it all will alleviate some of the vociferousness involved in any attempt to censor the material.  Overall this book is a useful manual to all things emo, and should be a welcome read for anyone who wants to know if they too might be emo.

Reader's Annotation - Sad? Depressed? Wanting to cry when things go wrong? You don't have to worry about whether you fit into someone else's mold of who you are.  You just might be emo.

About the Author - Primarily into the indie music scene Leslie Simon has written a couple of different efforts covering the indie music scene and its various incarnations.  She lives in Los Angeles where, according to her bio, she hunts down Zack Galifianakis trying to make sure that she marries him, or gets a restraining order placed against her, whichever may come first.  It is this self depreciating wit that infects much of her writing.

Genre- Teen Non-Fiction

Curriculum Ties - A class could discuss satire and comedy in Literature.

Booktalking Ideas - Have people discuss the music that they listen to and see if they qualify for being emo.  Follow the pattern of the book and try to describe other music fads and see where everyone might fit.

Reading Level/Interest Age - Grade 9+

Challenge Issues - Buried in the book there is a section on emo pornography.  While I had heard about one of these sites before because Showtime had run a special on it, I am certain that parents might complain if they knew about this particular content.

Overcoming Challenge - There are only two ways I can see of overcoming this challenge.  One is to focus on the comedy and tongue in cheek nature of the writing, as it elicits a kind of humorous response about having a porn emo site, and hope parents anger is somewhat abated.  The other is to be willing to interfile it with the rest of the non-fiction making it not so readily available and considered specifically for teens, even if teens might take the most interest in it.

Why Included -  While I am way too old to be considered emo, much of the emo subculture started around when I was growing up.  Many of the large influences to the emo music scene were among my favorite bands, like The Smiths and The Cure.  I also wanted to have something specifically non-fiction and yet directed at a teenage audience.

I Don't Need a Record Deal! : Your Survival Guide for the Indie Music Revolution

Title - I Don't Need a Record Deal! : Your Survival Guide for the Indie Music Revolution
Author - Daylle Schwartz
ISBN - 0823079481
Publication Date - 2005

Plot -  Furthering on my trend in music, Daylle Schwartz's book I Don't Need a Record Deal! gives an insiders view of the music industry, helping to allow artists to navigate the murky waters of being independent.  She begins the book discussing the nature of the music industry as it sits today.  She describes that the industry is not back in the 1950s where you had to pay to get play on the radio for any artist you were trying to promote.  Big record companies no longer can control what gets put out on the airwaves.  This is not to say that they do not have some major advantages.  But there are also some distinct disadvantages, such as not controlling your own career.  The rest of the book is used to discuss how one can control their own career.

Controlling your career in the music industry, according to Schwartz, is not as difficult as it may see, although requires a lot of time and effort put into it.  Some of the major themes involved in the book, aside from convincing you that maybe going the "indie" route is the way to go, include finding a following.  This means going out and playing as many shows as you can, even for free, so that you can get exposure.  Finding a promoter or a publicist, if you have the money to do so, as they can help you navigate the waters of getting gigs and getting on the radio.  You have to develop relationships in the industry.  This does not just mean making relationships with the large organizations or club owners.  Sometimes this can mean making relationships with some of the bands that one would play with on stage.  Schwartz suggests that by doing that you might find yourself invited to more shows, which can never hurt when trying to make a name for yourself in this route.  Every ounce of exposure leads to more opportunities

Finally, if there were one thing that Schwartz were trying to convey, is that you have to have fun with the whole process.  Yes, it can be frustrating at times. And it certainly can be a lot of work.  But the whole point of choosing to go the "indie" route is to have control of your own destiny.  A person choosing this path does so because they want to have control over the music that they produce, and to reap the profits of the items that they create.  And ultimately it means that they have ownership of the stuff that they produce, not having some record label taking it away from them for the whole of their life. 

Critical Review - While I think this is a fairly easy read, covering over the same material time and time again, I am not sure that this isn't the best method of reaching the audience you are trying to.  Many kids in high school are starting up bands for the first time, trying to find their niche in the music world.  Much of the music world promotes the dream that one gets signed to a big record label deal and then all of their dreams magically come true.  This book tries to dispel that notion, while at the same time trying to encourage the young artists to keep plugging away at their music, and enjoy the possibilities that are out there for them.  I think the dangerous territory in the book happens when the Schwartz tries to make analogies between relationships and record labels.  Simply stating that when one is not working out for you, its best not to be in it.  As a result of feeling that this is an oversimplification of what is going on in relationships, it makes me less likely to be trustworthy that they fully understand what the workings are of the record industry.  Despite this lapse into dangerous territory, I love the fact that the work cites so many different sources in the music industry for its knowledge about all things "indie."  Its almost a ridiculous list of artists, but it lends credence to the notion that maybe getting involved with the independent music scene is the way to go.

