How to (un)Cage a Girl

Name of Book:   How to (Un)Cage a Girl

Author:  Francesca Lia Block

Publisher:  Joanna Cotler Books/HarperTeen (2008)

Audience:  16 – adult females.  Personally, I would have placed this book in the adult poetry section rather than YA, since it pushes beyond the personal experiences of YA readers.  That being said, it would be useful with intergenerational groups of women. I would limit discussion to small group settings.

Summary:   This is a collection of poems, written primarily in free verse, that are meant to be read sequentially.  The majority of her poems reflect events or periods in “her” life starting at age thirteen.  Several poems, however, are written to or about some of the young women whom she has mentored and/or befriended during her career.  The poems are often beautifully but brutally honest, which is perhaps because they are the reflections on the past from the perspective of an adult woman.  This gives a different quality and depth to the poems that is sometimes absent from poetry written during adolescence.  Her first section of poems, on early adolescence, are difficult in the sense that they reflect sexual experiences, illness, and death of a parent in a fairly relentless sequence of painful recollections.  The poems written to reflect her adulthood carry themes which move beyond an adolescent’s personal experience (such as having children and divorce).

Literary elements at work in the story:  This is a semi-autobiographical collection of poetic works primarily in free-verse.  It is written as a sequential work in three parts: 1) years at the asylum, 2) in the lair of the toxic blonde, and 3) love poems for girls.  The language is colloquial but creative and often intense. The absence of punctuation (except for question marks) and the all lower case typeface give a stream of consciousness feel to the poems and allow for the reader to punctuate the work as it suits them (i.e., starting and stopping a phrase or verse in different places that produces different meaning).  The mood of the poems moves generally from dark to light as the poet works through much of the pain of early adolescence and finds a kind of peace and healing as an adult woman.  Illustrations are absent, but would probably be more limiting than instructive in interpreting these poems, which ask the reader to come into her broken world and imagine it for themselves.

Perspective on gender/race/culture/economics/abilities:    The strongest perspective seems to come from her love/hate relationship with the people and culture of Los Angeles.  Her “girl” sees herself as “other” in this city of beauty and glamour (see, particularly Part II, “Lair of the Toxic Blonde”).  She stands for the non-traditional girl who rebels against the stereotypes of feminine beauty (at least in L.A.).   Race and economics play much lesser roles in her poems.

Scripture:   I would use this book of poetry to work with the theme of women in the Bible and let the group choose the passages they would like to discuss.  I would offer the book of Ruth and the book of Esther as possible starting points, but certainly would not limit it to those two. Other possibilities that may be less well known and cover a range of characteristics are Jephthah’s daughter (Judges 11-13), The woman of the Song of Solomon, the daughter of Herodias (Mark 6: 14-29), Mary & Martha (Luke 10: 38-42), Deborah & Jael (Judges 4), Hagar (Genesis 16, 21, & 25) and  the Syro-Phoenician woman (Mark 7: 24-30).

Theology:  Women’s stories are not absent from the Bible but they do sometimes require some imagination to fill in the gaps.  Women are presented in so many ways, both positive and negative: we see both the connivance of Jezebel and the obedience of Mary.  We see women of advanced years (Sarah) and young girls (Jephthah’s daughter); women in various positions in society and with various expectations of their roles in that society (Vashti, Esther, Ruth). By using this poetic work that follows a woman’s life through adolescence to middle adulthood, an intergenerational group of women could discuss how they believe they fit into society and the church, and how they view themselves as both daughters of God and members of the larger culture.  Women as women, with the whole spectrum of human emotions (desires, anger, grief, bitterness, love, etc.) are as much a part of the Biblical story as men.   By allowing the group to survey the breadth of stories of women in the Bible they may gain a better appreciation for their contribution to the meta-narrative that comprises our canon.  Also, by identifying women of the Bible who themselves were “un-caged” when God’s promises were claimed and when Jesus’ message was proclaimed allows us to place them squarely within God’s story and allows us to see ourselves as part of the on-going narrative as well.

