Speak

Well, after reading Brooke's blog, I feel like I should just copy and paste everything that she wrote!  Her sentiments seemed to come right out of my head, saying everything that I wanted to say!  Well done, Brooke!

Speak was an extremely well-written novel focusing on a young girl's struggle to share her deepest secret with those around her.  Melinda consistently tried to find ways to voice her self, but was not able to find the language.  Even through her art, she found struggle in finding a voice.  I did find it a bit difficult to read the book, simply because I knew what had happened before I read it (my husband read the book last year and had discussed it with me).  I believe that, had I been unaware of what Melinda was being silent about, I may have made more of a connection to the text.

Although I understand the need to write a book like this, I find it extremely disheartening that this was allowed to occur and no one in Melinda's life seemed to notice a problem.  When I see a student whose personality takes a serious shift, I feel confident that I take notice and take action by speaking either to him/her or making a phone call to the parents.  Children are typically so easily read by those adults around them (such as parents and teachers), and although I know that personality changes happen and children grow up, I find it hard to believe that this silence was overlooked.  It almost seems like the book was a bit unrealistic in that manner--would a young girl in Melinda's predicament truly be forced to remain silent for that long?  I surely hope not, although I fear that perhaps it happens all too frequently (especially in high schools).  

This would absolutely be a book that I would introduce into my adolescent literature classroom's curriculum.  Although Melinda was silenced because of rape, her story of the struggle with finding her voice can be used across so many issues.  Every teen feels at some point in their adolescence that they are different from every one else and that "no one understands me."  I feel that everyone would be able to find a connection with Melinda, be it a struggle with sexuality, personal appearance, family issues, or even (god-forbid) something as terrible as rape or assault.  Speak could generate some wonderful conversations and would be an excellent addition to a high school classroom.

Boy Meets Boy

Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan is a charming novel about normal teenagers and their quest for love. Although the story is centered around a gay adolescent male and his relationships, the reader is led to focus more on the journey than on the individuals' sexuality.

This book was extremely easy to read and I would definitely enjoy using it in a classroom for several reasons. It would pair greatly with Thomas Moore's Utopia, and would invoke a great amount of discussion in the classroom. Although I recognize that many parents and/or administrators may not like the idea of using LGBT literature in the classroom, it is an issue that must be faced by all adolescents. Many of teens are facing the same struggles as Paul; but, unfortunately, do not live in a utopian society where they can feel safe being exactly who they are.

Boy Meets Boy is obviously set in a world that, unfortunately, does not exist. With the exception of Tony, each character is able to feel free to express themselves as they wish with little to no repurcussions. Infinite Darlene is a prime example of this. Once again, this would be a wonderful place for Boy Meets Boy to enter a classroom and spark conversation. Students could debate how they feel about self-expression and/or sexual expression. Class discussions about Tony's lifestyle and his problems with his parents' religion is sure to bring many personal examples to the table.

Forever

Forever by Judy Blume is an easy-to-read, explicitly informative young adult novel focusing on all things sexual.  When Blume's daughter was 14 years old, she asked her mother to write a novel about adolescents falling in love, having sex, and not having any repercussions.  Forever was her response; although, it is arguably one that her daughter was truly asking for.  In Blume's novel, Katherine and Michael are journeying together throughout her first sexual encounters.  While the book highlights Katherine's experiences (the text is written from her point of view), several other characters are struggling to define themselves as sexual beings as well: Michael's attempts to avoid chauvinism in his relationship with Katherine, Artie's inferred homosexuality, etc.  

Trites's chapter on sex and power in her book Disturbing the Universe extensively discusses the issues that young adult novels bring to fruition when talking about human sexuality.  Once again, Trites connects Foucault's philosophical work, from his book The History of Sexuality, and discusses the notion that Western societies have regulated sexuality, causing it to be "influenced by, even created by, language."  While I agree with Trites on the majority of her points, I have several fundamental issues with several of her arguments.  

One: When discussing Forever, Trites offers the following analysis: "The text tries to liberate teenage sexuality by communicating that curiosity about sex is natural, but it then undercuts this message with a series of messages framed by institutional discourses that imply teenagers should not have sex or else should feel guilty if they do (88)."  I completely disagree with this statement.  Blume's message about sexuality does indeed communicate that teenage curiosity about sex is natural; however, I do not agree that it sends a message that giving into that curiosity and engaging in sexual acts should make teenagers feel guilty.  Blume does create consequences for some characters in the text, but it is obvious that she feels that adolescents need to be aware of the real-life consequences that come from having unprotected sex, especially at a young age.  For example, Sybil gets pregnant and gives her baby up for adoption, obviously suffering some emotional hardships; however, it is quite obvious to the reader that Sybil really "gets around."  Another example is the impending end of Michael and Katherine's relationship, although Katherine herself states at the end of the novel that she does not regret having sex with Michael (not to mention, she has no physical consequences of having sex in a monogamous, "loving" relationship).  In complete disagreement with Trites, I believe that Blume did an excellent job in this novel of communicating to adolescents that sexual curiosity is indeed natural, but one must be careful to avoid the consequences that are very real and do happen in real life.

