Various Authors
This is an awesome selection of some of this generations best authors. The stories that were brought into this anthology all celebrate some unique aspect. They give a voice to many different cultures and minorities; I love that they included handicaps and Native Americans into the mix.
In today's world of tension among various cultural groups it is vital that we learn that we must work together and celebrate our differences in order to be successful. We can no longer be bias towards other cultures we have to learn to coexist with everyone. The growing global community and the ease of instant communication is requiring a new understanding. Those individuals that can and do work well with everyone will be the ones that thrive. This book and other books are needed for that reason alone. Ellen Oh, reached out to some of today's best authors and collected short stories for your pleasure, they are short in nature and can easily be read with in a class period. These tales are quick reads, but the depth of emotion and the details are flawless. Readers will enjoy a quick tale about a tall Mexican American youth that decides to improve his basketball over the summer, running with the big dogs at a different gym. He is going into high school and really wants to make the varsity team. The lessons he learns sharing sweat with the older men reach far beyond the basketball court.
You will meet one young lady who befriends the new girl, who happens to be African American, Of course the predominant white town, frowns upon the friendship and she looses all of her friends Celeste only stays in town for a year and they two girls vow to meet up again in New York when the turn 18, The reason this short sticks in my mind, is that the main character goes against her classmates and other adults to befriend the girl, she trusts her own judgement and finds a lasting friendship. She willingly decided to break out of the mold of racism and is better for this bravery. I feel that a lot of the angst towards many cultures has eased, but new minorities have taken their place. Keeping an open mind and befriending those around you benefits everyone.
A third tale relays a grandmother and her grandson as they have a marvelous adventure in Europe. The grandson is an incredible student but is being caged and stifled. His grandmother takes him on this journey to bring life and freedom into his life. Although he is an awesome student, he needs to learn how to fly. We all need to learn that not all of the lessons that are worth living are not always taught in the classroom.
My final story that i am sharing has a Native American flavor. Even though the story that is shared with the children, is entertaining, what is learned beyond the story is the most important. Uncle Kenneth brings his culture into an important lesson. This out of all of the tales really celebrates the unique culture of a Native American tribe.
This is a very versatile story, and I want to thank a wonderful teacher for encouraging me to read this book, thanks Kate! I found these stories information, diverse and enjoyable. I am giving this book a 5 out of 5 stars and encourage everyone to check this out. This book is absolutely appropriate for anybody over 3rd grade.
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