Blackbird

In August my book club chose to read The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd (who wrote the popular novel The Secret Life of Bees). It seems as if every book club is reading this book and, frankly, I'm not sure it lives up to the hype.  In early nineteenth century Charleston, eleven year old Sarah Grimke is given the slave Hetty (nicknamed Handful) as a personal servant.  A friendship of sorts develops between them and each girl narrates her own personal struggle for freedom (with alternating perspectives) beginning from girlhood into middle age.  Sarah desperately wants a voice and yearns to follow her father's footsteps and become a lawyer but is restricted by the patriarchal society she is born into.  Handful, obviously, wants freedom from the cruel institution of slavery.  Even though this novel is based on the real life of Sarah Grimke, an abolitionist and early crusader for women's rights, I found the fictionalized account of Handful to be much more compelling.  All of the horrors of slavery are graphically depicted and I was frequently brought to tears by the Grimke's treatment of their slaves (much like my reaction to the movie 12 Years A Slave).  I have always loved the use of the blackbird as a metaphor for freedom (the Beatles song "Blackbird" is one of my favorites) and I sincerely wanted Handful to take her broken wings and learn to fly.  Sarah's story is less compelling because I had a difficult time equating the brutality experienced by Handful with Sarah's frustration at not being allowed to read her father's books.  I never really connected with Sarah because I felt like she could have done so much more to help Handful.  She has all of these aspirations to end slavery and promote the notion of equality for all but laments her powerlessness for much of the novel.  It is only when spurred on by her sister (and others) that she reluctantly takes action.  Handful is much more proactive than Sarah in securing her freedom so, ironically, she seems more believable to me. The Invention of Wings is a meticulously researched and beautifully written novel about a powerful subject but the juxtaposition of the two main characters doesn't work for me. I didn't love it but I would recommend it because almost everyone else in my book club thought it was amazing.  I must be missing something!

Back to School

School started last Monday and, while it was really busy, it was a good week!  I am teaching sophomores and seniors this year and I am beyond excited to teach British literature!  I really like all of my classes because I had a lot of my seniors two years ago when they were sophomores and they were a lot of fun.  I loved working with my SBOs over the summer and they hit the ground running this week.  They sponsored Week of Welcome (or WOW as we like to call it) with games at lunch, an assembly, and a football game.  The Welcome Assembly went so well!  The SBOs worked really hard on it and I am so proud of them!  Here are some pictures.

They choreographed a routine to introduce themselves to the studentbody and it was a hit (although I don't think I will ever get the song "Fancy" by Iggy Azalea out of my head).  Students and teachers were talking about it for the rest of the day!

The Madrigals singing the national anthem.

Blue Crew (the pep club at Hunter High)

Cheerleaders

Drill Team introducing the officers after their performance.

Playing crab soccer.

Hippity-hop ping pong drop.  The class officers cheated but the cross country team won!

Balloon Shaving.  The girls volleyball team won!

My favorite part of the assembly was when the football players did the haka.  I get chills every time I see it!

A little face painting by the SBOs and Class Officers at the football game.  Always a hit!  Even thought the Wolverines lost to the Davis Darts, we had a lot of fun at the game.

It's going to be a good year!

Are You Ready for Some Football?

I sure am!  Fall means the return of college football and I always love going to Rice-Eccles Stadium to cheer on the Utah Utes!  Last night my friend Chelsea and I went to the season opener against the Idaho State Bengals and it was a lot of fun!  The Utes basically had their way with the Bengals, eventually beating them 56-14.  There were some really exciting plays, including a dramatic punt return for a touchdown at the end of the first half, but Idaho State isn't a very good team and I see lots of room for improvement for the Utes.  The rest of the season will certainly be a bit more challenging but it was great to see the home team win so decisively and it was fun watching the game with Chelsea!  We are planning to go to a few more games.  Go Utes!

