Hello all! Just wanted to wish all those who celebrate it a very Merry Christmas, and may you spend the day surrounded by love, laughter, friends, family, food, presents and basically anything that brings you happiness! :D
Look forward to many more blog posts (perhaps even a few later today), but for now just this quick note to spread the holiday cheer. In the words of Dickens, "God Bless us, everyone!" :D
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Review of 'The Photographer'
As the “About Me” section states, I am currently earning my Masters in English Education from the University of Oklahoma. I truly love what I’m studying, and I’m more motivated than ever to teach English (probably in a high school setting) in a few short years. :D As a part of this degree, I’m taking classes such as Young Adult Literature with Dr. Lawrence Baines. A big portion of our grade for this class was to read and review ten books appropriate for an adolescent audience which could be incorporated into the classroom environment. Some of the books we could choose ourselves and some were required, but all were tremendously enjoyable for me. Now I want to pass on what I’ve learned to you! :D Whether you’re a teacher hoping to use these as literature in your classroom, or just an avid reader, I think you’ll find some great reads here. On to the review!
1. Title: The Photographer: Into War-Torn Afghanistan with Doctors Without Borders by Emmanuel Guibert, ISBN: 9781596433755, New York, New York, 2009, $29.95, 260 pp.
2. Genre: Graphic Novel/Autobiography/War/Coming of Age Grades: 10-12.
3. Characters: Didier Lefevre is a young photographer from France who follows an MSF (France’s ‘Doctors Without Borders’) mission into Afghanistan in 1986, with the goal of taking many “good pictures”. Juliette is the head of the MSF mission who also serves as a mentor for Didier. She is unique in Afghanistan, because she is a woman who is in charge of leading the mission, negotiating with the locals, and getting everyone safely across the landscape. John, Robert, and Regis are three doctors who are a part of the mission. Didier comes to greatly respect all of them for their tremendous strength under pressure and their talent at working in such extreme and unsanitary conditions. Mahmad is the guide and interpreter for the mission. Sylvie is one of the nurses on the mission. There are also several other minor characters who Didier meets along his adventure.
4. Plot: Didier has been hired by the MSF to photograph the expedition of a team traveling from Peshawar, Pakistan to the region of Badakhshan in northern Afghanistan. It is 1986 and the Communist Soviet Union has invaded Afghanistan, leaving bands of Afghanis called Mujahideen (the Resistance) to defend themselves. It is the job of the MSF to care for the wounded in makeshift hospitals, with limited supplies, almost no technology, and very unsanitary working environments. Meanwhile, Didier is here to document the entire mission, and he will be greatly impacted by all that he witnesses and experiences.
The journey across the border is not an easy one. The main roads are controlled by the Soviets, so the team must cross over several grueling mountain passes, all about 16,000 feet high. They have extreme weather to contend with, as well as Soviet planes, bombs, and landmines. They have to watch for bandits along the way, and they have to stay together to avoid anyone getting lost, which nearly happens. Although Didier is 29 and in reasonable physical shape, the trip is very strenuous for him. He battles fatigue and lack of oxygen at high altitudes by constantly taking photos of the beautiful landscape. After a month of hiking, they finally reach Yaftal. Didier is exhausted and has lost weight, and along the way he’s learned a bit about Afghani culture and customs.
They set up the hospital and are almost immediately inundated with patients. Some people have war wounds, while others have suffered injuries from household accidents. Didier photographs all of it and is astonished by what he sees. He is also in awe of the MSF doctors, and the impressive work that they do everyday. From minor burns to severe injuries from shrapnel, the doctors see it all. Didier sees the admirable strength of the Afghani people, and their generosity – they thank the doctors for helping them even if the doctors cannot do very much for fatal injuries.
After about a month, they begin preparing to leave, but plan to take an alternate route that will delay their return to Pakistan. Didier is anxious to leave, however, and decides to return on his own with only a small escort, against the advice of Juliette. In theory, they should have a safer journey that would only take about two weeks, but of course this does not work out. At first he has trouble even obtaining a horse and an escort, and then he is stuck with four men who turn out to be very lazy and generally unhelpful. After a bout of illness, Didier insists upon crossing the Kalotac Pass during the daytime rather than under cover of night – a very unsafe idea – and goes to sleep. He wakes to find that the men have deserted him and he is entirely on his own. He cannot pack his horse, so he loses time, and he barely survives a very cold night at the peak of a mountain. Finally, help seems to arrive, when a caravan arrives that’s willing to let him tag along. After awhile, however, they keep demanding more and more money from him, and it’s clear that they’re a dangerous bunch.
