PEERWISE READING LOG SUBMISSIONS
SUBJECT: ENGLISH
YEARS 9 – 11
The Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Year level and use: Year 10-11 - advanced readers; classroom study and / or
wider reading
Publishing details
Vonnegut, K (1968). Slaughterhouse Five. New York: Dell Publishing.
Summary
Vonnegut’s fantastical, surreal, sci-fi masterpiece – a satirical study of the WWII
fire-bombings of Dresden from the perspective of a young American soldier - tells
the story of Vonnegut’s own personal experience of the war through the musings
of the book's protagonist, semi-autobiographical Billy Pilgrim. The narrator leaps
around space and time and grapples with the fleeting moments that make up the
essence of one man's living memory - in equal parts the trivial, the loving, the
funny, the horrific. From alien abductions to war-torn Germany to raising a family
and starting a business in small-town America - Pilgrim experiences a rich life of
many wonderful and absurd experiences - each one pulling tight the rope of life
he so precariously walks as he makes his way from birth to death - but not in that
particular order. It is truly one of the most profound, original novels ever written.
Reaction and teaching ideas
This novel makes rich, profound, material for study of war, perspective, and the
human condition. It also would make an interesting addition to a study of science
fiction literature. Although the book is officially deemed "science fiction", the
novel’s pathos and satirical heart is so gripping, it will engage and gratify even
the most cynical reader. The comedic elements are spontaneous and fraught –
you are laughing and crying throughout. This book will resonate - and will linger in
the minds of young readers, opening doors to ideas and perspectives never
imagined before.
The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
Year level and use: Year 11 - advanced readers; classroom study and / or wider
reading
Publishing details
Conrad, A (1902). The Heart of Darkness. Middlesex: Penguin Books.
Summary
The Heart of Darkness tracks the journey of one man’s search for a British
trading post commander who has, in the eyes of the Empire, gone rogue and
must be brought back to his senses - and returned to the civilized fold. The
mysterious and elusive Kurtz conducts himself as a demigod among 'natives' in
central Africa, 1899, and it is the job of the book's narrator - young Marlow, a
pragmatic ship merchant - to 'bring him home'. Told from Marlow's
perspective, The Heart of darkness is a dense, poetic narration of an arduous
and life-changing journey up the Congo River into the heart of the African jungle.
Marlow recites his story to a group of fellow sailors – hidden and silent and
listening from the shadows of the night on a ship sailing up the Thames, returning
to London. Marlow tells of his time in Africa – a journey wrought with difficulty, the
grim daily toils brought about by harsh realities of land and weather; and strange
interactions with locals, cannibals, slaves, pilgrims and lone (often mad)
merchants. The experience is retold as a single, unending event that became
intolerable for the young narrator - one of survival, confusion dipping into
madness, reflection, contemplation and ultimately dissonance and unknowing. It
is also the study of character, personality and sanity – how one individual (or
perhaps even just the idea of an individual) can be so completely captivating and
consuming that they can upset “rational”, “civilised” sensibilities, and drive fanatic
followers towards a place of primal lunacy. This is a story of survival, loneliness,
resilience, futility and perspective. Kurtz’ final dying words - a proclamation of
some kind of truth - resonate throughout the work: “The horror! The horror!”
The Heart of Darkness is a metaphorical journey into the dark heart of the human
condition - a grim and powerful study of the colonial experience.
Originally a piece of experimental writing, The Heart of Darkness is now
considered one of the great canonical works of all time.
Reaction and teaching ideas
This text would not suit all readers / classes. The novella works in shifting,
recurring layers of metaphor and motif. The dominant, grim theme of ‘mortality’
seeps into and stains every word, every sentence. The novella itself was an
experiment in surrealism and absurdist literature. It would therefore suit students
interested in form, language, the human condition – all of which could be studied
at length and in depth, but which would require scaffolding and learning support
(much like reading / studying Shakespeare). Research into studying this text in
the classroom shows that a key element of engaging students with the text is to
consciously study the text through a modern lens - that is, to find a key point of
contention within the text that can be related to and contextualised with a modern
audience. For example, asking the question: What exactly is the heart of
darkness? How can we relate this "heart of darkness" to a modern experience of
the human condition? How could the heart of darkness be undestood today, in
terms of technology (social isolation); or capitalism (crimes against humanity); or
globalisation (lost identity)? There is a vast array of robust notes and suggestions
available to assist with teaching The Heart of Darknessto secondary students which would most likely be extremely useful when tackling a text of such
complexity.
