[CALIBK12] HS Fiction Book - Asian Women by Asian WomanWriter
Anne Robles
AROBLES at Selma.k12.ca.us
Mon May 5 15:42:51 PDT 2008
These are excellent stories about strong Asian Women by an Asian Woman
Writer.
The Ties that Bind, Ties that Break and An Ocean apart, a World Away -
both by Lensey Namioka
Anne Robles
Selma High Library
Selma Unified School District
-----Original Message-----
From: calibk12-bounces at lists.sjsu.edu
[mailto:calibk12-bounces at lists.sjsu.edu] On Behalf Of
calibk12-request at lists.sjsu.edu
Sent: Monday, May 05, 2008 10:19 AM
To: calibk12 at lists.sjsu.edu
Subject: CALIBK12 Digest, Vol 14, Issue 14
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Today's Topics:
1. Re: TECH: (no) library link on school home page? (Becca Todd)
2. Re: TECH: (no) library link on school home page? (Millam, Joy)
3. Re: CALIBK12 Digest, Vol 14, Issue 7 (Emily Milla)
4. Re: TECH: (no) library link on school home page? (Ann Sperske)
5. Re: TOUCHING SPIRIT BEAR (Kelly Sunderman)
6. Math reading books for High School (not textbooks)
(cmorgan at srcs.org)
7. Slapin review of TOUCHING SPIRIT BEAR (Debbie Reese)
8. Full text of reviews: TOUCHING SPIRIT BEAR (Debbie Reese)
9. Responses to Slapin review (Debbie Reese)
10. Fresno Pacific University online program (Thomas Nixon)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Sun, 04 May 2008 20:22:42 -0700
From: "Becca Todd" <Becca_Todd at berkeley.k12.ca.us>
Subject: Re: [CALIBK12] TECH: (no) library link on school home page?
To: "Liz Dodds" <liz.dodds at gmail.com>
Cc: calibk12 at lists.sjsu.edu
Message-ID:
<fc.000f69660187d95d3b9aca008c6e6a38.187d99b at berkeley.k12.ca.us>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Our Library Services has a link as one of the Departments off of the
main
district page. From there, I have a link to each of the school site
library pages, as well as general resources. Each school page has a
direct
link to their site library. Each school library page has a direct link
back to their PTA sponsored school website, to the district site, and to
Library Services. This did take awhile to get in place, but a clear
rationale and gentle persistence paid off.
I believe it is very important to have a direct link from the district
website to the library program. We are an integral part of our students'
lives at school, both academically and emotionally, and a great resource
for our families. We need to be easy to find virtually as well
physically.
Becca Todd, District Library Coordinator
Berkeley Unified School District
1720 Oregon St. Room 9
Berkeley, CA 94703
(ph) 510.644.4895
(f) 510.644.8933
Becca_Todd at berkeley.k12.ca.us
"Liz Dodds" <liz.dodds at gmail.com> writes:
>Your thoughts please: why would you want or why would you not want to
>have a library link on the district-created template for all school
>webpa ges - the main, home page?
>Thanks for sending me your opinions- and do you have a link to the
>libraryf on your school's home page?
>
>Read Green...Check out a book from the library.
>Liz Dodds
>Teacher Librarian, Bullard High School
>559.451.4405
>[ mailto:liz.dodds at gmail.com ]liz.dodds at gmail.com
>Fresno, California_______________________________________________
>CALIBK12 site list
>CALIBK12 at lists.sjsu.edu
>http://lists.sjsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/calibk12
>
>For information about the Calibk12 listserve, please
>visit http://www.calibk12.net.
------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Sun, 4 May 2008 21:31:11 -0700
From: "Millam, Joy" <jmillam at pylusd.org>
Subject: Re: [CALIBK12] TECH: (no) library link on school home page?
To: Blanche Woolls <bwoolls at slis.sjsu.edu>, Liz Dodds
<liz.dodds at gmail.com>
Cc: calibk12 at lists.sjsu.edu
Message-ID: <6C0FEA65-D5C8-42C8-9877-E22462531B5D at mimectl>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
I agree with Blanche Wools-- it is critical to be a visible presence so
we may serve our students and staff when we are not open. It gives us
another tool to be of service and help students make needed connections
with our resources and other viable sources of information.
