BEYOND the BORDERS
While my son was in school I read everything he brought home, so I could discuss it with him, in fact, I continue to read some of his assigned books now that he is in college, for the same reason. HOMELESS BIRD was a story he read in middle school.
Homeless Bird by GLORIA WHELAN takes place in India in modern times, and gives us a look into cultural norms there, such as arranged marriages for the extremely young, and how that culture views women's roles. The story also makes us aware that many things we consider necessities in our Western World, like electricity, phones and computers in schools, are considered luxuries. The story centers around Koly, who is 13 at the beginning of the novel, and is being given in marriage to lighten the financial burden on their family. This book also shows us what can be accomplished when women bond together.
Although this story is aimed at the Middle Grade group it would be thoughly enjoyed by most YA and Adult readers.
I love that you mentioned this book. I hadn't heard of it before, but I tossed it onto my TBR. One of my close friends lives in Mumbai, so I love reading about her culture and discussing it with her afterwards. Though, the conversation is a lot funnier whenever I get her to read books set in the southern US and we talk about them. :)
ReplyDeleteKristen @ Pretty Little Pages
Most of my son's friends are Asian and they love to tease me when they see me reading a book with an Asian character or cultural setting. I love talking to them about superstitions. Thank-you for stopping by. I will return the gesture. :)
DeleteMy son is only four, but I can't wait for him to get a little bigger so we can read and discuss. I think that makes SUCH a huge difference to kids...being able to discuss with their parents. Especially if there's a chance they may be reluctant readers. My stepson was in the same boat for a long while, and he was really excited when one of us would read and discuss with him. :) Great post!
ReplyDeleteIt is a joy because they usually blow you away with what they get from a story. Also, it makes discussions about other things easier for them to initiate. I envy your being at the beginning of this parenting journey. I am waiting patiently for grandchildren so I can start again. Thanks for the visit. I will return the favor. :)
DeleteWhat a beautiful blog! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThank-you so much for saying that. A couple of bloggers weren't very complimentary about my blog yesterday. Lol. I feel better now. I will be stopping by soon.
DeleteI too read along with my oldest (who is entering 7th grade and just started this past school year reading books as part of the reading curriculum) so that we can talk about the book together. Doing this has helped him to tell me when he reads something inappropriate or doesn't understand something he's read. Reading with your children definitely opens up doors of communication. I love that!
ReplyDeleteHolly @ Words Fueled by Love
Yes!! When my son was in fourth grade he chose a book from the 100 book read challenge shelf in his classroom, and after reading a couple of pages handed it to me and said he didn't think he should be reading it. I started reading and not only did it have profanity, but also described some teenage boys beating an elderly woman in great detail. Thank goodness he gave me the book before he got to the assault. The teacher was ashamed because the author was known for a Middle Grade book that was also suitable for fourth and fifth graders, and she just assumed all of his books were the same. I will be dropping by your blig to return the visit.
DeleteThat sounds like a good read. I remember reading The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck in middle school and loving it, being fascinated by the portrayal of Chinese culture. I re-read it again a few years ago (now in my 40s) and it was just as good albeit for different reasons.
ReplyDeleteI loved The Good Earth! It's interesting that you read it in middle school, was it a school-assigned book, or did you just decide to read it on your own? I wouldn't have thought that it would be categorized as a middle school book, but what would I know? I didn't read it until I was in my 20's. =)
DeleteI am ashamed to say that The Good Earth is my mother's all time favorite book and I have never read it. I will have to remedy that. Thank-you for the visit. I will drop by too. :)
DeleteI wished more people read with their kids. It makes such a difference.
ReplyDeleteI try to read a couple of middle grade books each year. I will add Homeless Bird to my reading list. I saw a documentary about arranged marriages of young girls and found it quite interesting.
Thanks for the recommendation.
There was an excellent movie I watched about this subject, and I can not remember the name of it. I will post it as soon as aI remember. Thank-you for commenting. I will pay you a visit, too!!
DeleteI love this book so much! I read it for school and I don't usually remember books, but I definitely remember that one. Gah, I was so mad at the mother-in-law. *shakes fist at her* But there was a lot of awesome in this book.
ReplyDeleteI want to read it again now that we have been talking about it. :)
DeleteHomeless Bird sounds like a very interesting book. Arranged marriages were the norm for the Chinese too, but I think it doesn't happen very much anymore. None of my Chinese friends have arranged marriages, that's for sure, but I don't know if they still do it in some parts of China.
ReplyDeleteI also have never heard any of my son's Chinese friends mentioning anything about arranged marriages, although I think most of them are second generation American born.
Delete