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Dave Schaafsma

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Dave Schaafsma

Goodreads Author


Born
in Grand Rapids, Michigan, The United States
January 06, 1953

Genre

Member Since
August 2007


Dave Schaafsma is a Professor of English at the University of Illinois at Chicago where he directs the Program in English Education. He teaches courses in English teaching methods, and literature. He's the author or co-editor of six books and is in the process of writing more, but I am not here on Goodreads to promote my writing; this is a reading site.

I guess I should say that I almost never accept friend requests from folks who do not review or almost never review. Nothing personal, but that is what "following" is for. I mean, you don't have to be my friend to like my reviews or comment on them, but if you never share any of your thoughts via reviews of books you've read, then it feels like a kinda one-sided friendship, right?

I can also s
...more

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Popular Answered Questions

Dave Schaafsma Jon, I am going to answer this question, but I am going to look through my books first... I love this kind of question, and will take it seriously...
Dave Schaafsma Hi, Marianne. It's an honor to hera from you! I found Charlotte Diary in Pictures" through my library system here in the western suburbs of Chicago. A…moreHi, Marianne. It's an honor to hera from you! I found Charlotte Diary in Pictures" through my library system here in the western suburbs of Chicago. A lot of the books I read are things I find in my Goodreads feed that people are reading and love. A few people had just read and loved her book, Life or Theatre? and I tried to get it, but no one in the Chicago area could find it for me. Yet. Will look again.

So I did see her Diary listed and I thought it was fabulous. My interest in it stemmed initially from the idea of a diary or journal in pictures; I am a kind of student of what people are calling now graphic memoirs, or comics memoirs, and someone named this as an early example of that, and I agree it is.

My interest in the Holocaust I think began with reading American postwar Jewish authors such as Isaac Bashevis Singer, Malamud, Roth, who led me to survivor literature, studies of the camps. I'm agnostic now, but when I first was teaching English in 1975 I taught Rabbi Chaim Potok's The Chosen and My Name is Asher Lev to my Dutch Reformed high school students, and we looked at Life Magazine's pictorial of Hasidic life in Brooklyn to help us understand what I understood to be extreme religious devotion by the ultra-orthodox Jews there. I was, after all, teaching ultra-orthodox Christians who were also struggling, as Asher Lev was, with how to live IN the world and yet not OF the world.

I would love to read Aftershocks and am going to read it, as soon as possible, so I can have the honor of talking with you about it. Again, I am thrilled you contacted me; I will read it!(less)
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Post Election 2024 and Patti Smith

Self-care comes in many ways, and you generally learn, as you get older, or most of us do, how to psychically survive. Grief is part of life, and it's hard, but part of life, and you go through it. Reading and writing are for many of us a kind of balm, but maybe also forms of inspiration, a way to sort of right the ship in a storm. Important work, and not just escape. And we are in a storm now in Read more of this blog post »
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Dave Schaafsma Dave Schaafsma said: " 10/1/25: Rereading for Fall 2025 Detective class, simultaneously with just released Gray Dawn, #17 in the series.

10/15/24: Reread with my Fall 24 Detective Fiction class, and so fun. What's it about, as much noir is? As one student said: Money. And I
...more "

 
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Thanks to Pow Wow Press and the author for the early look at this October 2025 release of the English translation of O Mongusto, or The Mongoose by Lisbon-based Joana Mosi. In a way, it is a study of grief and how a mind might work in that state of s ...more
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I read The Colony by Audrey Magee because 1) it is longlisted for the 2022 Man Booker Prize, 2) it is an Irish book, focused on the late seventies period there known as the Troubles, and 3) I had recently read (so far) eight books in Benjamin Black’s ...more
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Comments (showing 1-37)    post a comment »
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message 37: by Mir

Mir Grand Rapids? I thought you were Chicago-adjacent. Did you move?


message 36: by Joseph

Joseph Thank you kindly for the friendship!


