Describe Containing Books The Devil's Arithmetic
| Title | : | The Devil's Arithmetic |
| Author | : | Jane Yolen |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Deluxe Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 170 pages |
| Published | : | April 12th 2004 by Puffin Books (first published October 1st 1988) |
| Categories | : | Historical. Historical Fiction. Young Adult. World War II. Holocaust. Fiction. War. Science Fiction. Time Travel |
Jane Yolen
Paperback | Pages: 170 pages Rating: 4.02 | 52795 Users | 2309 Reviews
Explanation In Pursuance Of Books The Devil's Arithmetic
This semester I am requiring my students to read The True Story of Hansel and Gretel, a novel takes place in Poland during World War II. The good news is that my students love the book; in fact, several of them are reading ahead. The shocking fact, the bad news, is what they don’t know. It is not just knowledge of history that they lack; it is knowledge of basic geography. God bless PowerPoint and blackboard. To be fair, my students do ask intelligent questions, yet the lack of basic knowledge is shocking. At times, I feel like I am teaching a culture and history course in addition to a reading skills course. Now, I don’t think it is the students’ fault. I think the fault lies with the schools as well as parents and special interest groups. Here’s why. There is a group called PABBIS (Parents against Bad Books in Schools). I disagree with them on so many different levels, but their website does have two good features. It actually quotes the material they find objectionable, and it has a complete list of banned and challenged books (as recent as 4-5 years ago). The Devil’s Arithmetic is on that list by the way. Everything by Stephen King makes the list. Everything by Dahl, Blume, Block. There are a few Black Stallion books on the list as is Black Beauty, Harry Potter, His Dark Materials, Three to Tango, The Diary of Anne Frank, The Lorax, and Shakespeare. In other words, pretty much anything good. Lately, history and science text books have been subjected to strange changes (i.e. as in Texas) and warning labels (usually about evolution). In terms banning and challenging books, I might under the idea if the book was being assigned at an inappropriate grade level, say Beloved to first graders. Why an exceptional first grader might not have a problem with such a book, there are several things wrong, in general, about such assignment, least of which is the subject matter. Yet, I have never heard of such an assignment. Age appropriateness isn’t really the issue. It seems to rest on what might offend any group, anywhere. Take, for instance, The Diary of Anne Frank. This book has been banned, challenged, and rejected by parents and text book committees because of the sex and tragedy of the story. Raisin in the Sun has been banned and challenged because it’s pornographic. (Can someone please, please show me where?). I can certainly see why The Devil’s Arithmetic is banned. It is the mention of a wedding. Blatantly heterosexual. Okay, it’s most likely due to the violence (it’s about the Holocaust) and the ending. Romeo and Juliet was dissed by a teacher who said it was a blatant endorsement of heterosexual love (so I guess teen suicide is okay). BUT, Yolen’s magnificent book is exactly the type of book that should be used in schools. Let’s face it, the wrong text book and/or the wrong teacher can make history very boring, and sometimes people just don’t like learning about history for a variety of reasons. This is the reason why good historical fiction should be used in schools. A good historical novel can get a reader interested in a period, in an event, in a person. This true, to a degree, of such less accurate work than The Devil’s Arithmetic. 300 caused some people to become interested in the Spartans, Titanic in the actual ship. In terms of books, vampire novels and historical fiction, such as The Other Boleyn Girl also cause readers to become interested in the actual events or myths that the novel is based on. Curiosity and a desire to learn are fueled by a variety of things; interest is one of them. The Devil’s Arithmetic is precisely the type of book that for young readers can help history seem more real and, perhaps, get a reader interested in history. Yolen does not talk down to her readers, her main character is sympathetic, an older sibling, and because Yolen doesn’t pull her punches, it is a real history, not a feel good history. This makes the story far more compelling and interesting. The story is told actively and quickly. Words are not wasted. The reader learns but is not lectured to and screamed at. Because of this reality and vividness, parents object to the story, and this raises the question