Reader's Annotation- Why have your work sucked away from you by someone who doesn't care?  Why go to the trouble of producing art when the moment it is produced, it is no longer your own?  What is so dreamy about working for "the man?"  Daylle Schwartz suggests another route in I Don't Need a Record Deal! Maybe some deals aren't worth the price you pay for them.

About the Author- Daylle Deanna Schwartz became a product of her environment.  As a child she was always pushed upon to do the right thing, what everyone expected her to do. By the time she was 20 this lead her to marriage and into a teaching career, not really what she wanted in her life.  She found that she was always being pushed around in relationships, and eventually she would begin to push back.  Beginning with the dissolution of her marriage, she decided she was never going to be anyone's doormat again.

From encouraging students, she decided to venture out into the music scene, trying to show them that anyone could be capable of anything.  She attempted to be the only female white rapper on the market.  Amazingly some record label picked her up, but promptly stole all the work that she did.  She decided to exact revenge in a kind of way, by creating her own label, contrary to what her students would have done, which is to get someone to hurt the people who hurt her.  Ironically she would call the name of the label, Revenge Records, and she ran it successfully for five years.

This has lead her to further endeavors about speaking about relationships, as she believes the music industry and relationships are not incompatible topics.  To be in the music industry one needs to build relationships.  And so she has tried to use her skills in one to help people in both fields.  Out of which she developed the book about the independent music scene and how one could be successful in it.

Genre - Non-Fiction, Music

Curriculum Ties - Try to draw up your resume of things that you are good at and have accomplished. - Careers Class; Discuss the analogy of the music industry to relationships - Literature

Booktalking Ideas - Create a list of people that you can network with.  Play a game of six degrees of separation with people.  See how many degrees you are from someone famous.

Reading Level/Interest Age - Grade 10+

Challenge Issues - None

Why Included -  I am making a bit of a music themed area of my non-fiction section.  This is partly because I enjoy music, and partly because the library I work for has an extensive music selection, of which this found itself in the teen section of the library.

Crank

Title - Crank
Author - Ellen Hopkins
ISBN - 0689865198
Publication Date - 2004

Plot - Kristina is a high school student with a promising life ahead of her.  All of this is about to crash down around her.  Meeting another boy called Adam she creates an alternate ego for herself that she uses to get outside of her world.  This ego would eventually stick with her, called Bree.  Bree and Adam end up going down the rabbit hole into the monster world of crank.  This addiction is instantaneous and begins to rule her life, as she becomes unable to separate fiction from fact.    She is forced to go back to her mothers and live with family there, but the addiction follows, and leaves a trail of tears.  She ends up developing relationships with multiple people.  One of these relationships is with Chase, who seems to truly care for her, and another with Brendan, who rapes her.  Eventually she discovers that she is pregnant with child and hopes that it is Chase's child, but it turns out to be the child of Brendan.  She is forced to make many decisions about what is going to happen to her and her child, all in the fog of the addiction to the monster.  At the end of the novel she is raising her child, but just barely as she still is caught by the addictive madness of the monster, calling her out the door.

Critical Review -  Upon first glance Crank would seem like a difficult read.  Lots of authors have been experimenting with using free verse to be able to tell a story, and Hopkins takes the reader down quite a path.  There is a beautiful uniqueness to the tale of Crank, where reading the story can be done in so many different ways.  The poetry can be read word by word, line by line.  Sometimes it is read top to bottom, skipping sections of poetry to give the reader a whole new meaning to what is being said.  It does a lot to maintain the readers interest, and anyone who is willing to set aside some hours getting all of the meanings Hopkins wishes to convey will be richly rewarded.  There is an even further beauty to the method of this writing for this particular story.  The poetry itself is winding, twisting and turning, leading the reader in all sorts of different directions.  Much like the drug to which the leads are addicted to, the poetry of Crank allows the reader to descend and be caught off guard into the madness of what is going on in the story.

Reader's Annotation - What     
                                               I am going to say,
                                               That can convince you
                                               To read this poem which
                                   Makes
                                               Feelings be sucked into
                                               an abyss of lost
                                               emotive turmoil.
                                   Life,
                                               crazy as it may
                                               seem to bystanders
                                               drives us to find self
                                    Worth
                                               in materials,
                                              and of memories.
                                              Like death, are we yet
                                    Living?
                                              But in that empty
                                              tomb that I call life
                                              the monster beckons:
                                    Crank.

