Book List

It's easy to forget what being a teenager was like--the awkwardness, the confusion, the certainty that high school would never, ever end. Here are a few books that will put you in touch with your inner adolescent and, hopefully, make you more sympathetic the next time you're faced with a roomful of them.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Written from the point-of-view of Melinda, a freshman outcast who refuses to speak for a whole year, Speak is insightful, very funny, and a quick read. (Everything I love in fiction!) I actually picked this up for my students, but it totally sucked me in as a piece of good literature in its own right. There is a made-for-tv movie version, as well. I haven't seen it, but one of my teenage students recommended it. So there you go.

Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen

I became familiar with this book in Lynne Porter's lesson planning class through UCLA Extension; she did this really great activity where the whole class reads one or two chapters each and then pieces the story together. Very effective and fun.

The plot follows an angry juvenile delinquent who is sentenced to spend a year alone on an island, gets his butt righteously kicked by a bear, and must learn how to rebuild his body and spirit. My teenagers failed to make the connection between the main character and themselves, but my adults loved it, particularly those who have done jailtime.

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

My mother has been an educator all her working life, and she says, "I think anyone who teaches should read this. It really shows you why students need the utmost kindness and understanding; you just never know what things are like at home."

I expected something syrupy and woe-is-me after that little lecture, but this memoir blew me away. It follows the dysfunctional Walls family as they move from place-to-place, led by their brilliant but deeply flawed parents. The neglect Walls describes is appalling, yet she tells her stories with such wit and honesty that you find yourself laughing out loud when you aren't shaking your head.

I read a chapter of this out loud to my classes--both the teenagers and adults--and they both responded to it really well, asking if I would please read more.

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi

Persepolis is a graphic novel about Satrapi's life in Iran after the Islamic Revolution. She describes how her liberal childhood gave way to repression, fear, and veils as she grew older and the Islamic regime took hold. Not only does the book provide great lessons on culture and history, it is honest, touching, imaginative, and (yes, I'm going to say it again) funny. Marjane's struggle to remain "punk rock" despite increasing religious conservatism is both poignant and hilarious. Read the first few pages and just try to put it down. I dare you.

While you're at it, be on the look out for the DVD of the movie version. It's fantastic.

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What about you? Read any good books lately?