A great deal has been said about Animal Farm over the years. It's a satire of the Russian revolution. It's about Stalinism, socialism, the labor force. The characters represent individuals in the past: Old Major is Karl Marx, Snowball is Leon Trotsky, Napoleon is Joseph Stalin.
This can all be true but I believe that, if we get caught up in the symbolism of it all, we miss out on a well written story worth reading and rereading. I understand the short book is basically a lesson in the Stalin era leading to World War II, and it can be taught in school alongside the appropriate section in history class. History and representation aside, Orwell wrote a beautiful, heart-breaking story that can be appreciated by high-school students and the home-reader alike.
I won't go on about the story and the symbolism, because most of you have heard it before. It's been about 15 years since I read Animal Farm, and I was happy to find it was just as enjoyable, if not more so, the second time around.
Friday, May 7, 2010
The Sledding Hill by Chris Crutcher
Here again is another installment of novels by Chris Crutcher. This one is pretty different from the others. In the first few pages, Eddie Proffit has the unfortunate experience of finding both his father and best friend dead. His father, who works at a full service gas station, forgot to let the air out of a truck tire before repairing it and it exploded, killing him. His best friend, Billy Bartholomew, kicked some Sheetrock leaning against a wall, which fell over and killed him. Crutcher fans will find this strange because the greatest tragedies in the book are, for all intents and purposes, self-inflicted. Nobody shot anyone, nobody gets raped or burned. It's probably the least violent book Crutcher has written.
The story is actually told from Billy's point of view while he "haunts" Eddie. As Billy tells it, he is only staying with Billy for a time and is able to bounce around in the heads of anyone alive (that will allow him) and has all knowledge of folks who have died. He describes a kind of communal and eternal knowledge. You can imagine, there is a great deal of spiritual exploration in the book. One of the characters, Mr. Tarter (a minister at the Red Brick Church and teacher at Eddie's school) attempts save Eddie, religiously, throughout the book.
Eddie takes a class with Ms. Lloyd where the class reads a book by Crutcher. The book is contested (as Crutcher's books often are) and taken from the students until the final ruling by the school board. I found myself laughing out loud at parts where Crutcher wrote himself into the book. The "Red Brickers" oppose him and scandalize him on the basis that his writing is indecent and vulgar. At a church board meeting, Reverend Tarter gives a monologue regarding Crutcher's work and validity as a writer:
Long story short, the author is relatively obscure, has ten books out, no best-sellers. He presents himself as a child and family therapist, though as near as I can tell, he has only a bachelor's degree. he's a self-proclaimed nonreader who spent some time as a teacher in alternative education, I'm assuming because he couldn't cut it in the public schools. Just the influence we need on our kids, huh? (94-96)
Some of the other students, who have shared experiences with the characters in Crutcher's book, visit Crutcher's website and contact him via email and phone. I can't help but think what this process must have been like for Crutcher himself. Was this a kind of therapeutic exercise where he was able to finally give his side of these book challenges? Does this book serve as a kind of defense of his own writing? At one point, Ms. Lloyd discusses with her class the issue of challenging Crutcher's book and it seems that he is speaking to his readers directly through her:
They'll tell you it's about family values and Christian values and morality and our need to get control over our educational system. But it's about you. That's it. Just you. If you're going to stop this, you're going to have to stop it yourselves. Decide whether you think your mind is strong enough to hear tough stories, told in their native tongue - and let the censors know. (100-101)
I was happy to see the return of Montana West and her father, Maxwell West, in their respective character roles. There are a few other nods to some of Crutcher's other books as well. This is a really good read, especially for Crutcher's fans. There are a number of fun surprises for Crutcher's fans and it may also serve as a good introduction to the author for those new to his work. There is a good debate regarding censorship and as Billy describes from his omnipresent state, all sides are really just working for what they believe to be good and right.
Get it at Amazon (in hard copy or Kindle edition), Borders and Barnes & Noble (in hard copy and digital edition).
ISBN: 0060502452
And visit Crutcher's website. I hear he answers emails quickly ;)
The story is actually told from Billy's point of view while he "haunts" Eddie. As Billy tells it, he is only staying with Billy for a time and is able to bounce around in the heads of anyone alive (that will allow him) and has all knowledge of folks who have died. He describes a kind of communal and eternal knowledge. You can imagine, there is a great deal of spiritual exploration in the book. One of the characters, Mr. Tarter (a minister at the Red Brick Church and teacher at Eddie's school) attempts save Eddie, religiously, throughout the book.
Eddie takes a class with Ms. Lloyd where the class reads a book by Crutcher. The book is contested (as Crutcher's books often are) and taken from the students until the final ruling by the school board. I found myself laughing out loud at parts where Crutcher wrote himself into the book. The "Red Brickers" oppose him and scandalize him on the basis that his writing is indecent and vulgar. At a church board meeting, Reverend Tarter gives a monologue regarding Crutcher's work and validity as a writer:
Long story short, the author is relatively obscure, has ten books out, no best-sellers. He presents himself as a child and family therapist, though as near as I can tell, he has only a bachelor's degree. he's a self-proclaimed nonreader who spent some time as a teacher in alternative education, I'm assuming because he couldn't cut it in the public schools. Just the influence we need on our kids, huh? (94-96)
Some of the other students, who have shared experiences with the characters in Crutcher's book, visit Crutcher's website and contact him via email and phone. I can't help but think what this process must have been like for Crutcher himself. Was this a kind of therapeutic exercise where he was able to finally give his side of these book challenges? Does this book serve as a kind of defense of his own writing? At one point, Ms. Lloyd discusses with her class the issue of challenging Crutcher's book and it seems that he is speaking to his readers directly through her:
They'll tell you it's about family values and Christian values and morality and our need to get control over our educational system. But it's about you. That's it. Just you. If you're going to stop this, you're going to have to stop it yourselves. Decide whether you think your mind is strong enough to hear tough stories, told in their native tongue - and let the censors know. (100-101)
I was happy to see the return of Montana West and her father, Maxwell West, in their respective character roles. There are a few other nods to some of Crutcher's other books as well. This is a really good read, especially for Crutcher's fans. There are a number of fun surprises for Crutcher's fans and it may also serve as a good introduction to the author for those new to his work. There is a good debate regarding censorship and as Billy describes from his omnipresent state, all sides are really just working for what they believe to be good and right.
Get it at Amazon (in hard copy or Kindle edition), Borders and Barnes & Noble (in hard copy and digital edition).
ISBN: 0060502452
And visit Crutcher's website. I hear he answers emails quickly ;)
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