Children's Books discussion

This month we're reading two books that many of us have read for this group before. If you're new, you're certainly welcome to choose only one... however, they are both short, and both made a big impact on many of us. They are admirable and interesting historical fiction, about periods in history not as well-known as some.

Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai
Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Yelchin

I agree! Both of these choices are excellent and now sit proudly on my shelf!

November's almost here... I hope you've all found time to schedule in these short but very intense books. When we read them for the fiction club, we were very impressed, and I'm going to try hard to reread them.

I remember one detail from Breaking Stalin's Nose - by sheer numbers, Stalin's purge was many times more dreadful than Hitler's Holocaust. Why isn't it better known? I've had decades to learn that, and until this children's book, had not.

Probably partly because the Soviets were on the Allied side in WWII. Also perhaps because the Soviets remained in power, unlike the defeated Nazis.

Good points.

Michael wrote: "Probably partly because the Soviets were on the Allied side in WWII. Also perhaps because the Soviets remained in power, unlike the defeated Nazis."

I remember our teacher mentioning it in grade twelve social studies and some parents objected, even claiming that he was doing this because he somehow favoured me (I am a German immigrant to Canada). When I asked about this at home, I was told to better not mention it too much.

I really enjoyed this scary book. Here's my goodreads review:

This fast paced fictional 1st person present tense narrative presented in efficient short crisp sentences illustrates the terrible poisonous atmosphere of day to day existence in Stalinist Russia. Also beautifully illustrated by the author.

Well I'm sure glad this got written then, and won an honor. And I'm glad you, Steve, found it a good read. I wonder if kids are reading it.... I also wonder if it's engendered controversy....

(If I ever get over this cold I'll try to find out.)

Oh, Amy, I'm so glad to hear that you appreciated these books. I agree that sensitive children might be disturbed by learning about Stalinist Russia this way. Do you have any other thoughts about whether kids might enjoy either book, or whether they should be recommended by teachers?

I think this book would be a good book to share with children and discuss with children, so that they might realise what life in Stalin's Russia was like (or Hitler's Germany, or even the East Germany of Erich Honecker, Cambodia under Pol Pot). It could also be used for modern comparisons, like what many Syrian, Iraqi, Yemeni children (especially minorities like the Kurds) have had to face because if ISIS and the destablilisation of the Middle East. Seeing what happens to the protagonist, who considers himself a good Russian an Communist, shows not only how in dictatorships like the Third Reich and Stalin's Russia, children sere often manipulated and brainwashed (a common element in ALL dictatorships) but also how fast fotunes can change and if you or a member of your family were to suddenly for some reason fall foul of the regime, you were suddenly a persona non grata, to be condemned, arrested, abused, perhaps even tortured or killed (and you would not have even have had to have done something against the state yiurself, it often sufficed fir you to be related to the individuals who fell foul of the dictator's grace).

Amy wrote: "Gundula wrote: "I think this book would be a good book to share with children and discuss with children, so that they might realise what life in Stalin's Russia was like (or Hitler's Germany, or ev..."

I immigrated to Canada from what was then West Germany when I was ten (1976). Aside from bullying because of being German, I found it really surprising and annoying how many people (and not only children) asked me if I came from East or West Germany. They simply had no idea that people simply were not able to travel at will behind the Iron Curtain. Once, in frustration, I claimed to have "jumped over the Berlin Wall" thinking that might smarten people up, but some actually believed this.

Amy wrote: "Amy wrote: "Steve wrote: "I really enjoyed this scary book. Here's my goodreads review:

This fast paced fictional 1st person present tense narrative presented in efficient short crisp sentences i..."

And this might actually be a memory of the author himself, which makes it even more powerful. In East Germany, if members of your family were considered enemies of the state, you could be denied schooling and other such basic rights. I read a German book, where a young East German orphan realises that the reason she is constanly being denied her rights and the opportunity to attend a prestigious sports academy (even though she is a gifted athlete) is because her parents tried to escape to West Germany leaving her behind to be condemned, intimidated, verbally abused by any and all (especially with her teachers, she becomes a perfect scapegoat).

I read both books this morning and found myself uplifted by the human spirit . . . twice.

