Goodbye Reading. Hello Coursework.
I started my Library Specialist AQ on Monday, April 15th and I'm super excited about it... but I also realize that it's really going to cut into my reading time.
Oh, I'm sure I'll still be reading lots- but it will be articles, posts, and discussions. Valuable of course, but not books of my choosing.
So what did I read while I was still reading books? Here are books 12 through 21 for 2019.
12. This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel
13. Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
14. Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
15. In Conclusion, Don't Worry About it by Lauren Graham
16. I'll Take You There by Wally Lamb
17. Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson
18. Sissy: A Coming-of-Gender Story by Jacob Tobia
19. By Chance Alone: A Remarkable True Story of Courage and Survival at Auschwitz by Max Eisen
20. The House Girl by Tara Conklin
21. In This Together: Fifteen Stories of Reconciliation by Danielle Metcalfe-Chenail
Some thoughts on these books... in no particular order.
Two books that I would consider to MUST reads for all educators and parents right now are Sissy: A Coming-of-Gender Story and This Is How It Always Is. Both books provide an honest and open look at the heartache and pain that individuals who are gender non-conforming or transgender face. This is a piece of our community that has been ignored, left-out and hurt for too long. When I speak to my daughters about their experiences with a classmate who is gender non-conforming and their utter acceptance of this child and the child's choices in clothing, activities, passions and humanity I believe that we are headed for a beautiful future. e
I want that future for us.
But it will take work and that work starts with reading, and learning and reading some more.
I am ashamed to say that Brown Girl Dreaming and Harbor Me are the first two books I've ever read by Jacqueline Woodson. A good friend of mine is always raving about her writing and how much his daughter loves her books so I knew I had to give them a try and wow, have I been missing out. In the past few years I have really grown to love books that are written in poetry. The words slide through your head and create these beautiful pictures as you are reading. I'm finding too, that many of my students enjoy reading noels written in this form as there were two of them in this year's Silver Birch selections. Harbor Me was just WOW. The topic. The characters. The depth of the storylines and the connection to the world we live in today. If you have a middle grade reader in your life, get them this book and read it together.
I read In This Together over the course of the last few months as part of a book chat among educators in my school. Once a month we have been meeting to discuss three sections at a time as part of our ongoing commitment to reconciliation and learning more about the true history of Canada in relation to Indigenous people. I found some of the sections in this books to be thought provoking, eye opening and provided me with the opportunity to face my own history and role in colonization. Since it's split up into fifteen different sections, written by fifteen different authors it's a great introduction for those just starting on their journey of unlearning to relearn as we move towards reconciliation in this country.
I am currently working my way through a spy thriller to offset the amount of professional reading I'm doing for my AQ and hoping to regain some momentum with my reading again soon, but with everything there always needs to be a balance and I think for the next little bit reading books might not be in the cards for me...
12. This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel
13. Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
14. Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
15. In Conclusion, Don't Worry About it by Lauren Graham
16. I'll Take You There by Wally Lamb
17. Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson
18. Sissy: A Coming-of-Gender Story by Jacob Tobia
19. By Chance Alone: A Remarkable True Story of Courage and Survival at Auschwitz by Max Eisen
20. The House Girl by Tara Conklin
21. In This Together: Fifteen Stories of Reconciliation by Danielle Metcalfe-Chenail
Some thoughts on these books... in no particular order.
Two books that I would consider to MUST reads for all educators and parents right now are Sissy: A Coming-of-Gender Story and This Is How It Always Is. Both books provide an honest and open look at the heartache and pain that individuals who are gender non-conforming or transgender face. This is a piece of our community that has been ignored, left-out and hurt for too long. When I speak to my daughters about their experiences with a classmate who is gender non-conforming and their utter acceptance of this child and the child's choices in clothing, activities, passions and humanity I believe that we are headed for a beautiful future. e
I want that future for us.
But it will take work and that work starts with reading, and learning and reading some more.
I am ashamed to say that Brown Girl Dreaming and Harbor Me are the first two books I've ever read by Jacqueline Woodson. A good friend of mine is always raving about her writing and how much his daughter loves her books so I knew I had to give them a try and wow, have I been missing out. In the past few years I have really grown to love books that are written in poetry. The words slide through your head and create these beautiful pictures as you are reading. I'm finding too, that many of my students enjoy reading noels written in this form as there were two of them in this year's Silver Birch selections. Harbor Me was just WOW. The topic. The characters. The depth of the storylines and the connection to the world we live in today. If you have a middle grade reader in your life, get them this book and read it together.
I read In This Together over the course of the last few months as part of a book chat among educators in my school. Once a month we have been meeting to discuss three sections at a time as part of our ongoing commitment to reconciliation and learning more about the true history of Canada in relation to Indigenous people. I found some of the sections in this books to be thought provoking, eye opening and provided me with the opportunity to face my own history and role in colonization. Since it's split up into fifteen different sections, written by fifteen different authors it's a great introduction for those just starting on their journey of unlearning to relearn as we move towards reconciliation in this country.
I am currently working my way through a spy thriller to offset the amount of professional reading I'm doing for my AQ and hoping to regain some momentum with my reading again soon, but with everything there always needs to be a balance and I think for the next little bit reading books might not be in the cards for me...
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