My pages include links to our databases, Web OPAC, public libraries,
citation instruction, Info Literacy instruction.
Joy Millam
District Librarian / Teacher Librarian
YALSA's Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers Committee Chairperson
Valencia High School
Placentia, CA
714-996-4970 x3250
jmillam at pylusd.org
http://bookdiva1.blogspot.com/
http://booktalksandmore.pbwiki.com
http://www.vhstigers.org/library/mrs_millam.jsp?rn=3833
"Libraries are not made; they grow." - Augustine Birrell
From: Blanche Woolls
Sent: Sun 5/4/2008 6:13 AM
To: Liz Dodds
Cc: calibk12 at lists.sjsu.edu
Subject: Re: [CALIBK12] TECH: (no) library link on school home page?
The really successful school librarians whose jobs are usually very
secure
have very successful websites. If you want to see one, please find Joyce
Valenza's. If you Google Joyce Valenza, you will find her school and her
web site very easily.
Blanche
On Sat, 3 May 2008, Liz Dodds wrote:
> Your thoughts please: why would you want or why would you not want to
have a
> library link on the district-created template for all school webpages
- the
> main, home page?
> Thanks for sending me your opinions- and do you have a link to the
library
> on your school's home page?
>
> Read Green...Check out a book from the library.
> Liz Dodds
> Teacher Librarian, Bullard High School
> 559.451.4405
> liz.dodds at gmail.com
> Fresno, California
>
_______________________________________________
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CALIBK12 at lists.sjsu.edu
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Message: 3
Date: Mon, 05 May 2008 08:52:01 -0700
From: "Emily Milla" <emilla at euhsd.k12.ca.us>
Subject: Re: [CALIBK12] CALIBK12 Digest, Vol 14, Issue 7
To: <calibk12 at lists.sjsu.edu>
Message-ID: <481ECAAF.E85B.0074.0 at euhsd.k12.ca.us>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Picture bride by Yoshiko Uchida
>>> <calibk12-request at lists.sjsu.edu> 5/2/2008 11:30 AM >>>
Date: Fri, 2 May 2008 09:55:00 -0700 (PDT)
From: Marie Slim <sraslim at sbcglobal.net>
Subject: [CALIBK12] Target: HS Fiction Book - Asian Women by Asian
WomanWriter
To: CALIB <calibk12 at listproc.sjsu.edu>
Message-ID: <657194.95652.qm at web82001.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Hi again!
I'm now looking for an adult/mature young adult/teen book that features
strong Asian women and is authored by a female Asian writer. This
teacher has used The Good Earth and The Joy Luck Club (and other Amy Tan
novels) before.
I suggested Thousand Splendid Sons (written by a man), Habibi and
Homeless Bird, but she'd like more suggestions. She'd also prefer it to
be published in paperback.
Thanks,
Marie Slim
Teacher-Librarian
Troy High School
2200 Dorothy Lane
Fullerton, CA 92831
Library hours: M - Th 6:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Fridays 6:30am to 3:30
p.m.
phone: 714-626-4482
fax: 714-626-4485
http://www.ilovelibraries.com
http://slimlibrary.blogspot.com/
SraSlim at sbcglobal.net
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Message: 4
Date: Mon, 5 May 2008 08:57:19 -0700
From: "Ann Sperske" <asperske at nvusd.k12.ca.us>
Subject: Re: [CALIBK12] TECH: (no) library link on school home page?
To: "Liz Dodds" <liz.dodds at gmail.com>, <calibk12 at lists.sjsu.edu>
Message-ID:
<0C12891EE48B8545BE2C38F849807965083751BF at nvusd-exchange.nvusd.k12.ca.us
>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Yes! I do have a link. My multimedia/web design students and I created
our school website and I made sure the library had its own link on the
departments menu. We plan to link some of the most critical research and
style sheet information for students from the library page so that
students will have to "go to the library" to get it. We don't have a
district created high school website, so I don't have to worry about a
lack of a library link. But, yeah, it is crucial to have a library link.