About the Author - Ellen Hopkins began her career in the non-fiction field, writing books for children.  But in 2002 she found out that her daughter had developed a severe meth-amphetamine addiction.  Keenly aware of all the damage that was being caused by her daughters use of the drug, and desiring to sense some connection and responsibility she might bear for her daughters condition, Hopkins set out to write a novel about the monster of crank.

This cathartic journey encouraged her to explore a wide range of subjects that might be effecting teens with a series of verse novels including Burned, Impulse, Identical and Glass.  Each of these explores the drama effecting teens and how their choices have a significant impact on the rest of their lives.

Genre- Drama, Free Verse Poetry

Curriculum Ties - Discuss the use of Free Verse to write an entire novel. - Literature

Compare and contrast the novel Crank with other Epic poems such as Milton's Paradise Lost, or Dante's Inferno.  - Literature

Booktalking Ideas -

Discuss the nature of addiction.

Discuss the difference, if any, of the nature of many of the prescription drugs that are out there.

Discuss the efficacy of decriminalizing drugs such as marijuana and its social impact

Reading Level/Interest Age - Grade 10+

Challenge Issues - I think there are so many challenge issues it would be difficult to start.  As I know, Hopkins has been banned from doing book talks at certain places because of the controversy over the Crank series.  It is hard to pick one issue. But aside from language issues the novel contains a rapist who fathers a child, and severe drug abuse without any resolution aside from the fact that we know she is addicted at the end.

Overcoming Challenges - I think it would be important to first point out that there is no glamour involved to the drug use.  The narrator of the novel knows that it is something that is sucking away her life, which she cannot stop.  She also ends up pregnant from a thing she believes to be rape, but cannot sort it out in her mind properly and actually questions it.  Discussing with teens that actions have consequences is important and this can be a good way to begin that discussion.  Also having a list of items from drug agencies about drug abuse and its negative consequences on hand to show to parents to that they have a way to discuss the novel with their teen would be a good thing as well.  This should allay the fears of most responsible parents.

Why Included - Along with Wintergirls, I really wanted to find another book that would be considered controversial in teen literature.  A friend of mine put me onto Ellen Hopkins and I was very pleased.

                                            
                                     

Little Brother

Title - Little Brother

Author - Cory Doctorow

ISBN - 9780765319852

Publisher - Tor Books

Copyright Date - April 29, 2008

Plot - Marcus Yallow, code name w1n5t0n(definitely not Winston), and three of his friends find themselves near the San Francisco Bridge during a bombing.  They try to find their way after the city after its bombing but are picked up by Homeland Security and attempted to be forced to talk.  After a few days of being detained and putting Marcus under severe scrutiny, they release three of them to the public, threatening them to behave.  Marcus, typical of any teenager decides to fight the authority, especially as they still have his friend and have not released him. 

While Marcus starts making connections with other people to support his cause, he loses his other two friends who were released in the process, as they cannot follow in his footsteps.  He eventually finds that his friend Darryl is not dead but being held captive.  He makes a rescue attempt by attempting to draw media attention to the problem but finds himself imprisoned again, even water boarded.  The novel culminates with the release of Marcus and his friends, while the people responsible go unpunished.

Critical Evaluation - A very well paced story about Marcus and his friends and how they relate to one another.  The story does an excellent job of trying to portray all of the motivations of all of its characters, including Marcus parents, who, while against the over intrusive government, are more willing to be accepting of it if they feel the safety of their son is at stake.  The novel tackles many themes that are not only appropriate to the teen age group but to the whole of society as it deals with laws such as the Patriot Act.  What is the appropriate level of freedom one should have?  Should freedom be abridged because of safety concerns.  The novel does one thing poorly I believe.  It acts like its audience has limited knowledge of the technologies that are being used by the people.  And while certainly some of the technological aspects may be over my head, or even possibly non-existent, its teenage audience may find that they do not need all of the exposition concerning this technology.

Reader's Annotation - MarcusYallow can do anything: program the most complex computer software; trick pass cards to work as if you were another person; develop signals and codes that government agencies cannot crack.  But what should actually happen if the government tries to find out and cannot?  How much trouble could Marcus be in, or is the government in over way its head?  Only Marcus knows.

Information about the author - Born in Canada and raised by followers of Trotsky (A Russian author believing in the purity of communism and the communist revolution), Doctorow was raised as a Jewish Activist.  He became involved in nuclear disarmament and Greenpeace as a child.  He would certainly have all the makings of a social activist.

However it would seem that Doctorow took a detour and found himself interested in freedoms for everyone.  He became involved with groups who were promoting the free information to run across society eliminating copyright restrictions and other things.  He took things one step further than Fair Use and wanted free use of all materials for everyone.