This text could also be studied in conjunction with the classic Vietnam War
film Apocolypse Now (1979) - which was loosely based on the journey of Marlow
and his meeting with Kurtz in the 'heart of darkness'.
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Year level and use: Year 9 - 11, suitable for all readers as a classroom study
and / or wider reading
Publishing details
Hinton, S.E. (1970). The Outsiders. London: Penguin Books.
Summary
The Outsiders follows the story of Ponyboy, a 14 year old "Greaser" who gets
himself into trouble when his friend, Johnny, stabs and kills a rival "Soc" gang
member. Even though Johnny was trying to save Ponyboy's life when he killed
the Soc, they are afraid they'll be accused of murder and either sent to prison or
(worse) a boys' home. The boys run away and hold up in a dilapidated church in
the countryside where they cut and bleach their "greaser" hair to avoid capture.
The boys spend several lonely, terrified, bored days in the church, sharing their
deepest fears and hopes - cementing an already intense and unusual friendship.
Ponyboy and Johnny eventually decide to return home and turn themselves in,
only to discover the church alight. Realising a group of young school children are
trapped inside, the boys rush in to save their lives. They manage to save the
children and Ponyboy escapes unscathed, but the burning roof collapses on
Johnny before he can get out. Johnny's back is broken in the fall - and he spends
his final days in hospital, listening to Ponyboy's stories of the upcoming rumble
between the Greasers and the Socs. Johnny warns Ponyboy not to fight the Socs
- that the Greasers will never win. The rumble plays out. Although the Greasers
are the official 'winners', the high is short lived as Ponyboy begins to understand
what Johnny meant when he said fighting will never change the way things are.
Still, he returns to tell Johnny they won. Johnny tells Ponyboy to "stay gold" - and
dies. Driven to despair, Ponyboy tries to claim responsibility for the murder of the
Soc and refuses to accept that Johnny is dead. The community (including several
Socs) rally around Ponyboy and - thanks to the unexpected, honest testimonies
of the rival gang members - the court rules that Ponyboy is not guilty of murder,
allowing him to continue living with his two older brothers. Reunited with his
family, Ponyboy slowly manages to overcome the grief of losing his best friend.
Under the mentorship of his teacher, Ponyboy decides to put his story down on
paper - scribing the book The Outsiders.
Reaction and teaching ideas
This novel works in a range of contexts for classroom study at the Year 9 and
Year 10 level. It also suits wider reading from Year 9 to Year 13 (and beyond!)
In particular, it is an ideal text to study with a low reading ability Year 9 class,
especially if the class relates to experiences of social marginalisation, living in
poverty, broken homes, social neglect, gang life and fear / antagonism towards
institutionalised authority.
I had the opportunity to study this text with a Year 9 Te Reo bi-lingual Maori class
- most of whom had never had a novel read to them or had read a novel
themselves - and the entire group was deeply engaged in this text and the
process of studying the ideas presented within it. To contextualise the novel in a
Maori classroom setting, some activities that proved hugely succesful with the
class included inviting the students to:
-create their own "gang" dress code (identifiable group markers), symbolism (in
the form of property and dress) and language (original slang / borrowed from their
own cultural background)
-mock act / script "rumbles" (fights) between imaginary 'gangs' in unique ways
(spoken word slams, hip hop slams, debates, song contests, staring games,
letters)
-create and perform a formal pepeha (traditional Maori introduction to one's
identity in relation to certain geographic features or people) or for some, just a
basic mihi (greeting) for one of the characters in the book (a thoroughly enjoyed
activity)
-write their own piece of creative writing that offered up an unvoiced perspective
of one of the subsidiary characters (this was - interestingly - the most successful
of all the activities)
-write an essay linking character, events and ideas to a personal response to the
text
Written by SE Hinton at the age of 17, this book also makes for inspiring
supplementary reading for young budding writers who may benefit from seeing
what others before them have been able to achieve so young.