I have yet to find a school designed/maintained website without a
library link on the main home page. Good luck.
Ann Sperske
Sagacious Teacher Librarian
Vintage High School
________________________________
From: calibk12-bounces at lists.sjsu.edu
[mailto:calibk12-bounces at lists.sjsu.edu] On Behalf Of Liz Dodds
Sent: Saturday, May 03, 2008 9:32 PM
To: calibk12 at lists.sjsu.edu
Subject: [CALIBK12] TECH: (no) library link on school home page?
Your thoughts please: why would you want or why would you not want to
have a library link on the district-created template for all school
webpages - the main, home page?
Thanks for sending me your opinions- and do you have a link to the
library on your school's home page?
Read Green...Check out a book from the library.
Liz Dodds
Teacher Librarian, Bullard High School
559.451.4405
liz.dodds at gmail.com
Fresno, California
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Message: 5
Date: Mon, 5 May 2008 09:19:37 -0700
From: Kelly Sunderman <Ksunderm at iusd.org>
Subject: Re: [CALIBK12] TOUCHING SPIRIT BEAR
To: Debbie Reese <debreese at uiuc.edu>, "lm_net at listserv.syr.edu"
<lm_net at listserv.syr.edu>, "ISLMANET-L at LISTSERV.UIUC.EDU"
<ISLMANET-L at LISTSERV.UIUC.EDU>, "tlc at txla.org" <tlc at txla.org>,
"oztl_net at listserv.csu.edu.au" <oztl_net at listserv.csu.edu.au>,
"calibk12 at lists.sjsu.edu" <calibk12 at lists.sjsu.edu>
Message-ID:
<5D82851D98647C4885F6A7980858E5944491390B6A at MAILBOX1.ad.iusd.org>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Hi Debbie,
Would it be possible for you to cut and paste the text of the blog to
send to the group? Many of us are teachers who are unable to access
blogspot due to our filters.
I just this morning had a teacher ask me to order this book, and I want
to make sure she has all of the facts before proceeding.
Thanks!
~Kelly
From: calibk12-bounces at lists.sjsu.edu
[mailto:calibk12-bounces at lists.sjsu.edu] On Behalf Of Debbie Reese
Sent: Sunday, May 04, 2008 12:02 PM
To: lm_net at listserv.syr.edu; ISLMANET-L at LISTSERV.UIUC.EDU; tlc at txla.org;
oztl_net at listserv.csu.edu.au; calibk12 at lists.sjsu.edu
Subject: [CALIBK12] TOUCHING SPIRIT BEAR
Good afternoon,
There's a wildly popular children's novel called TOUCHING
SPIRIT BEAR that plays fast and loose with Native ideas
of justice, and, that attributes things to the Tlingit that are
not correct... (See May 4th entry below).
Below are updates to American Indians in Children's Literature
for the last three weeks. Brief descriptions are below. To read the
entire essays and reviews, please go to
americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com
If you wish, you can forward this email to parent, teacher, and educator
listservs you're subscribed to.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Joseph Bruchac's BUFFALO SONG
--A review by Beverly Slapin
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Van Camp and Leitich Smith at Illinois Youth Literature Festival
--Two of my favorite Native authors will be in Illinois Oct 2008!
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Presentation of American Indian Library Association Youth Lit Award
--Information about for anybody attending the American Library
Association's conference this summer
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Jorge Argueta's ALFREDITO FLIES HOME
--A review by Beverly Slapin
Sunday, May 4, 2008
A Response to Richie's review of GHOST OF SPIRIT BEAR
--There's a sequel to TOUCHING SPIRIT BEAR, and a review of it has been
circulating on the internet. I find the original book problematic, and
the review of the sequel demonstrates what is wrong with the original
book.
Thanks!
Debbie
Visit my Internet blog and resource: American Indians in Children's
Literature.
