Blood on the River: Jamestown 1607

Gearing up for Survivor: Jamestown with my fifth graders in January . . . so I read Blood on the River: Jamestown 1607 by Elisa Carbone. This wonderful historical fiction novel with a Lexile level of 820 provides a great review of all the significant details including Captain John Smith, Pocahontas, the Virginia Company, the Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery, palisades, wattle and daub, dysentery and starvation!!  It is a historically accurate representation of the hardships and conflicts endured by the first English settlers in Jamestown, Virginia. Quotes from primary source material are used to introduce each chapter of the story told from the perspective of a young boy named Samuel Collier, an indentured servant.

The Husband's Secret

I cannot recommend The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty.  DUMB book; Dopey characters; Absurd situations—I was hoping for profound, thought-provoking, and complex. I got contrived, cliched, banal, unimaginative, pedestrian, uninspired . . . Ah, this Amazon review says it best:

"What a disappointment. In fairness, I couldn't bear to finish this book. Gossipy, petty, predictable, and shallow. If you don't like to watch Dr. Phil or Jerry Springer, steer clear."

I did manage to plow through to the end because I downloaded the electronic version from the library and only had 14 days to finish reading it. It was the most disappointing and hackneyed ending of a book I have ever read!

Quiet

Wish this book was written when I was younger, but I feel lucky that I pretty much figured out its message on my own anyway. I did waste a lot of time during my life, however, feeling like there was something wrong with me because I wasn't always sociable, and why, when I was, I needed an inordinate amount of time to recover from it!

Cain begins with a discussion of the rise of the "Extrovert Ideal" in this country after a turn-of-the-century shift from the "culture of character" to the "culture of personality." Vivacity and gregariousness came to be valued higher than depth and sensitivity as desirable, American character traits. A profound difference in cultural values, however, impacts the personality styles favored in different areas of the world. Extroversion is popular in nations that respect individual freedom, self-expression, and personal destiny. Introversion is reflected by relationship-honoring practices of many eastern cultures. ". . . westerners value boldness and verbal skill, traits that promote individuality, while Asians prize quiet, humility, and sensitivity, which foster group cohesion."

Here's a priceless bit of information that might help explain why Asians seem to outperform Americans on the TIMSS exam (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study). ". . . excellent students seem not only to possess the cognitive ability to solve math and science problems, but also to have a useful personality characteristic: quiet persistence." If only I could manufacture that trait and peddle it to all my fifth grade students!

Scientific studies have concluded that between one third and one half of all people are introverts, and naturally, many differences highlight the interactions between the two dispositions. "In most settings, people use small talk as a way of relaxing into a new relationship, and only once they're comfortable do they connect more seriously. Sensitive people seem to do the reverse. They enjoy small talk only after they establish a deeper connection with someone." 

In one significant longitudinal study, developmental psychologist Jerome Kagan examined the biological origins of human temperament by observing babies' reactions to a variety of stimuli, then comparing those results to personality traits the subjects developed as adults. As it turns out, according to Kagan, high-reactive infants were more likely to develop serious, careful personalities, whereas low-reactive infants were more likely to have become relaxed and confident adults. I was/am that high-reactive baby/introvert! Also, no surprise, "many introverts are prone from earliest childhood to strong guilt feelings."

The happy ending of this book is the message that both personas—quiet and bold—play different but significant roles in the development of a balanced and successful world.

Diary: A Novel

I am DONE with Chuck!
This is the craziest book I have ever read! While ordinarily that would be a GOOD thing, I think I know why it's NOT. This story totally turned whack-a-doo three quarters of the way into the book. I wasn't prepared for that. I resisted it, and I did not enjoy being messed with like that. I'm not really sure why, but I think I would've appreciated the plot twist more if I had been eased into it, rather than having it smash me in the head like a sledgehammer on page 200 of a 261 page book.

That said, I'm not even going to try to summarize. Read the back cover of the book, and if that piques your interest, give it a whirl. It's a quick read, and it will make you think.

Lincoln's Grave Robbers

One of my advanced fifth grade social studies students introduced me to Lincoln's Grave Robbers by Steve Sheinkin. With a lexile level of 930 and high interest subject matter, this book is a great nonfiction choice for strong readers who also enjoy history. The plot revolves around a crazy scheme hatched by a group of counterfeiters in the 1870s to steal the remains of Abraham Lincoln from a memorial in Springfield, Illinois and hold them for ransom. It details the efforts of the newly formed Secret Service agency to thwart the plan.

Choke

Choke is an interesting and disturbing book by the author of Fight Club, Chuck Palahniuk (Paula-nick). While I have no interest in the premise behind Fight Club, my daughter convinced me to read a different Chuck book because of his unusual writing style and odd characters. Choke centers on a med school dropout/sexaholic character who makes money by pretending to choke at fancy restaurants. The story did hold my interest, spun out of control in the middle, and ultimately I was disappointed by the over-the-top ending. I will try another Chuck book; however, maybe Invisible Monsters or Lullaby.

House of Sand and Fog

I enjoyed reading the House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III, even though I feel pretty beat up by its ending. Why did it have to be soooooo sad? I guess down deep I'm just an optimist who like Rodney King, wonders why we can't all get along. Even though I didn't particularily like some of the characters, I cared about what happened to them because they were so real and thoroughly developed. Reading from the perspective of the exiled Iranian colonel and his family was enlightening. I actually empathized more with them than I did the recovering alcoholic American woman as they battle over the ownership of a small seaside bungalow outside San Francisco. This story truly is an American tragedy. I can't wait to watch the movie to compare the characters on screen to those lingering in my head.

American History

 

OK, so I for real just finished reading 1776 and started reading John Adams even though I posted them last July. I love reading on my phone, but I only downloaded the sample of Adams so I'm not looking forward to switching to the actual heavy, awkward book. This is the time of year when I really get into teaching about the American Revolution so I also rented the musical 1776 and watched it along with the PBS classic about the French and Indian War called The War That Made America. I really want to be reading The Traitor's Wife and Sophia's War during April vacation, but I may have to save them for the summer. Ah, summer!

Lies You Wanted To Hear

I read about Lies You Wanted to Hear by James Whitfield Thomson in the Cape Cod Times in early February, and it was the perfect February vacation read. The newspaper article was about the author who wrote the novel between the years 2006 and 2011 at a library in Natick. I was intrigued by the description in the Times which called the book "a compelling story of a recognizable but flawed couple, bound by bad choices and devotion to their children that explores the consequences of their of self-deceptions with insight and irony."