Reading Log #2

     In the book The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk addresses my big question, "How do we accept the unfamiliar?" It's the story of three black sisters that take in a young white girl who has run away from an abusive father in the early 1960's. It's the story of the sisters' willingness to unconditionally accept Lily that helps her to overcome her fear of the unfamiliar and to heal from her past. Being open to their differences and accepting their similarities enable these women to bond together in a way that enables them to grow into their larger destiny.
     This book helped me understand how we accept the unfamiliar by being open and willing to be loved, to look beyond differences, and to realize the strength of community. It helps me to understand when I'm careful and cautious in my relationships, my possibilities and growth are limited. I would recommend this book to other women because it gives hope and courage to look beyond ourselves, our prejudices and our insecurities in order to realize a greater good.
    

Reading Log #1

     Kathryn Stockett addresses my big question, "How do we accept the unfamiliar?" in her book The Help by looking at the lives of black and white women in the American south in the 1960's. It's the story of a aspiring young journalist who encourages the black help to tell their story. What she realizes is that there is not that much that separates them. Once she was willing to open her mind and put aside the prejudices that were so much a part of her life, she could see that black women for who they were. As women, they all struggled with similar issues. She realizes the collective strength in telling their story and it's through the telling of their story that they have the courage to change their world.
     This book helped me better understand that being afraid of the unfamiliar is universal. It helped me realize that letting go of fear and being open-minded opens up undreamed of possibilities. I learned that sharing my struggles with others helps overcome fear and makes it possible to do things together that we can't do alone. I would highly recommend this book because it makes you laugh and cry and gives you hope that when we are open to the unfamiliar, we can change our world.

Hyperlinked Task

Kari K. wrote about youth competition and the stress for sucess in young athletes. What if we in a world where it was young kids in the major leagues and adults watching from the stands? That kids kept getting pushed at such a young age and eventually made it as a professional by age 8. Can you imagine a 4' 2" Barry Bonds?

Phil Z. asked the question: Do videos games cause or promote aggressive behavior? What if the fictional video world suddenly became our reality? Would kid sreact in the same way being aggressively violent or would they think about the consequences of the actions without being able to turn the game off?

Danielle C. wrote about educating the public about guns instead of restricting them. What if the education of guns became manditory in our school. Instead of running the mile kids would learn to point and shoot.