WhiteWash by Ntozake Shange
This book is about a young girl named Helene-Angel who is walking home from school with her older brother when they are stopped by three white guys. The white guys beat the brother up and paint Helene-Angel's face white all while calling them names. Helene-Angle is scared, embarrassed, and depressed at what happened but a few days later, she opens her door and her friends from school are there willing to give her support. This book is based on true incidents.
This is considered a controversial book because the issue being discussed is so deep. There is also the aspect of violence (the brother being beaten up, Helene-Angel's face being painted) and name calling ("mud people"). I think some people want this book banned because they don't want to introduce tough topics to their children; they want to keep them sheltered. I personally would use this book in my classroom because I do feel it is a prevalent issue today and it needs to be talked about and kids need to understand why it is not ok. Some students may have even experienced incidents like this and they may feel alone but this book can be a comfort to them.
I love the illustrations in this book and the illustrator's use of color. I also like the feel of the page; they are very aesthetic. I would recommend this book for kids ages 6-10.
Wow! I have never read this book before, but it sounds very much like a book that would need to be discussed with kids as you read to them. I am curious as to how you would teach this book to kids; would you talk to them about the violence? I think that I would try and focus on the Why rather than the What happened part of the book. How does the ending finish off? I'm really curious to know.
ReplyDeleteI read this book too and agree with your opinion that it would be a good book to discuss with children. Kids need to be aware of issue like this. I also think that the fear with books like this is that discussing deep issues will cause some kind of chaos among children and bring up questions that the teacher/parent doesn't want to answer or doesn't know how to answer. I think too that there is a fear that talking about issues like this is somehow connected to promoting them. But that is a huge lie right there. Talking about these issue is the ONLY way to stop silent promotion of them. I think silence is the greatest promoter of evil. If we are afraid to talk about things with kids, then we are not able to progress with them- we just stay on the surface and even go backwards in our development as a people and as a human race. Fear always prevents progress.
ReplyDeleteI don't know about you, but I am realizing slowly just how HUGE a responsibility teaching is. I realize, doing my practicum this semester, just how much impact elementary teachers have. I mean it is sort of mind boggling to think about... that the basic, rudimentary education of the people (young ones) who will one day run our country is in our hands?! I know that sounds dramatic and idealistic but it is a reality. Most of the great leaders and impactors of our nation have had elementary teachers at one time or another. So the end of matter is that we need to face reality and help our students face it too, not in fear, which prevents progress, but believing for a better, less violent, future.
I think this book sounds great for a social studies discussion. Children are smarter than most people think, and as future educators we need to give them the a chance to show us. I think children would be able to relate and discuss this book in great depth. They could easily relate it to experiences in their own lives, that even though they may not be as controversial problems, they are problems no less. I think this would be a great book to use in the classroom!
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