Meg's take on Wednesday Wars

Always the last to the table. I just finished Wednesday Wars last night, and let me just say, I loved it. I didn't think I did until I was halfway done. I didn't want to surrender my critical observations of how unrealistic I felt this 7th grade boy was, but in the end, I gave in. Holling may have been a bit more introspective than what I assume the 7th grade species to be, but in a time like his, perhaps that was required for kids of all ages. Can you imagine trying to make sense of assassinations, a senseless war, and the atomic bomb issue looming over you every day? And where better to look than Shakespeare? (which, by the way, was my absolute favorite part...I want to be Mrs. Baker. I love how Holling says that perhaps he really believed that all Mrs. Baker had ever done was sit behind her desk...So funny.)

I thought the way he described his parents' marriage falling apart was interesting. About how it doesn't all end at once, and it is the little things that start to go. A very observant 7th grader, I would say.

I loved the running part: a perfect segue into our next book.


And here's my favorite...a definitive description of the complete non-definition of the world:

That’s the way it is in the real world.

It’s not always smiles. Sometimes the real world is like Hamlet. A little scared. Unsure. A little angry. Wishing that you could fix something that you can’t fix. Hoping that maybe something would fix itself, but thinking that hoping that way is stupid.

And sometimes the real world is more like Bobby Kennedy, who was a sure bet for the Democratic nomination and probably would have been president of the United States and stopped the war, but who got shot at point-blank range.

Changing our perspective-Anna's Wednesday thoughts

I loved the scene from Wednesday Wars when Mrs. Baker took Holling on a drive to see all of the buildings in his town. She explained to him the significance behind them, and then Holling thinks the following,

"On a bright blue day when there wasn't an atomic bomb on any horizon, when the high clouds were painted onto blue canvas, when tulips were standing at attention and azaleas were blooming (except for the ones in front of the Perfect House) and dogs were barking at all the new smells, I saw my town as if I had just arrived. It was as if I was waking up. You see houses and buildings every day, and you walk by them on your way to something else, and you hardly see. You hardly notice they're even there, mostly because there's something else going on right in front of your face. But when the town itself becomes the thing that is going on right in front of your face, it all changes, and you're not just looking at a house but at what's happened in that house before you were born. That afternoon, driving with Mrs. Baker, the American Revolution was here. The escaped slaves were here. The abolitionists were here.
And I was here." ( p.222-223)

How do you think we can look at our individual circumstances "as if we had just arrived"? How can we look at the people around us in that light? Could they be the "houses" that Holling was talking about? I think so.

I heard a lady from my ward speak in Stake Conference tonight. I have always thought she was just an awesome example of someone who quietly serves. She's not the Relief Society president, she doesn't really talk that much. She sits quietly, but loves openly. She is always the first one to sign up when we need a volunteer to help clean the building, or when someone needs a meal. I found out tonight as she shared her testimony that she had a son die of leukemia a few years back. I had no idea. I already thought highly of her, but somehow knowing that little tidbit of information, my heart opened to her even more. My love and admiration for her faith and quiet service increased.

One of the ways Mrs. Baker helps Holling open his eyes in this scene is that she goes against the grain. Mrs. Baker, who always seems to be following the rules, breaks them. She keeps Holling working every Wednesday, when all of the other classmates are gone. There seems to be no relief. But here they were, supposed to be having another bomb drill, and she busts him out of school! This must have caught Holling off-guard and he realized there might be something important about their little jaunt.

I think if we are to see people and situations "as if [we] had just arrived" we have to step out of our own lives and sometimes even break the rules. Do things we wouldn't normally do. Be brave, and bold! Who knows what we might find.

What do you think?

Jaclyn's "Wednesday Wars" Review

The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have been exceptionally tired, and so I have put off reviewing "The Wednesday Wars" though I could not stop talking about it while I was reading it and the days after I finished it.  This book, despite its detailed depiction of rats running around in the classroom ceiling, was wonderful.  I love that it took place in 1967-1968.  I love the political and social references, and the wording used to characterize the main character Holling Hoodhood's (yes, Hoodhood really is his last name) teacher Mrs. Baker.  I love the Shakespeare references and how well Schmidt captured the simple desires a seventh grader has for validation and acceptance. 

This is simply a story of a seventh grader named Holling who doesn't quite fit in (in all honesty, what seventh grader ever feels like he/she fits in?) and his path to figuring out his worth over the course of a school year.  Throw in Mickey Mantle, Vietnam, an unrelenting father, Catholics, Jews, and cream puffs, and you have "The Wednesday Wars."

