The Five Flavors of Dumb by Anthony John

Yet another discovery in my quest to fill in the gaps on my LD Reading Ladder. And an another great book that doesn't quite fit. Maybe I need to rethink my theme.

The premise of The Five Flavors of Dumb is that Piper, who happens to be deaf, somehow ends up managing a rock band her High School. This is challenging for a number of reasons that have nothing to do with her deafness. I have to admit, I thought this was a ridiculous premise and, as a consequence, didn't expect much.  I was pleasantly surprised.

Of all the disabilities I work with in my job, deafness confounds me the most. It affects a surprising number of people. There is a strong genetic component and as a result there are whole multi-generational deaf families. Many of these people don't view it as a disability and a whole "deaf culture" has sprung up. I have to admit that I have a hard time viewing the lack of an ability that most other people possess as anything but a disability. It's hard to wrap my head about. On the other hand, I don't necessarily view dwarves as disabled just because they "lack height." Disability is a mind-set after-all and who am I to judge?

The reason for this reflection, however, is that functioning in society and the nature of deaf culture is one of the underpinning themes of the novel. On the surface it's about these five musicians, one of which is a complete rancid jerk, being dysfunctional while a deaf girl tries to hold them together. And that's a good story, but the more subtle lines about disability and family are way more compelling.

This book features a strong female protagonist struggling less with her disability, and more with getting to know her own feelings about how she fits into her family and the rest of the world. The plot line is strictly linear and chapters are relatively short. The author is british, which means much of the humor tends towards the dry and subtle. All and all a solid read.

The Wonder World - Palacio

Every once and a while I finish a stand alone novel and wish there were more. It's not an uncommon thing for writers to write additional short stories and vignettes in a beloved world. However, they often go unpublished or languish in some collection somewhere that only printed 200 copies. Palacio made it easy, she published them...or at least three of them. None of them stand well on their own, but they are great supplements to Wonder once you've read that.

Julian - is a lost chapter from the perspective of the bully. Julian is the kid who just can't adjust to the way Auggie looks and lashes. Most of the real action of the chapter happens after Wonder concludes when Julian is in France with his grandmother. I liked this chapter because, while it didn't excuse Julian's actions, it went a good ways into offering an explanation for why bullies do what they do.

Pluto - is about Auggie's oldest friend Chris. Oddly enough, while Auggie is definitely a part of Chris's story, this chapter is really entirely about Chris. What does it mean to be a friend of someone living with disfigurement? How do you protect them? Should you? These are tough questions for adults. Being a middle schooler and having to figure them out is probably tougher

Shingaling - is about Charlotte. Charlotte, like Julian and Jack Will, was made a welcome buddy to Auggie at the beginning of the school year. I think that Charlotte tends to represent how most people respond to these sorts of issues. She is not cruel to Auggie the way Julian is, but she also doesn't really befriend him either the way Jack Will and Summer do. She sort of hovers in a vaguely genial neutrality which is what I think most people end up doing. She's not a bad person at all, she just gets uncomfortable and doesn't know what to do. So, she does nothing really. I think most of us find ourself there. It takes courage to invite attention and comment by befriending the uncomfortable. That's what makes Shingaling such an important addition to the Wonder collection.

All three chapters have since been collected into a single volume called Auggie & Me. They are all a worthwhile read.

Lending Limits

I love my local library. I miss being a librarian. Being around books day in and day out is amazing. All that knowledge and creativity in palpable form. Awesome.

For a while there, it seemed like I was trying to recreate the library environment at home. Part of the issue was the massive sales surrounding the closing of Borders. I miss Borders. It's not that Barnes & Noble isn't a decent store. However, Borders had a much more liberal outlook. Their clerks could wear jeans. Crazy, right? Don't even get me started on their periodicals selections.

Anyway, like any good consumer, when they went out of business, I descended like a rabid vulture and bought books on discount...a lot of books. Actually, I have a weakness for buying books. In most areas of my life, I'm pretty frugal. However, should I walk into a bookstore (used or otherwise) I have a hard time leaving without a purchase.

I can't resist books. Books and craft beer. So there you have it. It's my kryptonite.

Now that I have a child, I have shifted my literary impulses on to the library. It's easier on the budget. Dekalb has a good library system. I particularly like the request function. If Dekalb has it in any of their branches, I can get it shipped to my local library. It's a nice function. I use it a lot.

As a lit teacher, I'm often on the hunt for the perfect book for Jane, Dick, or Sally. I spend a lot of time trying to find books for reluctant readers. I'm pretty good at it too, I'm told. Recently, I've started creating resources for teachers in my school who are trying to mimic my success. I've become really enchanted with the idea of reading ladders.

The idea behind reading ladders is that if you can find a book a student genuinely likes, you can probably find one similar to it that they will like as well. It's a sound theory, but it requires a solid foundation in YA literature. A foundation that I'm acquiring. However, it's not feasible for an entire english department to read the way I do. So, I'm trying to find a way to spread the love.

I'm creating these thematically scaled lists in an effort to help my cohorts. However, I am finding I need to do research to fill gaps. There are plenty of resources, but to know if the books I find fit, I have to take a look.

So, I request books.

Turns out there is a limit. The limit is 14. Now pragmatically, I know most people can't get through 14 books in a couple of weeks, but I can. It's not an unreasonable limit, but darn it, I'm on a mission.

*fume*

I need more books!