In the "Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" Arnold, a native american living on a reservation, decides to go to an all-white school outside of the reservation after finding out how horrible the reservation's high school is. In doing so he leaves behind his best friend Rowdy, and makes a lot of his neighbors hate him, and he doesn't get a particularly warm reception at his new school either. The book is mostly about him trying to fit in with two different communities and cultures and about fighting against cyclical poverty.
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In "Lord of the Flies" a group of British boys crash land on a deserted island. With no adults to control them, they create a semi-government. A few days after landing, one of the younger boys claims that he saw a "beast" which the older boys first try to dismiss and then use as a means of scarring the younger boys into submission. The group of boys split in two, with one group wanting to hunt pigs and have fun and the other steadfastly attempting to be rescued and a sort of war between the groups begins. two of the children get murdered, one of which goes completely insane and creates a big head idol called the "Lord of the Flies" which seems to represent Satan. After a day of hunting one of the boys as they would one of the islands native pigs they are finally rescued. This book is all about humanities animalistic tendencies and is most likely a reflection on how war can be exceedingly childlike.
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"The Circuit" is an autobiography written by a child of migrant workers. It covers a collection of significant events from the different locations around "The Circuit" that his family lived before being deported. It's main themes are family and hardship. This book accompanied our "Force of Friction" project
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"Persepolis" is a graphic novel about a young girl growing up in Iran during the Iranian Revolution. The book actually has two parts but the one we read coverd her life from the first time she was forced to wear religious clothing in school to hen she leaves the country. The story is constantly dealing with contrasts, most notably the contrast between western and middle-eastern culture and the contrast between the events on the story and what was "hip" at the time. A great example of this is in one chapter that talks about Iraqi bombs falling near her home, which suddenly cuts to a punk rock party she and her friends are having in the final frame. This book accompanied our "Bleeding Beauty" project.
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