Available at http://www.amazon.com/Peter-Iverson and other stores and libraries.
We Are Still Here is now one of my most valued books and Iverson a writer/teacher I highly respect for his scholarship and presentation.
More later. I'm still reading.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
"We Are Still Here," American Indians in the Twentieth Century
Available at http://www.amazon.com/Peter-Iverson and other stores and libraries.
We Are Still Here is now one of my most valued books and Iverson a writer/teacher I highly respect for his scholarship and presentation.
More later. I'm still reading.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Henry and Anthony by H. Lynn Beck
Henry and Anthony is a charming novel about friendship and loyalty. Henry is a Canada goose, Anthony a lost homing pigeon. They have unusual adventures. Henry grows up on a university campus where he experiments with speed flight, a skill that he uses in future challenges as he travels the world with a small gaggle of friends.
On one level Henry and Anthony is a children's story, although, as such, illustrations would have helped kids understand more of the humor and insights. The photographs at the end of the book help somewhat. It's evident that H. Lynn Beck really knows geese. We own a family of geese; I found myself nodding frequently at his descriptions of their behavior. I read the first few pages to my grandson and he interrupted several times to say, "Hey, our goose Chip does that!" or "That's just like Chip's and Lady's goslings!"
On a deeper level, I consider the story an allegory about a youth facing and overcoming challenges, from physical to social to spiritual. Henry loses a foot in an accident, but pursues an inner drive to discover his purpose in life; he spends time with a flock of geese who become intoxicated from strange berries near a highway and create havoc, and as a result he learns a lesson in choosing his friends wisely.
I admit I was put off at first by the devotion of the Henry and his parents to The Great Goose. I thought, oh this is going to be a sermon in disguise. However, Beck blends the religious faith of Henry's family with the wider view of a society of both believers and non-believers (whether human or geese, ducks or pigeons). The author treats all his characters with the equanimity of a person who sincerely cares about others.
The clear writing style makes it easy to read aloud to children (or silently to oneself as well). I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys animal stories and allegories.
On one level Henry and Anthony is a children's story, although, as such, illustrations would have helped kids understand more of the humor and insights. The photographs at the end of the book help somewhat. It's evident that H. Lynn Beck really knows geese. We own a family of geese; I found myself nodding frequently at his descriptions of their behavior. I read the first few pages to my grandson and he interrupted several times to say, "Hey, our goose Chip does that!" or "That's just like Chip's and Lady's goslings!"
On a deeper level, I consider the story an allegory about a youth facing and overcoming challenges, from physical to social to spiritual. Henry loses a foot in an accident, but pursues an inner drive to discover his purpose in life; he spends time with a flock of geese who become intoxicated from strange berries near a highway and create havoc, and as a result he learns a lesson in choosing his friends wisely.
I admit I was put off at first by the devotion of the Henry and his parents to The Great Goose. I thought, oh this is going to be a sermon in disguise. However, Beck blends the religious faith of Henry's family with the wider view of a society of both believers and non-believers (whether human or geese, ducks or pigeons). The author treats all his characters with the equanimity of a person who sincerely cares about others.
The clear writing style makes it easy to read aloud to children (or silently to oneself as well). I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys animal stories and allegories.
SHARE THIS! by Deanna Zandt
After I read (and immensely enjoyed) Deanna Zandt's new book, Share This!, I wondered if I'd made the wrong decision to deactivate my Facebook and Twitter accounts. They provided interesting windows to the world beyond my own, but I wasn't sure how useful they were. I bought Share This! to educate myself about what social networking is really all about.
Zandt's book doesn't explain how to use Facebook, Twitter, blogs, forums, etc. (that's what tutorials are for); instead she focuses on, as her subtitle says, " How You Will Change the World with Social Networking." This is a book about impacting change. For the first time in history, we all can have a say. No longer are we merely a massive ear for privileged voices, those empowered by government, corporations and the news and advertising media; these voices, whether by accident or intention, limit our knowledge and therefore shape our opinions to suit someone else's agenda. However, with electronic media at our fingertips, our information range is broadened on a horizontal level--we can learn from each other, and, through online communities and even independent blogs, we can be heard. That's potential power to move mountains, or at least move people to demand solutions to oil spills.
But we're new at this; most of us are still used to thinking of ourselves as powerless, isolated individuals. ("I'm just one person. What can I do?") According to the author, that's about to change and already is changing here and there. She cites examples of communities affecting and effecting local political and educational policies. Someone throws a pebble in the cyber pond of information and opinions, and the ripples get noticed; soon there's more pebble-tossing until the whole pond is churning with ideas.
Throughout the book, Zandt emphasizes the necessity of building trust if we, the people, realize that by taking the reins of this new power horse, we CAN form a more perfect union and secure the blessings of liberty. Trust, according to the author, involves being as open about our identity as we are comfortable with, being open with our opinions and being unafraid to change our minds as we learn more about ourselves and each other. As Deanna Zandt points out, "It's impossible to tackle deep-seated social injustices without understanding the beliefs of those who oppose fixing those injustices, and the Internet provides that opportunity."
Maybe I will reactivate my Facebook and Twitter memberships.
Zandt's book doesn't explain how to use Facebook, Twitter, blogs, forums, etc. (that's what tutorials are for); instead she focuses on, as her subtitle says, " How You Will Change the World with Social Networking." This is a book about impacting change. For the first time in history, we all can have a say. No longer are we merely a massive ear for privileged voices, those empowered by government, corporations and the news and advertising media; these voices, whether by accident or intention, limit our knowledge and therefore shape our opinions to suit someone else's agenda. However, with electronic media at our fingertips, our information range is broadened on a horizontal level--we can learn from each other, and, through online communities and even independent blogs, we can be heard. That's potential power to move mountains, or at least move people to demand solutions to oil spills.
But we're new at this; most of us are still used to thinking of ourselves as powerless, isolated individuals. ("I'm just one person. What can I do?") According to the author, that's about to change and already is changing here and there. She cites examples of communities affecting and effecting local political and educational policies. Someone throws a pebble in the cyber pond of information and opinions, and the ripples get noticed; soon there's more pebble-tossing until the whole pond is churning with ideas.
Throughout the book, Zandt emphasizes the necessity of building trust if we, the people, realize that by taking the reins of this new power horse, we CAN form a more perfect union and secure the blessings of liberty. Trust, according to the author, involves being as open about our identity as we are comfortable with, being open with our opinions and being unafraid to change our minds as we learn more about ourselves and each other. As Deanna Zandt points out, "It's impossible to tackle deep-seated social injustices without understanding the beliefs of those who oppose fixing those injustices, and the Internet provides that opportunity."
Maybe I will reactivate my Facebook and Twitter memberships.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)