Faith Talk Questions:

1. Which woman (or women) from the Bible stories you selected do you most identify with at this stage in your life?  Can you remember a time in your life when you most strongly related to another biblical woman?
2. Do you see any correlation between Block’s poems and the Biblical stories?  For you, does Block’s “girl” relate to more than one woman from the Bible as she grows older?
3. What does it mean to be a woman in today’s (U.S.) culture?  How is this portrayed in the poems?
4. What does it mean to be a daughter of God in today’s culture?  In the Biblical culture? Is there a difference between how you answered this question and the previous one?  Why do you think that is so?
5. What is the strongest message from Block’s poems for you?  Is there one in particular that resonates with you?  Is there one particular passage from the Biblical stories that resonates with you in the same way?

Review prepared by Nadine Ellsworth-Moran, MDiv/MACE, Entering Cohort Fall 2004

14 Cows for America

Name of Book:  14 Cows For America

Authors:  Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah and Carmen Agra Deedy

Illustrator:  Thomas Gonzalez

Publisher:  Peachtree Publishers

Audience:  Ages 14-18 and Adults (While I do believe that this book is also appropriate for younger children because of its theme of compassion, I chose youth and adults because they would have some type of memories of the events of September 11, 2001 which may help them to gain a deeper meaning from the text.)

Summary:  Kimeli,  who was born and raised in a remote village in Kenya,  has returned from America to visit his people. He is studying to be a doctor and was in New York City on September 11, 2001 to witness the terrorist attack.  He shares this story with the Maasai people of his home.  These people were once fearsome warriors but now live peacefully as nomadic cattle herders.  Cows mean life to these people and are treated as sacred.  Kimeli offers to give his only cow to America. The elders respond by offering a total of 14 cows to give as an offering of comfort and peace.  A diplomat from the US Embassy in Nairobi comes to accept the gift.  These healing cows are being cared for by the Maasai people and are a symbol of hope.

Literary elements at work in the story:  The plot of this story is its primary literary element. A group of people thousands of miles away from America gracefully reach out to a people they do not know to offer peace and comfort in the wake of tragedy.  The illustrator gives power to the words of the story through beautiful and detailed illustrations which make the plot come to life for the reader.

Perspective on gender/race/culture/economic ability:  This story does an incredible job of illustrating how two distinctly different cultures can be brought together due to tragic circumstances. We so often as Americans see ourselves as “mighty and powerful ones” whose strengths and abilities cannot be matched. September 11^th showed us that is not the case.  Compassionate people from a culture completely different from that in which we live come alongside Americans with a gift of hope and comfort. The concluding words of this story say it best:   “Because there is no nation so powerful it cannot be wounded nor a people so small they cannot offer mighty comfort.”

Scripture:  Lamentations 3:22-23, Colossians 3:12-14, Romans 5:5

Theology:  God’s love is steadfast and God’s mercy for God’s children will never come to an end.  As God’s chosen people, we are called to show the same love and compassion to others as God has shown to us.  Hope does not fail us because of the love God has given to us through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Faith Talk Questions:

1. What do the illustrations tell us about the relationship between Kimeli and his people?
2. Why is the cow life to the Maasai people?
3. How does the author’s choice of the words “it has burned a hole in his heart” illustrate Kimeli’s reaction to September 11^th?
4. What is the importance of the cow in the story?
5. What do you think the diplomat from the embassy is expecting when he comes to meet with the Maasai elders?
6. What is the message in the final illustration and the concluding words of the story: “Because there is no nation so powerful it cannot be wounded, nor a people so small they cannot offer mighty comfort.”?
7. In the dedication in the back of the book, Kimeli (W.K.N) speaks of children as being the “peace of the world”.  What do you think that means?
8. How can we be the “compassionate diplomats” that Kimeli speaks of in his dedication at the end of the book?