I'm not sure a middle schooler (the intended audience) would love this book as much as adult, but I think they would enjoy it - perhaps for different reasons than an adult would.  Teachers, especially, would enjoy this book - we can't help but love well-written characterizations of ourselves. 

As for being a Newberry Honor Book, I am glad to report, that Schmidt's "Wednesday Wars" is very deserving.  Happy reading!

March Book: Born to Run

As soon as I hear the words "Born to Run" I start humming Bruce Springsteen.  This month though we're taking on a different "Born to Run"  - we're reading Christopher McDougall's Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen.  

This book is a total departure from anything we have read previously, but it should be an entertaining and eye-opening read.  I promise that this is not a book only runners or athletes would enjoy because as anyone who knows we well knows, I am definitely not a runner.  I don't understand running when there is no ball to chase. 

The Goodreads summary of McDougall's book says the following, "Full of incredible characters, amazing athletic achievements, cutting-edge science, and, most of all, pure inspiration, Born to Run is an epic adventure that began with one simple question: Why does my foot hurt? In search of an answer, Christopher McDougall sets off to find a tribe of the world’s greatest distance runners and learn their secrets, and in the process shows us that everything we thought we knew about running is wrong."  All of us can use a bit of inspiration to reach our next goal.  Join us.  I think you'll thoroughly enjoy it.

--Jaclyn

A kid's book?

Don't get me wrong, I loved The Wednesday Wars.  I'm just wondering if a middle schooler would also love this book.  A twelve-year-old would miss most of the 1960s references and most likely, would miss the Shakespeare references unless he/she had previous exposure.  Is the story of a struggling kid enough to compel someone young through the story?  Just wondering what you think. 

-Jaclyn

ps. I am a huge fan of Mrs. Baker. 
pps. I loathe Mr. Hoodhood. 
ppps. I double heart you.
pppps. This is what my notes to my friends in seventh grade looked like...why didn't I include the contents of the post-scripts in the body of the letter?!

Have you started The Wednesday Wars?!

Hello Pickwick Society-

Just wanted to tell you that if you haven't started The Wednesday Wars then today is your day.  It is fantastic and exactly the type of book to read after your last few serious reads.  You'll love the 1960s references to politics and social movements, and if you're an English nerd, you'll love the references to Shakespeare's plays - both the overt line references and then the ones that are cleverly woven into the prose.  

Happy reading!

-Jac

ps. I'm not kidding when I say start today.  You won't be disappointed.

Jaclyn's "101" Review

The 101 Most Influential People Who Never Lived: How Characters of Fiction, Myth, Legends, Television, and Movies Have Shaped Our Society, Changed Our Behavior, and Set the Course of History by Allan Lazar
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Let’s be honest – I am so glad to be done with this book.  I love the randomness and the obscure facts.  I do not love how enamored the authors are with themselves and their damn dog.  I think this is a good book to peruse when you’re waiting for someone or when you’re looking for something to talk about at a dinner party.  This is not a book that I would recommend reading from cover to cover. 

A few things that I found thoroughly entertaining from my read:

*Still cracking up from the Prince Charming section.  The Velazquez idea that Prince Charming can’t recognize the love of his life so how is he going to be a good father is especially funny.

*Robinson Crusoe inspired the idea of “my man Friday” which, of course, led to “my girl Friday.”

*When the book was written, there had never been a president or vice-president or secretary of state Joe.  I actually agree with the authors on this one – GI Joe sounds great.  Vice President Joe – not so much.  Do you think that’s why the Obama administration hardly lets him out to play?

*Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde was on the forefront of psychology. And who said writers make things up?  We’re brilliant, well at least, Robert Louis Stevenson was. Not sure about the writers that are perpetuating vampire series books in every era possible.

*Any reference to the Mary Tyler Moore show makes me happy.  I love that she is a symbol of women’s liberation.  I never thought of that when I was watching her as a little girl on Nick at Nite (yes, that’s how they spelled night). 

*Buffy?  REALLY?

*The Barbie information is so interesting.  Ironically, they reference Barbie and Ken separating in 2004.  I passed a display in Target a couple days ago that “Barbie & Ken – Back Together!” I guess the famously beautiful plastic dolls have reconciled just in time for Valentine’s Day. 

[For more see, other posts and their comments.  Happy reading!]