In reference to: Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition
Recently we had a student at my school that had been hiding marijuana behind a loose brick on one side of the school. Suddenly the activity of some of our students who took restroom breaks at the same time every day became so clear!
On this particular day the kids were abuzz with conversation and gossip about it. In class, I mentioned that I was reading a book about alcohol and that it used to be illegal. And just like "Cody," there were bootleggers selling it in secret and had hiding places of their own. For example, you mention the White House lawn and when I told students, many eyebrows were raised in interest. I had the book with me and showed them. I am not sure if anyone checked it out but they definitely found the topic interesting. My question is, are there other subjects or events that are controversial that you hope to cover?
Thank you for your dedication to research and the written word! Lindsey Chesser
As a reading specialist, who works with struggling, marginalized, or LD diagnosed students, I find your contributions to non-fiction invaluable. A quote I like from Beverly Kobrin, who reviews non-fiction literature, says, ‘life is non-fiction.” I couldn’t agree more. Your books are about topics that are relevant and useful for students to learn not only about their world but about strategic reading. Books such as yours provide a valuable resource in helping my students learn how different modes of non-fiction work. The personal stories intrigue the students with the readable format enabling them to experience success. This is not a small feat for students who would rather visit the dentist than read a book! I know that not so many years ago, research on classroom book audits to determine whether classroom book collections included a wide variety of genres found little non-fiction among the novels and texts. From an author’s perspective do you think quality non-fiction is making significant gains or do you feel there is still much work to be done to move it more to the forefront? I identified with your experience of looking for books for your daughter. I recall experiencing the same difficulty when looking for quality books for my classroom library. For all of us who enjoy this genre, thank you for your hard work to provide quality reading. Jan Kirkland
In reference to:
ReplyDeleteBootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition
Recently we had a student at my school that had been hiding marijuana behind a loose brick on one side of the school. Suddenly the activity of some of our students who took restroom breaks at the same time every day became so clear!
On this particular day the kids were abuzz with conversation and gossip about it. In class, I mentioned that I was reading a book about alcohol and that it used to be illegal. And just like "Cody," there were bootleggers selling it in secret and had hiding places of their own. For example, you mention the White House lawn and when I told students, many eyebrows were raised in interest. I had the book with me and showed them. I am not sure if anyone checked it out but they definitely found the topic interesting. My question is, are there other subjects or events that are controversial that you hope to cover?
Thank you for your dedication to research and the written word!
Lindsey Chesser
As a reading specialist, who works with struggling, marginalized, or LD diagnosed students, I find your contributions to non-fiction invaluable. A quote I like from Beverly Kobrin, who reviews non-fiction literature, says, ‘life is non-fiction.” I couldn’t agree more. Your books are about topics that are relevant and useful for students to learn not only about their world but about strategic reading. Books such as yours provide a valuable resource in helping my students learn how different modes of non-fiction work. The personal stories intrigue the students with the readable format enabling them to experience success. This is not a small feat for students who would rather visit the dentist than read a book!
ReplyDeleteI know that not so many years ago, research on classroom book audits to determine whether classroom book collections included a wide variety of genres found little non-fiction among the novels and texts. From an author’s perspective do you think quality non-fiction is making significant gains or do you feel there is still much work to be done to move it more to the forefront? I identified with your experience of looking for books for your daughter. I recall experiencing the same difficulty when looking for quality books for my classroom library. For all of us who enjoy this genre, thank you for your hard work to provide quality reading.
Jan Kirkland