Review prepared by Marcia Rauch, MACE, Entering Cohort Fall 2006

The River and the Rain – The Lord’s Prayer

Name of Book:   The River and the Rain – The Lord’s Prayer

Author:  Bijou Le Tord

Illustrator:  Bijou Le Tord

Publisher:  Doubleday

Audience:  Although this book is published for “all ages” and is one of Doubleday’s Books for Young Readers, I actually would not use this book with young children.  I would give it a “PG-13” rating due to: 1) the difficulty that I believe young children would have in connecting the words to some of the pictures, 2) the fact that it is a paraphrase of the Lord’s Prayer, and 3) one illustration depicting a dead animal would possibly be disturbing to younger children (and I’m not sure how appropriate it is for this text in general).  I would use this book with teens and adults.

Summary:   This book is a paraphrase of the Lord’s Prayer that emphasizes stewardship of creation and awareness of environmental abuses inflicted by people.

Literary elements at work in the story:  The genre is poetic prayer and the overriding theme is the environment and our relationship with God and creation. The setting is the Amazon rain forest (as depicted in the illustrations).   The perspective is interesting as it incorporates both the familiar and the foreign.   Since it is a prayer it is, at once, first person (we are also praying) and communal as the body of worshippers, and, in this book there is an additional dimension because it appears to also be more specifically the perspective of someone indigenous to the rain forest.

Perspective on gender/race/culture/economics/abilities:

By employing the perspective of the indigenous forest people, it is the native Indians, who are portrayed as stewards of the land and wildlife.  The culture is tribal with the logger representing the “outside world” who brings destruction.

Scripture:      Genesis 1: 26-30, Genesis 9:  9-10, 13, 16-17, Matthew 6: 9-15 (various translations would be helpful), Deut. 20: 19 (These passages were selected to follow the emphasis on the environment that this books espouses.)

Theology:     We reflect God’s love and concern for all creation when we love and care for one another and for the plants and animals that are in our world.  God provides all that we need for eternal life – the things we enjoy daily (like food, water, and shelter) are not the ultimate gifts but are a means for us to participate in the stewardship of the earth – through them we can, for example, show hospitality to one another and compassion for living things.  This book would be particularly good to use in a study of environmental theology.

God’s love cannot be limited or stopped.  Although we continue to do things that are wicked in the eyes of God, we can pray for God’s assistance and strength to help us in our disobedience.  We are also accountable to one another in the things we do and say.  As Christians we are to help one another learn and follow the ways of God.

While we await the coming of the Kingdom of God, we can embody the Kingdom in the here and now by living into the commandments of God and the teachings of Christ as we know them from scripture and by the illumination of the Holy Spirit.  The Kingdom is not confined to the future, but can be experienced in Christ even now.  The Kingdom is both as far as heaven and as close as our back yard.

Faith Talk Questions:

A.  Questions on illustrations:

1. Where is God in these illustrations?
2. Why do you think the illustrator depicted “tempted/temptation” the way she did?
3. How would you “paint” temptation?  Does it look the same to everyone?
4. Do the illustrations represent the words that go with them?
5. Do these illustrations make you think differently about the Lord’s Prayer?

B.  Questions on Text:

1. Does the wording of this version of the Lord’s Prayer help you understand it differently than they way you learned it growing up?  In what way?
2. Which word(s) stands out most to you?
3. How do you understand the words trespasses/debts/wicked ways?  Which one do you think most fits this prayer?
4. Why do we pray for God to “let us not be tempted?”
5. Have you ever thought about what this prayer means to other cultures?
6. If you were paraphrasing the Lord’s Prayer for your school, how would it sound?  What words would you use in your version of the prayer?

