CCBC-Net Archives
RE: Up for Discussion: How I Became a Ghost
- Contemporary messages sorted: [ by date ] [ by subject ] [ by author ]
From: Nancy Bo Flood <wflood_at_hotmail.com>
Date: Mon, 17 Feb 2014 21:44:06 -0700
It's fun to read that many have had the same experience I did when reading How I Became a Ghost. You begin the first chapter, intending to read for a little while, but you can’t stop. One surprise happens on the heels of another. In my own research about how Tim Tingle created such a powerful book with a strong sense of place, an engaging main character plus weaving together the "real and spiritual," I learned that he re-walked the steps of his great-great-grandfather, recorded the stories of tribal elders, and then wrote this incredible page-turner for
young readers (and adults as well). I would like to hear how he chose which details to include and which to leave out.
Yes, this book is about the Choctaw Trail of Tears but no, it did not leave me feeling sad or depressed, instead, I was taken in by the compassion of this young boy and then amazed at the strength of community and the courage of many individuals – even a talking dog! The importance of forgiveness is one aspect of this story that I found profound. To forgive one's enemy rather than killing him is a value not often lauded today.
One additional comment, if you haven't read CROSSING BOK CHITTO, do. This picture book was praised by Publishers Weekly as “…a
moving and wholly original story about the intersection of cultures.” I think about this, "the intersection of cultures," both described with respect. Tingle is a master storyteller. I bet that as each of us read How I Became a Ghost and kept turning pages, we felt that Tim Tingle was sitting nearby talking-story right to us.Nancy Bo Flood
From: REIDRA_at_uwec.edu To: ccbc-net_at_lists.wisc.edu Subject: RE: [ccbc-net] Up for Discussion: How I Became a Ghost Date: Mon, 17 Feb 2014 18:09:20 +0000
I was just re-reading Nick Glass’s interview with Tim Tingle in the April 2012 issue of LibrarySparks. Tingle mentioned that aspiring authors need to fill in their writing time gaps with reading.
Go back to Chaucer and Shakespeare. “How much Western civilization and writing that comes from it come from Shakespeare? We need to know that even as American Indian people.” And then Tingle goes on to add, “Within our tribal cultures, we need to go back to
the old people and listen to their stories as closely as possible.” Thinking back, I can see some of the supernatural aspects of Shakespeare (the veil between the living and the supernatural world), as well as Shakespearean themes, along with American Indian
folklore and history, in the telling of Issac’s story.
Date: Mon, 17 Feb 2014 21:44:06 -0700
It's fun to read that many have had the same experience I did when reading How I Became a Ghost. You begin the first chapter, intending to read for a little while, but you can’t stop. One surprise happens on the heels of another. In my own research about how Tim Tingle created such a powerful book with a strong sense of place, an engaging main character plus weaving together the "real and spiritual," I learned that he re-walked the steps of his great-great-grandfather, recorded the stories of tribal elders, and then wrote this incredible page-turner for
young readers (and adults as well). I would like to hear how he chose which details to include and which to leave out.
Yes, this book is about the Choctaw Trail of Tears but no, it did not leave me feeling sad or depressed, instead, I was taken in by the compassion of this young boy and then amazed at the strength of community and the courage of many individuals – even a talking dog! The importance of forgiveness is one aspect of this story that I found profound. To forgive one's enemy rather than killing him is a value not often lauded today.
One additional comment, if you haven't read CROSSING BOK CHITTO, do. This picture book was praised by Publishers Weekly as “…a
moving and wholly original story about the intersection of cultures.” I think about this, "the intersection of cultures," both described with respect. Tingle is a master storyteller. I bet that as each of us read How I Became a Ghost and kept turning pages, we felt that Tim Tingle was sitting nearby talking-story right to us.Nancy Bo Flood
From: REIDRA_at_uwec.edu To: ccbc-net_at_lists.wisc.edu Subject: RE: [ccbc-net] Up for Discussion: How I Became a Ghost Date: Mon, 17 Feb 2014 18:09:20 +0000
I was just re-reading Nick Glass’s interview with Tim Tingle in the April 2012 issue of LibrarySparks. Tingle mentioned that aspiring authors need to fill in their writing time gaps with reading.
Go back to Chaucer and Shakespeare. “How much Western civilization and writing that comes from it come from Shakespeare? We need to know that even as American Indian people.” And then Tingle goes on to add, “Within our tribal cultures, we need to go back to
the old people and listen to their stories as closely as possible.” Thinking back, I can see some of the supernatural aspects of Shakespeare (the veil between the living and the supernatural world), as well as Shakespearean themes, along with American Indian
folklore and history, in the telling of Issac’s story.
---
You are currently subscribed to ccbc-net as: ccbc-archive_at_post.education.wisc.edu.
To post to the list, send message to: ccbc-net_at_lists.wisc.edu
To receive messages in digest format, send a message to...
ccbc-net-request_at_lists.wisc.edu
...and include only this command in the body of the message:
set ccbc-net digest
CCBC-Net Archives
The CCBC-Net archives are available to all CCBC-Net listserv members. The archives are organized by month and year. A list of discussion topics (including month/year) is available at http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/ccbcnet/archives.asp
To access the archives, go to:
http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/ccbc-net
and enter the following:
username: ccbc-net
password: Look4Posts
Received on Mon 17 Feb 2014 10:44:46 PM CST