Caroline Thanks for the friend-vite!


message 34: by Richard

Richard Dominguez thank you for the friend


message 33: by Richard

Richard Hey, Dave — I just saw your review of Kate Beaton's book. I was going to link to the excellent review at the NYTimes (with a paywall-skipping gift link), but of course Goodreads doesn't allow links anywhere but in reviews anymore. Anyway, if you want to add it to your review, here's that link, modified so I can at least DM it to you:
nytimes.com / 2022 / 09 / 12 / books / kate-beaton-ducks-canada-oil.html?unlocked_article_code=gT0YdCu1dfrsJo_hLSA1jK0-cpHozTywKGSfeOH2zdsuWpNuUUbLUgr8AH_3enqzXB4ZVQnO2iJYOzqaE4KdkovE2M-GutNsCmEzHEtVzrVNfvw64_pzz--Fh_lmPWdHXRy5wSyJVJANUqOF1H7BCdmPqKRN-ySUHBKin32GWcZJxLPQ2qtShzB_NSt2oe87cH0wAKc7ckgDFN4D5OttzQyqgQj-NQFoWwNlntl68mDdNx0_jh7h1UWO1gjWGLXj48qKO-taoQ3JOb5vUd5ICSX94vJd-XTgz6XM6NhBpi_U13KvSLaSbYATUIfL9bGuIsAnluF1q7DydBZgXZgzlSyGNSc&smid=share-url


message 32: by jana

jana Thank You for accepting my friend request Dave. :)
I am looking forward to reading your reviews...


message 31: by Dave

Dave Schaafsma Kristine wrote: "Dave, thank you for taking me on as a friend. Professor of Literature sounds like my dream job. Thanks for taking me on as a friend. I always write reviews, whether they are decent is certainly deb..."

Do the dream! You get to read a lot, for sure! :) Good luck with your reading (and reviews!).


Kristine Dave, thank you for taking me on as a friend. Professor of Literature sounds like my dream job. Thanks for taking me on as a friend. I always write reviews, whether they are decent is certainly debatable, but I try.


message 29: by Mizuki

Mizuki Glad to know another comic fan.


message 28: by Michael

Michael Hello David,

I am reading your reviews for quite some years now, so it was a very pleasant surprise to receive your friend invite; thank you very much!
I am looking forward to interesting discussions and comic book findings,

Michael


message 27: by Dave

Dave Schaafsma Hanneke wrote: "Happy New Year, David! Hope health, happiness and good books come your way!"

And to you, too, Hanneke!


message 26: by Hanneke

Hanneke Happy New Year, David! Hope health, happiness and good books come your way!


message 25: by Dave

Dave Schaafsma Cathy wrote: "Merry Christmas David and thanks for goodreads friendship." The same to you, Cathy! :)


message 24: by Cathy

Cathy Merry Christmas David and thanks for goodreads friendship.


message 23: by Dave

Dave Schaafsma David wrote: "Ted wrote: "David, what genre was that that you and your family were reading all the candidates for the GR book awards?"
Picture Book"
And I can help you by compiling--soon--my/our favorites, but A Hungry Lion, or A Dwindling Assortment of Animals
by Lucy Ruth Cummins was our top favorite. I finally found for Ida, Always, because the lion book was out of the running. I liked Klaasen's Hat book, but the kids liked it less.


message 22: by Dave

Dave Schaafsma Ted wrote: "David, what genre was that that you and your family were reading all the candidates for the GR book awards?"
Picture Book


message 21: by Ted

Ted David, what genre was that that you and your family were reading all the candidates for the GR book awards?


message 20: by Dave

Dave Schaafsma Majenta wrote: "Good evening, David! Friend Request accepted, thanks for Requesting! Congratulations on all your publishing success! I hope this has been a good week for you, that you'll have a nice weekend, and t..."
Thanks for accepting my request, and glad to now know what you are also reading. And thanks for all the wishes! I hope you also have a terrific weekend.


message 19: by Majenta

Majenta Good evening, David! Friend Request accepted, thanks for Requesting! Congratulations on all your publishing success! I hope this has been a good week for you, that you'll have a nice weekend, and the week ahead will be...even better! (And the week after that, and the week after that, and the week after that....) Be blessed!

Best wishes from Majenta


message 18: by Dave

Dave Schaafsma Melki wrote: "I guess finals are over by now. Enjoy your summer!"
So nice of you to say! I wish you the same, a terrific summer! Keep reading and reviewing. You make me happy!


message 17: by Melki

Melki I guess finals are over by now. Enjoy your summer!


message 16: by Dave

Dave Schaafsma Matthias wrote: "Thank you for accepting David! I see you teach Young Adult Fiction? That's very interesting, I never figured that was a seperate course, but it makes sense now that I think of it. Looking forward t..."
Well, the Young Adult Literature course is a typical one for the preparation of English teachers in a lot of universities and colleges. I have been teaching it for maybe 15 years, but haven't been reading that much of it lately. Mostly comics. Will next year, maybe. Oh! And this summer I will teach a course on Young Adult Graphic Novels, just to try something different.


