This Same Sky, sel. by Naomi Shihab Nye

The purchase of this book came through my work with a student, and I was so pleased with what I found that I decided to share my thoughts on it. This Same Sky is, as the subtitle notes "A Collection of Poems from around the World." Nye has gathered poetry from a wide range of countries and continents for the purpose of showing the way that poetry can both unite and distinguish cultures. There are poems from Latvia and from North Korea, from Mozambique and from Cuba. Poets and poetic styles vary considerably, but the differences make for an excellent read. None of poems is particularly long, so even for the reader who doesn't generally enjoy poetry there is something to appreciate. For my student, I focused primarily on the poetry in Africa, but I found myself turning the pages to see what other treasures I could locate.

Despite the array of poetry, Nye has organized all poems into six sections: "Words and Silences," "Dreams and Dreamers," "Families," "This Earth and Sky in Which We Live" (all the more interesting that it's not "this sky and earth in which we live"), "Losses," and "Human Mysteries." To some extent, many of the poems will feel a little unsophisticated when compared to many of the giants in English poetry--Milton, Donne, Pope. But the value in this collection is not so much in studying the linguistic genius of a society's greatest poets, but rather in appreciating the values that have shaped different cultures. In many cases, poetry is the first place to look for the metaphors that help define a society, and often the easiest poems to read can actually say the most. It's similar to studying the folk music of other cultures in order to understand the rhythm and tone of the people. The various poems provide a glimpse into a world that many people have never seen and might never have a chance to see except through the poetry.

All in all, this makes for an excellent addition to any library as well as a great teaching tool for students. I'm extremely happy that I chose to buy it, and I look forward to using it again with other students. Homeschooling families looking for poetry resources will find this book to be veritable boon, because it kills two birds with one stone: selecting a variety of poems and introducing students to other cultures. Sometimes poetry can be even more accessible than prose in terms of sheer enjoyment, and for teachers who don't have a great deal of time to spend on multi-cultural studies, this is a great book to use. Very highly recommended.

Les Misérables, by Victor Hugo

Although I've already's made comments about this book over on Carrie's blog, I thought I should put my own blog to good use and say a few things about Les Misérables here. After all, completing this book is quite a milestone for me, especially at the end of the semester.

In terms of a review, this one's very easy: read the book. Les Misérables is considered a masterpiece and rightly so. The plot is fascinating; the character development is exceptional; the moral thrust of the story packs a mean punch. I think that today, because many people seem to have at least a basic familiarity with what happens in Les Mis, largely through the popularity of the musical, it's easy to think that we know the story. I thought so. When I told my boss that I had read it, he admitted that he hadn't, but he could still name characters from it and offer a very basic understanding of it. But knowing what happens in Les Mis is not the same as reading Les Mis. The story itself is a journey that has unexpected twists and turns. And what is more, the journey is so much more powerful for having been experienced within the text. I'm half-tempted now to brush up on my French and read it in the original language. All the way through, I had the feeling that I was missing something linguistically. To use a comparison, it's impossible to ignore that much of Shakespeare's brilliance was in the language he used; I felt that way about Les Misérables as well. I think I missed some of Hugo's powerful prose as I read, simply because I had a translation, and probably not a very good one at that.

But language aside, the power of Hugo's story cannot be overlooked. Jean Valjean is a giant among literary characters, both figuratively and literally it would seem. He manages to be both immensely strong and quietly gentle, stoic and vulnerable. He is a man of contrasts and yet never acts inconsistently. His character is almost impossible to understand and yet strangely simple to appreciate. I haven't the faintest idea how Hugo managed to accomplish such a challenging task, but he achieved greatness in this story. All the more reason to read it.

The other characters function largely as constellations for Valjean, but I wouldn't consider any of them superfluous. Hugo names most of the book sections by character, but the reader quickly discovers that this is not because Les Mis is about a miscellany of characters, each acting out some miserable situation that he has been dealt in life. Rather, the characters named in the various sections represent some kind of turning point in Valjean's life; it is these characters who are the impulse for his actions, and always for the better it seems. Only at the end do we see a section named for Valjean, and in this case it is because Valjean must finally come to terms with his life. He is not necessarily acting for himself, but he is finally dealing with the greatest challenge he has yet to face (selfishness--something readers don't see much of from him during the main part of the story) and then finding the redemption that he has craved throughout the novel. It's a great technique in terms of genre and sets Les Misérables apart.

Overall, great book, great piece of literature, great read. It's long but not difficult. I found it to be more of a page-turner than I had anticipated and enjoyed it more than a number of easy-read modern books. There's just something about the story that demands attention. I'd give it three thumbs-up if I had them, but I'll have to be happy with two. Very highly recommended.

Blood, Sweat, and Tears

I feel like I've been abandoning my blog lately, but I can state with all sincerity that I don't have anything good to write about. This week, my life consisted of reading the Middle English poem Cleanness--which is ironically one of the messiest poems I've encountered--and weeding through Emily Dickinson's fascicles. Now, don't start thinking dirty thoughts. (You know who you are...) The fascicles are basically the small hand-made books she used for preserving her poems. I'm also reading through Les Miserables with Carrie, but I'm going to post opinions on her blog.

So for now, I'm on empty. I thought about trying to pull a rabbit out of the hat and just write about something I haven't read in aeons, but that's not particularly responsible. I also feel as though talking about a book I read several years ago would take away from the opportunity to add the fresh perspective I gained from being in school again. Alas, I wait.

I'm actually thinking of adding yet one more blog to my collection (not now, of course; heaven help me). The new one would be solely for academic material and to give me the chance to write about things I'm actually interested in. It appears that I won't have the opportunity to do so in school, so I might as well put all those words somewhere.