Turbulent Souls
A Catholic Son's Return to his Jewish Family
by Stephen J. Dubner In late 1944, Sol Dubner told a priest that he had been a Jew and was interested in Catholicism. The priest directed him to a group of fellow converts to Catholicism from Judaism. Among these was Florence Greenglass, who competently answered Sol's questions. The two kept in touch. Sol converted to Catholicism in 1945, and in 1946 the two married and became Paul and Veronica Dubner. The Dubners had eight children; the youngest was was Stephen. Paul and Veronica Dubner did their best to give their children the gift that made their own lives worth living, their belief in Catholicism, but only three of their children stayed Catholics. Stephen was intrigued by the faith that his parents had left- Judaism. His interest was somewhat fueled by a desire to know his father, who died when Stephen was ten years old.
Turbulent Souls begins with the stories of Florence and Sol, their families, and their journeys to their faith and each other. Then it moves on to their family together, their children, and Stephen's own childhood. Finally it returns to their histories, this time not as their own stories but as part of Stephen's quest. Throughout, it is Stephen who remains most murky, because he is not clear about his own beliefs. The childhood described by Dubner stands in sharp contrast to that described by Stephen Zanichkowsky in
Fourteen, because both describe large Catholic families, one far more idyllic than the other. Pictures included.
Soulful reading.
The Voices of AIDS ,1995
Michael Thomas Ford AIDS affects more people than are infected with AIDS. HIV has an effect on the families and communities of people with HIV. In this book, Ford interviews people affected by AIDS: people with HIV, family members, and activists. He also provides information about HIV and AIDS between each interview. This book is aimed at teens, and some of the information about HIV and prevention is presented on an overly simplistic level. In particular, I was annoyed by the generalizations made about teenagers, especially because the actual teenagers portrayed in this book are responsible people. Some of the book is out of date.
Serious reading.
All of us Together
The Story of Inclusion at the Kinzie School
by Jeri Banks, 1994 Drastically declining student enrollment at the Kinzie School in Chicago left many classrooms empty and the school in danger of closing. The deaf program at Marquette School, also in Chicago, was extremely overcrowded. Children with little hearing had no hope of discriminating sound in the confusing cacophany. In 1982, 135 children from Marquette School, along with their teachers, moved into the Kinzie School. At first, the two groups were separate. But in the very first year, James P. Franklin, then principle of Kinzie School, began organizing the neighborhood counsil on behalf of the deaf students. Over the course of a decade, the deaf and mainstream program intermngled. Some deaf students were mainstreamed. Hearing students learned some sign. Extracurricular activities grew inclusive. The academic performance of hearing and deaf students improved, and so did their tolerance and understanding.
Jeri Banks moved to the Kinzie school in 1982 with the deaf students, as a speech and auditory training teacher. Although she tells her story as an advocate of the deaf, she always retains a view that the deaf are disabled. She never comes across to the view she reports on, that the natural language of the deaf is sign. The story of change at the Kinzie school is an interesting one. However, Banks spends too much time on the politics of the school system. Her bias spills out, unrestrained, over accounts of administrative fights. However, very little is told with an understanding of where Banks is, and what she is doing, during these fights. While the book's story spans almost a decade, very little mention is made of time. The passage of time is the most confusing element of this story.
As a student of disabilities, there were some questions I really wanted to ask of the text. The disparity in teacher's signing abilities and in the signs they did use is an issue barely acknowledged by Banks. Since Signed Exact English and ASL were both used, Banks should have noted which was being used in each instance. Instead, she refers to all sign as "sign". What kind of communication occurred between deaf and hearing staff? Since Banks reports only a few signed communications, how much sign did Banks know? If she knew little sign, that would have affected both her views on sign and on the interactions of students.
Question: When is mainstreaming a good idea?
Happy reading.
Luna a novel by Julie Anne Peters Regan's biggest concern in life is her older sister Luna. Regan worries about Luna's depression, having once walked in on her sister's attempt at suicide. Luna wears Regan's clothes and insists that Regan buy clothes for her. The burden that Luna places on Regan is a secret, because to the rest of the world, there is no Luna. To the rest of the world, Regan has a brother Liam, and not a sister Luna. Although Liam sometimes appears suspiciously effeminate, Luna is a secret. Regan wants it to stay that way, but Luna is growing out of the closet, threatening the tenuous family balance and Regan's first boyfriend.
Regan narrates this novel, but the theme is Luna/Liam. Regan refers to her sibling as female in the scenes when Luna is openly female, and as her brother when Luna is in the closet. The interdependence of the sisters is as complex as Luna's gender. A lot of Regan herself is lost in the telling of Luna; I felt that I understood more about the lives of Regan's parents and Liam's best friend Aly than I did about Regan's life. Although I at times did not like Regan, I appreciated the realistic manner in which Regan is portrayed; she is not prematurely mature, nor is she unusually accepting of her sister.
This book has been cited as the first novel with a trans teen as a main character, but
What Happened to Lani Garver? precedes it.
Question: Regan tells Aly that if you love a person, gender shouldn't matter. Is Regan right? If you thought you had a boyfriend, but he said he was she, would you still love her?
Thoughtful reading.
The Book Haven's Review
Wizards of the Game
by David LubarEighth grader Mercer suggests having a gaming tournament as the middle school fundraiser. It seems like a great idea, and at first his teachers and classmates are enthusiastic. Then Ed, a Christian classmate, writes an article about the Satanic values of Wizards of the Warrior World, and suddenly nothing is simple. Christians picket the school, and a group of foreigners approach Mercer for his help as a wizard.
Lubar contrasts a humanistic version of Christianity with an evangelical strain of Christianity and leaves no doubt as to which he prefers. To do so, he presents evangelical Christians as ridiculous and irrational. Further, Ed's abrupt about-face is unlikely. Although not realist like
Dunk or a funny and pleasant read like
Hidden Talents,
Wizards of the Game raises serious questions without quite answering them.
Question: Is gambling wrong?
Thoughtful reading.
