Module 6

A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Sanchez, Alex. Rainbow road. (Rainbow Trilogy.) Simon & Schuster. 256p. c2005

B. PLOT SUMMARY
Rainbow Road is the last book in the trilogy written by Alex Sanchez.
Jason Carrillo came out to his basketball team senior year and lost his university scholarship. Now, with graduation behind him and summer ending, he's asked to speak at the opening of a gay and lesbian high school across the country. But after spending years in the closet and losing his scholarship dream, what message can he offer? Jason is struggling with his identity, he is in love with his boyfriend Kyle yet he still has feelings for girls. Kyle Meeks is getting ready to go to Princeton in the fall and trying to see as much as possible of his boyfriend Jason before they have to separate. When Jason tells him about his speaking invitation, Kyle jumps at the chance to drive across country with him. During the trip Kyle realizes that he is not sure that Jason is as committed to the relationship as he is. Nelson Glassman is happy his best friend Kyle has found love with Jason. Nelson is a free spirit that enjoys life and adventure. Jason is not fond of Nelson but he is the one with the car. Traveling with Nelson makes the trip interesting to say the least.

During the summer road trip, each of the three very different boys also embarks on a personal journey that involves love, sexuality, homophobia, and above all, friendship.


C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)

Alex Sanchez writing emphasizes that being different is not easy, especially for homosexuals. Even though our society is more accepting of the homosexual community it still is verbally, physically and emotionally attacked.

Rainbow Road breaks down some of the stereotypes about how homosexuals dress and act. Not all homosexuals dress flamboyantly and act in a feminine manner. “he kicked off his sandals, displaying emerald-painted toenails. Kyle was used to such things, but Jason gaped across the room, with a look somewhere between aversion and fascination.” (p. 24) “he only knew one person nutty enough to dye his hair flaming pink.” (p. 4) A discussion between Jason and Nelson “Maybe if you wouldn’t dress so weird…” “I don’t try to be different, Jason. I just am. Try it sometime.” (p.47)

Acceptance from family members and discrimination from society is another issue that is the characters have to deal with. “When Jason tearfully came out to him, Coach had accepted him, unlike his own dad. And when Jason lost his full scholarship to Tech because of coming out, Coach had stood by him.” (p.29)
“You got a problem with something?” “Yes, with people like you.” (p.47)
“But Jason slowed his steps as he noticed the passenger door. Scratched into the paint, a word stood out: FAGGS!” (p.87)
“Yeah?” “The dad glanced over his shoulder, his face red from anger or embarrassment or both. “Well he’s my kid.” He shoved the sobbing Esau toward the tent. “You keep away from him. Faggot!” (p. 163)

Aids is a topic that is discussed in the book “he was dating an HIV positive guy” (p.17) “Did you discuss HIV status, like you promised me?” (p. 234)

D. REVIEW EXCERPTS

"A forthright portrayal of growing up gay."

-- USA Today

"Sanchez writes with passion and understanding as well as some welcome humor."

-- Booklist

"Realistic and remarkably honest."

-- Lambda Book Report

E. CONNECTIONS

Book List of Books for Gay and Lesbian Youth and Teens from Pinkbooks.
GLBTQ & Allies Authors Group: "authors and other children's literature professionals of fiction and nonfiction featuring gay, lesbian, bisexual, queer/questioning, gender-fluid, and transgender characters… You do not have to be gay, lesbian, bisexual, queer/questioning, gender-fluid, or transgender yourself in order to belong to the group, however you must understand and respect our mission if you're a member, and you must be writing about, or have an interest in writing about, this demographic."
GLBTQ Book List for Youth from the Rainbow Project, "co-sponsored by the American Library Association's Social Responsibility Round Table and the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Round Table, an annual bibliography for young readers from birth through age 18.
Great Gay Teen Books Recommended by author Alex Sanchez.
I'm Here. I'm Queer. What the Hell Do I Read? "The Place to find out about Young Adult fiction books with Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Questioning characters and themes...and other cool stuff from Lee Wind, Teen Action Fantasy author."
Rainbow Reading: Gay and Lesbian Characters and Themes in Children's Books by Wendy E. Betts from Notes from the Windowsill.
The Rainbow List: 2009 from GLBTQ Books for Children and Teens.