To get to it, go to my faculty bio and click on 'Web Page'
http://www.nah.uiuc.edu/faculty-Reese.htm
Debbie A. Reese (Nanb? ?w?ngeh)
Assistant Professor, American Indian Studies
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Native American House, Room 2005
1204 West Nevada Street, MC-138
Urbana, Illinois 61801
Email: debreese at uiuc.edu
TEL 217-265-9885
FAX 217-265-9880
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Message: 6
Date: Mon, 5 May 2008 09:12:13 -0700
From: <cmorgan at srcs.org>
Subject: [CALIBK12] Math reading books for High School (not textbooks)
To: <calibk12 at lists.sjsu.edu>
Message-ID: <003101c8aeca$c7d12b20$e629650a at SRCS21CEC7BC23>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
For fiction related to math, try this wonderfully ditzy book, with an
Alice-in-Wonderland flavor:
(notes from Titlewave)
The number devil : a mathematical adventure
by Enzensberger, Hans Magnus.
Notes: "An Owl book.";Translation of: Der Zahlenteufel : ein
Kopfkissenbuch
fur alle, die Angst vor der Mathematik haben. Annoyed with his math
teacher
who assigns word problems and won't let him use a calculator,
twelve-year-old Robert finds help from the number devil in his dreams.
Publishers Weekly (May 22, 2000)
In a starred review, PW noted that "exceptionally handsome four-color
illustrations and vignettes deepen the magic of this mathematically
minded
fantasy. For certain kinds of readers?chess players, puzzle
enthusiasts?this
will be a favorite." Ages 11-up. (May)
Christine Morgan MLIS
Teacher Librarian
San Rafael High School
San Rafael CA 94901
(415)485-2354
_____
From: calibk12-bounces at lists.sjsu.edu
[mailto:calibk12-bounces at lists.sjsu.edu] On Behalf Of Connie Young
Sent: Saturday, May 03, 2008 9:40 PM
To: Headley Vicki; Marie Slim; CALIB
Subject: Re: [CALIBK12] Math reading books for High School (not
textbooks)
Zero: The Story of a Number;
Zero: The Story of a Dangerous Idea;
and my favoite: Damned Lies and Statistics --
I know the title of this last one is unpleasant to some, but the book
is
great. Students to whom I have recommended it loved it!
If you want kids to read critically, they should read DL&S! It helps
students see how numbers can "lie" and helps them discern the fact from
the
fiction in statistics.
Good stuff.
Connie Young
English teacher/ TL eventually
Bakersfield
Headley Vicki <headley_vicki at cupertino.k12.ca.us> wrote:
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
1. Al-Khwarizmi : the inventor of algebra Brezina, Corona
2. Famous flights : understanding and using variables Roza, Greg
These ( 1 & 2) are short little books with history and practical
application
in the POWER MATH series,. They are aimed at younger kids, but the are
nice
little nuggets.
Secrets, Lies, and Algebra Lichtman, Wendy from ??Do the Math??
series which is suppose to have more books coming out
Vicki
On 5/2/08 7:16 AM, "Marie Slim" <sraslim at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
Hello all!
I've got a teacher request for more math fiction and math non-fiction
(but
not textbook-type stuff). I've got a few of the ones from the CDE's
Math
and Science Literature list (http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/sc/ll/). These
include Flatland, Proof, Once Upon a Number, etc. I've got a few, (and
I
just got The Number Devil), but can you recommend any other math fiction
or
non-fiction book at the high school/adult level that students might
enjoy?
Even if the books are on the CDE list, I'd like to read any and all
recommendations.
Thank you,
Marie Slim
Teacher-Librarian
Troy High School
2200 Dorothy Lane
Fullerton, CA 92831
Library hours: M - Th 6:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Fridays 6:30am to 3:30
p.m.
phone: 714-626-4482
fax: 714-626-4485
http://www.ilovelibraries.com <http://www.ilovelibraries.com/>
<http://www.ilovelibraries.com/> <http://www.ilovelibraries.com/>
http://slimlibrary.blogspot.com/
SraSlim at sbcglobal.net
"This is the age of the open-source encyclopedia. Words like 'research'
and
'corroborated' now mean whatever the majority says they mean.