In addition, there is a film version of the book, directed by Coppola (starring Tom
Cruise, Patrick Swayze and Rob Lowe) which could be viewed in conjunction with
the literary study.
THE BEST OF OWEN MARSHALL'S SHORT STORIES
by Owen Marshall
Year level and use: Year 9 - 13, all readers, the human condition, New Zealand
setting & voice, short story
Publishing details
Marshall, O (1997). The Best of Owen Marshall's Short Stories. Auckland:
Random House.
Summary
This masterful anthology of short stories by one of New Zealand's greatest
writers offers a rich and varied wealth of material to draw from to enhance and
inspire learning in the classroom. Providing over 60 short stories to choose from ranging in length from 3-15 pages - this body of work is an ideal reservoir of
diverse New Zealand stories covering a range of subject matter, characters and
themes - all skilfully crafted explorations of the human condition in a distinctly
New Zealand setting. Marshall's compelling voice, his unusual, probing
perspective and the familiar, identifiable New Zealand context provide a depth to
the writing that allow for rich student engagement, analysis and self-reflection.
Marshall's work is the epitomy of how much can be said in so few words.
Reaction and teaching ideas
How do I even begin to summarise the wonders of Owen Marshall and the value
his writing offers in a classroom setting?
My immediate impression is that Marshall's short stories could (and in New
Zealand, should) be studied alongside any piece of writing as a means to
enhance learning and persuasively re-contextualise ideas, characters and
themes in a New Zealand setting. His writing is not only a powerful tool in the
study of literature, but also as an inspiring reminder of what can be achieved by
local writers. These stories could equally be studied as a body of work as part of
an author-focused study on style, voice and narrative. Marshall's short stories
consistently move in certain narrative form, returning to recurring motifs within
texts and between them, telling the stories from a (usually outside) perspective,
and focusing on certain types of human experiences - especially that of 'grim'
realities of life, which recur throughout this compilation of his work. In particular,
pieces of work from this anthology could be incorporated into a study on
"perspective". His writing usually embodies a sense of voyeurism, invasion of
interior space, the uncanny and a distinct way of telling a story and looking back not with nostalgia, but rather - with a harrowing understanding of the complexity
and beauty of human suffering.
Some of the stories from this anthology most regularly used in the classroom
include The Fat Boy, Mr Van Gogh and Father & Son. However, to give some
idea of a few of the other, less well known, pieces of writing, below is a brief
summary of my top four - with themes noted.
Supper Waltz Wilson:
Told from the perspective of a young boy, this is the sad story of the teller's
friendship with a boy called 'Supper Waltz Wilson' whose father goes mad (he
hears voices in the moreporks) and is then taken away. The boy, young Supper
Waltz Wilson, cannot handle the situation and runs away from home. The final
line of the story crystallises the tone of the story: "Keep runing, Supper Waltz,
don't let the morepork get you." (Themes: friendship, difference, personality,
madness)
The Tsunami
Told from the perspective of a university student, a tsunami is predicted and so
the student goes to the top of a hill to watch it. He sees hundreds of people
standing on the beach below - waiting for the wave - and marvels at their lack of
care at the possibility of drowning. He realises that someone he knew from
school is there on the hill with them - and this man tells him that his landlord (and
lover) is pregnant. "The tsunami certainly came for old Les Foster, though, didn't
it? ... as they drove away ... that inward smile upon his face. As a drowning man
might smile ... " (Themes: mortality, futility, meaning(less) of life)
Descent from the Flugelhorn
Told from the perspective of a young rugby player, this is the story of a young
man's car trip around the local countryside with his mate selling tickets to collect
money for his rugby club. They come across an old man whose wife tells them
the old man used to play rugby himself. The young man and his friend recognise
the old man's name and are shocked by his age and condition. After meeting with
them, the old man dies - and they leave, having sold all the tickets. Rather than
talk about what just happened, or the significance of the experience, they run out
of the gate - fleeing what they saw: seeing themselves in someone else who they
could barely recognise and the fleeting quality of life. They do however eventually
manage to articulate the experience: "Do you think everyone gets the feeling
some time or other that they've passed themselves going the other way?" "Yes."
