I wanted to share with you the discussion our high school book group had last week. It was a great reminder that perspective makes such a difference.
Based on the reaction I was getting from a few girls I'd been able to touch base with during the month, I expected that we were going to have very similar feelings about the book, Carver, the other characters and the dilemma. Was I ever wrong! While there were some who loved it and felt great empathy, there were some who expressed the following... I never felt a connection to any of the characters. I didn't like the author's style. The teenage characters sounded too much like adults. I don't believe someone could be in trouble for texting someone in a car. The first reaction surprised me the most! One of the girls offered that maybe adults could relate because losing a child would be so horrible. But the most profound message to me went right back to the importance of giving voice to perspectives and giving reading choice to all age students. Those of you who work with elementary students probably provide for independent, free choice reading time and have abundant classroom libraries. While there are certainly exceptions, many middle and high schools, teacher-selected novels are assigned, analyzed and tested, and if students actually read the books, they are often do NO other reading of fiction on their own for self-satisfaction and pleasure. As a literacy specialist in a high school, I always advocate for independent reading to be planned in to class time, but this was another example of why it is so important. How many novels are chosen by adults because they are "classic" or part of a canon or in the curriculum and students have all the same reactions as the ones I quoted above; weeks spent with a book they just can't connect to? Are they even asked to voice their reactions? I recently attended a workshop with Penny Kittle and Kelly Gallagher, both huge proponents of choice and voice in secondary schools. As an interventionist, I must continue to figure out how I can incorporate this into the valuable time I have with these young adults for whom reading is a 4-letter word!! My new resolve led me to the recent Scholastic Warehouse sale and down the YA aisle!! The Goodbye Day with the Judge was interesting! I went from being furious with him for being such a bully to feeling very empathetic for him. Once again, Carver came through with truth that was needing to be heard. The conclusion I came to about Mars was that he took all his father "taught" him to create a life that HE chose to live. I was thrilled to hear the judge advise Carver, page 375, to tell his parents who he is. Then at the end of Chap. 44 he informs Dr. Mendez about his plans for a "hello day." What a relief! The chapter ending with the simple phrase, "I tell him I hope," drives home the point that up until then, he had none. How did people feel about... ... the way Zentner orchestrated the reunion of Jesmyn and Carver? ... the last meeting with Dr. Mendez? ...how he was able to start having memories without the sadness, guilt and pain? It was an honor sharing my thoughts with you and even more so to hear yours.. If you enjoyed blogging and being part of the community, please consider contacting Mike Williams about ideas for either fiction or professional books. Enjoy the holidays! Anne
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Welcome to week 4 of our conversation about Jeff Zentner's book, Goodbye Days. if you are just joining us this week, I hope you'll take the time to read the previous weeks' comments. It is clear that we have each been angered, saddened, inspired, confused and moved in many ways. Folks have made very personal connections to the characters or situations. Folks have also alluded to other books. This is what a good story is supposed to do, right?
First question, right off the bat...would law enforcement call a minor to request a meeting to question him?? Seems he would have gone through the parents. When I first met Mr. Krantz, the attorney hired to handle Carver's legal affairs, I did not like him. I know lawyers have to be honest with their clients, but because I knew how fragile Carver and his parents were, his approach felt too harsh! Now we meet him once again, and his snappy comments at the outset of the meeting with the detectives, and all the 5th amendment pleading scared me for Carver. It seemed that the asst. DA and the cops were familiar with Krantz and did not like him, which contributed my angst. Then, running off to the golf course? Ugh. Dr. Mendez "tell me a story" therapy is interesting and perhaps is helping in getting Carver to talk, although he isn't letting go of needing to own his actions. I noted his comments on pg. 250 about being both scared of going to jail and of NOT going to jail. He has such a strong moral compass. I was hopeful when the topic of opening up to his parents was broached, but apparently is considered a separate issue to be dealt with. At least it's coming up! Chapter 31 made me wonder about the notion of "false memories." I wonder if anyone picked up on a small detail in Chapter 32, when Carver had finished recalling how he met Eli. On pg. 262, "And that was that. The next day Eli at lunch with Blake and me instead of Adair. And every day after that." Is it possible that Adair may have resented Carver, starting then, for "stealing" her brother? And then we enter Eli's Goodbye Days. The tug-of-war going on in Carver's head and heart having Jesmyn there was painful. But on pg. 267, Eli's dad recalling sitting on the porch with his new baby boy. I was slayed by that! The whole day was so painful to read. His parents interactions with each other, their conflicts over how the other was handling it. Couples can grow closer together or fall apart when experiencing such trauma. I look forward to hearing from you about Eil's Goodbye Day, the cops confiscating all his electronics and his acknowledgement of his feelings for Jesmyn. AND "Some malevolent voice is telling me to burn my life down." I could not begin to figure out what would make Carver say the things he did on the date with Jesmyn. The pace of the book picks up to a fevered pitch. Just one more quote that struck me on pg. 329...after learning that there would be no indictment, alone in his room, he describes feeling as if he was about to be burned at the stake. Although the torch is left burning on the ground, he is still tied to the stake. Never to be free. Welcome to week 3! I have bumped into a couple of the students at school who are reading the book. They expressed being shocked and very emotional, just as we have been. There are many folks who have been incredulous about the possibility of Carver being prosecuted for the text. Upon just a little research, it seems that the topic of liability on the texters part is being widely explored.