Personally,
I'm voting for 'research' to mean 'speculation' and 'corroborated' to
mean
'a zesty sour cream-based dip.'"
- Steven Colbert, I Am America (And So Can You!)
_____
_______________________________________________
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http://lists.sjsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/calibk12
For information about the Calibk12 listserve, please
visit http://www.calibk12.net. <http://www.calibk12.net./>
_______________________________________________
CALIBK12 site list
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visit http://www.calibk12.net.
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Message: 7
Date: Mon, 05 May 2008 11:27:59 -0500
From: Debbie Reese <debreese at uiuc.edu>
Subject: [CALIBK12] Slapin review of TOUCHING SPIRIT BEAR
To: calibk12 at lists.sjsu.edu
Message-ID: <200805051628.m45GS4wT011441 at expredir5.cites.uiuc.edu>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
A Review of Ben Mikaelsen's Touching Spirit Bear
American society loves to love Indians and
things-Indian. Or rather, things they think are
Indian. There?s a long history of exploiting our
ways of being. Touching Spirit Bear is another
example of that exploitation. You don?t have to
buy or read it. There are better books available.
To find them, visit the <http://www.oyate.org/aboutus.html>Oyate
website.
_________________________________________
[Note: This review is used here with permission
of the author, Beverly Slapin. It may not be
published elsewhere without her written permission.]
Mikaelsen, Ben, Touching Spirit Bear.
HarperCollins, 2001, 241 pages, grades 5-up; Tlingit
For centuries, restorative justice or circle
justice has been practiced in one form or another
by many Indian communities. The object is to
restore the wellbeing of the victim or the
victim?s family, rather than to punish the
offender. This is done through a multi-step
talking-circle approach, in which the people most
affected by the crime, along with community
representatives, come together to heal and to try
to agree on a fair and reasonable settlement. The
sentencing plan involves commitment by the
community, family members, and the offender. In
1996, a pilot circle justice project, in
conjunction with the criminal justice system, was initiated in
Minnesota.
In Touching Spirit Bear, Cole Matthews is an
angry, out-of-control Minneapolis teen, the son
of wealthy, abusive alcoholic parents, convicted
of viciously beating a classmate. This
manipulative and violent young offender is given
one more chance: to take part in the circle
justice program. Soon Cole finds himself on a
remote Alaskan island in Tlingit territory,
banished for a year, overseen by a Tlingit parole
officer and a traditional elder?and watched by an
enormous white ?spirit bear.? Here, he resists,
wrestles with, and ultimately comes to terms with
this chance to take responsibility for what he?s done.
Ben Mikaelsen?s writing, in places, is evocative
and a dead-on accurate portrayal of a troubled
teen. After the bear near-fatally mauls Cole,
there are excruciatingly detailed descriptions of
his struggles to survive by eating worms and
bugs, a live mouse and even his own vomit. With
broken ribs, legs and an arm, and too weak to get
up, he defecates in his pants, and fights to stay
alive. It is during this time that Cole begins to
understand his vulnerability and his relationship
to everything that surrounds him. It is here that his transformation
begins.
All of this having been said, Touching Spirit
Bear is fatally flawed by Mikaelsen?s inexcusable
playing around with Tlingit culture, cosmology
and ritual; and his abysmal lack of understanding
of traditional banishment. It is obvious that
what he doesn?t know, he invents. Edwin, the
Tlingit elder, instructs Cole to: jump into the
icy cold water and stay there as long as
possible; pick up a heavy rock (called the
?ancestor rock?) and carry it to the top of a
hill; push the rock (now called the ?anger rock?)
back down the hill; watch for animals and dance
around the fire to impersonate the animal he sees
(called the ?bear dance,? ?bird dance,? ?mouse
dance,? etc.); announce what he?s learned about
the characteristics of that animal from his
dance; and finally, carve that animal on his own personal ?totem pole.?