BIBLIOGRAPHY

Nye, Naomi Shihab. 1997. Habibi: a novel. New York: Simon Pulse. ISBN 9780689801495

PLOT SUMMARY

Liyana is 14-years old when her native Palestinian father decides to relocate his family from the United States to Jerusalem. The rules start changing even before they leave the United States, Liyana is told that she can not wear shorts, that she will not be able to date and she is not looking forward to the move at all. They have an estate sale and after her possessions are sold she feels pieces of her life being torn away. Upon their arrival in Jerusalem, things are not quite as peaceful as Liyana’s father believed. Palestinians are still looked upon with distrust by Israelis, and friendships with Jews are culturally forbidden. Liyana’s finds herself among strangers that are her family, their customs, language and beliefs are as foreign as the land that she now lives in. Liyana meets Omer, and she realizes that she does not miss her home in the United States as much as she did, but finds it hard to develop a relationship with a boy that is a Jew. When she discovers that her father has been arrested and jailed for defying Israeli soldiers, she discovers a new strength in herself and begins to face the future and the changes that will be required for her to be successful in her father’s country. Nye is a beautiful story written with details that allows the reader to imagine the setting, fall in love with the characters and also understand the turmoil that is still taking place in Palestine.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)

Nye does an awesome job of teaching about the richness and tradition of the Palestinian culture. Change is not always easy especially for a young girl that is about to start her senior year in high school, has been kissed and is looking forward to developing a relationship with the boy.

In Palestine the family unit is united, Liyana has never met any of her Father’s family until the move. She is used to her maternal relatives being polite and standoffish; her paternal relatives hug and kiss everyone. “Liyana was being kissed by so many people whose exact identity was unknown to her.” (p. 40) “The whole gigantic family sat around forever, visiting, waiting for dinner to appear. What Liyana would discover was this was positively everyone’s favorite thing to do here – sit in a circle and talk, talk, talk.” (p. 50)

Although skin tone is not discussed in the story, Liyana does describe her mother’s skin as two shades lighter than Poppy’s and mentions that both she and her brother Rafik had inherited Poppy’s olive skin.

Nye uses colorful language to describe the clothing worn by Liyana’s father’s family. “The women’s long dresses were made of thick fabrics, purple, gold, and navy blue, and stitched brightly with fabulous, complicated embroidery.” (p. 40) “Two of the older uncles, Zaki and Daoud, wore black-and white-checkered kaffiyehs on their heads….”(p. 41)

In the story, as in the Arab culture, food is not only what is eaten to sustain life, but is prepared, served, and eaten in a way that celebrates the culture and traditions that are uniquely Middle Eastern. From lentils and saffron to lamb chunks and stuffed grape leaves, the family makes each meal an occasion for reconnecting and getting to know each other better. They use food to cure ailments also “musky smelling tea – maramia- an her good for the stomach. (p. 51) “But the extra visitors left just as a huge try of dinner appeared, hunks of baked lamb surrounded by rice and pine nuts. The remaining family members gathered around to dig into it with their forks. Poppy asked if his family could have individual plates since they weren’t used to eating communally.” (p. 51)

Religon is also a part of the novel yet it is not the focal point.
“A muezzin gave the last call to prayer of the day over a loudspeaker from the nearby mosque and all the relatives rose up in unison and turned their back on Liyana’s family. They unrolled small blue prayer rugs from a shelf, and then knelt, stood, and knelt again, touching foreheads to the ground, saying their prayers in low voices.” (p. 52)

In addition to the religious practices displayed by Liyana’s Palestinian family, Liyana’s family attends a few celebrations and religious locations of their own in the course of the story. Liyana’s mother cries when the family visits the chapel of Calvary, the Garden of Gethsemane, and The Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and the entire family feels the joy of Christmas when they stand in line at the Church of the Nativity at midnight on Christmas Eve. (p. 165)

The relationship between a young man and a young woman are very strict. Liyana is shocked when “she wished she had not heard that an Arab boy who was found kissing a girl in the alley behind her house got beaten up by the girl’s brothers. (p. 56)