With some luck, he meets a man, Aider Shah, who had helped Juliette and the MSF team on the way over. He receives a room and a bed to sleep in, along with lots of food, that help him recover. A guide takes him very close to the border, where he crosses into Bum Boret. He’s detained there by a corrupt cop for a time, but finally gets a car and driver to take him the rest of the way. In the end, he reaches Peshawar only a day before Juliette, John, and the rest of the group. Upon returning home with 130 rolls of film, he finds he’s become very attached to Afghanistan and wants to return one day.
5. Touchy Areas: There are a few profane words throughout, but I’d be more concerned with a few of the photographs themselves. Some of the ones taken of the injured people are downright horrifying and too traumatic for young kids (which is why I’d only assign it to high schoolers, grades 10-12).
6. Evaluation: This was the first graphic novel I had ever read, and I didn’t know what to expect from this new form (new to me) of literature. I was very glad to discover that the novel was beautifully pieced together, through all the amazing photographs and drawings. The photographs alone spoke volumes about life in Afghanistan at the time, and together with the story they were even more meaningful. This book would be fantastic in a high school setting, especially for students who claim they hate to read. Moreover, the book gives us an honest look at life during a war, something which American adolescents don’t typically know much about. It also challenges many of the stereotypes of Afghanis we as Americans may have in post 9-11 culture. I would rate this book a 10 out of 10.
1. Title: The Photographer: Into War-Torn Afghanistan with Doctors Without Borders by Emmanuel Guibert, ISBN: 9781596433755, New York, New York, 2009, $29.95, 260 pp.
2. Genre: Graphic Novel/Autobiography/War/Coming of Age Grades: 10-12.
3. Characters: Didier Lefevre is a young photographer from France who follows an MSF (France’s ‘Doctors Without Borders’) mission into Afghanistan in 1986, with the goal of taking many “good pictures”. Juliette is the head of the MSF mission who also serves as a mentor for Didier. She is unique in Afghanistan, because she is a woman who is in charge of leading the mission, negotiating with the locals, and getting everyone safely across the landscape. John, Robert, and Regis are three doctors who are a part of the mission. Didier comes to greatly respect all of them for their tremendous strength under pressure and their talent at working in such extreme and unsanitary conditions. Mahmad is the guide and interpreter for the mission. Sylvie is one of the nurses on the mission. There are also several other minor characters who Didier meets along his adventure.
4. Plot: Didier has been hired by the MSF to photograph the expedition of a team traveling from Peshawar, Pakistan to the region of Badakhshan in northern Afghanistan. It is 1986 and the Communist Soviet Union has invaded Afghanistan, leaving bands of Afghanis called Mujahideen (the Resistance) to defend themselves. It is the job of the MSF to care for the wounded in makeshift hospitals, with limited supplies, almost no technology, and very unsanitary working environments. Meanwhile, Didier is here to document the entire mission, and he will be greatly impacted by all that he witnesses and experiences.
The journey across the border is not an easy one. The main roads are controlled by the Soviets, so the team must cross over several grueling mountain passes, all about 16,000 feet high. They have extreme weather to contend with, as well as Soviet planes, bombs, and landmines. They have to watch for bandits along the way, and they have to stay together to avoid anyone getting lost, which nearly happens. Although Didier is 29 and in reasonable physical shape, the trip is very strenuous for him. He battles fatigue and lack of oxygen at high altitudes by constantly taking photos of the beautiful landscape. After a month of hiking, they finally reach Yaftal. Didier is exhausted and has lost weight, and along the way he’s learned a bit about Afghani culture and customs.
They set up the hospital and are almost immediately inundated with patients. Some people have war wounds, while others have suffered injuries from household accidents. Didier photographs all of it and is astonished by what he sees. He is also in awe of the MSF doctors, and the impressive work that they do everyday. From minor burns to severe injuries from shrapnel, the doctors see it all. Didier sees the admirable strength of the Afghani people, and their generosity – they thank the doctors for helping them even if the doctors cannot do very much for fatal injuries.
After about a month, they begin preparing to leave, but plan to take an alternate route that will delay their return to Pakistan. Didier is anxious to leave, however, and decides to return on his own with only a small escort, against the advice of Juliette. In theory, they should have a safer journey that would only take about two weeks, but of course this does not work out. At first he has trouble even obtaining a horse and an escort, and then he is stuck with four men who turn out to be very lazy and generally unhelpful. After a bout of illness, Didier insists upon crossing the Kalotac Pass during the daytime rather than under cover of night – a very unsafe idea – and goes to sleep. He wakes to find that the men have deserted him and he is entirely on his own. He cannot pack his horse, so he loses time, and he barely survives a very cold night at the peak of a mountain. Finally, help seems to arrive, when a caravan arrives that’s willing to let him tag along. After awhile, however, they keep demanding more and more money from him, and it’s clear that they’re a dangerous bunch.