Review prepared by Nadine Ellsworth-Moran,  MDiv/MACE, Entering cohort Fall 2004

The Lightning Thief

Name of Book :   The Lightning Thief: Book One in Percy Jackson & the Olympians

Author:   Rick Riordan

Illustrator :  John Rocco (cover art)

Publisher:   Hyperion Books for Children

Audience:  High school – Adult

Summary: Percy Jackson (a 12-year-old boy with dyslexia and attention deficit disorder) finds his way to a special summer camp for “half blood” children – half human/half god.  When it is discovered that his father is Poseidon, he is sent on a quest to retrieve Zeus’ stolen lightning bolt and avert a war between the gods.  This is the story of Percy’s quest and the two friends from the camp who accompany him, his encounters with monsters, Greek gods, and a mysterious power bent on destruction.

Literary elements at work in the story:     The story is fantasy science fiction set in the United States, particularly New York and Los Angeles.  The Greek gods – and the story itself – are presented in a tongue-in-cheek fashion and uses comedic quips often and well.

Perspective on gender/race/culture/economic/ability:    Each “half blood” has some unique gift inherited from the immortal who was their parent.  This book makes no significant distinction between genders in their talents, strengths, or intelligence.  There are no ethnic descriptors and diversity is achieved by virtue of the different magical creatures that abound in the book (satyrs, harpies, centaurs, etc.)

Scripture:  Deuteronomy 10:17, Mark 12:31, Luke 6:29

Theology:    There is no explicit theological message in this book other than the predictable tale of good versus evil.  However, theological concepts could be explored using a compare and contrast format.

As the protagonist learns that the Greek gods do exist, he asks about the existence of God.  The issue is sidestepped (though significantly not scoffed at) by saying “God – capital G, God.  That’s a different matter altogether.”  The gods of Olympus are referred to as “a smaller matter.”

Faith Talk Questions:

1. What are some words or phrases that could be used to describe the Greek gods as presented in the book – not just magically but also physically, temperamentally, and behaviorally?
2. How does this compare to what you believe about God – capital G, God?
3. Think about the conflicts and bad things that happened in the book.  What do you think were reasons behind those actions?  Why do you suppose the characters (Gabe, Clarisse, Luke, as well as the gods and magical creatures) did what they did?
4. What motivated our heroes (Percy, Annabeth, and Grover) in the story?  In what actions of theirs (and others) did you see Christian traits reflected?

Review prepared by Kelly Hames, MACE, Entering cohort Fall 2008

Gift of the Christmas Cookie

Name of Book: The Gift of the Christmas Cookie: Sharing the True Meaning of Jesus’ Birth

Author: Dandi Daley Mackall

Illustrator: Deborah Chabrian

Publisher: Zondervan

Audience: Book jacket indicates story is appropriate for children ages 4-7 but you could really use this book with anyone elementary age and older. 

Summary:  The Gift of the Christmas Cookie tells the story of why we make cookies at Christmas.  It is the Christmas season during the Great Depression and Jack’s dad has traveled out West in hopes of finding work.  Jack’s family, like many others, have little money so Jack is surprised when he comes home one day to find his mother making Christmas cookies using beautiful wooden molds shaped like a shepherd, a star, a camel, a king, a man and woman kneeling, a baby, and a cross.  She explains they are for the needy at church and Jack asks why she is going to so much trouble to make beautiful Christmas cookies when people are just going to eat them.  It is then that Jack’s mom tells him why people started making Christmas cookies.  Hundreds of years ago, she explains, in the Old Country, there was a poor village where people couldn’t afford school and therefore, most could not read. As Christmas approached, one family longed to help their neighbors discover the true meaning of Christmas so they decided to make figures out of Christmas cookies to tell the story of Christ’s birth.  As the villagers gathered to eat the cookies, the father began: “Long ago an angel like this one brought us the most wonderful news: “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” Ever since that night, Jack’s mother tells him, generations of people have made Christmas cookies and told the story of the true meaning of Christmas.  On Christmas morning, Jack’s mother surprises him with the biggest Christmas cookie, the one shaped like an angel.  But when a stranger stops at their house and asks if they can spare any food, Jack decides to give him the cookie and tells him the beautiful story of Jesus’ birth.