This is all garbage. The purpose of banishment is
to isolate a person so that, in solitude, he can
think deeply about his life and relations, and
prepare to rejoin his community. When someone is
banished, he is left to learn on his own whatever
is to be learned. It is not about white boys
?playing Indian.? It is not about teaching white
boys the rituals of another culture. And most
especially, it is not about carrying rocks up a
hill and performing a bunch of stupid
cross-cultural animal impersonation dances.
The author?s own relationship with bears and his
supposed almost-close-enough-to-touch encounter
with a ?three-hundred-pound male Spirit Bear?
notwithstanding, Touching Spirit Bear is a terrible book.
?Beverly Slapin
Visit my Internet blog and resource: American
Indians in Children's Literature.
To get to it, go to my faculty bio and click on 'Web Page'
http://www.nah.uiuc.edu/faculty-Reese.htm
Debbie A. Reese (Nanb? ?w?ngeh)
Assistant Professor, American Indian Studies
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Native American House, Room 2005
1204 West Nevada Street, MC-138
Urbana, Illinois 61801
Email: debreese at uiuc.edu
TEL 217-265-9885
FAX 217-265-9880
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Message: 8
Date: Mon, 05 May 2008 11:26:29 -0500
From: Debbie Reese <debreese at uiuc.edu>
Subject: [CALIBK12] Full text of reviews: TOUCHING SPIRIT BEAR
To: calibk12 at lists.sjsu.edu
Message-ID: <200805051628.m45GS4wR011441 at expredir5.cites.uiuc.edu>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Kelly,
Here's the full text of what I wrote most
recently, about SPIRIT BEAR. I'll send another
email, with Slapin's review (referenced at the end of the post below).
Debbie
Sunday, May 04, 2008
<http://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/2008/05/in-las
t-few-weeks-richie-partingtons.html>A
response to Richie's review of GHOST OF SPIRIT BEAR
In the last few weeks, Richie Partington's review
of Ben Mikaelsen's sequel to Touching Spirit Bear
has been making the round on Internet listservs.
He opens his review with this excerpt from Black-Eyed Peas "Where is the
Love?"
"Wrong information always shown by the media
Negative images is the main criteria
Infecting the young minds faster than bacteria
Kids wanna act like what they see in the cinema
Yo', whatever happened to the values of humanity
Whatever happened to the fairness in equality
Instead of spreading love we spreading animosity."
He goes on to praise Ghost of Spirit Bear, but
again and again, I come back to the lyrics he opened the review with...
"Wrong information always shown by the media" ---
That describes, perfectly, the way that Native
peoples are portrayed in the movies, cartoons,
advertisements, commercial products, and, of course, children's books.
"Wrong information" also perfectly describes
Mikaelsen's first book, so it is puzzling that
Partington uses that phrase to describe the book.
Either Richie hasn't read criticism of Native
imagery in Touching Spirit Bear, or, like so many
others, he thinks a critique of Mikaelsen's
misuse and misrepresentation of Tlingit people doesn't matter.
The story relies on and draws heavily from
Mikaelsen's ideas about American Indians. His
writing includes stereotypes, old and new. 'Old'
meaning those older ones that put American
Indians in the same class as animals; 'new'
meaning the new-age use of Native spirituality.
Chapter 1 opens with Cole in a boat on his way to
spend a year on an island in Alaska. This is
"banishment" and the outcome, we are told later,
of Circle Justice. With Cole are two men, both of
them Tlingit. One is Garvey, who is "built like a
bulldog with lazy eyes" (p. 3). The other is
Edwin who "stared forward with a steely patience, like a wolf waiting"
(p. 4)
Bulldog? Wolf? Is this a style Mikaelsen uses to
describe all his characters? Here's how he describes Cole:
"He was an innocent-looking, baby-faced
fifteen-year-old from Minneapolis..." (p.5)
And here's Peter, the kid Cole beat up:
"...the skinny red-haired boy," (p. 7)
Cole's parents:
"His mom acted like a scared Barbie doll, always
looking good but never fighting back or standing up to anyone" (p. 9)
"His dad was a bullheaded drinker with a temper" (p. 9).