(Themes: mortality, identity, community, friendship, desire, narcissism)
The Giving Up Party
Told from the perspective of a young garden hand who by chance meets the
beautiful daughter of his boss and becomes enraptured with her. The daughter
admits she is giving up being a poet and invites him to her "giving up party".
Obliged to follow orders, he joins her. She gets drunk. He instantly idolises her she is older than he is. They enjoy each other for different reasons. He tells no
one. "You are the only person, the only person who came to my giving up party
and I thank you for it." "I'll always remember it." (Themes: attraction, desire, loss,
grief, secrets of life)
Trash by Andy Mulligan
Year level and use: Year 9 - 11, all readers, thriller with socio-political
undertones
Publishing details
Mulligan, A (2010). Trash. Oxford: Random House.
Summary
Trash is the story of three teenage boys surviving on the margins of Brazil's
corrupt and segregated society. Raphael, Gardo and Rat live in a
massive dumpsite on the outskirts of Rio - their lives spent wading through other
people's trash searching for food and items to sell to make a living. They live in
amongst the trash - with their families, the rats, and the pervading stink
of stupp (human excrement). They're content and happy, living day by day with
no real plans for the future and no real desire to leave what they love and
know. That is, until the day Raphael hooks up the wallet of Jose Angelico - and
with it, a bag holding a key, a coded letter and a map. The find is nothing too
unusual, until the police turn up and start asking questions. Raphael is instantly
curious. If the police are after something, there will be a political connection - and
that means money. Knowing he has something of real value in his hands,
Raphael and two other dumpster boys ("starved and stinking" Gardo and Rat) set
out on a mission to find out exactly what it is they have in their possession and
what it's really worth - a mission that sees them discover not just the value of a
hidden treasure, but the true value of humanity itself. Their hunt sees them
traverse the landscape of Brazil's city sprawl and its range of inhabitants - from
overpopulated squatter hoods to the lush, expansive estates of the rich. They
come face to face with mortality and destitution at every turn (either their own, or
within others around them). Their encounters with the police are brutal and
violent. Death is on their heels (the living scent of death on the police's breath)
and in the form of ghosts (drawing close for All Saints Day). However, the
underlying will to survive is all-pervasive. One-part illiterate, one-part fearful, onepart reckless - together, all three boys become a singular force of strength,
cunning and resolve. They eventually uncover a political conspiracy and find
themselves in possession of more money than anyone ever imagined possible.
What the boys do with the money (they release it into an oncoming typhoon over
the Behala dumpsite) is telling of how their journey has changed them. Raphael,
Gardo and Rat may be thieving, lying runaways - but at their core they are kind,
affectionate and brilliant young men who just want to do the right thing - and
break the chains of inequality.
Reaction and teaching ideas
Trash is superb. Written in extremely simple language (almost childlike) and told
using a seemingly tame mystery novel structure, the actual events that take place
in the story are brutal, realistic acts of terror against innocent citizens. The story
never shies from the reality of survival for people like Raphael - and at times is
sickening (from the descriptions of living amongst rats to the police brutality).
Strangely, the story is told in an upbeat, cheerful, youthful kind of way - creating a
real dissonance between tone of the novel and the events unfolding within it making it a great text to study tone, purpose, audience and representation. Each
chapter is told by a different character - sometimes by one or two at once, which
is a really unusual play on classic narrative form - and makes the text an ideal
study for voice and perspective and collective consciousness. The
boys' spontaneous almost fatalistic act of defiance at the end of the book would
make for a fascinating class study on characterisation and narrative (in terms of
"the Hero's Journey"). Obvious socio-political themes to study alongside this text
include inequality, police states, corruption, life on the margins, how society's
treat their children and their vulnerable, life as a lottery and justice.
by the river by Steven Herrick
Year Level and Use:
Year 9-11 - close reading, personal reading, novel told in verse
Publishing details:
Herrick, Steven (2004). By the River. Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin.
