After hearing about all the hype and controversy that this book has created in school districts, I was excited to read it. James Howe is a very talented author and from what I have read so far does a good job at bringing the reader back into the junior high school world. The way the main characters are portrayed is exactly how some of the students in my junior high acted. I remember the different groups, the popular group, the band people, the athletes, and of course the misfits, or the people who didn't "belong" in any other group. Especially in today's society where fitting in seems like it is the most important thing for a young teen, it is critical that we talk about this issue in schools. I know one of the main reasons why this book is so controversial is because one of the main characters comes out to his friends about being a homosexual, but I think the overall message in the first part of the book is an important one to address. The issue of being who you are and not giving into the pressure to conform to others. Junior high years are probably the most awkward years of any ones life, students need to understand that they may be feeling like they are the only ones in the world who don't fit in, when in reality that is far from the truth. I personally think that this change that needs to happen in junior high has to start with the teachers. They need to be able to open up to their students and talk about challenging issues and let students know that everyone is important in school and everyone is accepted, no matter who they are. Although I am only halfway through the book, I have very much enjoyed it and would teach this issue, if not read the book in my future classroom. By sending children to a public school parents are wanting their children to become socialized and get a variety of experiences that would not happen in their home. Homosexuality is going to be in this generations life, so we should do our best to expose them to it and try and get them to accept it as soon as possible.
I agree 100% with you about this book! At first I didn't know if I would enjoy the book because I have talked to many that haven't. After reading the whole thing I realized that I really did enjoy it and it was a lot more like junior high than I had thought it would or even could be. Like you said, there are always those different groups, including the group that just doesn't fit in. I would think that now that times are changing a little bit that this book wouldn't be as controversial. Kids do need to learn about different topics, including homosexuality.
ReplyDeleteI agree that times are changing (possibly making this book less controversial as time goes on). I do question the notion of "learning about" homosexuality only because it makes it appear that heterosexuality is "normal" in some way and heterosexuality isn't so we learn about it. I like to consider the alternative--what if we had to "learn about" what if we are always learning about others? Just a though--I enjoyed your post!
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