Not Quite a Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

I could write paragraphs upon paragraphs raving about John Green's The Fault in Our Stars, complete with textual evidence from the pages and pages I underlined, circled, and folded to preserve his beautiful, profound prose.  I could follow my rave with paragraphs upon paragraphs of ranting response to the poor reviews I read on Goodreads, but I will not.

I will say only this: any author who can quote T. S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" in his novel without skipping a beat will forever hold a special place in my heart.

Why I Love Megan McCafferty

I won't bore you with yet another gushy post about how much I love Megan McCafferty's newest duo, Bumped and Thumped.  Instead, I will share with you solid, textual evidence that I hope will encourage you to pick up these two books (and the Jessica Darling series) if you haven't already.

"I'm sobbing...for...all girls everywhere who are valued far more for what's between their legs than what's between their ears." - Bumped

"I'm sitting in the bleachers, watching longingly as all the boys and unbumped girls in my Personal Health and Fitness class play Muggle Quidditch." - Thumped (yes - Muggle Quidditch)

Lost, Found, and Homeward Bound

My puppy, Chloe - Look at that sweet face!

I don't even know how to start this post.  Everything I think of sounds cheesy, so I am just going to jump in.  For the past week, I have been a complete wreck.  I was administering and grading finals for my five ENG classes (times that by five essays, paragraphs, and short answer exams; then start hyperventilating); I stayed up for almost 30 hours on Friday/Saturday (Friurday?) for Relay for Life (and anyone who knows me knows I am the world's grumpiest person if I don't get my eight hours at night...), and my dog has been missing.  Yes, while I was grading those finals and raising money for the American Cancer Society, my sweet one and half year old rescue puppy, Chloe, was frolicking in the fields, woods, and roads(!) behind my in-laws' house.  Anyone who has a pet, especially one that lives indoors, can testify that it is like a child.  When it hurts, so do you.  Up until Tuesday, my husband and I had absolutely no idea where she really was.  We had posted over 700 flyers in the area and had received calls about sighting her, but these calls never came from the same area.  So we would drive around, canvas the neighborhood, talk to people, and post more flyers.  I would wake up every morning crying and come home from work or searching for her every evening crying.  Being at home, where she was supposed to be, with all her toys and her food bowl and her chair (yes, she has her own chair) was absolute torture.  Tuesday afternoon, my dad and I decided to return to the scene of the crime - my in-laws' house from whose fence she escaped - and drive around the surrounding roads.  We hadn't had any luck and were about to return to town when one of my husband's friends called me.  "I've got her," he said, but there was a catch.  She wouldn't come to him.  No problem, I thought - I told him to keep an eye on her, figuring as soon as I arrived and she saw me and the box of treats I was shaking, she would come running.  But no, once I confirmed that was my baby way out in the field and called her name, she looked at me and trotted off in the other direction.  I was distraught, but I didn't want to scare her further, so I not-so-patiently waited for my husband to arrive.  Chloe could not ignore his deeper, more authoritative voice, but she did.  She disappeared into the woods, and we didn't see hide nor hair of her for the rest of the afternoon.  Yesterday morning, my father-in-law was driving around and spotted her on a road a few miles away from where she was Tuesday although this road was closer to their house.  He stopped and got within 15-20 feet of her before she turned and wandered into the woods again.  I immediately left work and met him.  He sat at one end of the road, and I sat at the other waiting for her to emerge from the woodline (I have never felt like such a stalker in my life), but she never appeared.  Frustrated, exhausted, and angry, I went to my in-laws' house to wait for my husband.  When he arrived later that afternoon, it had been raining, but we set out to search for Chloe again.  Suddenly, we spot her in a field - this is the first time my husband has seen her - I don't think he believed I had really seen her until this moment.  He called her, and she turned and darted into the woods.  We quickly reached a private lane by the woodline and flew down it - cutting Chloe off just as she emerged on the other side of the woods.  She lifted one paw, turned, and darted back into the woods.  Rob called and called; we drove back to the field we had seen her in; nothing.  We stopped and talked to some people who lived by the field and confirmed that they had seen her in their yards Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.  We gave them flyers and drove home totally dejected.  My husband was happier because we knew where she was.  I was worried that we had scared her from the area and terrified because the hard part was supposed to be finding her, not catching her.  My husband takes a night class on Mondays and Wednesdays, so he went to class, and I pulled myself together and went and had dinner with my mom