Summary
This is the story of young Harry Hodby - and his beat-up life in small-town
Australia. His mother is dead and his dad spends his waking hours working in the
local factory - so Harry is free to fill his day doing whatever he pleases - which
generally means going down to the river and not really doing much - which suits
him just fine. While the rest of the kids in Pearce Swamp get a kick out of beating
each other up, Harry tends to avoid conflict. He's funny, curious and smart - and
prefers to spend his time imagining his great escape. Harry may be dirt-poor like
everyone else in Pearce Swamp, but unlike the rest of them, Harry is story-rich.
by the river (told in verse) is a collection of Harry's stories about a life of freedom
and adventure - in the middle of bloody nowhere. Told from Harry's perspective
as a young adult looking back on his childhood and early teens, this novel is a
splattering of unusual and (seemingly) unfiltered memories - most very ordinary,
uneventful, yet all somehow poignant (eating watermelon with his brother and
father, throwing rocks at the old gossiping bats who live next door). A few of the
stories are quite unexpected and terrifying (crossing the bridge when a train
comes, spying on his neighbour 'courting' girls). The rest (his mother's death, his
best friend's death in a river flood, his father losing his hand in a factory accident)
are harrowing, sad, devastating moments where life changes and something is
lost and grief sets in, just a little bit - just enough to make things feel more deeply,
even the ordinary and the uneventful things - until even they, the most mundane
moments (the gossiping about good-for-nothing boys, swimming naked in the
river, eating watermelon with his brother and dad) become charged with
meaning. The journey - spanning one young lifetime - is emotional, rather than
chronological; the poems linking through mood, rather than time. And so the
narrative unfolds - embedded with ritual, routine, hum-drum life - until every last
memory has become heavy with the residual essence of what it means to truly
live life - full of emotion, full of laughter, full of mischief and full of love. This is a
story about real people living real lives and experiencing the real grit of
humanity. It is utterly extraordinary. A masterpiece of young adult fiction.
Reaction and teaching ideas
This was a truly fantastic read and a text well worth pulling into the classroom as
a text for group study - or at the very least suggesting to students for personal
reading. I couldn't put it down. (A very quick read.)
Thematically, by the river explores issues around adolescence, loneliness, the
loss of a parent, the loss of a friend, friendship, sibling love, small-town life,
setting, landscape, ritual, identity, belonging, catastrophe, grief, gossip, poverty,
neglect. The novel lends itself to a close analysis of structure - in particular how
long-form narrative storytelling techniques can be hidden behind and embedded
in the guise of short-form poetry. Herrick is a master of structure - his bundling up
a pile of poems into a carefully crafted story is a superb play on form. Likewise,
his unusual use of language features - particularly those employed to inform
narration, voice, characterisation and perspective - would also be excellent study
points for this text. It's also worth noting that, as a piece of Australian fiction, this
would fit nicely into a study of literature from the colonies / Australasian lit. On
that note - Herrick is known for generously visiting schools (including in New
Zealand) and giving inspirational (and funny) talks about writing poetry and fiction
- a pretty terrific addition to classroom study.
Suitable Reading Age / Reading Level Although the novel is written in verse - the writing is accessible, straightforward
and prose-like. The voice is colloquial and closed first person speaking in present
simple tense - so it reads very much more like a screenplay (action first) than a
standard poem (ideas first). Although the protagonist a teenage boy - the issues
he's grappling with really are human issues that speak to us all (male or female) breaking the potential reading audience wide open. Even the ideal reading age
feels malleable. Although the story does touch on significant moments in the
main character's childhood, it lingers mostly in his late teen years. Although this
novel would be an excellent suggestion for high-level readers, especially those
with an interest in the structural elements of storytelling, my gut feeling is that by
the river would equally serve more reluctant readers who perhaps find reading a
longer novel daunting. This text reads fast - half the pages are white space (it's
verse!) and this translates into a superbly gratifying read - I imagine for reluctant
readers especially.