Literary elements at work in the story: The Gift of the Christmas Cookie is a touching story told by a third-person narrator wonderfully illustrated with rich, beautiful watercolors.  It is set in the Christmas season during a time when people had very little money, likely the Great Depression.  Through this simple story, the audience is reminded of the true meaning of Christmas, how a timeless tradition like baking cookies helps convey this meaning, and how important it is to care for others, no matter how dire your own circumstances.

Perspective on gender/race/culture/economic/ability: In this story, we see how a family with very little money finds a way to continue caring for others who are even less fortunate.  But they don’t simply care for them by providing them with food or charity.  Instead, they recognize that sharing the true meaning of Christmas, the story of Jesus’ birth, is just as important.  By helping his mother in the simple act of baking Christmas cookies, Jack learns just how significant these cookies have been through many generations.  Though Jack is disappointed when he finds a poor stranger at the door instead of his father on Christmas Day, he remembers the story his mother told him about the first Christmas cookies.  He remembers that many centuries ago, a family decided to tell the story of Jesus’ birth the best way they knew how.  They believed that just because people weren’t fortunate enough to go to school and learn to read that didn’t mean they shouldn’t know the story of Jesus. 

Scripture: Luke 1:1-4, Luke 2:1-20, Luke 2:40, Matthew 1:28-2:12, Luke 10:27, 1 Thes. 5:14-19,

Theology: Even though Jack’s family is suffering- his father is away looking for work and they have little money- his mother still finds a way to care for those less fortunate.  Though she is disappointed when the person knocking at their door turns out to be a stranger and not her husband returning, she does not hesitate to invite him in and provide him with food.  She sets an example for Jack and he is moved to give this stranger his prized Christmas cookie.  Jack now understands the history of these beautiful cookies and why they were created in the first place.  He has learned that Christmas is an opportunity for those fortunate enough to know the story of Jesus’ birth to share it with others.  In the Christmas story, we find messages of hope and love and these are among the most important gifts we can give.  

Faith Talk Questions:

1. Why is Jack’s father away from his family?  Do you think it was hard for him to leave?  How do you think Jack feels?
2. Why was Jack excited when he smelled cookies baking in his house? Was he disappointed when he found out they were not for him? Did he get angry or complain to his mother? What did he do instead?
3. Why did Jack’s mother tell him about the history of Christmas cookies? Had you ever heard that story before? Why did the family many hundreds of years ago want to make Christmas cookies for the villagers?
4. How do you think Jack felt when his mother gave him a Christmas cookie on Christmas morning?  When they heard a knock at the front door who did they think might be there? How did Jack feel when he saw a stranger standing on the front porch asking for food? How did Jack’s mom respond to the man?
5. What did Jack do when the man left? Why do you think he did this?
6. Does your family make cookies at Christmas? What could you do to make this tradition even more special?

Review prepared by Erin Mills, MACE, Entering cohort Fall 2007

A Quiet Neighborhood

Name of Book: A Quiet Neighborhood

Author:  George MacDonald (1824 – 1905), edited by Dan Hamilton (1997)

Publisher: ChariotVictor Publishing

Publisher’s Intended Audience: Young Adults and Adults

Summary: A new vicar comes to Marshmallows parish where he, with faltering steps, learns to shepherd his first flock.  The vicar, Harry Walton, enters the lives of his parishioners, teaching them much about the nature of God but also learning much from them.  Along the way, he falls in love with the daughter of the church’s most powerful – and most broken –family

Literary elements at work in the story  (genre/setting/characterization /plot/theme/point of view/style): Fiction novel set in Marshmallows, a thinly veiled reflection of Arundel, England during the Victorian era.  As with most of MacDonald’s novels, A Quiet Neighborhood is a study of characters and places with which he was familiar.  Before becoming a novelist, MacDonald was himself a clergyman and displays a serious devotion to Jesus Christ through the eyes and life of at least one character in his book.