Two: Another problem that I have with Trites's analysis may seem simple, but it did bother me.  After quoting Katherine from Forever describing her disdain upon hearing her parents making love, Trites writes: "Forever doth protest too loudly: the reader may learn to feel shame about sex from being told not to feel ashamed (89)."  Once again, I wholeheartedly disagree and believe that Trites is taking this idea a bit too far.  Katherine's statement about her parents love-making is simply something that just about every human being (especially adolescents) feel and I believe Blume was only including this statement to allow adolescent readers to connect.  For example, I personally am very open and outspoken about sexuality, regarding both myself and others; however, I draw the line when I have to think about my own parents having sex!  This does not at all mean that I feel any shame regarding sex or sexuality.

Third: Trites seems to believe that there is an overwhelming amount of objectification of women in Forever, quoting several examples from the text.  I do slightly agree with Trites here.... but I do not think that it is an overwhelming theme throughout the novel.  I believe that because the book is written from Katherine's point of view, we are seeing (and analyzing) everything from a female's perspective.  Unfortunately, this does not allow the reader to empathize with any male characters and the struggles that they inevitably face with their sexuality as well (namely, Michael and Artie).

I also have a few contentions with Trites's analysis on Queer Discourse, but I will save these notes for my blog on Boy Meets Boy.

As an adolescent lit teacher, I am honestly not sure if I would incorporate this text into my classroom lesson plans.  Just noting how our education system is addressing the issue of adolescents and sexuality (ahem, abstinence-only education, ahem), I can already see the repercussions from parents, administrators, community members, etc., of incorporating a novel such as this!  I would, however, keep this novel on hand as a "teachable moment" resource.  This is an age group where sexuality is quite often a topic of discussion... if I found an opportunity to use this topic as a class discussion, this novel would be perfect.  I could also see using this in small-group instruction, perhaps with advanced/accelerated students.

The Chocolate War

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier is an excellent depiction of an adolescent's struggle to invoke his personal power and will in the face of the social institutions surrounding him.  Jerry Renault, the new freshman at Trinity High School, stands up against not only the school and their annual chocolate sale, but against the school bullies "organization"-- the Vigils.  

Despite his apparent willingness to obey the Vigils' "assignment" of refusing to sell Trinity's chocolates, Renault faces a serious backlash when he continues to refuse to take part in the chocolate sale, causing significant reputation problems for the school headmaster and the Vigils.  Throughout the text, Cormier highlights the struggle for power and control among several people in the text (including Brother Leon, Archie, the Vigils, and Renault himself).  In the end, Renault unknowingly conforms to the school's social institutions by surrendering to his own violent desires:

".... squinting, he saw Archie in the crowd, a grinning, exultant Archie.  A new sickness invaded Jerry, the sickness of knowing what he had become, another animal, another beast, another violent person in a violent world, inflicting damage, not disturbing the universe, but damaging it.  He had allowed Archie to do this to him (242)."

In the critical text, Disturbing the Universe, Trites discusses many different interpretations of The Chocolate War, including metaphors for the Vietnam War, the Mafia, and American politics as a whole.  Trites mentions a text connection to Golding's Lord of the Flies, which was the immediate association that I personally made while reading The Chocolate War.   According to Trites, both texts are dark, adolescent fantasies in which we see that "when adolescents achieve total control, they become totally corrupt (24)."  

While I agree with Trites's basic comparison of the two texts, I believe a bit more analysis is necessary when comparing the two.  Golding's Lord of the Flies is an allegorical novel written about children (all under the age of thirteen), not adolescents, and is a literal representation of the idea that "absolute power corrupts absolutely."  Cormier's The Chocolate War, in contrast, is a book written specifically about adolescents, in which the struggle for power is not so absolute.  Unlike the characters in Lord of the Flies, the characters in The Chocolate War face social and political institutions, thus making their struggle for personal power very different.

Although Jerry Renault's struggle for power is the focus of this novel, I found that he was not the only adolescent facing the issues of power and control.  I believe that Archie's struggle for power was just as significant as Renault's.  As a leader of the Vigils, Archie has consistently been a silent pillar of power at Trinity High School for years.  Now, with the headmaster sick and Brother Leon seeking control, Archie's desire for recognition begins to corrupt his powerful reputation when students (namely, Renault) start to stand up to him.  Archie is forced to face his own struggles with the institutions around him in much the same way as Renault, although they go about it in very different ways.

I happened to catch the film adaptation of The Chocolate War almost immediately after reading the book.  The movie made a few compelling changes to the story, significantly at the end.  Instead of Janza fighting Renault in the boxing match, Archie is forced by the president of the Vigils to take Janza's place.  I found this to be an extremely interesting choice by the filmmakers, as it allowed the viewer to focus even more on Archie's power struggle throughout the course of the story.