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Chat From the Stacks Episode 4: How are you feeling today? The Benefits of Being an Octopus and Echo's Sister
How are you feeling today? Someone once told me when inquiring about friends, family, students, and colleagues' state of mind, that adding "today" can be an important qualifier. Certainly, on any given day we can have a range of feelings, especially under these unusual circumstances. We don't always know the reasons that we are reacting, and some might say overreacting, to comments, interactions, and conversations which at any other time would seem inconsequential. I am thankful to be part of an independent school librarian community (AISL) that is transparent about how this distance/online learning experience is causing feelings of vulnerability and uncertainty. As I responded to one AISL blog post "thank you for making us feel less alone and part of a shared experience." As it so happens with these thoughts very much at the front of my mind, I read two extraordinary middle-grade novels that addressed the feelings of vulnerability and empathy.
The first of these is The Benefits of Being an Octopus, by Ann Braden. Zoey is twelve years old and her family life is chaotic as they struggle to make ends meet. She is frequently left in charge of younger siblings so her mother can work. As a result, Zoey is not a good student. Doing her homework is nearly impossible in their current living situation. School is something to survive, with the exception of the debate. The science and social studies teachers collaborated to create a debate scenario: "which is the best animal?". Zoey is an expert on the octopus having watched a DVD acquired from the "free" shelves at the public library hundreds of times. Completing the four-page debate packet is the only homework she has been inspired to finish as she is confident about her argument.
Zoey's life is upended in a way that causes her to throw the finished work in the trash and hurry home to care for younger siblings and her mother in an unsettling role-reversal. Recovering the homework from the trash and encouraging Zoey to become part of the debate team, her social studies teacher seems to be empathetic to Zoey's situation
Being an octopus would give Zoey the ability to camouflage herself in her surroundings. Hiding everything from everyone that makes her feel vulnerable is how she manages debate prep with students who have no idea about her life until one day, she confronts the more privileged members of the team with revelations about the realities of a friend being bullied, her family struggling to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table. This is a life they can't understand and shouldn't judge. In a moment of clarity, Zoey convinces her mother to escape what has become an emotionally difficult living situation and find her inner strength as Zoey finds her voice. This book powerfully explores the lives of people who are rarely seen and who in real life are likely facing even greater hardships in an economic situation like today. I cheered for Zoey as she saves her mother, siblings, and most of all herself.
Echo's Sister by Paul Mosier is a very different story but touches on some of the same emotions. El, whose real name is Laughter, starts her 7th-grade year at Village Arts Academy in Greenwich Village. It is the school her parents attended. El has always wanted to be part of the same arts culture. Starting as a new student in middle school no matter how much you want to be there is challenging. There are friend groups, teacher expectations and more to navigate. The first day is filled with that excitement and fear that beginnings often bring. El is ready. Until after school, her dad meets her with the life-changing news that her six-year-old sister, Echo, has a rare form of fast-growing cancer.
The next weeks are filled with emotionally paralyzing fear for her sister. School now seems inconsequential. Her fears about new friendships are replaced by an emotional detachment to protect herself from letting people see just how vulnerable she is about her sister. She rebuffs anyone who tries to befriend her and through a series of texts, tries to convince her best friend from her former school that everything is fine. Until one day, Sydney, a girl who has been envious of El's talent sees her in a store with Echo and recognizes her as the girl in the picture on the donation jars. El is afraid she'll tell people in school and one day in English class and it seems her worst fears are coming true as Sydney shares an essay about that day with the whole class.
While the authors, of course, could not have known about our strange situation they each capture how vulnerable people who are under stress can be and the need for patience and empathy. One other quick note before I leave you, the Rhode Island Middle School Book Award Committee announced Game Changer, by Tommy Greenwald, as the winner for 2020! Have
How are you feeling today? Someone once told me when inquiring about friends, family, students, and colleagues' state of mind, that adding "today" can be an important qualifier. Certainly, on any given day we can have a range of feelings, especially under these unusual circumstances. We don't always know the reasons that we are reacting, and some might say overreacting, to comments, interactions, and conversations which at any other time would seem inconsequential. I am thankful to be part of an independent school librarian community (AISL) that is transparent about how this distance/online learning experience is causing feelings of vulnerability and uncertainty. As I responded to one AISL blog post "thank you for making us feel less alone and part of a shared experience." As it so happens with these thoughts very much at the front of my mind, I read two extraordinary middle-grade novels that addressed the feelings of vulnerability and empathy.