yesterday i baked about 6 dozen cookies. today i will take them into work for a cookie decorating party. by the end my boys will be bouncing of the walls from all the cookie, candy, and frosting eating.
right now, hoever i will give you two more book reviews. the theme today is teacher memoirs.
5. The Water is Wide by Pat Conroy
this book is a memoir of conroy's experience teaching on south carolina's yamacraw island in 1969. the island is poor due to the end of a prosperous crabbing industry that ended due to pollution of the local waters. conroy is white and his students are black. one thing i really liked about this book is the honesty of conroy's own transition with racism. i was also able to relate some of my experiences working with a group of youth who are in many ways deemed "unteachable" with conroy's similar experience. doesn't everyone have the potential to learn??? while teachers will especially appreciate this book, anyone interested in race issues, politics, education, and social justice will enjoy it.
6. Teacher Man by Frank McCourt
we love frank mccourt in my house. we love his humor. we love that he was an english teacher. we love that he published his first book at 66. we love his writing. i enjoyed Teacher Man. one of the first anecdotes in the book had me rolling on the floor giggling ans it still makes me laugh whenever i think about it. there were many other memories that reminded me of stories jordan tells me about his own experiences teaching english. my only question is if this book can be appreciated the same way by readers who have not taught, lived with a teacher, or been close to a teacher. it seems a little less accessible than Angela's Ashes or 'Tis (which was my favorite of the three).
have a great week! may it be filled with cookies and great books.
Those cookies look so good I wish I had some
Posted by: Lovedynamite | June 25, 2007 at 11:42 AM
Cookie decorating party? MMmmm....
Posted by: cruststation | June 25, 2007 at 12:48 PM
Oh, yes, I want a cookie! I love Pat Conroy but have not read this one.
Posted by: Stephanie | June 25, 2007 at 02:43 PM
that is a lot of baking...but for a cookies decoration party it is worth it. love the idea!
can I have a couple, please? :)
no I haven't read any of these :(
have a great week Risa!
Posted by: simple me | June 25, 2007 at 03:14 PM
Those cookies look delicious!
I love Frank McCourt also. I once watched an interview he did with his brother Malachy, and they had me laughing so hard tears were flowing down my face.
Posted by: Megan | June 25, 2007 at 06:18 PM
The boys will be so terribly delighted!!! Yipppee!!
Posted by: A Fanciful Twist | June 25, 2007 at 10:33 PM
I first heard about Frank McCourt in a German book review. I did read Angela's Ashes in English and in German and: there's a big difference!! The English version is, like you say, so full of beautiful black humour (I love that!), the German version is much more "serious". I found this difference in many more books, so I started to think, that every language owns its special "mentality".So I started to read "mouse or rat" by Umberto Eco, which features his experiences as a translator, but...what can I say....its a real struggle to get through........
What did I want to say??...I LOVE Frank McCourt!
Posted by: Uschi | June 26, 2007 at 12:20 AM
hi risa. cookie decorating sounds fun. hope you enjoyed it. i'm familiar with pat conroy but have not read this book. t has the frank mccourt book...his dad gave it to him when he taught high school algebra. he never had time to read it then and he's since quit teaching. ;) xo
Posted by: shari | June 26, 2007 at 07:23 AM
Hi Risa. I inadvertently googled your blog while trying to find a review for a book I was planning to buy (Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert). I could't stop reading the blog since then! Thanks for the reviews, I´ve already picked a couple of "must read" books!
Posted by: Ana | June 26, 2007 at 08:08 AM
mmmmm....cookies, yum!
I love Frank McCourt - he has such a style, such a voice!
Posted by: Tiffany | June 26, 2007 at 12:24 PM
I loved Teacher Man, I read it last year when I was still teaching English here in Thailand. Funny book, and it really made me think more about the impact teachers have on the kids they teach.
I discovered your blog this week and have just finished reading every post right from the beginning. I'm so sorry you're going back to the US as it's been wonderful reading about Ecuador. :-(
Posted by: Michelle | June 26, 2007 at 08:20 PM
Yum they look SO good!
where's the recipe darling?? you know i love to bake!
more great books I see....
Posted by: Anastasia | June 27, 2007 at 12:01 AM
You know I haven't read either of these, though I have heard Frank McCourt on the radio. My favorite vignette was the write-your- own-excuse-note assignment.
Posted by: Sonya | June 28, 2007 at 10:44 AM
i have a huge long list of books to read. And the Frank McCourt books are on it. Have been for some time. I just never get to them. Or the library never has them in.
Posted by: Rachael | July 01, 2007 at 12:12 PM