Book Review: Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain

You guys.  This book is sooooooo great!  Oh my gosh, where do I start???  Okay, so Necessary Lies takes place in the 1960's in the South. This time period in historical fiction is actually my favorite to read about (ahem, The Help).  The chapters change from one main character to the other- the two main characters are Ivy and Jane.  Jane has just finished college and although she's about to get married she yearns for a career in social work.  After much persistence, her husband allows her to follow that dream--little does he know how involved Jane will become with her passion.

On the other hand, Ivy is a teenager growing up in a rural tobacco farm community.  Her father died in a farm accident and her mother was institutionalized as she was mentally handicapped.  Ivy lives at the farm in a shack with her grandmother, sister and nephew.  Her sister is just a few years older and was told after she had Baby William she had her appendix removed- little does she know she was actually sterilized and unable to have anymore children.

As Jane takes over her social work duties in this rural area, she is constantly battling with what's morally right and wrong.  When she's asked to petition for Ivy to be sterilized she could lose her job if she doesn't write it....but Ivy could lose her dream of having a family of her own.

I highly recommend this book.  It kept me guessing but was an easy read.  Excellent story and unbelievable that this was loosely based on fact.  5 stars from me! Necessary Lies

Have you read Wonder yet?

If you haven't read Wonder yet, it's time.  Don't put it off a second longer.  It doesn't matter what age you are, this book needs to be read and shared.  Wonder is by a first-time author, R.J. Palacio.  The main character is Auggie (August Pullman) and he has a facial deformity since birth.  Auggie is about to enter middle school and is going to mainstream public school for the first time since being home schooled his whole life.  This is a book about how Auggie survives his first year in middle school, how kids react to his differences and why you should always choose kind.

I read this book 1 year ago and it is still sticking with me!  I read it to both of my language arts classes and they loved it!  We laughed and cried together as I read it to them.  I also used it as a basis for my behavior management with them.  It is an excellent book.

In May I noticed there was something else......

The Julian Chapter is a spinoff from Wonder.  Julian is an awful character- a bully.  This is his chapter. It is interesting to see his side of the story, but I have to say, I never felt bad for him.  If anything this "chapter" made me dislike him even more.  I hate how his parents make excuses for his behavior....and being a teacher, I see this all the time.  I would say his chapter is worth reading (it's only available as an e-book right now and costs a mere $1.99) and next school year it will be something I share with my class after reading them Wonder.

Go read Wonder today and remember: choose kind.

Buy Wonder today!

Me & Reading

It's funny, I'm a reading teacher but I HATED reading growing up.  I'm not exaggerating.  I loathed it.  As a kid it was difficult having a sister who had a book glued to her hands at all time.  We would go to the library together and she would have a huge stack of books to plow through for the week and I would get maybe 1 or 2 but I wouldn't feel excited about anything I found.

I was never a terrible reader, I can't tell you when I learned to read or whether it was hard for me or not.  I don't think it was.  I don't recall having a tough time with it, I just really disliked it.  My main gripe looking back is the book lists.  We would have summer reading lists- books we were required to read over the summer.  We would also have book lists for the school year.  I don't recall having a choice in the matter.  THAT is what bothered me most.  I had no interest in any of the books I was made to read and therefore either didn't pay attention to them or didn't read them.  Somehow I got by.

I went to an all-girls Catholic school for high school.  In order to be admitted to the school there was an "interview" with the principal and my parents and myself.  I was honest with Sister Edward Mary, I told her I disliked reading.  But I remember her asking if there was anything at all I enjoyed to read.  It turns out there was one thing- magazines.  I always have liked the layout of a magazine, not too long, not too time consuming, high-interest articles, etc.  That was when I realized I don't hate reading, I just prefer to read something short on a topic I choose.  It wasn't until my senior year of high school when I had an amazing English teacher that I started wanting to read.  I found books I enjoyed and shared my list of to-reads with my teacher...something about her and her love of reading sparked my love for reading.

The love I discovered started slowly.  I would read a book here or there.  Then in the summers I would really take off with books.  Eventually I started reading "full-time," daily.  Most days it's how I wind down and relax before going to sleep.

I teach reading to let kids know that it's okay not to LOVE reading.  It's okay to have another subject to love, I did.  I also teach reading to help foster a love of reading in them.  I want to show them what I didn't get as a studentnever make my students read a book they don't want to- the trick is to get them to want to read what I'm having them read!  I've taught all subject areas and reading allows me to get to know my kiddos on a different level.  I find out their interests, what they love and hate.  I can connect with them through books which is really powerful.

Looking back now, it's funny to me that I didn't love reading, I sure do now!