Riding Tycho by Jan Mark
Year Level & Use
Yr 9 Level 4: all readers, personal reading, dystopian future
Publishing details
Mark, Jan (2004). Riding Tycho. London: Macmillans Children's Books
Summary
Set in the distant future on a distant planet, Riding Tycho follows the story of
(nearly) 12-year old Demetria who, like all other girls her age, endures a bleak
existence under the tight fist of the men of High Island, including her own
particularly brutal brother. The island - surrounded by cliffs that drop to the swiftmoving current of Tycho below - acts as her natural prison. Regular physical
beatings and repeated 'truths' about how women are 'made wrong' and 'will sink
like stones' if they try to swim away keep the women trapped there. Demetria,
like all the other girls, does as she is told. She never asks questions (she's never
had to) and accepts her place as divined. Until, one day, her family is given a
'Political' to look after. Naive and conforming Demetria does everything she can
to avoid the 'stranger'. But after a chance meeting during which he defends her
against some of the village boys, Demetria becomes drawn to him and hooked on
both his kindness and his wild 'stories' about a planet called Earth, a society
where men do not beat women, where animals can fly and - most importantly where women can swim. These 'stories' ignite in Demetria an instinctive rebellion
towards the status quo. She begins to question everything - and these questions
act as triggers of discovery that will eventually lead to her 'escape'. When the
Political shows her what a kite is (because Demetria flatly refuses to believe that
objects can fly), the army shoots the Political for sending a 'coded message' to
the mainland. Although the Political is shot dead, his ideas take on a new life in
Demetria's consciousness. Having seen that an object can fly, the Politcal's
'stories' are confirmed as 'truths' for Demetria - and this prompts her to cautiously
begin to wonder whether, perhaps, the 'truths' of the High Island could be nothing
more than stories. When Demetria attempts to vocalise her feelings, her family
and friends disown her. With no one to left to turn to, Demetria withdraws to a
secret cove where she steps into the water and does not sink. Demetria teaches
herself to swim and, in so doing, defies the 'natural' order and grows strong in her
conviction that those in power are wrong. But her freedom and empowerment is
short-lived. Demetria is caught swimming by her brother and his cronies. Her only
option is to return to the island and be beaten, possibly killed, or to swim out to
sea and ride the tide Tycho into an unknown future. She chooses escape
(death?) over a return to subjugation.
It is a very lonely story.
Reaction and teaching ideas
Told within the clear constructs of a dystopian science fiction novel - Riding
Tycho would make an excellent supplementary text within a unit studying genre,
language and structure, particular alongside texts centred around prison life,
escape for survival and institutionalised power. Riding Tycho is thick with
symbolism relating to isolation, imprisonment, and a clear 'escape plot' narrative
structure. It is also densely packed with motifs around freedom of speech (or lack
of it), the significance of who gets to write history, the importance of language
and how naming things helps us make sense of the world - and as such would
marry well with Witi Ihimaera's Whale Rider (which is almost uncannily similar in
narrative and characterisation - though Ihimaera's book came out almost 20
years earlier.) Thelma & Louise as a potential co-text also immediately comes to
mind (with death being the only option for the subversive female protagonists.) It
would be an excellent book to read alongside mythical "warning" tales - in
particular the tale of Icarus (for its related theme of 'flying too high'). In a broader
context, the book would feed beautifully into socio-political discussions around
gender, racism, censorship, freedom of speech, mythology, theory of knowledge,
science in literature, women's rights, citizenship, outlooks for our future - and
many more. Although the book is written in rather simple, prosaic language, and
the narrative structure and characterisations are formulaic to the end, Riding
Tycho is nonetheless a gripping read. It is a page-turner and - yes - Jan Mark's
blatant, unbeautified portrayal of life in a broken down society where not all
citizens are treated as equals is enough to get anyone thinking.
The recommended reading age for this book is 12+ for independent reading.
Blankets: an illustrated novel by Craig Thompson
Year Level: Y9, Y10; graphic novel; suitable for close reading; suitable for
personal reading; suitable for reluctant readers; suitable for deep, critical
analysis
Publishing Details: Thompson, Craig (2004). Blankets: an illustrated novel.
