Tales from a Revolution by James D. Rice

I considered myself pretty knowledgeable about the colonial period of our nation.  Please explain to me how I had never heard of Bacon's Rebellion until this book appeared on the same AP History reading list as 1491?

I have a theory.  Bacon's Rebellion occurred in Virginia.

Is the Boston Tea Party given as much time in Virginia as it is in Connecticut's classrooms?  I would bet not.

Simply, we, as teachers, are inherently biased based on our geography.  I know a lot more about West Haven history than I do about Milford's.  And apparently there are some pretty big gaps in what I know about this era outside of the Northeast.

Previous accounts of Bacon's Rebellion are widely biased towards one of the players (more on them below).  I felt the author was attempting to be neutral, while basing the narrative on the skewed primary sources available for research.

Nathaniel Bacon grew up, for lack of a better term, a spoiled brat.  His father, tired of funding an education being wasted by his son, arranged for passage to the American colonies, where there was family in Virginia.  His wife, whose father disowned her for marrying Bacon, came later.  Like other English settlements, there were significant problems facing the colonists in coastal Virginia.  High taxes from the crown and local government and Indian raids topped the list.  Virginia's governor had made deals with certain tribes and waged war on others.  White indentured servants, captured Indian slaves, and African slaves worked the land, primarily tobacco.  After his land was attacked, Bacon demanded Governor Berkeley allow for the slaughter of all Indians, regardless of previous treaties.  When he refused to protect the frontier planters (meaning agree to Bacon's demands), Bacon gathered men to revolt.  It was a dual rebellion--against the current local government and against the native peoples.  Bacon was ruthless by all accounts.  By those who disparage him, he was downright deranged.  Despite his early death in the game, the rebellion continues to be called "Bacon's".

Rice uses direct quotes from primary sources such as letters and court records in the language of the time.  It's a lot like Shakespeare, so it's not easy lay in the sun reading.

We'll be adding this to our collection for our AP U.S. History students, but also for those who want to learn about the colonial period outside our little corner of the country.

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All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.

Driving Mr. Albert by Michael Paterniti

This was donated to the WHHS LMC by science teacher Mrs. Poffenberger.  I hate to say I didn't like it.

"Part travelogue, part memoir, part history, part biography, and part meditation" is part of the snippet on the back cover.  It sounded right up my alley.  Unfortunately, I didn't really find myself caring about the author (journalist Michael Paterniti), his travel companion (the doctor who performed the autopsy on Einstein and stole the brain Thomas Harvey), or Einstein (whose brain they are bringing to his granddaughter).  There was just too much self-pity going on from Paterniti--I found myself rolling my eyes and even once aloud saying "get over yourself".  And really, Einstein's brain is in a Tupperware container?  Harvey was nothing more than a thief in my opinion.  The travel portions boil down to repetitive descriptions of the similar roadside motels they stay in going cross-country.

If someone is really interested in physical science, I can see being curious as to what happened to the great Einstein's brain after it disappeared.  I couldn't get myself to though.

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All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.  

Swim the Fly by Don Calame

This was donated by Mrs. Lynch, a former WHHS star swimmer herself.  She said I'd find it hysterical.  Truth.

After Ayn Rand and 1491, I needed something light.

This was a fast read, one late night waiting for my sister to text she was safely back in St. Louis followed by a rainy morning.

How to sum up this book?  If the writers of American Pie and Road Trip wrote a book, it'd probably be something similar.  Gratuitous references to masturbation, farts, poop, barfing...

Matt, Sean, and Cooper make a deal every summer to do something on the crazy side.  This year it's to see a real, live naked girl.  What ensues is a ridiculous ride through impossible scenarios ala Jim, Finch, and Stifler, with Matt being the Jim of the group for sure.

I will wager some people will be a bit turned off by the content, but this is clearly not meant for everybody.  If you want a good laugh, and maybe a few "ewwwwwwwwwww" moments, definitely check this one out.  

