Three Book Reviews & Recommendations

This school year I suffered from some of the same challenges as many students. I was able to read global certificate books, but the paperwork didn't happen. It is always difficult to do additional work during the school year with all of the homework students already have. To read a book and complete a literature reflection is a time consuming process. Similar to reading a book and writing a blog.

However this school year I have managed to get through three global certificate books in addition to all of my other school work, so we will address all three here. All three books were good and had their own unique style that can spark the interest of different types of readers and different levels of readers.

I Am Malala

My first book this year was I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai. This has been a favorite among students in the global scholar program so it was about time I picked it up and read it. I was familiar with Malala's story, the girl in Pakistan who went to school in defiance of the Taliban's laws in her area. Eventually the Taliban would attack her and try and murder her by boarding her school bus and shooting her in the face. After surviving the attack Malala continues to speak out for education for girls and receives the Nobel Peace Price.

However the book is more than just her story of this horrible event. This autobiography talks about her life growing up in Swat Valley in Pakistan and is a great resource to learn about Swat culture and how her defiance of the Taliban was much more than just going to school. In the book you will learn about life in the Swat region of Pakistan before the Taliban took over, how the transition occurred and how the Taliban's rules and interpretation of Islam and Koranic Law is not an accurate representation of Islam or Muslims throughout the world or even for many in Pakistan. The book highlights how Malala and her family had always been supporting education for girls and when the Taliban declared it illegal in their region how Malala's Dad, and Malala knowingly took risks to continue educating girls because they knew the value, importance and strength of a good education.

Many students have strongly recommended I Am Malala and for good reason. It is interesting, factual and for the global certificate program it is a great book to learn about global issues and highlight cultural traits in another part of the world.

The Alchemist

The Alchemist was a book I had seen on the list and in stores for years but had not picked up until after reading a student's literary reflection. The Alchemist is written by Paulo Coelho from Brazil but takes place in Spain and throughout northern Africa. It is not a book to absorb all types of cultural facts but it was very thought provoking and encouraged self reflection in one's goals for their life. While there were clear cultural influences in the book that a reader can pick up on, for example the history of the Moorish invasion and cultural influence in Spain & Portugal, references to Islamic and Christian traditions, the book has much more of a focus on the character's "Personal Legend."

The story follows a boy/young man who begins as a shepherd, and after a fateful conversation with a stranger he goes in search of his "Personal Legend." He runs into challenges, moments that look like failure but then turns them into opportunities keeping his focus on his goal and the idea of this "personal legend." While he learns what it means to follow his legend, and strive toward his goal, it encourages the reader to reflect on their own goals and ponder what may be their own "personal legend," and what they might be willing to do and overcome to accomplish this "legend."

The student who read this book and brought it to my attention was a graduating senior from last year. In which case for someone in the Global Certificate program who is thinking about their own future and plans for after high school I would recommend the book for a junior or senior who has their sights set beyond high school as they ponder what their own "personal legend" may be.

Surviving the Genocide

Escaping Genocide is a memoir written by Wisconsin teacher Francois Musonera. Francois was born in Rwanda where he grew up and graduated high school at the start of the Rwanda Genocide that took place in the early 1990s. His book, Escaping Genocide is his account of his experiences escaping the country of Rwanda, his family becoming displaced and eventually his experience as a refugee in southwest Wisconsin. The book begins with a great introduction to the two ethnic groups in Rwanda, the Hutu and the Tutsi, that we on the two sides of the conflict and some historical background on the culture and history of the two groups in Rwanda. His writing style is very "to the point" much like if you were to sit down with him and he were to tell you his story through conversation. This made the book easy to read and understand. Francois Musonera is also our scheduled speaker for this second semester and students will be able to hear from him and ask questions about his experience as a refugee, cultural differences and cultural challenges after coming to the United States.