With some luck, he meets a man, Aider Shah, who had helped Juliette and the MSF team on the way over. He receives a room and a bed to sleep in, along with lots of food, that help him recover. A guide takes him very close to the border, where he crosses into Bum Boret. He’s detained there by a corrupt cop for a time, but finally gets a car and driver to take him the rest of the way. In the end, he reaches Peshawar only a day before Juliette, John, and the rest of the group. Upon returning home with 130 rolls of film, he finds he’s become very attached to Afghanistan and wants to return one day.
5. Touchy Areas: There are a few profane words throughout, but I’d be more concerned with a few of the photographs themselves. Some of the ones taken of the injured people are downright horrifying and too traumatic for young kids (which is why I’d only assign it to high schoolers, grades 10-12).
6. Evaluation: This was the first graphic novel I had ever read, and I didn’t know what to expect from this new form (new to me) of literature. I was very glad to discover that the novel was beautifully pieced together, through all the amazing photographs and drawings. The photographs alone spoke volumes about life in Afghanistan at the time, and together with the story they were even more meaningful. This book would be fantastic in a high school setting, especially for students who claim they hate to read. Moreover, the book gives us an honest look at life during a war, something which American adolescents don’t typically know much about. It also challenges many of the stereotypes of Afghanis we as Americans may have in post 9-11 culture. I would rate this book a 10 out of 10.
What's in a Title?
Hello, friends! I’m really excited that you’re reading my blog and I hope you get something out of it: a book recommendation, a nugget of insight, a teeny bit of inspiration, or just some entertainment and a few laughs. :D By the way, this smile just to the left will be the first of MANY you’ll find on here! I smile more than most people and probably my driving ambition in life is to make the people I meet smile as often as possible. It’s true. :D (See what I mean?)
My goal with this blog is to combine my love of reading, my love of running, and my ongoing battle with Rheumatoid Arthritis, along with whatever else finds its way on here. And ultimately, awareness is what I want to spread through here, one person, one reader, at a time.
Maybe I’ll make you more aware of what life is like with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Maybe I’ll make you more aware of what it’s like to run a half marathon. Or maybe I’ll make you more aware of a few new novels you should pick up at your local bookstore. No matter what you get out of this, I hope your understanding and awareness will increase. But really, of course it will; how can it not? Please know that I mean this in an entirely humble and open-minded way, because I share a view that Brazilian educator Paulo Freire has articulated: “No one is ignorant of everything. No one knows everything. We all know something. We are all ignorant of something” (Literacy, p. 83).
I couldn’t agree more with Mr. Freire. As a future public school teacher, I believe we all bring a unique viewpoint with us and we all spend our lifetimes in a constant state of learning more…how exciting!! This means that we can never stop learning and virtually assures the fact that life will never get boring. Of course, this is where “Blissful Awareness” is borne out of – to me, ignorance is not bliss, but rather awareness is bliss. The more we learn and grow as individuals, the closer we get to a state of bliss. So, enjoy your time here and know that I wish you a blissful existence! :D
My goal with this blog is to combine my love of reading, my love of running, and my ongoing battle with Rheumatoid Arthritis, along with whatever else finds its way on here. And ultimately, awareness is what I want to spread through here, one person, one reader, at a time.
Maybe I’ll make you more aware of what life is like with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Maybe I’ll make you more aware of what it’s like to run a half marathon. Or maybe I’ll make you more aware of a few new novels you should pick up at your local bookstore. No matter what you get out of this, I hope your understanding and awareness will increase. But really, of course it will; how can it not? Please know that I mean this in an entirely humble and open-minded way, because I share a view that Brazilian educator Paulo Freire has articulated: “No one is ignorant of everything. No one knows everything. We all know something. We are all ignorant of something” (Literacy, p. 83).
I couldn’t agree more with Mr. Freire. As a future public school teacher, I believe we all bring a unique viewpoint with us and we all spend our lifetimes in a constant state of learning more…how exciting!! This means that we can never stop learning and virtually assures the fact that life will never get boring. Of course, this is where “Blissful Awareness” is borne out of – to me, ignorance is not bliss, but rather awareness is bliss. The more we learn and grow as individuals, the closer we get to a state of bliss. So, enjoy your time here and know that I wish you a blissful existence! :D
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