overly upset

Heuston, K. (2008). The book of Jude. Honesdale, PA: Front Street, 217 pp.

fictional drama

age range: 9th-11th

possible classroom uses: individual, group, bridge to Sylvia Plath

Synopsis:
Judith Grace Wheelock is a fifteen year old girl who goes by the name of Jude. Her Mormon family moves to Czechoslovakia unexpectedly when her mother receives a Fulbright scholarship to study there. Jude is very upset by this drastic change and cannot seem to understand why her mother, father, twin sister, and younger sister seem to adjust to their new life so well. Jude’s incapability to cope with the stress of the move leads her into a series of uncontrollable episodes that culminate with her wrecking the family car after stealing it. This lands her in a psychiatric hospital where she learns that she has Borderline Personality Disorder, which means she does not react well to trying times because she is unable to draw support from her past fond memories. But she finds hope in the comfort of a loving family, a secure belief system, and wise old friends.

Evaluation:
It is evident throughout this piece of literature that Heuston is an accomplished novelist through her sure use of literary elements. The main characters are well-developed and dynamic. Even though the majority of the supporting characters tend to be flat, they add important dimensions to the novel as a whole. The plot was clearly defined, but the unfolding of the story as it progresses is unpredictable. The desire to understand oneself and be understood by others is a constant theme throughout the novel. The importance of strong family and friend structures is emphasized, and the value of personal feelings is stressed as well. With the setting changing from New York to Jude’s grandparent’s vineyard to Czechoslovakia all in 1989, Jude’s emotional progression from the familiar to nostalgia to the unknown is symbolized. The stream-of-consciousness style of narrative provides an inside look into a mental disability, a rare opportunity. Heuston also catches the reader’s interest by creating and maintaining a tone of the unknown. She accomplishes this by coupling the point of view of a girl with BPD with having the majority of the book take place in Czechoslovakia. Both, I venture to say, are relatively foreign concepts to most adolescent American readers.

Heuston connects with a variety of adolescents in her writing through several means. This novel illustrates how growing up can be overwhelming and seemingly impossible at times. Even though Jude is mentally disabled, most adolescents can relate to the confusion that she endures to some extent. This novel also reaches adolescents by validating the intense desire to be loved that all teenagers encounter. Heuston’s novel appeals to adolescent in a multicultural manner. Heuston validates adolescents with disabilities by writing from the perspective of a girl with BPD. Different cultures are recognized by having the main characters being impacted positively by non-Americans and by not only explaining the importance of historical events in other countries but also having those events directly affect Americans. Heuston also places value on both genders by having strong female and male roles.

Reaction:
Overall, I really enjoyed reading The Book of Jude. The description of Jude’s nightmares was captivating. Heuston incites fear in her readers as she blurs the lines between reality and fantasy in these scenes. It took me a while to figure out what was real and what was Jude’s imagination throughout the novel, and I think Heuston intends to do so in order to display Jude’s confusion and so that the reader can better understand Jude. Heuston masterfully blurs the lines of right and wrong through the characters in the novel. No one is fully bad or fully good, but most are usually displayed positively. Thus, the readers have the freedom to develop their own opinion about the characters. The readers are faced with discerning whether the father was overbearing or providing stability by continuously setting high standards for Jude, whether Merry was self-centered or simply trying to establish her own identity in the same way Jude was, or whether the mother is selfish for uprooting her family or simply fulfilling her own dreams. Heuston’s The Book of Jude is an intriguingly fascinating novel that is sure to captivate the minds of many adolescents.

the mice-men

Spiegelman, A. (1973). Maus. New York City: Pantheon Books, 159 pp.

Biography/graphic novel: 1988 Angoulême International Comics Festival Awards - Religious Award, 1988 Prize for Best Comic Book, 1988 Urhunden Prize, 1990 Max and Moritz Prize, and 1992 Pulitzer Prize

possible classroom uses: individual choice, small group, bridge to any holocaust literature

appropriate age: 7th-12th

Synopsis:
This is the story of an adult Jewish son interviewing his father about his experiences in the Holocaust. The biography records primarily the father's experiences in the Holocaust, but their interview dialogue is peppered throughout the novel. As a result, the reader comes a way with a personal testimony of the Holocaust and a clear understanding of this family's dynamics and history.

Evaluation:
The characters are all dynamic, and the subtlety of character depiction is amazing. The reader thinnks that he or she is just reading a recollection of the Holocaust with some added blurbs of interactions between father and son, but the reader actually stumbles into a second fully developed story between two complex characters. The plot is fully fleshed out and extremely intriguing. It is definitely unpredictable. The themes throughout the novel are family dynamics, oppression, and suffering. The setting is in Poland during the Holocaust and also New York City during the 1970's. Adolescents can relate to this novel because even as a man, Art is trying to earn and maintain independence from his father. This struggle to become your own person independent of your family is a desire and a struggle for all adolescents. This book refers to specific social and emotional development that adolescents endure. This book addresses mutlicultural issues such as race, ethnicity, language, age, and religion by validifying different ones as important personal attributes, but this book addresses gender and social class by promoting one over another.

Reaction:
Maus was wonderful! It was so realistic and fluid, even though it would change from current to past. The graphics really helped describe the scene and improved the reader’s understanding. The father’s and son’s interaction with one another was very believable and genuine. The use of broken English magnified the authenticity of the characters even more. This novel retold a famous, familiar historical event in a new and fresh way. I felt like this novel was easy to relate to and understand. It increased my interest of the Holocaust. It made the devastating tragedy come alive for me in a way that I had never experienced before. It made the characters more than just holocaust survivors. They became people just like you and me, both the Jews and the Germans, who were simply trying to make their way in the world. I am not trying to simplify, nullify, or justify the horrific actions of people, but I am saying that this book made them more relatable. If a novel can introduce such a widely publicized event with a new perspective, then that author has done something truly great.