of whether teachers and parents should sugarcoat history. It’s true that are plenty of novels and movies that present history in a more flattering light (look at the perfect teeth, the clean bodies, the small pox vaccination scars). A reader can quite easily find it in any average romance novel. Such writing does serve a sense of purpose, escapism, and there is nothing wrong with that. But that is not education. Is this what parents want a school to be? I hope not. I suppose it is easy for me to comment on appropriateness and the evil of banning because I don’t have a child, and I was raised in a house where you were encouraged to read what you wanted. I see, however, the effects of banning and challenging which are a total lack of knowledge or, worse, a lack of interest about a subject because the subject has been taught in such a sterile environment, so devoid of any color or shading, where everything is the color and taste of sugar; where everyone in the world has always treated everyone with respect and love, where women always had the right to vote, and slavery only existed in North and South America, and was totally destroyed by the American Civil War. Good literature, of which The Devil’s Arithmetic is a prime example forces its readers to examine their own knowledge and lack of knowledge, forces readers to think about their own responses, notions, and stereotypes. Good literature teaches or enlightens the reader even if the reader already knows. It is a bond between writer, book, and reader that is no less real than those ties of family and society that provide the excuse for book banning.Define Books Concering The Devil's Arithmetic
| Original Title: | The Devil's Arithmetic |
| ISBN: | 0142401099 (ISBN13: 9780142401095) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Characters: | Hannah (Chaya) (The Devil's Arithmetic) |
| Setting: | concentration camp,1942(Poland) |
| Literary Awards: | Nebula Award Nominee for Best Novella (1988), World Fantasy Award Nominee for Best Novella (1989), National Jewish Book Award for Children's Literature (1989), Sydney Taylor Book Award for Older Readers (1988), Judy Lopez Memorial Award for Children's Literature Nominee (1989) |
Rating Containing Books The Devil's Arithmetic
Ratings: 4.02 From 52795 Users | 2309 ReviewsJudgment Containing Books The Devil's Arithmetic
This wasn't one of my favorite books at all. There were only a few parts that I liked and found interesting. I thought that the book was pretty boring and confusing in parts. Between switching characters, settings, and timelines, the book got confusing and a little annoying to read. However, I did enjoy the historical aspect of it, even though it does not teach very much.
A poignant story of life in a concentration camp through the eyes of a young girl. Amazing writing for this part of the story! I did not like the "time travel" aspect of the book, but the historical portions were very well done.
This book is really good!! It's about a Jewish little girl transported to 1942 Poland and is captured by the Nazi's and brought to a concentration camp. This book gives us more information about what everyday life was like. I prefer that people read this book!!
This was really sad and scary. But so REALISTIC!! It's terrifying to think that it acually would happen! (Not the time traveling, the concentration camp.) It is about a Jewish girl, Hannah, who is at a passover dinner, when she goes through a door and finds herself in 1942. Everyone knows who she is except herself. They think she is an orphan girl called Chaya, which is what her name is in some language. She makes five friends; Rachel, Shirfre, Ester, Yente, and Rivka. Rachel and Yente die on
Yolen employs a "Magic Tree House" trope to move her main character, Hannah, a bored American thirteen-year-old at her family's Seder dinner, through time, space and language, and it comes off as hokey. Once Hannah becomes Chaya, an orphan living in a Polish village in 1942, though, this tale grabs onto the reader and doesn't let go. Hannah opens the door of her family's apartment to welcome the prophet Elijah and is soon crammed into a crowded cattle car with other Jews on a train destined for
I wasn't really sure what to make of this book when I first saw it, but after having read it, I would say that I am glad that I did. This is one of those books that really makes you look at things from a different perspective. I can relate to Hannah, because I remember being 13 and having little patience with traditions and customs, and just wanting to hang out with my friends. But given the experience Hannah had, she was able to see things in a new way, and was granted a gift, even though it
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.