Chloe helping me grade papers.

and sisters.  Rob called earlier than usual to say he was on his way home.  He asked me to meet him there.  Worried that the events of the day had finally caught up with him, I made my way home and met him at the door.  He insisted he was alright, and we were sitting at the table talking when I noticed headlights turning into our driveway.  "Who's that?" I asked.  "It's my mom," my husband replied.  He paused.  "She's bringing Chloe."  I screamed, "Are you serious?!"  He was.  My baby was home.  The people we had spoken to earlier that day saw Chloe again in their yard and called my husband.  He called his mom, who was in church down the road, and she drove over.  She knelt in the yard with a treat; Chloe came and took it; she opened the car door, and Chloe jumped in.  I could not believe it.

Chloe snoozing in her cozy chair
now that she's home!

Although this has nothing to do with books, I feel compelled to share my story because I am brimming with gratitude for everyone who saw the flyer and called just to offer advice or check on us, for the people who spent hours looking with us and consoling us when we did not find her.  The kindness I saw this last week is astounding.  The miracle of Chloe's return - safe and uninjured - is even more astounding.  I don't know why she wouldn't come to us right away.  Maybe she was afraid, but watching her sleeping in the chair beside me right now is the best feeling in the world.  Maybe God was trying to teach me a lesson about faith and trust.  Whatever the case, I am so blessed today.

Update: Innovation in Instruction

Hey guys - I posted a few days ago about the Banned Books project I do with my ENG 111 students and the recent recognition I have gotten for it.  Two days after I received the grant, my partners in crime, or in significant gimmicks, Summerlin and Erika, and I received confirmation that our proposal had been accepted for the National Council of Teachers of English conference, which will be in Vegas this year!  Woohoo!!  Any tips for good food and fun in the Vegas area would be much appreciated.

AND...my copy of Thumped came in!  It's a good thing that the end of the semester is on the horizon.  I need time to catch up on some reading.

Review: When She Woke by Hillary Jordan (Spoilers)

When She Woke by Hillary Jordan is a modern re-telling of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlett Letter.  Jordan takes Hawthorne's classic plot, an adulterous affair between a revered pastor and a young woman of the community, and turns it on its head by placing it in a futuristic society defined by several distinct groups - the uber-religious, those who oppose them, and the Chromes.  Previously a member of the first group, Hannah Payne, Jordan's Hester Pryne, wakes on page one as a member of the latter group based on her interactions with the famed Reverend Aidan Dale, Jordan's Reverend Dimmesdale.  The Chromes are the futuristic United States' version of India's "Untouchable" caste.  Injected with a melachrome "virus," which turns the victim's skin a bright color synonymous with his/her crime, a Chrome is a visual and vivid reminder to the populace of the consequences of breaking the rules.  Hannah wakes as a red for murder.  To protect the reputation of the man she loves, Hannah terminates the illegitimate pregnancy that results at the end of their two year tryst.  Abortions are illegal in Hannah's world, but there are still a few doctors willing to perform them if the price is right or the need dire.  Hannah's interaction with her abortionist, a man known only as "Raphael," is her first contact with the subversive, anti-abortion group The Novemberists and her first act of independent rebellion against the community of family and faith that has controlled her until now.

