The Intuitionist and the End

    The Intuitionist, by Colson Whitehead, is an interesting book.  It tells the story of Lila Mae Watson--the first black female elevator inspector--who sets out to unravel the plot behind an elevator crash that occurred on her watch. 

     Her identity as a woman, and as a person of color, and as an Intuitionist is at the very core of this book.  She was proud to be an Intuitionist, and she believed heartily in all of Fulton's work.  Being a woman, she often slid under everyone else's radar, and also being colored caused her to blend into the segregated background of people in service positions.  She worked hard to make good grades in school and get a good job, even though she struggles with the feeling that "her role...is limited to window dressing--evidence for the new, progressive face of the Elevator guild..." (15).  And she also feels that sometimes her status as a colored woman might get her assignments she otherwise would not have obtained, "the colored gal gets the job" (14). 

     Whitehead's book is a detective novel that challenges the "stereotypical white male in a trenchcoat and fedora" model.  Lila Mae Watson is a colored woman who is almost invisible to everyone around her.  (And her last name reminds readers of Sherlock Holmes's sidekick, Watson.)  But she is no less determined or cunning than any white detective has been.  The book also has its share of surprising twists, like double agents. 

     This is a very difficult book to read.  It has beautifully (or frighteningly) detailed and original descriptions that really add to the flavor of the book and make it outstanding.  One example is "as if pain were a viruoso and his screams the very libretto of hell" (95).  But it is so full of symbology and double meanings that it is hard to decipher.  It could be read as "a book about elevators and elevator inspectors," which is what it seems to be on the outside.  But it really tells a deeper story about segregation and the utopian dream of equality. 

1. Do you think Lila Mae would have been as passionate about solving the mystery if she were not black or a woman or either?  If she were a white man, would her sense of identity have been invisible to herself like she, as a black woman, was to everyone else? 
2. Have you read any other detective novels that were deep or allegorical, or a book from another genre that completely broke the mold? 
3. What was your favorite original description in The Intuitionist? 

----------------------------------------------------

    The Intuitionist was our final reading for Dr.Olmsted's class.  So, this will be my final post.  I hope that you (our classmates and any other readers who might have stumbled upon this blog) have enjoyed reading our posts and found them to be interesting. 

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.  May you all be safe and warm and have a wonderful New Year!

Let's Tie It In A Bow

This will be my last blog post. I have enjoyed the literary works, poems, films and dialogues with the class. The last novel that we read was The Institutionist by Colson Whitehead. Lila Mae Watson was the main character who struggled with being a black woman in her era, and in her place of employment. Her dilemma was much like that of the woman in a film we were asked to view, "For Colored Girls". If you haven't seen it yet, whether you're a woman of color or not, you should.


One of the most important lines of the film, describes in so much detail what Whitehead wanted us to see was Watson's dilemma.
"Being Colored is a metaphysical dilemma that I haven't conquered yet"; such a profound statement made by actress Thandie Newton. Lila Mae was the first Black Elevator Inspector, and woman. However, as we continued the read it became obvious that these were "theoretical" elevators.

This novel was chocked full of suspense, drama, racial satire, and religion. I enjoyed following the mental journey that Whitehead took us on. It was as if you had to get into character so to speak to even understand where he was going with each scene, and flashback.

I hope that everyone that took this class has become more culturally aware, and has found something valid to take away from this multicultural literature class. I have enjoyed it.


I wish everyone good fortune. Have a wonderful Holiday Season. Merry Christmas!!!

Wrapping it up

This will be my final post of the semester so I wanted to close with some thoughts on this past semester. I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know several of my classmates through the Db and blog posts. I have also thoroughly enjoyed the readings I was introduced to during the course of this class and appreciate what I will be moving forward with in my future classes and career as an English teacher.

As I've said before, I've gotten several ideas, such as implementing Ms. Rain's journal idea in some form in my classroom, and wonder if anyone else who plans to teach will take any ideas with them specifically because of this class.

I also wonder what your favorite book/poem/movie of the entire semester has been.

My favorites have been The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian and Push. I also enjoyed the Langston Hughes poetry, because I've never been exposed to it before. I guess with the current emphasis on testing, teachers don't get to delve into multi-cultural literature so much these days.

I hope to share some of these things with my future students so they can learn some of what I have learned about multi-cultural literature and about racial prejudice in general. I have a newfound respect for multi-cultural authors and I look at people very differently now because of this class.

I hope others have been impacted in some way as well, and I hope you will take this (final) opportunity to share on the blog.

A Woman Of Color

This will be my last blog post for the semester so I'm going to make it short, sweet, and good!

This class has really been interesting and enlightening for me. I enjoyed the books, poems, videos, and discussions about every type of culture. I think reading the Intuitionist last was a really good idea because I think it ties everything up that we've been learning and talking about in the class.

I will just post part of my DB post about being A Woman of Color that I did this week. I loved the ending up the book and how you realize Watson's biggest issue is she has no idea about her own race issues within the city and we learn them with her. I have enjoyed reading the book for the third time and maybe not the last. I hope everyone was able to take something from each subject we read. Have a great holiday break and next semester! :)

Explanation of what it means to be a Colored Girl to me:

"I would have to say that I did like Freeport’s character a lot and I can see why Watson was able to open up to him. He seemed to not have a motive and was equally happy with the connection they have formed but ironically he had issues as well and that had to do with the color of his skin. He wanted to blend in with the “white world” and I can completely understand that at a time like that. Today as a woman of color no longer feels the need to blend in as a white person but I would be lying if I say that hasn’t crossed my mind when I was younger. Growing up seeing white people on T.V and in so much power kind of made me think about what it would be like if I was white. I also remember going to the store to pick out dolls and all of the other white dolls were really pretty and had amazing clothes. The colored dolls looked fake and cheap. My mom always wanted to stress how special I was because I was of color. I remember for my 10^th birthday my mom bought me a specialty made doll named, Christina. It was $100 and when I saw the doll it made me cry because she was beautiful. She was the size of a real baby and her hair was long and beautiful just like mines. That doll meant so much to me because I could actually relate myself to it. I still have her and plan to pass it to my nieces when they’re older. So I can certainly understand conforming to being a white person but I’m so happy my mother always stressed that no one is better than the next and you’re special just the way you are. I smile now because I know for a fact this is true and I’m grateful to be a individual. "

The Intuitionist - what's in the hidden meanings?

I've had a tough time with this book, as others have commented on the Db, but it's clear that there is more than meets the eye. Beyond the racial undertones, there appear political and religious metaphors as well. I can't help but wonder as I'm finishing up the book what other meanings there are.

Does anyone have any thoughts beyond what's been posted on the discussion board?

The names of the two sections, Up and Down, could signify the ups and downs of everyday life, the ups and downs of racial progress. We can't go down without going up and we can't have any kind of progress without getting past the struggles.

Even the elevator fall signifies the disaster that can happen when changes are in progress.

There are also numerous quotes that are throughout the book that are super descriptive and mysterious. Such as when Lila Mae refers to her destroyed apartment as "raped"; the description of the snapping fingers of the screaming man...

What are some of your favorite quotes or passages from the book?

I'm marking some as I go along and will post more as some comments are posted!

The Intuitionist

The last book of the semester and it has really been a semester for me and I'm sure it has been for you, too! I read this book a year ago for fun and then turned around and had to read it for another English class a couple months later...now I reread it for this class because I had forgotten so much and wanted to re jog my memory.

There is no thought that this book is filled with many issues about race, class, feminist issues, and rank inside the job world. The setting is when African-Americans are called "colored" and integration is being talked about.

When I first read this book the number one question that came to mind is: If I were, Watson, how would I handle the situation she's facing?

Are there still jobs without women? If so, why?

We has women know there are still plenty of jobs that women aren't able to work and some jobs that are in the United States that are still considered "men" jobs. I don't have to even take the time out and defend the fact that women can do anything a man can do...it's been proven. I just know that yes, we have progressed a lot from the time of the book but just how much. It's scary to think about how Watson had to deal with being black and in a all male job as a woman. I think her character is really powerful.

Precious

In reading Push and watching Precious for the second time, I couldn't help but wonder how I would feel if I were in that situation. What would I have done if I were Precious? How would I have reacted if I were Ms. Rain? I would like to think if I had been Precious I would have spoken up, that someone would have somehow detected my cries for help. I can't imagine what it would be like to suffer through that life every day.

As an aspiring teacher, I have to consider the possibility that there will be students making those cries for help. How will I hear them? I've already learned many things in this class and have gotten several ideas of things I would like to implement in my classroom. One of my main ideas came from Ms. Rain. I want to have my students journal daily and I will respond to them.

I think the best way to connect to students, especially high school students, is through writing. They are at a stage of rebellion. They don't want to talk about their problems, they don't care about many things, they think they are invincible, but if you can get them to open up through writing you might be able to reach out to them if they need help with something. Maybe they are simply sick of school, or maybe they have problems going on at home that are affecting their abilities at school.

One thing I have learned is you never know what could be going on with a student at home.

So, for those of you who plan to be teachers, or for anyone who has any ideas to share, what do you plan to do in your classroom to try and reach out to students?

Also, if you suspected abuse or some other danger in the student's life, how would you react?

What ideas have you gotten from this class that you plan to incorporate into your classroom?

Tying It All Together- Abuse

Throughout this course, we have read a lot of books, poetry, and short stories and watched a couple of movies, and much of it had one common element: Abuse.  Abuse ties into the theme of this blog because the person doing the abusing is quite often a family member.  And when a person suffers abuse, it can shape or alter their identity. 

Dream Homes--  Joyce Zonana's father's mother, Rose, emotionally abused Joyce's mother, Nelly, by competing with her for Joyce's father Felix's attention.  She was a constant, wailing, complaining, lamenting, nagging presence that eventually caused Nelly to flee to her own family in Brazil.  Joyce was abused by one of her Harvard professors, whom she shacked up with for two years, who raped her "night after night" (Zonana 137).  Joyce moved into her "professor-lover's New York apartment and lived with him for two dark years, typing his dissertation for him, dropping out of college," and starting her on a downward spiral that lead her to many years of apartment hopping and more lovers than one could shake a stick at (Zonana 138).  But, Joyce persevered, and became a professor and a published author.   

Smoke Signals--  Victor Joseph's father, Arnold, abused alcohol and (most likely because of that) also physically abused his wife and son by hitting them.  Then Arnold abandoned his wife and son to run off and live alone.  This all emotionally scarred Victor who grew to resent his father. 

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian--  Junior suffered verbal abuse from the other people on the reservation (because he decided to change schools), who were like part of his extended family.  And alcohol abuse played a big part in Junior's life.  Junior's father abused alcohol.  Alcohol led Eugene's friend to kill him.  The driver who hit Junior's grandmother was drunk.  The reader doesn't know what will happen in Junior's future, but one can hope that he would see how alcohol abuse affected his life and his loved ones and choose to avoid it. 

Shadow Tag--   Gil and Irene abused each other in various ways throughout this book.  Irene started writing terrible things in the fake diary because she knew it will hurt Gil.  She also abused alcohol.  Gil hit Irene and the children and forcefully had sex with Irene.  Gil also found an unusual way to abuse Irene; he painted abuse onto her portrait.  In the end, Gil was so tormented by what he read in the diary that he went insane and was eventually put into a mental institution.  Irene felt that she couldn't call the police when Gil raped her.  Perhaps since she had dealt with Gil's abuse for so long, things like that had become the norm in their relationship.  At the end of the book, Gil even led Irene to her death, albeit inadvertently.   

"Cora Unashamed"--  Jessie suffered emotional abuse at the hands of her mother, who ignored her most of her life and only showed an active interest in her when she forced Jessie to have an abortion.  The emotional turmoil Jessie went through after being forced to have her child aborted took its toll on her life.   

Push (the novel) and Precious (the movie)--  Precious endured so much abuse at the hands of the people who should have loved and protected her.  Her father repeatedly raped and twice impregnated her.  Her mother verbally and physically abused her and also allowed her father to have his way with Precious.  Strangers became more like family to her than her real family was.  But through all of her suffering, she grew stronger and eventually managed to break away from the situation. 



Whether the abuse was mild or severe, and whether it ended in tragedy or growth, it was a big theme in many of the material we have covered in this Multicultural American Literature course. 


1. Do you think that the abuse in any of these families stemmed from the fact that they were multicultural?  If not, then where might it have originated?  If so, what part of the multicultural experience led to the beginning of the abuse? 

2. Which case of abuse do you think had the biggest impact (positive or negative) on a character's identity? 

3. Can you think of any other instances of abuse in the works we have covered in this class? 

Push Discussion

In the book, Push a lot of key themes are brought to light. The novel speaks on abuse, identity, self esteem, education, parenthood, sexual abuse, and the future. The main character Precious experiences all of these themes in different ways in the book. It is very clear to the reader that she hasn't had a easy life and a lot of these themes that have happened in her life is not by her own choice. When I first read the book many questions ran through my mind that I wanted to be answered and now I can ask them.

Precious mother: Mary was by no means an innocent person and that was portrayed well in the book. It was impossible for me to find any type of sympathy for her even when she was talking from her own point of view. Why did she allow Precious to be abused and also contribute to the abuse as well? In my opinion, I feel that she had no power because she was also uneducated, living in the projects, depending on government help, and her "man" was abusing their daughter and having kids with her. She abused Precious to gain some sense of power because in reality she had none and was a weak individual. What do you think?

Precious Education: So many things I could say about Precious education. While reading the book I found myself taking many breaks because it was so hard to read the things she was going through but also to read it the way she talked...illiterate. It made me appreciate my own education and the benefit I had of my mother supporting it. What kind of affect does the abuse have on Precious education? Also what role did her mother play with her education?

Race and Prejudice: Race and Prejudice both play a very important role in the novel. Why does Precious perceive whites and blacks a certain way? She goes through a lot in her life. What has the most affect on Precious prejudice? Sex? Upbringing? History? Ignorance?

This novel is filled with a lot of questions and some are answered and many you have to find the answer for yourself. As hard as it is to believe that someone went through so much in there life it's not impossible. Leaves me to ask the question... Will Precious become a statics or an individual? Yes, I know the way the book ended but it doesn't answer that question. Can she even be a individual with so many odds against her. I believe she could but a lot of the world would say she has too many cards stacked against her already to really be a function member of society.

Liz W.....

Domestic Violence

The novel "Shadow Tag", by Louise Erdrich was an excellent read. There were so many different issues that were explored in this novel. Sexuality, Drug and Alcohol Abuse, as well as Domestic Violence. Irene and Gil had a tumultuous relationship. They loved each other, but were also very dependent on the behaviors of the other partner in the relationship. That type of codependency in turn cost them their children, the loss of their relationship and their lives.

Gil was very abusive, physically, emotionally and mentally. He was physically abusive with his children, as well as verbally abusive; the same with his wife, Irene. A lot of his abuse affected the mental stability of the lives of his wife and children. Stoney his small child was a kindergartner,withdrawn; Florian an uber intelligent, introvert, and substance abuser;Riel was a troubled adolescent who lived her life through daydreams. All of these characters were affected by Domestic Violence, in one form or another, and it played out in their lives from childhood through adulthood.The example that these parents set for their children would plague them for years to come.
Domestic Violence affects 2 out of 4 families in the United States alone.

WHAT IS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Domestic Violence is defined as violent and emotional abuse behaviors used by one person in a relationship to control another; Parents, single or unmarried, gay, lesbian, heterosexual or other wise. Some examples of Domestic Violence are as follows: Name calling (curses or expletives), fighting (hitting, pushing, punching, pinching, wrenching, pulling, tugging), sexual assault, keeping tabs or stalking the other partners, checking emails, messages, phone logs to be used as tools for keeping the person from going outdoors (leaving the home). Keeping individuals from working, spending money. Controlling money, or withholding money. Put downs, threatening physical harm, damage to the person/people, like suicide or homicide. Psychological, emotional and financial abuse aren't considered criminal, but these practices can lead to criminal behaviors.


WHO CAN BE A VICTIM?

Anyone can be a Victim of Domestic Violence. Any one of any race, creed, religion, sexual preference, ethnicity,culture, education, and marital status. Children in the home are often victims as well. Children are often abused and neglected. Children may show no signs of abuse outwardly but as with any one being abuse the emotional scars often lead to them acting out on their emotions and behaviors.

CYCLE OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Physical: Threats
Manipulation
Using Children
Economic Abuse
Using Male Privilege

Sexual: Intimidation
Isolation
Emotional Abuse
Denying and Blaming
Sexual Assault

Unfortunately Domestic Violence is NEVER a one time Event, its a continuous reoccurring cycle.

GET HELP

*CALL the Police. 911
*Find the support in family, friends, coworkers.
*File an Emergency/Personal Protection Order with the courts.
*Create a safety plan for getting away for yourself and any children involved.
*Seek Medical Attention.
*Find a safe place.

*If you have been physically abused: take photos, tell the police the number of times, show all bruises, tell them of any prior abusive situations, take all precautions. PRESS CHARGES ON YOUR ABUSER.

Contact the National Domestic Violence helpline@ 800-799-7223

Care enough for yourself and the lives of your children to end the Domestic Violence Cycle. Get help, get out!!

www.domesticviolence.org

The Impact of Drugs and Alcohol

We recently finished reading the book Shadow Tag in Dr. Olmsted's class, so our group decided to each take a common problem among families and do a little research to show the true impact of the choices and decisions of parents.

We live in a time that drug and alcohol abuse is rampant across the nation.


According to the NSPCC website, the risks to children in homes where parents abuse drugs and/or alcohol include "an increased risk of violence in families where parents abuse substances. Children can also suffer from lack of boundaries and discipline, and live chaotic lives. This can seriously affect their psychological and emotional development, and may cause problems with their relationships later on in life."

In addition to parental use of drugs and alcohol, studies show an increased number of teenagers across the nation are abusing prescription drugs, arguably the fastest growing problem drug in the country, and in Kentucky. It ranks second on the most commonly abused drugs list behind marijuana.

The website drugfree.org features an article on teen prescription drug abuse. For the full article, click here.

The article says "as many as one in five teens say they have taken a prescription drug without having a prescription for it."

Like in Shadow Tag and most of the other books and stories we have read in class feature alcoholism. I found the following statistics at www.learn-about-alcoholism.com.

Alcoholism in Families

Children who are raised with one or both parents with alcoholism are at increased risk of developing life-long emotional problems.

In addition, research sponsored by the National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse reveals that children of alcoholic parents, especially sons of alcoholic fathers, are four to nine times more likely to have problems with alcohol than children of non-alcoholic parents.

The American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry reported that most children of alcoholics also have experienced some form of parental neglect or abuse attributed to the disease.

For more information, including more problems children in an alcoholic home face, visit the website here.

As someone with a family history of alcoholism and drug abuse, it is imperative that we learn these statistics, educate our children and practice what we preach. I know from experience that the person you least expect could end up an addict, committing crimes, going to jail, etc. so we need to do all we can to educate ourselves and our children of the dangers of drugs and alcohol.

What are your thoughts?

Do you have experience or know someone who has first-hand experience with drug and/or alcohol abuse in their home that you would like to share?

Push by Sapphire

I first read Push the novel last fall just for my general reading. It had been out since 1996 but was just getting attention from the Hollywood world and also the literature world. I've read a lot of different books in my time but I must say Push is a very hard read. It's not just hard because of the graphic nature or the horrible things that happens to the main character, Precious it's also because of the way it was written. It was written just as how the narrator talks and also her educationally level she is, illiterate.

The fact that she is illiterate might seem unimportant to others and also none phasing but it is. I've never had a harder time reading a book as I did with Push. The book is only 192 pages but it seems triple the size of that when you are reading it through the eyes of someone who can't read or write, and her life seems to be ever more difficult than her mission to achieve her education. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves to read and also to the people who don't like to read. It's inspiring and at the same time chilling to read.

It took me about a day and a half to successfully read the book with understanding and it left me feeling all sorts of different emotions. This book covers every aspect of life including rape, child birth, obesity, illiteracy, child abuse, abandonment, hope, inspiration, and lastly love. This book is worth the read but defiantly want be an easy read, I encourage you all to breathe and expect it to be semi rough in the middle but the final outcome will be awesome.

P.S. The book, in my opinion, is totally different from the movie and much better!

Liz W-

Memoirs

This week in Ms. Olmsted's class, we are reading and discussing The Sum of Our Days by Isabel Allende.  It is a memoir.  Dictionary.com's first definition for memoir is, "a record of events written by a person having intimate knowledge of them and based on personal observation."  So, a memoir could just be an author rambling about a series of events.  But what makes a memoir good?  Think about The Sum of Our Days or any other memoirs you have read in the past...  What made them stand out?  What kept you turning the pages?  The Sum of Our Days focused on Allende and her family and the things that happened in their lives as Allende struggled with the death of her daughter, Paula.  But what made the book interesting?  Personally, I think that memoirs are interesting in general because it is like a good friend is telling you the juiciest bits of their life story.  I think that The Sum of Our Days was good because it was humorous and because there were a lot of interesting things happening all of the time in the book.  It didn't slow down; it seemed like there was always something going on. Or was it just the way Allende told the story that made it interesting?  

For those who visit the blog this week, please give your two cents!  Did The Sum of Our Days stand out to you as a good memoir, or did you feel like you had to trudge through it?  Why?  What makes a memoir good?  Is it the subject matter?  The way the author writes?  The humor factor?  The tragedy factor?  

Alexie's Semi-True Diary of Arnold Spirit

In Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Arnold Spirit (Junior) struggles with the identity of Indians as alcoholics. He has to cope with the alcohol-related deaths of three of his family members in the span of only a few months. (Eugene counts as family. Since he's the dad's best friend, he would be like an uncle). His grandmother is hit by a drunk driver. Eugene is killed by his own friend while they are drunk. Arnold's sister's house burns down after a drunken party, and she is too drunk to even wake up. And all that happens after Arnold decides that he has to change his identity. With a little nudge from Mr. P, he realizes that he has to get off of the reservation so he doesn't end up like all of the others in his tribe.

While Arnold stuggles with trying to figure out his identity (half-white, half-indian, artist, basketball player, teenager, son, brother, friend), he also struggles with many levels of family drama. His dad is a drunk, his mother is an ex-drunk, his best friend hates Arnold after he switches schools, his whole tribe hates him after he switches schools, and his sister runs away to Montana. And he even he forms a new family of peers at Reardon who grow to love and respect him.

1. Why is it so important to Arnold that he get away from the reservation and go to Reardon?

2. Arnold feels like the betrayal of his tribe (a form of family) is the cause of the deaths of his loved ones. Is Arnold justified in thinking this way? Why else would so many bad things happen all at once?

3. Which member of Arnold's family has the biggest positive impact on him? His mother, father, sister, or grandmother? Or maybe his friend Rowdy, or Eugene, or maybe even his coach at Reardon?

I will redeem your war dances with smoke signals...

The short stories "What You Pawn I Will Redeem," and "War Dances," and the movie Smoke Signals were all written by Sherman Alexie, who we will be reading more from next week with The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. But, for now, let's focus on what we've already experienced from Alexie.
------------------------------

In "What You Pawn I Will Redeem," the main character, Jackson, is a homeless Native American who has a drinking problem. He hangs out with two other homeless Native Americans named Rose of Sharon and Junior. One day, he sees what he believes to be his dead grandmother's stolen powwow-dance regalia in a pawn shop window. The story revolves around him trying to raise enough money to buy it from the shopkeeper.

Here are some discussion questions:
1. Would Rose of Sharon, Junior, Irene, Honey Boy, and the three Aleuts be considered part of Jackson's family?
2. Why was it so important to Jackson that he win back the regalia? Did he feel that it was a way that he could reunite with his long-gone family? Did he think that by winning it back, it would somehow alter his identity from that of a drunken bum to that of a hero?
-------------------------------

In "War Dances," several stories are being told at once. The main character finds himself partially deaf, and the doctor thinks he has a tumor. He flashes back to when his father was sick in the hospital, after having his feet amputated. There is also a small flashback to his father's death, as well as an interview with someone who served in World War 2 with his grandfather, and a strange "Exit Interview" for his father that includes a poem.

Here are some discussion questions:
3. How did the main character feel about his family, particularly his father?
4. How did the main character's father and grandfather shape his identity? Did he seem to follow in their footsteps in any way, or did he seem more like he was trying to carve out a new path?
---------------------------

In Smoke Signals, the main character, Victor, leaves his reservation to collect his father's ashes in Phoenix, Arizona. A geeky kid, Thomas, goes with him. Along the way, the two learn more about each other, and teach each other a few things, too. Victor learns a secret about his father, and finds himself.

Here are some discussion questions:
5. Why was Thomas always telling stories about Victor's father? Was it because he had no father of his own to look up to?
6. Why was Victor so standoffish to everyone except his mother? Why was he so unfriendly to Thomas most of the time?

Themes of Family and Identity in Dream Homes

In Dream Homes, by Joyce Zonana, the themes of "family" and "identity" kept reoccurring. Throughout the book, Joyce recounted how hard she tried to break away from her mother's identity and find her own. But at the same time, she dug deeper into her family's history and culture to learn more about herself in that way as well. So, the entire book seemed to be a struggle between her need to be her own individual person and her need to belong to a family, to embrace the culture she barely knew.

On page 61, she told the reader how she struggled with her physical identity, trying to change her look so that she would no longer resemble her mother, even though their similarity had previously been a comfort to her. "I worked to obscure the obvious, letting my hair grow long, hiding my hips, even dreaming of a nose job. In public, I pretended to be someone else, not at all my mother's daughter. But in my earlioest years, it was gratifying to find myself reflected, the solidarity of my mother's body helping to assure me of the reality of my own."

She also struggled with her religious and cultural identity. On page 107, she surmised that the Jews of Egypt must have also had trouble determining their identity. "Were they Egyptians first, inextricably linked to their birthplace, the land where they had prospered and build comfortable lives? Or were they primarily Jews, bound to be loyal to the new Jewish homeland being established across the Sinai Peninsula?" Zonana also mentioned that her mother felt that it was their "Frenchness" that set them apart from everyone else in America...not their Jewish qualities, not their Egyptian qualities, but their French qualities. On page 116, she explained that "it was this sense of French bourgeois decency that sustained" her mother.

Another big piece of Joyce Zonana's identity turned out to be her sexuality. For more than twenty years, she only dated women. And with joining the homosexual minority, she also found another type of family: gay friends, collegues, and students. And when she ended her relationship with Kay (a woman) and slept with Bernard (a man), she felt that she was betraying that family. That action also tore at her identity. On page 186, she wrote that "Sleeping with a man after more than twenty years with women was harder to come to terms with than coming out as a lesbian had been."

Throughout Dream Homes, Zonana took the reader from Egypt to New York, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and back again to Egypt. Through her physical journey, she also goes through an internal journey to find herself and her place in the world, as well as to understand her family, their reasons for living and acting the way they did, and their place in culture and history.

Grammama Jo's Caramel Cake

My mother was raised by her grandmother. Grammamma Josephine was a cook for many families in her town. 'Good ol' southern cook', they would say. She was the hired hand for a many Doctors and Professionals in her community. She cooked for Dr. Praider, Dic Creekmore, Owner of Creekmore and Sons Grocery, Ms. Lilly who owned Jellico 5 and Dime, and so many others, often too many to name. But Grammamma loved to cook for her family 'more than any those other folk', she said. Christmas time was one of her favorite holidays to prepare a feast for her family. Just as Zonana spoke on her mother, and grandmother before that making wraps with grape leaves, mommy and Jo would throw down in the kitchen. They would have turkey legs, chicken n' dumplins, mashed 'tatas', candied yams, corn pudding, a relish tray, and so many other delictable dishes. The highlight of that meal would be when Jo brought out her Famous Caramel Cake. Candied crunch atop this luscious cake, "mmmm mmmm", was all you heard.
"Jo let me get a piece, c'mom Jo, please. I been good." She would laugh, tickled still that her family was praising her masterpiece. "Now chil'ren, jest a minute herr, gimme a space to cut it loose". Then she'd cut a big piece for 'Nin, my mother, and all the others to follow, handing each one a glass of milk. "Eat't up, aint no more till next yerr", she would say with a big smile on her face. "Now this herr made our Christmas, didnt ev'n haf to buy nerr gift". That was so true, to this day it is NOT Christmas without Grammamma's cake and the warm stories that we share about her when we make her cake and when we share it together.

Grammamma Jo's Caramel Cake

Cake
1 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
3 cups self rising flour, sifted
1 cup milk
1tsp pure van extract

Filling
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp pure van extract

Icing
1/2 cup butter
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream, add more if necessary
1 oz powdered sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp pure van extract

Preheat oven to 350
Grease, flour (3) 9" cake pans
Cream butter, add gran sugar slowly, beat for 6-8 min
Slowly add in 1 egg at a time, beat well
Alternate adding in milk and flour, start with flour, end with flour
Add in vanilla
Separate batter into pans, level the batter

Bake for 23-25 min, depending on oven, until golden brown.

Let the cake cool, completely.

Filling
Butter, brown sugar, milk into saucepan
Cook for 3 min
Remove from heat, stir in vanilla
Stack cakes inverted, place toothpics into cake

Icing
Melt butter, stir in brown sugar and cream, let boil, remove from heat
Add pow'd sugar, vanilla, beat until desired constistency (spreadable)
Add cream
Spread over entire cake
Let it set up, icing will harden
Enjoy

By Kara Thompson

My first ever blog!

With the exception of Myspace (how many years ago?), this will be my first-ever experience with blogging. It took me several days, I'm actually ashamed to admit that, to figure out how to actually post a blog! Turns out, the little "sign in" button is at the top for a reason....

So, I just wanted to post my initial message to this awesomely titled blog group, and hope for many more messages to come!

Welcome to the blog!

Hello! 
Our blog group consists of: Kara Thompson, Ashley Zsedenyi, Liz Weary, Sue James, and Laura Sullivan. 

This blog will focus on the themes of Family & Identity in the following books: 
Dream Homes by Joyce Zonana
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
The Sum of Our Days by Isabel Allende
Shadow Tag by Louise Erdrich
Push by Sapphire
The Intuitionist by Colson Whitehead
------------------------------------------
I hope all of our readers will feel free to comment on our posts and join in the discussion of these books!