Matthias Thank you for accepting David! I see you teach Young Adult Fiction? That's very interesting, I never figured that was a seperate course, but it makes sense now that I think of it. Looking forward to reading your reviews!


message 14: by Dave

Dave Schaafsma Jonathan wrote: "I saw you liked my status on the book about pursuing a further academic studies in Humanities! If you want to find a way to sneak me into an assistantship program at UIC....*wink wink nudge nudge*"

well, I am glad to help you in any way I can. Let's talk!


message 13: by Dave

Dave Schaafsma Thanks for the link to Lee, Ted. And thanks for the reminder to read the Wittgenstein novel I had initially intended to read. Just ordered it, finally!


message 12: by Ted

Ted Thanks for the friend request, David. I'm always pleased to connect with a prof. You might be interested in one of my friends, Lee Klein. This is his regular GR page, I believe he also has an author page. https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/9...
(I don't think he's a prof, but he's a learned reader and an interesting writer.)


message 11: by Dave

Dave Schaafsma I will have a more education-oriented year, now that I am going off sabbatical. I have followed Kozol for years, one of the greats.


message 10: by Karan

Karan Bajaj Hi David ... thanks for connecting! Good to meet a fellow Kozol fan ... amongst many other titles!
Karan


message 9: by Dave

Dave Schaafsma Fatty wrote: "Thanks for connecting, David, and a happy new year to you! :) That's the largest collection I've seen on this site. Incredible!"

Well, I read a lot, like many on Goodreads, but I have recently taken to recording and writing reviews of EVERYTHING, kind of like an autobiography through reading. I don't know why, exactly. I just am enjoying it. Not many people read my reviews, so I just write for myself, mainly, but am glad to connect to you and anyone through books!


message 8: by Dave

Dave Schaafsma Fionnuala wrote: "I think we have some books in common, David - but a passion for reading definitely, judging by your large quantity of 'read' books!"

Well, I am getting older, an English major who became an English prof, so the books I have read.. they'll accumulate. Honestly, I am sure there are many more unrated. Things in areas I have read I just haven't thought of. But that's not bragging. Just saying that if you read your whole life, you will have read a lot of books! I still have a passion for reading, no question! Glad to begin to get to know you!


Fionnuala I think we have some books in common, David - but a passion for reading definitely, judging by your large quantity of 'read' books!


message 6: by Dave (last edited Aug 07, 2015 01:03PM)

Dave Schaafsma it seems like gravity's rainbow was actually a really fun (albeit difficult) launching point!
Well, Jonathan, Gravity's Rainbow is one difficult book with so much richness in it. The most difficult book we read (started) in that Postwar American Fiction class, for sure (though Lolita might have been a match for sheer complexity). In Slow Learner you get how he was getting started, trying out ideas he would elaborate on for the rest of his career, so in that sense it is worth it to check it out..


message 5: by Dave

Dave Schaafsma Jonathan wrote: "Professor S! How have you been this summer?"
"I'm good. Not teaching in this second summer session, so reading and writing a bit more… you?


message 4: by Dave

Dave Schaafsma Nick wrote: "In the past, I'd typically hop on my computer (or now, more realistically, my phone) between 6 am and 7 am and go to the following sites, in no particular order: Facebook, gmail, reddit. Your profi..."

I only just saw this now! Hi!


message 3: by Dave

Dave Schaafsma Nick wrote: "In the past, I'd typically hop on my computer (or now, more realistically, my phone) between 6 am and 7 am and go to the following sites, in no particular order: Facebook, gmail, reddit. Your profi..."

Jane wrote: "Hi David!"

Hi, Jane! Do I know you? Either way, hi! :) Welcome to my Goodreads world!


message 2: by Jane

Jane Hi David!


message 1: by Nick (last edited Oct 21, 2013 05:28AM)

Nick Szewczyk In the past, I'd typically hop on my computer (or now, more realistically, my phone) between 6 am and 7 am and go to the following sites, in no particular order: Facebook, gmail, reddit. Your profile alone has managed to make goodreads usurp reddit in that rotation. I just don't have the requisite time to browse reddit these days, but I always have the time to read a review or two... :)

(Just a random thought, as I'm currently on, and there's not a 6:30 am review for me to read for a change. sadness.)


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