In Chapter 17, on page 149, after describing the antics of the Sauce Crew in school, I noted what I felt was a bittersweet and prophetic statement, "There doesn't seem to be any consequence to anything we do." That left a lump. Carver has been forced to face the myth of the "immortality of youth." And the encounter in the hall with Adair...that's a lot of wrath! I was really taken aback at much of what she said, but accusing him of trying to curry sympathy with his "episode" on the first day of school? Her rage made me think that she needs to be in some form of counseling. That level of acrimony is dangerous in such a young person and I wish we knew whether or not this was typical behavior for her. And then we learn about the Facebook page she created. Can we just talk about this? Georgia driving away for school leaves him feeling like his "life was shrinking again." Seriously, Zentner, you capture emotion in such a beautiful way! When Carver's parents came into his room to tell him about the investigation into the accident and he told them he needed to be alone, I died As a mom, I don't think I could have left him alone. I think I would have been terrified to leave. He reached out to Jesmyn, but I just could not have left. Speaking of Jesmyn, after admiring her healthy ability to mourn, it hit me that she did not have the added torture of guilt, as Carver does. So let me turn it over to you, my friends. I'm sure you have lots to say about all this, and I've left you Nana Betsy and Carver's goodbye day. Wow... How does a 17 year old cope with so much? Now, on top of everything else, he's going to live in fear of the next panic attack! I've known people that experienced them, but didn't know you could end up in the ER due to the severity. I was terrified to read the description of what he went through at school. I've passed out in public several times and it was worrisome as well as embarrassing but this was so horrific by comparison. I have so much empathy for people who struggle with them and am glad to know more, now.
The visit with the lawyer added an nice thick icing of guilt to his legal concerns. How are his parents going to pay his legal fees? Make it stop!! I feel a specific pain whenever Carver expresses his guilt about the text by sarcastically referring to his writing as a curse. On page 112, after conjuring the courage to enter school on that first day back only to encounter the display case memorializing the 3 dead boys. He imagines voices saying, "His magnum opus. Isn't it funny that the one piece of writing that ever impacted peoples' lives was a lethal text..." I mean, that's just everything, isn't it. Everything is tainted, spoiled, or dead. His writing is the centerpiece of his talents, right? But now it's the centerpiece of his nightmare, all while attempting to write his college essay!! And then, the attack. Thank you, Jeff Z., for giving him Jesmyn, but even she brings pain knitted into the relationship he craves with her because of Eli. We end with his first therapy session. I appreciated the conversation with Dr. Mendez. When Carver explained that it was hard for him to talk about them dying because it made it too real. Yep! I know that feeling. So, everyone, feel free to react to the aforementioned or any aspect of the book up to this point. There's a lot to digest! Week 3 will cover chapters 17-27 Week 4- Chapters 28-39 Week 5- Chapter 40 to end. Thanks again for lending your voice to the conversation! Welcome to this conversation about the first 9 chapters of Goodbye Days. I can't imagine I'm the only one who experienced some gut-wrenching moments and more than one lump in my throat. I look forward to the varying perspectives each of you will represent. Mine is that of a mom, grandmother and high school reading specialist. I've raised a couple teenagers to adulthood and survived the anxiety those years were wrought with. I also work with young adults everyday and have a sensitive heart to the struggles they endure as they navigate the daily struggles and excitement of high school.
Those young people who are joining us in the conversation will, no doubt, view Carver through a different lens and it'll be great to hear from them. So let's get started. As I began Zentner's novel, I was immediately struck with the mature, sophisticated voice he gave Carver. Wow, this teenager can really articulate his feelings! One criticism of the book was that the teenage characters' ability to communicate their thoughts were not believable. But I considered the fact that Carver, for example, is an aspiring writer in the novel, attending a school for the arts because of his talent. After reaching that awareness, I could appreciate and be repeatedly moved by the phrasing Carver uses to help us understand the hell he is living in since the fateful accident that claimed The Sauce Crew. One of the things I'd like to hear from you all is particular examples of Carver's words that just stuck you in the heart or gut or wherever you felt Carver's pain, the depth of his friendship with these 3 other guys, his trust in his sister, etc. On page 5, while sitting at the third funeral, Blake's, with his forehead resting on the pew in front of him, he describes to us the carpet. Then, "I mull over this stuff because the world's reliable absurdity is one of the few things that can distract me, and I welcome distractions right now." There are times when life is so stinking hard that we need just tiny windows through which to escape it before the pain completely consumes us. Which words did you stop and read a second or third time because of their power? |
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