Children of the Great Depression

Freedman, Russel. Children of The Great Depression. Houghton Mifflin Company: New York 2005.

Annotation

In the 1930's the times were hard, families were jobless, the government couldn't be depended on, and the nation was in search for economic recovery.

Justification for Rejection

A person doesn't have to be a historical buff to understand what went on in the great depression. To give a vague explanation, someone might say: Nobody could get a job, the banks lost money, and children were forced to worked. The book was full of great story telling pictures, and it introduced quotes from individuals throughout that time frame, but that wasn't enough. the pictures explained more then the words. The information freedman gave was information that children learn in school. It is information that youth can obtain by reading a paragraph from the Internet. In 2009 the society is facing a crisis of it's own related to economics, but this book doesn't take the present day into affect. The book ends by vaguely talking about the turn around in the 1940's because of San Fransisco's Golden Gate international explosion, and New York's World Fair. The book didn't explain how society turned around and where it was headed. The information in this book was data that the general public already knew, and there wasn't enough insight to tell us about how and why the nation changed. The book talked about world war II for one page and then switched back to the depression? Freedman dealt with a big subject, but not enough information was given that could enhance the perspective of any given reader.

Genre: Historical fiction.

Educating Esme

Codell, Esme. Educating Esme. Workman Publishing: New York, 1999.

Annotation

A first year twenty four year old teacher, takes the reader through the ups and down when it comes to teaching her inner city fifth grade class.

Justification for Nomination

For Esme Cordell, and her first year of teaching, no day is the same. She has fights with the boss, and has stressful days with the students. Codell tells it how she sees it. A person may not agree to having a student's family come over to a teacher's house for a night due to living purposes, or allowing a disruptive fifth grader to teach the class, but Codell handles her situations with pride. She has a talent when it comes to teaching. Not all agree with her style. The principal views the students as problems for society. Codell uses her witty, and charismatic teaching talent to ensure that her students believe in themselves and acknowledge success as the number one option. This is a book you can read easily in one sitting. But you'll want to read it again. Not because you didn't understand, but because Codell's dedication for a first year teacher compared to the rest of her colleagues seems far fetched. This book couldn't be any more realer though. When it comes to preparing the youth for the future, you'll want to have Madame Esme in mind.

Genre: Memoir

The Rules of Survival

Werlin, Nancy. The Rules of Survival. The Penguin Group:

New York, 2006.

Annotation

An abusive mother dominates the lives of her children. Mathew, the only boy and oldest of the three, makes it his mission to stop her in order to live a normal life.

Nomination for Recommendation

Mathew, Emmy, and Callie call their mother, Niki, by her first name. Niki is attractive for her age, which is the only thing she has going for her. Mathew the oldest of the three, and the only boy, uses this story as a letter to his youngest sister Emmy, telling her about the hardships that their mother put all of them through. Callie, the middle child, is one of the consistent shoulders for Mathew to lean on as he makes his quest for them to live a normal life. The reader lives through Mathew's adolescent life as he continues to write to his younger sister. Their are other forces at hand who help guide Mathew, but at times he is let down. The plot never rests. Mathew is persistent on never giving up. He has seen it at it's worst, from having his mother jokingly put a knife to his throat, too her coming home drunk and bringing four men home with her at once. You want to help Mathew, but you can't. When the book ends, one of the helpful guiding forces, Mr. Murdoch, plays his own role in unraveling the circle theme of survival. Mathew's relentless faith in himself, and his two sisters, makes the victory of this edgy book complete.

Genre: Realistic/Edgy/Problem Novel

Dark Sons

Grimes, Nikki. Dark Sons. Goudy and Goudy Sans: New York, 2005.

Annotation

Two boys in different time frames face the same pain due to the actions of their fathers.

Justification For Nomination

In this poetic novel, Ishmael and Sam face the same issue of their fathers leaving for reasons each boy continually questions. Ishmael being from Africa, and Sam an inner city American boy, gives the book a two part first person narrative deliverance. Each character relates to their situation differently, but the pain is felt equally. Some pieces in this verse novel are short, while others dig deep to explain the situation at hand, but non the less, Grimes never skips a beat when writing to the reader. Whether you have been through Ishmael or Sam's pain doesn't disqualify you from being able to relate to this book. It shows a side of two young men that only a friend is supposed to see. As soon as the plot looks dark, and there seems to be no positives in store for these two compassionate boys, the turn around is one that you will want to take with you.

Genre: Verse Novel