In the novel a women shows up in the morning claims to be a relative of Poppy and sits all day waiting for him. Poppy explains “It’s an old custom. When someone returns from America, they buy every woman relative a bolt of cloth, for making a new dress. I guess it is to signify the success the traveler has had in America.”(p77)

The grandmother Sitti shares some of her superstitions “If a bird pooped on a clean white sheet while flying over the clothesline, that meant bad luck. But if it pooped on your head, that meant your first child would be a boy.” “Sitti wouldn’t wear socks because cold feet would help her live longer.”(p. 129)

Throughout the story, readers will notice Nye’s use of Arab forms of address—Liyana calls her father Poppy and her grandmother Sitti, similar to the American addresses Daddy and Grandma. Additionally, native language is used by all characters, infusing both Arabic and Israeli vocabulary into Liyana’s story.

Nye shares Liyana’s thoughts and feelings in a way that demonstrates respect for unknown customs and a willingness to draw new lines in dealing with others. It clearly allows us to see that the country is still in the midst of turmoil.

REVIEW EXCERPTS

Kirkus Reviews.

In her first novel, Nye (with Paul Janeczko, I Feel a Little Jumpy Around You, 1996, etc.) shows all of the charms and flaws of the old city through unique, short-story-like chapters and poetic language. The sights, sounds, and smells of Jerusalem drift through the pages and readers glean a sense of current Palestinian-Israeli relations and the region’s troubled history. In the process, some of the passages become quite ponderous while the human story- -Liyana’s emotional adjustments in the later chapters and her American mother’s reactions overall–fall away from the plot. However, Liyana’s romance with an Israeli boy develops warmly, and readers are left with hope for change and peace as Liyana makes the city her very own.

Children's Literature

Talk about culture shock: fourteen-year-old Liyana is not too pleased about leaving St. Louis to live in her Arab father's homeland, taking up residence in Jerusalem. Her new life has restrictions as she faces the traditions and prohibitions of her extended Palestinian family. To further complicate matters, Liyana has a Jewish boyfriend. In this first novel by poet Naomi Shihab Nye, the conflict between Arabs and Jews is vividly depicted through characters whom readers will admire and come to care about.

School Library Journal

An important first novel from a distinguished anthologist and poet. When Liyana's doctor father, a native Palestinian, decides to move his contemporary Arab-American family back to Jerusalem from St. Louis, 14-year-old Liyana is unenthusiastic. Arriving in Jerusalem, the girl and her family are gathered in by their colorful, warmhearted Palestinian relatives and immersed in a culture where only tourists wear shorts and there is a prohibition against boy/girl relationships. When Liyana falls in love with Omer, a Jewish boy, she challenges family, culture, and tradition, but her homesickness fades. Constantly lurking in the background of the novel is violence between Palestinian and Jew. It builds from minor bureaucratic annoyances and humiliations, to the surprisingly shocking destruction of grandmother's bathroom by Israeli soldiers, to a bomb set off in a Jewish marketplace by Palestinians. It exacts a reprisal in which Liyana's friend is shot and her father jailed. Nye introduces readers to unforgettable characters. The setting is both sensory and tangible: from the grandmother's village to a Bedouin camp. Above all, there is Jerusalem itself, where ancient tensions seep out of cracks and Liyana explores the streets practicing her Arabic vocabulary. Though the story begins at a leisurely pace, readers will be engaged by the characters, the romance, and the foreshadowed danger. Poetically imaged and leavened with humor, the story renders layered and complex history understandable through character and incident. Habibi succeeds in making the hope for peace compellingly personal and concrete...as long as individual citizens like Liyana's grandmother Sitti can say, "I never lost my peace inside."Kate McClelland, Perrot Memorial Library, Greenwich, CT

CONNECTIONS
Look for these other books about Arab countries:

Ellis, Deborah. The breadwinner. ISBN 9780888994196

Nye, Naomi Shihab. The flag of childhood: poems of the Middle East. ISBN 9780689851728

Oppenheim, Shulamith Levey. The hundredth name. ISBN 978 9780613034937

Winter, Jeanette. The librarian of Basra: a true story from Iraq. ISBN 0152054456

Heide, Florence Parry and Judith Heide Gilliland. The day of Ahmed’s secret. ISBN 9780688088941






A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Lord, Cynthia. 2006. Rules: Scholastic. ISBN 10-0-439-44383-0