Apparently there is a sequel too, focusing on Cooper.

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All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.

1491 by Charles C. Mann

I saw this on a syllabus of required reading for another AP US History course and thought "we need this". It's been one of my goals to further develop our American Indian materials collection, so I'm very glad we were able to get it.  Of course, I snagged it as soon as it came in.  This will be shelved in our pull-out American Indian section.

Being part Penobscot, I'm fascinated by the pre-Columbus history of America.  From Viking exploration to possible Knights Templar visits to American Indian societies, I love to read (and watch History Channel shows) on the topics.  That being said, this is a high reading level book with much research and statistical analyses.  It is not a read in one night type book.

With cultures so diverse, it seems rather ridiculous to lump them all together--much as Mexican, Puerto Rican, Dominican, and Guatemalan are somehow collectively known as Latina.  The 1950s TV stereotypical Indian just doesn't exist.  As a result, it's impossible to cover every existing culture in 1491 in just one book.  Like my efforts when teaching A Yellow Raft in Blue Water, Mann chose a few groups to show the cultural, political, agricultural, and societal differences between the groups themselves and our preconceived notions.*

*For those reading this blog and not of the CT area, for many of my students, that preconceived notion is glittery, glassy hotels filled with neon slot machines...

One misconception that continues in textbooks and classrooms is the trade system between the native peoples of what would later be known as New England and their European visitors.  Portrayed as simplistic, in reality, tribes such as the Wampanoag were shrewd businessmen.  "Over time, the Wampanoag, like other native societies in coastal New England, had learned to manage the European presence.  They encouraged the exchange of goods, but would only allow their visitors to stay ashore for brief, carefully controlled excursions...At the same time, the Wampanoag fended off Indians from the interior, preventing them from trading with the foreigners.  In this way, shoreline groups put themselves in the position of classic middlemen" (36)

I hope Mr. Backman and the AP US History students will find use for this book, and that its message reaches many.  Just like the Pequot Museum teaches, it is time for real history!

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All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.

Anthem by Ayn Rand

I read something of Rand's in college in an Educational Philosophy class.  I'm going to perfectly honest here and say I HATED that class.  Our professor was a wackadoodle who wandered about the room telling us tales in broken English of Greek islands.  I could barely understand him, but they had nothing to do with what we had read in preparation for the day's class.  The more passionate he was about a story (again, not on any philosophical topic), the bigger his hair frizzed.  

Fast forward a lot of years to Mrs. Poffenberger donating this to the LMC.  I'm thinking maybe I should read this, since I didn't get much out of whatever I read of Rand's before.

Rand is a philosopher first, a novelist second.  Anthem is a dystopian novel (think Brave New World, The Handmaid's Tale, The Hunger Games, 1984) written in 1938ish (depending on which source you believe...).  It's a commentary on a collective society--where there is no longer an I, only a We.  Children are taken from their mothers at birth (conceived on the official mating date) and raised collectively until they are 15.  Their careers are decided by a Council and binding.

Equality, our main character, wants to be a Scholar, but the Council deems him a street sweeper.  In his daily tasks he finds an abandoned tunnel (pretty sure it's a subway tunnel) from the Unmentionable Times.  In this space, he will secretly study and learn.

Procreation is also determined by the government; mating pairs are decided upon by a Council.  Equality finds the idea shameful, instead wanting to love a young woman named Liberty.  They run away together, start new lives using old mythological names (I won't spoil them or the symbolism).

I get what Rand was trying to do with wiping out singular pronouns.  That being said, it drove me bonkers.  I found it just plain hard to get over, and coupled with 1930/40s language, I won't say I enjoyed this.  That being said, it still only took me a few hours to read.

The copy you'll find in the LMC is the novella's special edition, with a copy of the original manuscript and notes.  The actual story is only 1/3 of the length.

I don't expect to delving into any more deep philosophy any time soon.

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All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.