All the passion, intrigue, and originality expressed in the plot summary above are met and exceeded in the first half of Jordan's novel.  The opening chapter is gripping in its strangeness and in the primitive emotions felt by Hannah as she must learn to traverse this world as a Chrome without her family, friends, and lover.  Despite her transgressions, Hannah is a woman of unwavering principle as demonstrated by her refusal to provide the name of her lover or abortionist during her trial and the inhumane treatment she suffers in the televised Chrome Ward and later in the "Straight Path" shelter; however, as poignant and riveting as the first half of the novel is, the second half does not deliver the same quality of prose.  In fact, it is like reading an entirely different book and an entirely different genre.  What began as a dystopian remake of a 19th century classic morphs into a mission impossible/Bourne Identity spoof.

Jordan lost me the minute the Novemberists swooped down to rescue Hannah and her new friend and fellow Chrome, Kayla, and put them on the "path" to melachrome reversal.  While ideal, the rescue and new identity motif is not one supported by the 200+ pages that came before or in the original.  The novel would have been more compelling had it remained focused on Hannah's struggles to redefine herself in a world she no longer fits into - visually, emotionally, and spiritually - instead of forcing an entire new cast of characters and plot points on the reader.  I understand that Jordan wants the reader to see Hannah turn into a confident, independent thinker and woman - controlled by no one but her own self and desires - but the methods she took to get her there were unnecessary and, at times, off-putting.  I am speaking of, as one reviewer put it, the "contrived lesbian experience."  I went to an all women's college, so lesbianism is by no means a foreign concept to me, however, I resent Jordan using lesbianism or bi-sexuality as a vehicle for gratitude and an obvious example of Hannah's departure from her previous held beliefs.  Hannah's fundamental change as a person is evident without this drastic, and doubtful, change in her behavior.  Jordan seems to realize this mistake, and Hannah shrinks from further encounters with her female partner, but this detail rings untrue like a sour note in an otherwise harmonious chorus. 

The conclusion with its implied melachrome reversal was also a disappointment.  After so much thought and detail had gone into the explanation and description of the melachrome process, no time at all was devoted to its equally interesting and complex reversal.  Although I appreciated the symmetry of the waking opening and closing lines, on a whole I was disappointed with the ambiguous conclusion.

Best matched with fans of dystopia and contemporary, revitalized fiction.

To Film or Not to Film: Top Ten Future Book to Movie Adaptions

Image from The Broke and the Bookish

The week's Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, poses a bit of a challenge for me.  I am supposed to list the top ten books I would like to see a movie adaptation of; however, I am always wary of book to movie adaptations.  They could be fabulous, like The Hunger Games, or horrible, like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II, and nothing is worse than having one of your favorite novels tainted by a poor film adaptation.  Good or bad though, these are the books whose film adaptations I would have to see.

1. Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty - I hear a screenplay for this is in the works!  If done right, it would be  hilarious!

2. Bumped by Megan McCafferty - I have raved about this book, and I think the futuristic, over-the-top plot points would work really well on the screen.

3. If I Stay by Gayle Forman - A tear-jerker for sure, but with the right actors and a killer soundtrack, this would be an awesome movie.

4. The History of Love by Nicole Krauss - Also in the works I hear - I imagine it will be hard to capture the deep emotional quality of the novel evoked by the prose, but the characters are so vivid and their stories so moving, it would make a good film.

5. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak - A movie narrated by death that is not grossly overdone (i.e. Final Destination...), yes please!  I also have an interest in all things Holocaust - it is a morbid interest but one I have cultivated over the years nonetheless.

6. 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher - Another sad story, but this would be a powerful and compelling movie.  I just checked imdb.com, and it says it's coming soon, but with Selena Gomez as the lead...see what I mean about book/movie adaptations being hit or miss?

7. Another one of Sarah Dessen's books!  I love How to Deal, which is a combination of her first two novels, That Summer and Someone Like You.  Her books are perfect for a summer flick, and what's more, there is not a dystopian bone between the pages - there has been a little too many futuristic movies for my taste recently.

8. Speaking of dystopia though...I think a re-adaption of Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 would be very effective with today's movie magic and the current clime.