Genre - Science Fiction

Curriculum Ties - Connect the novel to politics and the advent of the Department of Homeland Security.  What is it supposed to be doing versus what Homeland of Security seems to be responsible for? - Politics

Booktalking Ideas - There could be a discussion on the burgeoning of technology and its implications, not only in the areas of free speech but specifically as it relates to library content in the area of fair use.

Reading Level - Grade 10+

Challenge Issues - There is some sexuality between teens but minor in content.

Someone may contest that its anti-government and against homeland security and other departments.

Overcoming Challenge Issue -Arguments with articles affirming that freedom of speech is meant to protect those who are in positions of power. Discuss the nature of the sexual content as often awkward as teens do not understand its full impact.

Why included - It was part of the reading list for the semester, and I enjoyed all of the novel and its implications for politics today.

Rolling Stone

Title - Rolling Stone

Editor  and Publisher- Jan S. Wenner

Published - Biweekly except for the first weekend in July and Years end since 1967

Plot Summary -  Essentially this is supposed to be a magazine about the modern Music scene in all of its glory.  While this does cover a lot of modern music, including articles about U2, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift and many others, it would be a disservice to call it a magazine solely about Rock and Roll.  While perusing through the magazines they had sections on Modern Media, such as popular HBO TV Series, True Blood, and Political Articles on items such as what is going on with Wall Street and a political commentary about propositions in California such as the one to make legal the use of Marijuana.    

Critical Evaluation -  While I was not sure whether or not this truly could be classified in the Teen section at any library, evaluators have placed the item there.  And from a writing perspective I would have to say that the articles reach out to a less knowledgeable audience, encouraging them to get involved not only in their Rock and Roll Music, but in the issues for the day.  My only complaint is that much of the writing comes from one ideological bent.  And while I would welcome its viewpoint, it limits its attractiveness to a wider audience by being politically partisan.  I would believe that young people would more easily tune you out the more partisan you seem.

Reader's Annotation - Rolling Stone, the popular magazine about popular music, fashions itself as a magazine devoted to a plethora of topics, wanting to keep the reader engaged on a variety of social, political as well as music issues. Every issue is packed with content about the current music scene as well as a variety of other media.

About the Author - Jan Wenner was born in January 7, 1946 to a Jewish Family.  His family life was interrupted in 1958 by divorce and then was sent to boarding school. Through that time and his going to UC Berkeley in the 1960s he encountered the free speech movement, which would transform him.  Despite dropping out of Berkeley, Wenners ambitions were never tempered. 

His dealings with newspapers began with working on the Daily Californian, the paper of record at UC Berkeley.  After dropping out of Berkeley his mentor at the San Francisco Chronicle got him a job at Ramparts, a leftist magazine actively involved with the Free Speech Movement with which he had become a part.  In 1967 through his love of music and of its encouragement of free speech he decided to start Rolling Stone, borrowing money from his family and his fiancee to get the magazine established.  In its 43 years of existence, Rolling Stone has become a symbol of the free speech movement, and emblematic of the current music scene and trends, reflective of the man behind the scenes.

Genre - Music

Curriculum Ties - Discuss the modern musician as a poet. - Poetry Unit -English Lit

Discuss progressive politics - Political Science

Discuss the Logic arguments - Logic Course / Philosophy

Booktalking Ideas - N/A

Reading Level -Grade 9+

Challenge Issues - Too overtly political -(encouraged the passage of the proposition that would have legalized marijuana in California)

Overtly Sexual - Some Magazine covers and otherwise have sexual content (i.e. True Blood cast naked on the cover with fake blood all over them)

Overcoming Challenge Issues - Bring up the fact that teens need to encounter a variety of different issues and perspectives to be able to promote understanding of others as well as to reinforce why they believe what they believe.

Promote Rolling Stone as a magazine that is a reflection of its culture, something to be talked about and engaged in with parents, not simply viewed passively encouraging parent teen interaction.

Why included - I found it interesting that the library I worked for reclassified Rolling Stone as a teen magazine and shelved it with the other teen magazines. 

Intro to Blogging

As with any good research paper, developing the introduction is one of the most important parts of the paper. But as this is a blog, the development of a blog goes as the blog is written. Along the way a person find their voice and talks about things that are meaningful to them. This blog is directed solely at Teen materials and information. Despite the academic nature of the blog, it will consist of things that I am interested in. This means that the blogs emphasis will consist of things more about fiction and musical artists and magazines I like that happen to be directed and marketed to teens, rather than some purely academic study where emphasis more be even handed. Of course, with any good study of literature, there is some self interest involved in the study. Thus stated, here is my blog about teen information: