“Many other strong people came before us and they never got a chance to know what freedom was. They sacrificed their lives so that we could have a better life and we must not forget to pay homage to them in all that we do.” page 37
The Making of a Psychologist by Dr. Earl Bracy.
RoseDog Books, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 2010.
Memoir, 268 pages.
Not leveled.
The life story of Dr. Bracy, told by himself. Technically an autobiography (told by the author in chronological order) but written with more of an anecdotal memoir style.
The Making of a Psychologist by Dr. Earl Bracy (with owner’s name and label blurred off of this borrowed book cover).
I came across this book quite randomly when looking for a very different (not diverse) book. If it wasn’t for this blog, I probably wouldn’t have finished it. Bracy’s life is interesting, but this book needed a heavy editor’s hand. I had to stop myself from grabbing a pencil and marking up the margins several times. If this was a purchased book (rather than borrowed), I’d have done so simply for my own peace of mind.
The formatting is also troublesome with justified margins and a font that doesn’t do the book any services. The book cover isn’t appealing with the tilted landscape, awkward fades, and random American flag. All of that’s too bad, because this could have been a very readable book.
I know, two posts on the weekend! But I am finally catching up on old (aka non-urgent) emails and saw the news that Wisconsin Public Television is going to be coming out with a new series about Wisconsin First Nations!
We’ve really enjoyed The Ways and I’ve used it at home and school. Their Wisconsin Biographies series has a few diverse figures as well. Both are free to the public. They also have a lot of free resources in various categories just for WI educators. I have high hopes for the quality of their new series. If nothing else I hope to at least educate myself further about WI indigenous peoples – ideally it will work for my students and family as well.
The twelve tribes of Wisconsin locations and seals (image from UW Madison School of Education)
At first I was going to try to fit these links into my review… but they just made it far too long, so here are some further links for tomorrow’s review.
Tomorrow I’ll be posting my review of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. I hadn’t planned to add this book to my collection, however, as A. M. Blair stated in her review, it can be reread at different stages of life. Already my reactions to it as a parent are now drastically different then when I read it before.
The Atlantic also has an interesting article about Hmong in Wausau (an area of central Wisconsin). The court case described is definitely worth reading about. The article also mentions this song as a source of inspiration:
This last one is a bit of a spoiler, so you may want to stop now if you haven’t read the book yet…
Lia lived for an extraordinary 26 years in a persistent vegetative state due to the loving attention of her family. This article reviews the book and includes information on her 2012 death.
Amina’s Voice is a great new Muslim #ownvoices MG novel. Here’s my take on the Wisconsin references in the book.
Amina’s Voice by Hena Khan.
Salaam Reads imprint, Simon & Schuster, New York, 2017.
Middle grade realistic fiction, 197 pages.
Lexile: 800L .
AR Level: Not yet leveled.
Amina is shy and a little afraid of some of the big changes coming with middle school, like a chance to enter a singing contest or her uncle coming to stay. Her best friend is Soojin, a Korean immigrant who’s finally becoming an American citizen and wants to change her name. They find that their different cultures have some cultural norms in common, and they bonded over having unusual names. But if Soojin changes her name, is she also going to change her best friend?
There are going to be lots of reviews of this book, so I thought for my review, I’d take a different perspective. Kirin at Notes from an Islamic School Librarian reviewed Amina’s Voice and had only one issue with it, which confirmed my idea that this #ownvoice novel is a great representation of Muslim culture.
“Some children were happy at the orphanage. Living there was better than having no home at all.” p. 19
On Her Own: The Life of Betty Brinn, written by Priscilla Pardini, illustrated by Joanne Scholler Bowring.
Elizabeth A. Brinn Foundation, Elm Grove, WI, 2001.
Picture book biography, 32 pages.
Not leveled.
In Wisconsin, especially Milwaukee County, Betty Brinn is known for the excellent children’s museum bearing her name. However, not many people know her story, or how her own experiences as an institutionalized, and later a foster child drove her to philanthropy.
On Her Own: The Life of Betty Brinn written by Priscilla Pardini, illustrated by Joanne Scholler Bowring.
The first half of the book focuses on Betty’s birth family and her life in the orphanage. On page 21, she and her sister move to a foster home. Betty was in 17 different foster homes, so this book only focuses on the Stinson family, whom she lived with between ages 13-16. The final pages cover her adult life from struggles to success to her early death from cancer.
This book is ubiquitous at used bookstores near Milwaukee. At one I occasionally visit, there is always a copy on the children’s discount bookshelves, so I picked it up for a dollar. (The paperback retails for $4.50 new.)
I’m glad that I read this because I definitely learned a lot about Betty Brinn’s life and why she was driven to do what she did. However, I also am not sure who to recommend this for. The words and pictures don’t exactly connect to each other. Reading about the author and illustrator, it appears that Priscilla Pardini is an experienced author but had never written for children before, and that really shows in the writing.
There are at least two paragraphs of text in every two-page spread, sometimes more. One two page-spread has seven paragraphs! The text seems to be geared towards a fourth or fifth grade level while the pictures are aimed at a younger audience. The writing is factual but doesn’t really tell a story that engages kids.
Due to the density of the small print, this doesn’t make a good read-aloud. The kids who are drawn to the pictures typically aren’t ready to read such challenging text. And the kids who are able to read the text dismiss it as babyish.
On Her Own, front cover interior map of Milwaukee County Children’s Home in the 1940s.
There are some lovely details in the book. The front and back covers have maps of the orphanage and the Stinson’s farm. It certainly gives a comprehensive overview of Betty Brinn’s life. The writing is solid non-fiction. Unfortunately there is a fundamental disconnect between the disparate elements of the book.
If you have interest in Betty Brinn, orphanages, or foster care, then this book may be for you. But I cannot recommend it in general.
Colorful Book Reviews 