Selection, Censorship, Diversity

This week we read books all dealing with different topics but seem to have the theme of getting through a difficult time.  Each of these books main characters have a label that have been placed on them.

In the book Mockingbird by Katherine Erskine,  Caitlin is a young girl that has been diagnosed with Asperbergers Disease.  Caitlin has a hard time looking at people's eyes and understanding emotions.  It is difficult enough to live with this disease but now she must learn how to live with out her brother Devon who has been killed.  Devon has been Caitlin's support while her mother has already died.  Her Dad is suffering in his own way until Caitlin helps them both find closure.

Steve Harmon has been arrested for murder and faces time in jail if he is found guilty.  He is a black teen that simply looks guilty.  The story Monster by Walter Dean Myers is written by Steve's point of view as a screen play if he was to make this trial into a movie.  Steve  claims he is innocent but now he must convince the jury of the same.  Steve worries that his parents and lawyer look at him like he is a monster.

Shawn is telling us the story in the book Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman.  Shawn is labeled exceptional because he has Cerebral Palsy.  He can not move a muscle; he cannot chew food, cannot point to words, and he cannot talk but he has the most remarkable memory.  No one knows about this though and think that Shawn has a low IQ.  This is all wrong, in fact, he has learned how to read by his sister playing school with him.  Shawn wants so badly to scream out that he is in there and wants to tell his father that he is not suffering.

The last book in this group is The Absolutely True Diary of Part-Time Indian by Alexie Sherman.  We are reading Junior's diary.  Junior is living on an Indian Reservation and has decided that he needs more for his education so he decides to go off the Rez and attend school with the White students.  This is not easy, Junior must overcome the racism at his new school and he must explain to the other Indians that he is not a traitor.  Most importantly, his friend Rowdy needs to understand why Junior has left him.