If I Stay

Thursday night I went to the first screening of If I Stay.  I have been looking forward to this movie ever since I finished reading the best-selling book.  Like most young adult fiction, I began reading If I Stay, by Gayle Forman, because I noticed that quite a few of my students were reading it.  I, like my students, was drawn into the story of Mia's choice between dying of injuries sustained in a devastating car accident, which kills her parents and younger brother, or fighting to survive in order to stay with her boyfriend, Adam.  The love story between Mia, a classical cellist, and Adam, the lead singer in an up-and-coming rock band, is quite poignant.  The cello and guitar become a metaphor for their love: two unlikely instruments can make beautiful music together.  (The novel specifically mentions Nirvana's live performance of "Something in the Way," which features the cello and is one of my favorite songs by that band).  I liked the movie adaptation but I should tell you that I am a sucker for melodramatic teen romances (I loved the Twilight movies).  I guess I am just a 15 year old girl at heart!  The movie is pretty faithful to the book (I guess Yo-Yo Ma was unavailable to film the concert Adam takes Mia to on their first date) and follows the same sequence with the events of the crash interspersed with flashbacks of Mia's life and relationships.  Chloe Grace Moretz gives a very affecting performance as Mia, especially when she learns that Teddy is dead.  Jamie Blackley is not only easy on the eyes as Adam, but he also provides all of the vocals for Adam's band Willamette Stone.  Very impressive.  Most of the other performances are pretty bland and don't ring true but Stacy Keach (Mia's Grandpa) had me sobbing when he begs Mia to fight but gives her permission to go if she needs to (bring Kleenex).  One of the best features of this movie is the music (I downloaded the soundtrack before I left the theater).  I really enjoyed all of the cello pieces Mia plays, such as the instantly recognizable Bach Cello Suite No. 1 and the Saint-Saens Cello Concerto in A Minor, and, as previously mentioned, I am a fan of the fictional band Willamette Stone (I'm very partial to "I Want What You Have").  The soundtrack also features The Orwells, Beck, and Sonic Youth.  I have had Beck's "Morning" on repeat since I saw the movie!  I recommend this movie to 15 year old girls (and 15 year old girls at heart) everywhere!

Note:  My summer has been book-ended by movies based on young adult fiction!  I saw The Fault In Our Stars the day school got out.

She Loves Me at HCT

Last night (after a little nap) I saw Hale Theatre's production of the musical She Loves Me.  This Broadway show was the inspiration for the films Little Shop Around the Corner and, more recently, You've Got Mail.  The setting is Maraczek's Perfumery, a little shop with an eccentric group of clerks, in the 1940s.  We learn that one of the clerks, Georg Nowack (Derek Smith), has been corresponding with an unknown woman whom he calls "Friend."  Amalia Balash (Amy Shreeve Keeler) is soon hired as a new clerk and Georg takes an immediate dislike to her. The feeling is mutual and, soon, they are bickering constantly. Amalia has an unknown correspondent as well and, of course, it is Georg! Can this couple realize that they really do love each other? I will admit that I wasn't immediately drawn into the musical numbers but, as the show progressed, I found them to be more and more charming!  I thought Georg's song "Tonight at Eight" was incredibly endearing. I never imagine that a man gets nervous before meeting a woman for a date!  Amalia's song "Will He Like Me?" perfectly expresses what a woman feels like before a date and Keeler sings it with such vulnerability.  The choreography is quite innovative and intricate.  I loved the scene where the clerks decorate the shop for Christmas and Ilona and Steve dance with a garland!  So fun!  Both of the leads are great in their roles but, in my opinion, Megan Lynn Heaps (a frequent performer with HCT) and Harrison Young steal the show as Ilona and Arpad, respectively.  I loved watching Heaps' facial expressions and Young is as irrepressible as a puppy!  The set is absolutely incredible! Kacey Udy, as usual, has outdone himself with the amazing perfume counter in the center of the stage.  Michelle Jensen is to be commended for all of the beautiful props used on the perfume counter.  Finding all of those vintage perfume bottles and assorted baubles must have been a Herculean task!  This little gem of a show was a lovely interlude in the middle of a busy week getting ready for the new school year!  I recommend it, especially for people who are nostalgic for a simpler time! She Loves Me runs through September 27 but shows are selling out quickly.  Go here for more information.