Bullheaded is certainly derived from an animal,
but the term is common usage for someone who is
determined to do what he wants, regardless of
what others might think or want. Given that, I
think it is different from the ways that Garvey and Edwin are described.
It is through Garvey that Cole learns about
Circle Justice. Based on my reading about Circle
Justice, Mikaelsen (through Garvey) does a
reasonably accurate job of laying it out on pages
10-12. Where Mikaelsen goes astray is when Cole
gets banished. Several meetings of the Circle
have taken place, but Cole isn't making any
progress. In frustration he tells the people at
the meeting: "Send me someplace where I'm not in
your face and can't hurt anyone. But why do I have to go to jail?" (p.
55).
Garvey replies "I'm a native Tlingit," he said.
"I was raised in Southeast Alaska. It is possible
I could make arrangements to have Cole banished
to a remote island on the Inland Passage" (p. 55-56).
This banishment to an island comes straight out
of the pages of the newspapers in 1994.
<http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D02E6DA1638F932A0575BC0
A962958260&scp=1&sq=exile+turns+out+to+be+hoax&st=nyt>"Indian
Boys' Exile Turns Out to Be Hoax" ran in the New
York Times. Reading it is much like reading the
early part of Touching Spirit Bear. Except for
the part of the article that reads:
"Now it turns out there is no such thing as
banishment in Tlingit culture, according to
tribal leaders and elders in Alaska."
Hmmm... That gives me pause. Let' see... the
article came out in 1994. HarperCollins published
Touching Spirit Bear in 2001. Apparently the book
wasn't vetted. Maybe they don't do that with
fiction? MAYBE THEY SHOULD!!! Course, I know of
two books that experts critiqued prior to
publication, but the writer/publisher chose to
ignore the suggestions (those two are Ann
Rinaldi's My Heart is on the Ground, and one of
those Indian in the Cupboard books by Lynn Reid Banks).
Course, the book reading world loved Touching
Spirit Bear! It's on all manner of "Best Books"
lists, it has gotten many awards and glowing
reviews. The Horn Book Guide is the only major
review journal that panned it, giving it a 5 (out
of 6) and calling it "Marginal, seriously flawed,
but with some redeeming quality." I'm not sure
what the redeeming quality is. "Marginal" and
"seriously flawed" are dead on, though.
If you're an editor, get fiction manuscripts
reviewed by experts, and when the experts point
out problems, listen to the problems. Do not
assume that the research the author has done is
sufficient. It is likely that he/she is ill-informed.
Be mindful of the sources that you use when
creating/writing/reviewing a story with Native
characters or content. Today, more than ever, it
is possible to find material written by Native
people. You don't have to rely on biased and
outdated material to do your research!
I know---there's a lot of people out there who
are huge fans of Touching Spirit Bear. Seems
there's a strong feeling that this book helps
kids who are bullies. It may do that, but it also
helps everyone stoke their incorrect
stereotypical ideas about who Native people are.
For that reason, I cannot and do not recommend it.
[Note: Touching Spirit Bear has been written
about twice before on these pages. See
<http://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/2006_09_20_arc
hive.html>Beverly
Slapin's review and a piece I wrote about
comments posted to her review
"<http://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/2006_09_27_am
ericanindiansinchildrensliterature_archive.html>Reaction
to Slapin's review."
Visit my Internet blog and resource: American
Indians in Children's Literature.
To get to it, go to my faculty bio and click on 'Web Page'
http://www.nah.uiuc.edu/faculty-Reese.htm
Debbie A. Reese (Nanb? ?w?ngeh)
Assistant Professor, American Indian Studies
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Native American House, Room 2005
1204 West Nevada Street, MC-138
Urbana, Illinois 61801
Email: debreese at uiuc.edu
TEL 217-265-9885
FAX 217-265-9880
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Message: 9
Date: Mon, 05 May 2008 11:30:20 -0500
From: Debbie Reese <debreese at uiuc.edu>
Subject: [CALIBK12] Responses to Slapin review
To: calibk12 at lists.sjsu.edu
Message-ID: <200805051630.m45GUPTE002875 at expredir4.cites.uiuc.edu>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Note to CALIB: This is a piece I wrote in
response to the comments to Slapin's review.
