All posts for the month July, 2012

Justice July – The Betrayal of Maggie Blair

Elizabeth Laird – The betrayal of Maggie Blair 

A different kind of injustice is addressed in this book.  This is a novel set in the late 1600s in Scotland.   It is a time of conflict between the Church (the Presbyterians) and the State (King Charles II, when religion was all about good and evil, being right and no tolerance for difference, sinners or witches.  The heroine of the story Maggie Blair escapes the fate of grandmother who was executed for being witch and runs for her life. She ends up at her Uncle’s place who as a Presbyterian refuses to swear loyalty to the king.  So follows the persecution of him, and his family and a fight for Maggie to uphold not only what she thinks is right but her innocence of being a witch and a church dissenter.

by hgtl on July 27, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Historical, Justice

Posted by hgtl on July 27, 2012

https://bookgenremonthly.wordpress.com/2012/07/27/justice-july-the-betrayal-of-maggie-blair/

Justice July – The Help

Katherine Stockett  The Help

“This could be one of the most important pieces of fiction since To Kill a Mockingbird …If you read only one book…let this be it.”

With the front cover having such a glowing reference who could resist!

So to another justice issue  – that of civil rights in the southern states of the US  in the 1960s.  Written from three different perspectives Aibileen, Minny and Skeeter, it is the story of life as a black maid in the white homes of Jackson Mississippi.  The book follows aspiring writer Skeeter and her attempt to get the maids of Jackson to tell their stories in a time when few spoke out about the sanctioned racism that occurred.   Initially I found it a difficult read, as I couldn’t “get” the voice of Aibileen, but as the story progressed I was captivated by the various different maids’ tales and those of their white mistresses.  Having read and taught To Kill a Mockingbird  to Year 10, I would easily recommend this book to the same students/year levels.  However, I am not as comfortable with the author writing as Aibileen/Minny  (i.e. as a black maid)as I am with Lee writing as Scout (a white child observing black/white relations) but Stockett addresses this issue in an essay at the end.  Given that there is a movie (I haven’t seen it)  and useful discussion questions at the end, it also ticks some boxes as a teaching tool.

by hgtl on July 17, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Justice
Tagged

Posted by hgtl on July 17, 2012

https://bookgenremonthly.wordpress.com/2012/07/17/justice-july-the-help/

Justice July – Refugees (continued)

The last blog referred to a number of picture books of them Home and Away is my favourite, and it seems to resonate the most with students. Perhaps because it doesn’t have the “otherness” that elicits the shallow response from students (like it couldn’t happen to me, it doesn’t happen in Australia, that is not our problem) by focussing on a family like their own.  Having read and discussed Home and Away with students, I would then turn to Deborah Ellis’ – No Safe Place in which Abdul, escapes Baghdad and attempts to make it to England.  The descriptions of life in Calais for migrants whilst awaiting escape across the English Channel were quite disturbing and assuming they are accurate I wonder how much we as tourists notice when we are going through such places or are we blind to the situation (do we just look through people?)  Of course, Gleitzman’s Boy Overboard would also be good (for a younger/less able reader).  In all three the boat descriptions warrant a comparison with  asylum seekers boat journeys to  Australia and as I write this blog another 90 people are assumed lost on their way to Christmas Island.

There are teachers’ notes available for No Safe Place and Boy Overboard and I love Gleitzman’s website.

by hgtl on July 10, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Justice
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Posted by hgtl on July 10, 2012

https://bookgenremonthly.wordpress.com/2012/07/10/justice-july-refugees-continued/

Justice July – Refugees

Deborah Ellis is a fitting author for Justice July.  Over the years I have read many of her books with the latest being the recently published The Best day of My Life.  Whilst I have tagged this specific blog with refugee (because of her Breadwinner /Parvana  series), this book is not about refugees but another form of displaced people – the homeless,  parentless children who beg in the streets of India.  The main character is a lively, fun loving girl called Valli who escapes her family’s bonds and sets out looking for a better life in Kolkata.   She faces a number of different kinds of prejudice and stigmas as she tries to survive on the streets.  This story is confronting and informative but not as gutwrenching as Parvana and Parvana’s Journey.  I prefer the light heartedness of Valli compared to the death surrounding Parvana and I like Valli’s sense of passing on good deeds (pay it forward). Despite this difference, I believe all (Australian) teenagers should read the Parvana books as well as The Best day of My Life AND the following

by hgtl on July 6, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Justice
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Posted by hgtl on July 6, 2012

https://bookgenremonthly.wordpress.com/2012/07/06/justice-july-refugees/

Justice July – Three Cups of Tea

A change of pace from Joking June to  Justice July, books about standing up for your rights and those written to raise awareness about important social issues.  This month is going to be wide ranging –

Firstly, Three Cups of Tea about one man’s work to provide education in Pakistan and Afghanistan

Then, refugee fiction (including Deborah Ellis)

Next, fiction concerned with racism (The Help)

Possibly, a novel about the plight of homeless young people

Finishing with more adventurous and fantastical fight for justice books.

Three cups of tea,  Young Readers Edition 

I had seen this book many times in my school library but hadn’t got around to looking at it, I wish I had and that I had talked to students about it.  It is about the inspirational story of Greg Mortenson, who having been lost in the Himalayas finds himself in a village without a school, a doctor or even a bridge. Thankful for the kindness of the villages, Greg promises to return to build a school. So starts an extraordinary journey of a man who ends up being responsible for building many schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The young readers’ edition has a glossary, maps, photos, a timeline and more which helps the reader understand a country with which they are unlikely to be familiar.  The story moves quickly and the message of justice, that all children are entitled to an education, is clear but not bashed on the reader.  An inspirational start.

 

 

by hgtl on July 1, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Biography, Justice
Tagged

Posted by hgtl on July 1, 2012

https://bookgenremonthly.wordpress.com/2012/07/01/justice-july-three-cups-of-tea/