Journalistic Quest

Part VI: In which our heroine begins teaching in Federal Way, WA.

Friday, December 01, 2006

One for the kids, one for you: Michigan novels

I was inspired to think about Michigan books because of the 5th Avenue Theatre's revival of White Christmas. One of the songs in the Irving Berlin musical is called, "I Was Born in Michigan," which I first heard at northern Michigan's Interlochen Center for the Arts.


Bud, Not Buddy, Christopher Paul Curtis

Bud sets his mind on tracking down his father, who believes is a famous jazz musician. This book is centered in Flint, Michigan (a town that was later the focus of Michael Moore's first film, Roger and Me), and it takes place during a time when the area was feeling the devastating effects of the Great Depression (Bud even stops in a Hoovertown). I admit, when I first encountered this book I thought it would be boring historical fiction, but it was an enjoyable plot-driven book that would be a good read-aloud. Your class will probably also enjoy Bud's wisdom sprinkled throughout the book, collectively known as, "Bud Caldwell's Rules and Things for Having a Funner Life and Making a Better Liar Out of Yourself."


Middlesex, Jeffrey Euginedes

Middlesex chronicles the life of an intersex person living in Detroit as it crumbles in the middle of the 20th century. It also covers her family two generations earlier. This is an amazing story of family, culture, and Detroit's history of racial and ethnic relations. Please forgive my skimpy review of this book, as my copy was lost in my move from Michigan to Seattle.

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