In both, the children survive despite incredible odds. At least in Breaking Stalin's Nose,I'm assuming Sasha survives because of the woman who reaches out to him at the end. In Inside Out & Back Again, an American sponsor allows Ha's family to take root and survive in a new place.

I enjoyed both books immensely. I found Inside Out & Back Again to be a bit more readable; yet, I found myself more engrossed in Sasha's story in Breaking Stalin's Nose.

I would recommend both to young readers; I think they discussed difficult subject matter in understandable ways. I don't think it hurts children to understand the difficulties people face in times of war or crushing, despotic leadership. I remember seeing my cousin play Anne Frank's mother in a production of "The Diary of Anne Frank" when I was a child, and that was about the same time that I saw "The Sound of Music" when it was released in theaters. I was in second grade at the time. It didn't hurt me to hear about Nazism at that age and understand its evil, since I had supportive and loving parents to help me understand it, and give it context. Sometimes, I think we as adults are too sheltering of our children - trying to keep them from the harsh realities of life in a broken world. I am glad that my parents helped me understand, vs. sheltering me from everything.

If I were a teacher, say of 10-12 yo children, I wouldn't actually assign, or read together, either of these books. I think even the poetic one is too intense for some children, or for some parents. But I would put them on the list of books I expect children to choose from for further reading, with notes that they may be too intense for sensitive readers.

Who knows, maybe the notes would give some readers a sense of 'forbidden fruit' and be more inclined to choose one these over something more bland?

Btw, a related & also intense middle-grade historical fiction, that is beautifully written and fairly contemporary, is Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli.

Cheryl wrote: "If I were a teacher, say of 10-12 yo children, I wouldn't actually assign, or read together, either of these books. I think even the poetic one is too intense for some children, or for some parents..."

I would though consider making the book on Stalin compulsory if using it in a high school class, especially if I were teaching modern European history.

Well, I didn't manage to make time to reread these. Here are my old reviews, fwiw:

Breaking Stalin's Nose
Intense, with marvelous art that makes it even more so. Do not read this at bedtime - I had nightmares. Be careful about which children you recommend it to - some are not ready for the themes, even if they are generally reading beyond 'illustrated early chapter' books.

The most important thing to realize is that the story is true. I don't know about these *exact* details and characters, but as the author notes, for those of us who have not learned history, this kind of thing happened *twenty million* times. Look at that number. Hitler, by the numbers, was less than 1/3 as evil as Stalin. Russia is still suffering the ramifications of the terror, the tyranny, the poverty, the propaganda that made people deny their souls.

I was hoping, from the title and from the fact that it is a children's book, that the child had broken a statue's nose in a small act of defiance. Boy was I wrong. And if I'd remembered my history classes better, I'd have realized the impossibility of that.

Read this (but not at bedtime), and share it with every child you know (as soon as they are ready for it).

Well phooey. When I transferred my reviews to Leafmarks, apparently the one for Inside Out & Back Again was lost. As I recall, I found it a little too simplistic, and the poetry a little awkward, for me. But then, I've read several thousands of books and I tend to be overly fussy. I still feel that this is a worthy and interesting book and I do recommend it.

Cheryl wrote: "Well phooey. When I transferred my reviews to Leafmarks, apparently the one for Inside Out & Back Again was lost. As I recall, I found it a little too simplistic, and the poetry a little awkward, f..."

Sorry you had that happen to you. When I originally transferred my GR library to Library Thing (which I do not even use anymore), I lost almost 600 books and a number of reviews. Thank goodness, I was having trouble deleting my GR books, so I just kept them and and continued with that practice when I transferred my library to Leafmarks. I find it a bit confusing having multiple libraries on multiple sites, but fact is, that these transfers are never prefect.

They aren't perfect, true. I have encountered a few others that I've lost, but otoh I do have a backup CSV on a jump drive in my printer supplies, so I could dig it out if I needed to. So far nbd. But ty for your note of empathy.

Cheryl wrote: "They aren't perfect, true. I have encountered a few others that I've lost, but otoh I do have a backup CSV on a jump drive in my printer supplies, so I could dig it out if I needed to. So far nbd. ..."

I just hate when this happens, it is such a pain in the you know what