Bruculinu, America by Vincent Schiavelli

I found this while organizing the shelves for inventory.  It's a bit on the older side, but the story is timeless.  It is a hybrid memoir/cookbook, similar to Like Water For Chocolate, only this is non-fiction.

Set in a Sicilian neighborhood in Brooklyn (Bruculinu in Sicilian dialect), Schiavelli takes us through his and his family's experiences through the lens of food, usually crafted by his chef grandfather.  Births, deaths, holidays...each has a distinct and traditional menu.  There are some hilarious anecdotes, some very sad moments, and a few wildly embellished memories.

I know many of the recipes and their corresponding holidays thanks to my Italian Nana Angelina and Gramma Carm.

I am moving this from immigration into memoir, where I think it will better serve our students, particularly seniors who must read a memoir.  That will happen when we get back to school.

Remember to tweet what you're reading this summer using hashtags #whhs #summerreading

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.

My Summer Reading List!

Here it is!

Camino Island by John Grisham
Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller
Stealing Indians by John Smelcer
Papi, My Story by David Ortiz
Women Who Work by Ivanka Trump
13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Tales from a Revolution by James Rice
Ancient Aliens from The History Channel
Messenger and Son by Lois Lowry (books 3 & 4 in The Giver series)
Swim the Fly by Don Calame
1491 by Charles Mann
Anthem by Ayn Rand
Driving Mr. Albert by Michael Paterniti
Bruculinu, America by Vincent Schiavelli

Plus any required reading for my courses on the journey to becoming an EdTechTeam Teacher Leader and anything that catches my eye at WHPL!

Tweet what you're reading this summer to @RamblingsLMS using the hashtags #whhs and #read

Come Sundown by Nora Roberts

If you've seen me over the past few days, you'd know I've been ridic sick with one of the worst allergy attacks in ages.  I have a feeling this stupid weather (can someone get Mother Nature back on her meds, please?!), stress over the new teachers' insurance plan (speaking of meds, just ask one of us about it), and the insane schedule that is the end of the school year for a combination educator and parent left my immune system down.  Anyway, I told myself today would be take it easy and let yourself heal kinda day.  I skipped yoga this morning, did only the errands that were absolutely required, and then chilled on the couch with a book.  The plan was chill on the deck with a book, but it was too, ha, chilly.

So this was the book then.  I put this on request at WHPL so I'd get it as soon as it came in.  I'm kinda disappointed though. If you've followed this blog for a while, you know romance is not my cup of tea, but I tend to like Nora Roberts' stuff.  I was not a fan of this one.

Bodine Longbow runs a ranch.  Or so it seemed by the previews.  Bodine Ranch is a tourist resort in the middle of Montana.  It was NOT the ranch of most Western set romances.  Maybe that was the intention?  Anyway, Bodine's aunt Alice disappeared years ago after running away from home at 18.  Life went on without her and any mention of Alice brings mixed emotions from Bo's mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.  In reality, Alice is being held hostage nearby.  Raped and tortured by an alt-right wackadoodle, she finally escapes and returns home 30 or so years later.  Broken mentally, her return is not the joyous one her family envisioned.

Like I said, romance isn't really my thing, but I expect there to be more of it in a Nora Roberts book.  There was hardly any and I don't even mean typical "beach read" sex scenes.  The "romance" between Bo and ranch hand Cal seemed forced.  There was no spark.  There was more romance feeling in the sub-plot of Bo's awkward brother Chase courting event planner Jessica.  Sundown (the horse) totally steals the show.

Oh well.  Not every book can be a winner.  

Summer reading should be posted on the website soon, but you can find it here if you go back in my posts.  Watch for my own summer reading post soon!  It's going to be an eclectic mix!

Cleaning help is needed in the LMC on the last two days of school (14th and 15th).  Community service hours will be granted.

Stop by and say hi to the LMC's newly adopted fish Covfefe Grawlix Dewey.

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All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.