Scripture: Matthew 6:24, Isaiah 26:3

Theology: This novel is rich with theological concepts and can be discussed from any number of points of view.  I will focus here, however, on Old Rogers.  He was the character through whom MacDonald chose to demonstrate the concept of the Christian life.  His devotion to God was deep, his faith in Jesus sincere, and his desire to live in a way that would be pleasing to his Savior strong.  For Old Rogers, Jesus was a very real presence and his primary role model.

Faith Talk Questions (Intended for use with youth and adults):

1. What are some of the things we learn in the first three chapters about Old Rogers – his life, his history, and his faith?
2. How did Old Rogers’ refusal of the gardening job offered by Mr. Walton display love for his neighbor?
3. What was Old Rogers’ primary method for discerning the will of God for himself?
4. When asked what the Lord would say about his pipe, his response was, “Why, Sir, I thought He would say, ’Old Rogers, have yer baccay – only mind ye don’t grumble when you ain’t got none.’”  How does such a conversation with Jesus strike you?  What wisdom (or folly) do you see in Old Rogers’ thought?
5. What do you suppose Old Rogers meant when he said, “we ain’t got to do with the look o’ things, but with the things themselves.”?  What are some ways that you dwell “on the look o’ things?” What are some ways that society does?  How might those things look different if seen from a Christian perspective?

Review prepared by Kelly Hames, MACE, Entering cohort – 2008

Lord of the Rings Triology

Name of Book: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Author:  J.R.R. Tolkien

Illustrator: Alan Lee

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Publisher’s Intended Audience: Grades 7 and Up

Summary: The Ring of Power has resurfaced and is striving to return to the hand of its master, the Dark Lord, Sauron.  It is the task of the fellowship, nine individuals representing all of the free folk of Middle Earth, to destroy the ring in the Cracks of Mount Doom deep within the borders of Mordor (Sauron’s stronghold) in order to prevent the world from being covered in a second darkness.  But Sauron is using his enslaved servants – including the Black Riders – to hunt the ring, for without it, he cannot return to his full strength.  The Hobbit, Frodo, carries the ring of magic on the quest and along with the fellowship must avoid enemies (and sometimes even friends) to reach the Black Lands and send the ring into the fire from which it was forged.

Literary elements at work in the story:  (genre/setting/characterization /plot/theme/point of view/style): An epic high fantasy fiction set in Middle Earth.  Tolkien has created a mythology for England predating the Roman occupation of Britain.  His human and near human characters are very convincing.  This is an extraordinary adventure which sets the bar for all other stories in the genre.

Perspective on gender/race/culture/economic/ability: Races are represented through fanciful (and oh so believable) characters such as dwarves, elves, orcs, wizards and Hobbits.  There are few female main characters but the ones there are show strength and intelligence and help move events.

Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:7

Theology: Though not an allegory, these books are rich with Christian themes…call of the hero, quest, provision, staying on the right path, sacrifice, and more.

Faith Talk Questions (Intended for use with upper elementary, youth and adults):

1. How was the Hobbit, Frodo, called to the quest to destroy the ring of power?  What were his feelings about the journey?  With that in mind, do you think you’ve ever received a call from God?  What was your first reaction?  How is your call similar or dissimilar to Frodo’s?
2. How were the other members of the Fellowship called?  Have you ever felt called to participate in community with others? What was the task set before your community or fellowship and why was it important for you to act with others rather than alone?
3. What provision does Frodo receive to help him on his quest?  At what points in the story does unlooked for help arrive?  Can you recall a time that God provisioned you for a task?  Have you ever received unexpected help?
4. What enabled Sauron to ensnare the Nazgul?  What caused Saruman’s fall?  Why do you think that Bilbo and Frodo were able to resist the evil of the One Ring?  How has your attempt to live in faithfulness to Christ helped you to resist evil or temptation?
5. How important was the Fellowship of the Nine Walkers to the outcome of the quest?  In what ways was the Fellowship itself significant in moving events?  How were their lives changed on the journey?  How have you changed on your Christian journey?  In what ways has a community of faith helped you to stay on the right path?

Review prepared by Kelly Hames, MACE, Entering cohort – 2008