B. PLOT SUMMARY

Catherine is a typical Twelve year old girl dealing with the problems that come with the teen-age years. As if that is not enough she also has to face these problems having her brother David, who is autistic, and seems to always get her parents attention. She longs for the normalcy of a family and also wants her brother to be happy. Her sensitivity comes through when she takes the time compose rules for David hoping that life will be kinder to him if he follows the rules. She also befriends a boy Jason, a paraplegic boy who taps on picture cards to communicate. She draws pictures and words for him to add to his a book. Jason’s friendship does not come without problems, but ultimately Jason helps Catherine realize that “normal” does not really exist and accepting others is what is really important.

Through the simple plot, Catherine learns how to let go, be herself, and not worry about what others think. This book is perfect for those families or young siblings whose lives are impacted by a special needs child. It’s also perfect for families or children, who would like to learn empathy, see the world through someone else’s eyes and learn what it’s like to be different.

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)

Autistic children have a hard time with noise, “David hears everything extra loud, Stephanie says. Milk being poured, shopping carts clanging at the grocery store, shopping carts clanging at the grocery store, my pet guinea pigs squealing, the school bus braking as it pulls up to the corner, and the whoosh of the bus door opening-all those things and a million more make David cover his ears, fast as lightning. (p.29)


Discrimination is an issue that people with disabilities must face when interacting within our society. Even though Catherine resents David at times she is overprotective of her brother. “That must be hard,” Kristi says. “Even regular little brothers are a pain.” “Regular” snarls in my stomach.” (p. 84) “But when David opens the wrapper, there’s nothing inside. He head-butts his face into my shirt. “It’s gone!” “You jerk! I scream at Ryan so loud, David burst into tears. “Get out of my yard and take your stupid gum with you.”(p. 109)

Catherine feels that her parents do not pay enough attention to her and sometimes resents having to baby sit David. “David has to come wherever we go, and sometimes I have to baby-sit while she meets with clients or makes phone calls. (p. 35) “I know she needs me to baby-sit sometimes, but I hate when she tells me he shouldn’t be any trouble. Trouble comes quick with David, and “should” doesn’t have anything to do with it.” (p. 79) “Footsteps pound behind us and two women jog by, one on each side of Jason and me. One of the women give Jason a soft-eyed pity look.” (p. 145)

The feeling of wanting some alone time with her parents is a natural reaction and in this situation Catherine loves her brother but resents that he needs so much attention that there is little left for her. “I’m torn between wanting to yell at him for choosing tomatoes over Mom and wanting to cry that he’s choosing David over me.” (p. 127)

D. REVIEW EXCERPTS

Booklist

A heartwarming first novel.”
Kirkus Reviews
“Catherine is an appealing and believable character, acutely self-conscious and torn between her love for her brother and her resentment of his special needs. Middle-grade readers will recognize her longing for acceptance and be intrigued by this exploration of dealing with differences.”
Publishers Weekly
"The appealing, credible narrator at the heart of Lord's debut novel will draw in readers, as she struggles to find order and balance in her life.... A rewarding story that may well inspire readers to think about others' points of view."
School Library Journal
"Catherine is an endearing narrator who tells her story with both humor and heartbreak. . . this sensitive story is about being different, feeling different, and finding acceptance. A lovely, warm read and a great discussion starter."
Schneider Family Book Award Winner
Notable Children's Books Winner
Newbery Medal Winner for 2007

E. CONNECTIONS
The Autism Society of America http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer
Autism Resources http://www.autism-resources.com/
Cure Autism Now http://www.cureautismnow.org/
Sibling issues for parents: http://www.parentlink.act.gov.au/parentguides/parentg_disabilitybrothersister.htm
For Teachers: a lesson plan on “understanding disability” by Gill Chesney-Green http://www.schoolzone.co.uk/resources/articles/GoodPractice/classroom/Special_needs/Understanding_disability.asp
Understanding Kids Who Are Different: Activities for Teaching About Disabilities http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson115.shtml
Lesson plans from The Disability Rights Commission: http://www.drc-gb.org/citizenship/lessonplans/talkvideo/index.asp
A huge online bookstore with resources on special needs: http://www.specialneeds.com/default.asp