Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Hi. My Name is Asher Lev. And you should read me.

Oh, Happy Day!
With the help of my wonderful friend, Allison,
a book group was finally created in our ward.

I was in charge of picking our January book and
leading the discussion.
I chose a novel that I had seen taught in some high schools
and had peaked my interest:
My Name is Asher Lev
by Chaim Potok.


This is a great novel to hunker down with.
I will warn you,
this is not a happy-go-lucky book;
however,
it is quite thought provoking
and uses some great symbolism and imagery.
It also gives more of an insight to Hasidic communities
and explores the tension between the worlds of religion and art.

I was a bit giddy to have an opportunity
to do some research and create discussion questions.
Oh, how I miss teaching high school sometimes!

Thanks, ladies,
for a great night of intellectual stimulation!
Next month: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.
Time to make a cup of tea (or teeccino:),
grab a quilt,
and get reading!

2 comments:

Becky said...

I LOVE a good book. I'll have to look this one up at the library. What did you teach in HS?

The Vieiras said...

I taught junior year English. At the school I was at, the curriculum for juniors was all American Lit. I got to cover Puritan lit, Colonial lit, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Catcher in the Rye, Of Mice and Men, The Great Gatsby--all sorts of wonderful books. I also observed A TON of other teaching, so I was introduced to quite a few lovely novels. Let me know if you are ever itching for another title!