Identity

__**Identity **__ By: Jackie Bittle //The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian // by Sherman Alexie Struggling to figure out where he belongs, Arnold Spirit Jr. suffers in the school on the reservation. After one of this teachers suggest he goes to a school that would challenge him, he takes advantage of the advice. At his new school, he is bullied by the kids because he is a different race and has a disfigured head due to his disability. However, once he stands up to his new classmates, he earns respect from them. He becomes a champion basketball player because he has confidence that he can be successful. He learns who he is through his new school taking advantage of the new identity has been introduced to. He figures out that he is very much a person when his peers stop judging him on his race, and they treat him as an equal in all aspects of school. He even lands a pretty girlfriend that he feels is out of his league. The book is challenged multiple years for offensive sexual references, specifically to masturbation. However, the overall point of overcoming racial conflicts and creating a strong self identity is more valuable than cutting the book due to some offensive sexual references.

//Annie on My Mind // by Nancy Garden In the book //Annie on My Mind//, Liza Winthrop ends up falling in love with a girl she met at a museum she was touring through for the day. The girl that captures the heart of Liza is a poor girl from the poor part of New York named Annie. Annie finds all her enjoyment when she is with Liza. Even her grandmother noticed the glow Annie had when she would return home from being with Liza. Annie slowly accepts the fact that she is gay. She even discusses the position of love with Liza. She fears Liza will disband their friendship when she finds out that Annie is gay. However, to Annie’s shock, Liza gives Annie a chance and they start a relationship. Together they accept who they are and bare through the judgment to stay true to their homosexual identity. This book was challenged for its pro-homosexuality viewpoints in the novel, but it brings the light of their story to a growing nation slowly accepting the gay nation.

This is my glog for contested book: //Annie on My Mind//

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//The Outsiders // by S.E. Hinton Ponyboy, the main character in The Outsiders, finds family in the gang of brothers that is called the greasers due to their greasy hair. They are the poor boys of the east side. On the west side are the rich gang boys, the Socs short for the socials. Multiple times, Ponyboy finds himself in trouble and his brothers bail him out of his situation. Being young and his gang, he finds his identity with the role models being his brothers. Unfortunately, there is a lot of death in his life watching two of his own gang brothers’ die and one of the Soc boys. The judge that presides on Ponyboy’s trial is kind to him and sees the kind hearted boy that saved the children in a burning church. The boys in his gang help Ponyboy to realize that his brother Darry helped him build him and his identity. The book was challenged due to the drug and alcohol abuse throughout. However, the book really shows gangs and identity built between their relationships. It shows the side of street living and the sides of those kids. //The Kite Runner // by Khaled Hosseini Khaled Hosseini wrote //The Kite// //Runner// to portray the problems of war and religion that were occurring in Afghanistan through the life of the protagonist, Amir. Amir grows up on the outskirts of war and only hears about the terrors his friend Hassan has lived through. Little does Amir know when he befriends Hassan, he will be jealous of his own brother. Hassan is poor and works for Amir’s father. The two boys grow up in different classes and different ethnic backgrounds. There is also a strong sense of religion that is also a theme that carries out throughout the novel. While the book carries through building in its climax, Amir is troubled by an event that occurs in his childhood. It follows him throughout his life and builds his identity. Hosseini’s book was challenged for vulgar language and the dilemma that builds Amir’s troubling life. However, the situations in the book give the reader a sense of the Afghan war and real-life culture during that time. //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14px;">A Child Called “It” //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14px;">by Dave Pelzer <span style="font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 14px;">Dave Pelzer’s //A Child Called “It”// is a nonfiction novel based on Dave’s childhood abuse. His mother treats his brothers with respect, but takes out her frustration on Dave. She thinks of games she uses on David to torture him. She finds his pain and suffering funny. She broke his arm, poisoned him multiple times with ammonia and Clorox, stabbed him, made him eat his own vomit, burned his arm, and beat him severely so he would attend school with multiple bruises. She built up lies that brainwashed his life. He had low self-esteem and felt like he was truly a ‘bad boy’. His mother created his identity for him. She painted this picture of a boy who was a disgrace, a pest, and a rotten child that should not exist. This picture is what permanently settled in the mindset of little David at the earliest age of 7. Even after repeated torture, David held onto the dreams of his mother when she loved him. Unfortunately, he never sees himself as a helpless child due to the fact that even his father stops trying to help him. The book is challenged due to the violence and profane language that is used. However, the book really helps students realize that there are children who are being abused and show there are ways to overcome that abuse and they are not alone.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14px;">Activities: (Here are a few) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14px;">Other References for the Theme of Identity:
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14px;">Writing prompts relating identity to one of the books as they all reference a different aspect of life struggles (violence, abuse, religion and war, racism, and homosexuality).
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14px;">Book talk about the life lessons learned through the characters development of identity through these lessons. Circle talks.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14px;">Have students write about their own identities and aspects of life in journals. (everyone has a story)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14px;">Have students read the texts in a different theory to relate the criticisms of the text
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14px;">Compare and contrast the texts relating theme. Use other genres to support different themes.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14px;">Pick one character and relate them to your own life.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14px;">Freedom Writers (Both the movie and the book)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14px;">Cyberbully (movie) with Emily Osment
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14px;">Katy Perry’s song: Firework
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14px;">Lady Ga Ga’s song: Born This Way
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14px;">Classic novel: Nathaniel Hawthorn’s Scarlett Letter
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14px;">Classic novel: Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mocking Bird
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14px;">Graphic novel: Persepolis