Debbie
--------------------
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Reaction to Slapin?s review of Touching Spirit Bear
Beverly Slapin?s review of Touching Spirit Bear
(posted here on September 20th) has generated
discussion on a listserv sponsored by the
American Library Association and other places as well.
I share some of the discussion and my responses
here. I paraphrase a response and use italics to
differentiate it from my response.
-------------------------
It is well written and a great story. Teen boys
who are bullies need books like this to learn
about the consequences of their behavior and that
there are other ways of behaving. Errors
regarding Tlingit culture are excusable because
the book has so much value for bullies.
Debbie: Is it ok to use and misrepresent one
culture (in this case Tlingit) because someone
else (bullies who are presumably not Tlingit) stand to gain?
-------------------------
I will continue recommending the book because it
was favorably reviewed and is on so many award lists.
Debbie: How knowledgeable are the people who
wrote the reviews? When Ann Rinaldi?s My Heart is
on the Ground came out, it was favorably reviewed
and it was likely headed for Recommended Books
lists. But
<http://www.oyate.org/books-to-avoid/myHeart.html>our
critique headed that off, because, I think,
people knew that the information in the critique
was (and is) irrefutable, and that it was irresponsible to laud the
book.
-------------------------
IT IS FICTION! JUST A STORY! It doesn?t matter if it is accurate or not.
Debbie: If a work of fiction said that 2+2=7,
everybody would know it was a mistake. But we, as
a society, know so little about American Indians
that we don?t know when American Indian cultures
are being misrepresented, stereotyped, or otherwise inappropriately
used.
American society is so enamored with a narrow,
romantic view of who we (remember, I am Namb?
Pueblo Indian) are that it is not open to
criticism that gets in the way of wholeheartedly
endorsing or recommending a book. People who love
the book and don?t like Slapin?s review may feel
the criticism is an attack on them, on their
personal values. Critiques like Slapin?s are not
personal attacks, but they can feel that way when
the book under critique is well loved.
If there was only one book like Touching Spirit
Bear out there, then maybe it wouldn?t matter.
But there are more flawed stories about American
Indians than there are good ones. All those
flawed ones contribute to the misperceptions
American have about American Indians.
Visit my Internet blog and resource: American
Indians in Children's Literature.
To get to it, go to my faculty bio and click on 'Web Page'
http://www.nah.uiuc.edu/faculty-Reese.htm
Debbie A. Reese (Nanb? ?w?ngeh)
Assistant Professor, American Indian Studies
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Native American House, Room 2005
1204 West Nevada Street, MC-138
Urbana, Illinois 61801
Email: debreese at uiuc.edu
TEL 217-265-9885
FAX 217-265-9880
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Message: 10
Date: Mon, 5 May 2008 10:16:57 -0700
From: Thomas Nixon <Thomas.Nixon at fresnounified.org>
Subject: [CALIBK12] Fresno Pacific University online program
To: <calibk12 at lists.sjsu.edu>
Message-ID:
<2266917242D9F848B7442974258B9440872360 at cs-ads-ex1.fresnounified.org>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Do you know anyone who is thinking about becoming a teacher-librarian?
The Fresno Pacific University program is now available completely online
(and also still in the in-class version). The first course in the
program starts today and it is still possible to get into the program.
Both the credential and the master's degree are offered online.
If you have any questions, please contact Jo Ellen Misakian at
jmisakian at fresno.edu. You can also email me if you have questions (but I
am likely to send you to Jo Ellen).
Tom Nixon
----
Teacher-Librarian
Tehipite Middle School
Fresno, CA 93701
Web: http://www.tehipitelibrary.org <http://www.tehipitelibrary.org/>
Blog: http://notyourmotherslibrarian.blogspot.com
<http://notyourmotherslibrarian.blogspot.com/>
(559) 457-3420 (x 570)
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