Titanic: Voices from the Disaster

Bibliographic Information: Hopkinson, D. (2012). Titanic: Voices from the disaster. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN: 0545116740

Plot Summary: The tragic story of the sinking of Titanic appeals to readers of all ages. In Titanic: Voices from the Disaster, we read several first-hand accounts from passengers and crew aboard the doomed ship about her descent into the depths of the Atlantic.  There are many photos of the ship before it set sail, and each chapter brings to light the luxurious nature of the ship.  The first-hand accounts tell of ship life, the collision with the iceberg, the ensuing moments when danger was looked over, and finally, when the realization hit when the ship was going down.  The voices of the story are from those who were fortunate enough to either get in a lifeboat, or hold onto wreckage from the ship until they were rescued.  They tell about watching the last bit of the ship sink beneath the water, about the screams and cries from those left bobbing in the frigid sea, about waiting for hours in the cold darkness for a rescue ship, and finally about the kindness shown them from the passengers and crew aboard the Carpathia.   

Critical Evaluation: The fate of the Titanic is known by anyone who picks up a copy of Titanic: Voices from the Disaster.  The Titanic, said to be unsinkable, sank four and a half days after setting sail on it’s maiden voyage.  Using points of view from Titanic survivors makes the story feel more sad, more tragic, and more real.  The pictures interspersed through the pages, some including the survivors described therein, serve to showcase the beauty and majesty of the doomed ocean liner. Other pictures of passengers and crew who did not survive the sinking add a sense of eeriness and mourning.  Reading the firsthand accounts leads us to conclude that the tragedy of the Titanic was a combination of small errors.  Some points of interest lead to what if questions, like what if the message from the Mesaba warning of ice directly ahead of the Titanic had reached the captain?  What if more effort was made to fill the lifeboats to capacity?  What if regulations were in place to require enough lifeboats for the number of passengers?  What if  the men aboard the Californian acted when they saw the first distress signal from the Titanic?  These questions have haunted us for over 100 years, along with the senseless loss of life.  

Reader’s Annotation: What really happened the night the Titanic sank?  Titanic: Voices from the Disaster gives first-hand accounts from the maiden voyage of the doomed ship.

Information about the author: Deborah Hopkinson enjoys bringing history to life for young readers.  She has published over forty books for young readers, and often speaks to students at school.  She has won many awards and earned a Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Massachusetts, and a Master’s degree in Asian studies from University of Hawaii at Manoa.

    Hopkinson serves as the Vice President for College Advancement for the Pacific Northwest College of Art.  Her works include short fiction, non-fiction, and pictures books about ordinary people in history (Hopkinson, 2010).  

Genre: YA Non-fiction

Curriculum Ties: History

Booktalking ideas (one or two):

1. List of facts about the sinking (number of people who perished, time it took for the ship to sink, distance from nearby ships, etc.)

2. Description of the ship’s final moments.  

Reading level/Interest age: 14+

Challenge Issues: N/A

Why I included this book: The intrigue and curiosity still surrounding the tragic demise of the Titanic makes this books a great addition to my collection.  According to Publishers Weekly, "Hopkinson puts a human face of the Titanic's sinking" through the retelling of passengers' and crews' stories (Publishers Weekly, 2012).  

References:

Hopkinson, D. (2010). Deborah Hopkinson biography. Deborah Hopkinson. Retrieve 7 May

from http://www.deborahhopkinson.com/bio.html.

Publishers Weekly. (2012, February 20). Titanic: Voices from the disaster. Retrieved from http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-545-11674-9 

Zahra's Paradise

Bibliographic Information: Amir (Author), & Khalil (Illustrator). (2011).  Zahra’s paradise. New York: First Second. ISBN:978-1-59643-642-8

Plot Summary: In the aftermath of Iran’s 2009 election, Medhi, a young Iranian has gone missing.  His brother, a blogger and our narrator, and his mother, Zahra, embark on a difficult search for him.  Medhi was last seen by his family as he turned the corner with his friends to join the protests in Freedom Square against Ahmadinejad's electoral victory.  Like many other young men and women, Medhi never came home, and the protests received no media coverage, thus confirming the corruption engulfing Iran.  During their search, Medhi’s brother and mother search the hospital, the morgue, and the prison for any sign of Medhi.  His brother attempts to spread the word of his brother’s disappearance through his blog and the distribution of fliers with his photograph.  As their efforts increase to locate Medhi, so to threats from the government.  With the help of the mistress of a prison official, Medhi’s brother gains access to secret files from the prison, in which he locates information about a plot of land in Zarah’s Paradise, a cemetery in Tehran.  As his brother searches the information he stumbles upon identifying personal affects of people buried in that plot of land.  Will he finally learn what happened to Medhi?

Critical Evaluation: Zarah’s Paradise presents a raw, inside look of the aftermath of the fraudulent 2009 election in Iran.  Told through the perspective of the narrator, Medhi’s brother, the story is shrouded with sadness, and anger.  Each character represents aspects of the 2009 election.  Medhi’s brother uses the blogosphere to tell the story of those oppressed by the corrupt Iranian government.  He represents the social media used by people to document the events of the protests.  Zhara, Medhi’s mother, represents all the families grieving over lost loved ones and unanswered questions.  She also represents the love and dedication of Iranian people.  Medhi represents Iranians hoping for change, and all of those who fell victim to the protests.  While the characters symbolize the different faces of Iran, the Afterwords provides background information about the history of Iran, and the 2009 election to help put the story in context for a reader who might not know much about the events.  The last thirteen pages list names of those who have been lost to persecution,  

Reader’s Annotation: My brother, Medhi is missing, and no one seems to care.  It is up to me and my mother to crawl through the web of corruption string by my government, and find out the truth.  

Information about the author: The volatile political climate in Iran is what causes authors of Zhara’s Paradise,  Amir and Khalil, to remain anonymous.  Amir is a published Iranian-American journalist who is also advocates human rights and makes documentaries.  He left Iran when he was twelve, after witnessing the Iranian Revolution in 1979, but has felt a deep connection to that country and its people ever since (Amazon, n.d.).

Khalil has been cartooning from a very early age, and is the illustrator of Zhara’s Paradise, his first novel.  

Genre: Graphic Novel

Curriculum Ties: Social Studies

Booktalking ideas (one or two):

1. Read blog entries (from narrator’s blog)

2. Description of corruption in Iran

Reading level/Interest age: 15+

Challenge Issues: This graphic novel contains sex, violence, death, nudity, coarse language, and anti-American sentiments.

To defend challenged material I would:

1.    Read/watch/listen to the material to become familiar with the content.

2.    Familiarize myself with the Arizona Common Core curriculum standards http://www.azed.gov/azcommoncore/teacher/ to defend how the material can support the learning of these standards.

3.    Refer to the Library Bill of Rights: http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill

4.    Refer to the collection policy of my library.

5.    Collect reviews from staff/students/patrons who have used the material

Why I included this book: I chose to include this book in my collection because of its historical evidence.  The story is based on real events that took place in Iran, and shows how people used social media to combat corruption in their government.  It is important for young adults to understand the oppression others face around the world, and hopefully this graphic novel will encourage them to advocate freedom in other countries.  Zahra's Paradise  was recognized in 2012 as one of Young Adult Library Services Association's (YALSA) top ten graphic novels (YALSA, 2012).

References:

Amazon (n.d.) Q & a with the author of Zhara’s Paradise Amir. Zhara’s Paradise.
 Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/Zahras-Paradise-Amir/dp/1596436425.

YALSA. (2012). Great graphic novels top ten 2012. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists/ggnt/2012/topten