9. Both Sides of Time by Caroline B. Cooney - Time-travel and a love story?  Yes please!

10. The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan - In honor the The Serpent's Shadow release today, I would like to see Riordan's homage to the Egyptian gods and goddesses immortalized on the big screen, but please, no epic failures like the Percy Jackson adaptation.  I am still stunned by how poorly that was executed. 

What are your must see book to movie adaptations?  Do you share my trepidation about poor adaptations?

Amendment: I Am Going to Buy This Book, NOW!

After I protested that I didn't have the time to read Megan McCafferty's newest release Thumped yet, especially since I want to re-read Bumped, so I was refraining from purchasing it on its drop-date, I had a change of heart.  Actually, I won an award.  I was one of the recipients of the Innovation in Instruction award at my school.  This award is reserved for instructors doing cool, creative things in the classroom.  Winners receive funding for their classroom projects.  I submitted an application about the banned books project in my ENG 111 class - never expecting to win because there is nothing particularly tangible or tech-savvy about books or English - I just try to teach writing and research in a way that encourages original thought and is interesting.  Well there I stood with the other recipients, receiving my check, flabbergasted.  To celebrate, I went out and bought Thumped and John Green's The Fault in Our Stars for good measure.  What better way to rejoice than with a new book (or two)!

If you are interested, here is a brief synopsis of my banned book project: 

As an English instructor, I have noticed a continual lack of investment in the research process on behalf of students.  They either see it as stifling creativity, or they hid behind the work of others because they lack confidence in their own voice, writing, and ideas.  For example, this semester in his diagnostic writing assignment intended to familiarize me with the student’s writing history, this student wrote,

I utterly despise academic writing.  I hate research papers.  I dread recording findings of other people.  I loathe taking a general concept and paraphrasing it into “my own words” because quite frankly, this can never be my idea alone.  I do not enjoy having topics being put in front of me and being told to research and write about it (ENG 111 Diagnostic 1). 

His response perfectly illustrates the problem with academic writing in its traditional form.  There is often a lack of balance between students’ thoughts and opinions and their research, or they fall victim to self-censorship and do not think their ideas are important.  These problems are perpetuated by traditional research papers in which students choose topics and simply regurgitate the research of others instead of taking a stance on an issue and then using research to construct and support an original argument.  As an antidote to the problems I encounter in ENG 111, I introduce the topic of banned books into the classroom and require students to construct an argumentative/persuasive proposal centered around one banned book.  I give students a list of the Top 100 Banned/Challenged books from the last decade compiled by the ALA.  Students choose a book off of this list to read and research for their final paper in which they have to argue for or against the banning of this book. 

This activity has significantly impacted student learning in four areas: topic selection and investment, audience awareness, critical thinking, and original research.  The course theme has generated interest in the class because of the shock value these normally “forbidden” topics possess.  Similarly, the theme of banned books offers a way into the often inaccessible research and writing processes.  In choosing a book to partner with for the rest of the semester, students discover an “intimacy,” as Suzanne Britt describes it, with the course and with their writing that encourages immersion in both (230).  Students are exposed to a variety of viewpoints on censorship and the sensitive issues censored books often deal with through their research, which facilitates discussion on tone and objectivity in argument presentation.  Students are instructed to write for an audience of school board members contemplating the banning of their book, so they must look at the issue from both sides and supply evidence that would convince the audience that their argument is sound.  This project works especially well in a community college environment where the diversity of ages and backgrounds ensures thoughtful discussion on the issues and intended audiences of banned books.  Before I implemented the banned books proposal project, students struggled with creating original arguments.  Now, however, students work to creatively validate original arguments.  When researching, they expect to find a source that says exactly what they are thinking; however, as any writer who creates truly original work can attest, that is not going to happen.  Therefore, students have to engage more fully with the research process by trying different search terms, critically assessing the credibility of sources, and making connections between the sources they do collect.  Although it is hard work, students have expressed a genuine enthusiasm to read and learn more throughout the semester.   

*If you read this far, I realize "brief" may be a misnomer, but I am an English teacher and tend to be a bit verbose - sorry!