Marietta: Top Shelf Productions
Summary:
Blankets is an award-winning autobiographical 'coming of age' graphic novel that
tells the story of a young man's journey from a somewhat brutal and lonely
Evangelical childhood into adulthood on his own terms. Told through expressively
illustrated vignettes and minimal first-person narration, Thompson recounts his
early life with depth and personal intimacy - tragic moments of never quite fitting
in, of degrading self-consciousness, ridicule and humiliation, of the harrowing
realities of strict and devout family life, of brotherly angst, of falling in love for the
first time, of obsession and escapism, of shame, and of the eternally cold, windy,
snowy Wisconsin winters. The highly stylised "cartoonish" sketches (all in black
and white) run fluently alongside the narrator's simple written text - personal
musings in classic comic-book style of the author's confused, obsessive and
vulnerable state of mind. Each vignette reads like a confession - clunky, spatty,
pathetic, wonderful, honest, tragic and all told in a humble, singularly powerful
voice. Each decision made by the author and those closest to him - his parents,
his brother, his teachers, his babysitter, his girlfriend, her parents, her disabled
adopted siblings, his bullies - is laid bare for judgment. At its heart, Blankets is a
messy, vulnerable, triumphant story of 'first love'. But this heart beats fast and
hard in a confused and tormented body of emotion, suffering and joy - a body in
the painful, spiritual process of transitioning from a devout, conformist Christian
child to a young, liberated adult of his own volition.
The Bloomsbury Review called it "a superb example of the art of cartooning: the
blending of word and picture to achieve an effect that neither is capable of
without the other."
Reaction and Teaching Ideas
Blankets: an illustrated novel would make an excellent close reading text as well
as general recommended reading to a wide range of students - including: female,
male, readers at different levels, students with an interest in art and writing, and
students with reading difficulties. Even though it is a whopping 582 pages long given its predominantly illustrative nature and simple, colloquial written style and
controversial subject matter, it would particularly appeal to reluctant readers. The
more edgier elements to the book - namely some of the antics the boys get up to
(they spend an angry night urinating on each other), the young love affair
(kissing, not-quite love-making) and subtle allusions to abuse (the babysitter 'tells
them a joke' in the other room) - give the book its dark, human quality that make
it truly accessible, engaging and credible, especially to more cynical readers. The
'God' element is in itself highly controversial and therefore may need to be
'pitched' to some readers for what it really it is - an in-road to studying broader
societal (non-religious) themes. (Ultimately, this is not a religious text - quite the
opposite.) The simplicity of the images and the direct (almost superficial)
openness of the text, directly contrast the serious nature of the story being told making it an ideal text to study form (using language, symbols and
text). Blankets could also be discussed in relation to numerous topics and themes
- including identity, difference, community, perspective, religion, disability,
fostering, adoption, responsibility, coming of age, home and grief, to name a few.
The confession-like nature of the novel specifically lends itself to discussions
around themes of personal value and moral systems: cultural capital, empathy,
understanding difference and others. Although the book is set in North America, it
would tie nicely into studies of New Zealand / Maori / Pacific Island stories of a
similar ilk, alongside Whale Rider (Witi Ihimaera), Once Were Warriors, Sia
Figiel's Where we Once Belonged and The Girl in the Moon Circle, many of
Owen Marshall's short stories, as well as local performance / slam poetry. It goes
without saying that this novel is a live-wire candidate for getting the students to
reflect on their own world views, values and moral systems, as well as think
about their place in society - in relation to their families and whanau, their wider
social group and the international community. As a multi-platform text
(illustrations and written word) it opens itself to creative ways of readings and
interpretation. No doubt much fun could be had here with creative writing /
illustration exercises in response to the text. Blankets is a rich text - a moving,
compelling graphic novel - dripping with material just asking to be ransacked by
young minds.
"But in that little pathetic clump of blankets there was comfort."
Supplementary Reading / Research Material:
Craig Thompson's blog dootdootgarden.com provides insight into the author's
creative process and provides access (by email) for students / teachers to directly
ask the author questions about his work
"The Beautiful Ambiguity of Blankets: Comics Representation and Religious Art" a study guide by Benjamin
Stevens http://www.english.ufl.edu/imagetext/archives/v5_1/stevens/
"On Teaching the Graphic Novel" by Alexander
Chee http://koreanish.com/2010/10/14/on-teaching-the-graphic-novel/
"Blankets: an illustrated novel Summary and Study Guide" - author unknown
(available for purchase at Bookrags: http://www.bookrags.com/studyguideblankets/#gsc.tab=0)