Mirrors and Windows

 

Have you read any books that you feel are a perfect reflection of your life experiences?  A childhood friend recently recommended a book to me called I thought you said this would work by Ann Wertz Garvin, a local author.  It deals with the sometimes rocky friendship between 3 women and an epic roadtrip to rescue the dog of the friend who has cancer.  It is a bit slapstick as they encounter a quirky cast of characters such as a former TV star who insists they visit her spiritual healer, and they hilariously try to trip up the ex-husband who surrendered the dog. 

 

My friend, however, identified deeply with this book in terms of the need to have some kind of control over cancer, a quest that might make everything better.  (It also helped that the book was humorous enough to keep her mind off more serious things and the idea of travel as an escape was very appealing.)  The very realistic portrayal of friendship and miscommunication was also spot on and served to balance the humor.

 

Her personal connection to the book and mirrored experiences struck me, as I have been talking in my classes lately about an essay called Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors by Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop, which explores how children need books that mirror their experiences and give them an opportunity to see the experiences of others. As adults, I think it is also amazing when we find a book that closely mirrors our lived experiences.

 

Personally, one book that struck a chord with me after returning from the Peace Corps was Go and Come Back by Joan Abelove.  Told from the perspective of an Isabo Peruvian teen girl, her descriptions of the white archaeologist women visiting her village could easily have been written by the Palauan students I stayed with, even though geographically and culturally they are far apart. (I had many entreaties to eat more, as skinny women weren’t considered attractive and I was guilty of hiding chocolate bars and not sharing, a grave offense.) It was amazing to read that someone else had gone through a similar experience.

 

In terms of books that are windows (helping to understand another perspective), I feel like these are the types of books that most excite me.  Here are a few that I recommend often:

 

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas: A book that deserves all the hype (and is so much more compelling in book form than on the screen), it follows the events that unfold after a teen girl witnesses the killing of her friend by a cop first-hand.  An illuminating look into race relations in the U.S., it is a great introduction for whites to issues and systematic oppression that we may have been blind to previously.

 

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon, a mystery involving a teen boy with autism who has been accused of killing a neighbor’s dog and is determined to find out who actually did it.  His inability to see nuances in what people say hinders his investigation, and is amusing for the reader, who can spot things the character is missing. It also helped me understand how frustrating and confusing it must be to be unable to process information or automatically recognize social cues, for a deeper and more empathetic understanding of autism.

 

Under the Same Sky by Joseph Kim: a true, autobiographical story that reads like a thriller. Joseph’s father went from high-ranking official in the North Korean army to disgraced, homeless, and unable to provide food for the family. When both of his parents disappear, Joseph is forced at age 5 to fend for himself by joining, then leading street gangs. An unlikely encounter changes the direction of his life.  This book highlights privilege and how sometimes life backs us into corners where we are left with only bad options. Despite this, it is a book full of unexpected hope and a chance to start over.

Finding picture books that serve as mirrors to all segments of the population can be challenging, when there are so few printed for certain minority groups each year.  The CCBC (Cooperative Children's Book Center) does a great job of compiling statistics for diversity in publishing. To see their latest statistics: https://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/the-numbers-are-in-2019-ccbc-diversity-statistics/  As always, our staff would love to help you find the books you are searching for, whether you're looking for mirrors, windows, informational, or just a fun escape.  

-Rebecca/Eager Free PL