Books (and Week) in Review!

Let me hear what you've been reading! I've been reading a lot, lately. In fact, this is what our coffee table looked like (no kidding) until last weekend when I cleaned it off for company. Jeff and I are opposites in that he prefers to read no-nonsense non-fiction stuff, and I am usually found with my nose in a great novel. But lately, I've been reading quite a bit of non-fiction.

The arrival of our new chicks finds me consulting a book on raising chickens.

And I'm still crawling through Steve Solomon's "Gardening when it counts..Growing Food in Hard Times". It is more than your average gardening book and is being read by many who are in the "life as we know it is about to come to an end" club. I must admit that although I am by no means a full-fledged member of that club, I do think that we have turned a corner and our lives on the planet are about to change dramatically.

I'm also reading "Writer Mama..How to Raise a Writing Career Alongside Your Kids." It is taking me forever to get through this book because I have five kids and a writing career :). If I had thought of it, I'd have written the book, myself.

And I'm reading "Messages from Spirit, the Extraordinary Power of Oracles, Omens, and Signs". Yes, it is psychic mumbo jumbo and I love it! Very uplifting read.

As for my fiction book, I have currently put down "Drowning Ruth". I just couldn't get into the characters enough to care what happens to them. Plus, I think I have figured it all out, anyway. I think Ruth's mother tried to drown her, not her aunt. Am I right? Let me hear from someone who has read it.

My other fiction book I'm reading is my second time around. Ellie started reading Haruki Murakami's "Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World." I began flipping through it and the first thing I knew, I was reading it word for word. Again. People in the U.S. either love or hate Murakami, although the average American probably thinks he is something you find on a sushi bar. He is stranger than Stephen King. He is the most popular author in Japan, but apparently things get lost in translation into English, or Americans just aren't used to such bizarre plots that are never fully explained. We like all the answers and when you get to the end of a Murakami book you're like, "Huh? What was up with that?" But the private thoughts and expressions of his characters just suck you in. You just automatically like them. His observations on human nature are priceless. Pick up a Murakami book if you've never read him. He has a book of short stories called, "The Elephant Vanishes". That would be a good place to start. Ellie, so far, is thrilled with Murakami. "He's just so weird!" she says. That is the highest compliment Ellie can bestow on a person. She is going to add him to her list of 100 favorite people along with Bob Dylan, Mother Teresa, and Barack Obama :). There are, of course, many more people on her list, I just can't happen to think of any at this hour. Those three stand out because there are pictures of them on her door.

Finally, I just finished John Gatto's, "Dumbing Us Down". I can't believe that as an unschooler, I've never read this, before. But I haven't. He paints a very bleak picture of institutionalized schooling that I relate to, but don't totally buy into. For all its faults, there are still some pretty amazing kids coming out of our schools, and lots of kids who are amazingly well-rounded and grounded. I do think that it is often in spite of what schools do, not because of them. But I think you could also say the same thing about many homeschooled kids.

As an unschooling family, we are making several adjustments in the way we do things as the kids get older. Ellie is doing a lot of "school" right now. She is preparing for college entry, and the college she wants to attend has really high standards for entrance. So she is finishing up geometry through a math program called, "Teaching Textbooks" which I LOVE. And she's reading American history, practicing writing for the essay portion of the SAT (she's taking the PSAT in the fall), and doing an honors chemistry class in co-op, as well as, Spanish. So she is practically a school kid! The neat part is that she is truly doing it on her own. I have very little to do with it. Add to that her piano practice and she has a pretty full schedule. In the fall she will take two courses through community college, US History and Freshman Composition.

Joel has tried to do some structured learning this year, but his heart hasn't been in it. He's tried a few things and quickly abandoned them. He is concerned about coming up to grade level in math - but not really putting the effort in. He also does "Teaching Textbooks" but is just about half way through the 7th grade year. But he is really maturing and growing a lot right now; taking on many new responsibilities in the household and on the farm - and actually learning a lot through the computer games he plays. And he has read more this year than anytime before, and has read some very high-quality books. He's also become interested again in his art, and he is a talented manga artist and cartoonist, although when I take the time to read the cartoons he posts on his door, I usually have to tell him to take them down due to the bathroom humor content.

Jules tried his hand at math and writing and quickly grew bored. But he gets it out now and again. Like Joel, he has read a ton this year. Overall, this has been the happiest year I can remember for him. He has just genuinely been a really happy kid, and in the past he has mostly been high-strung and somewhat difficult.

So, lots going on with the 3 big kids! The two little ones are busy doing the hard work of children; exploring their world and their relationships within it through play. Without my interference Jasper has learned to count in English and Spanish, knows his alphabet, and is starting to take an interest in writing letters.

Camille is learning to read in spite of my attempts to help her. I have quit trying to help her and she has made great strides. She writes sentences constantly, saying, "And what comes next?" as together we painfully spell out sentences letter by letter, with Camille being totally unconcerned with the length and complexity of the sentences. It is pretty mind-numbing work for me, however.

I think maybe my next post will be about the philosophy behind unschooling and how it works? Anybody want to hear about that?

Now let's get to day-to-day technicalities. I haven't posted much this week because I was trudging through another week without Jeff, and doing it while working on three writing assignments for the advertising firm. I actually had to get dressed up and go into the city for meetings. The kids were like, "You're going to WORK?" Oh man, but I couldn't do it everyday.

Today I got the three big kids off to a small weekend spiritual retreat. It is very unstructured and in a lovely setting. I do have some concerns, though. For one thing, the children were told to bring a song, poem, or quote to share. Joel and Jules chose two songs they know. Jules will proudly perform, "Stick a Banana in Your Ear". Joel has chosen "The Fish Stick Song." I must admit that these two pieces probably do a pretty accurate job of representing where the boys are in their spiritual journeys. Joel, who has yet to memorize multiplication facts, had no trouble memorizing something like 23 rap stanzas to the Fish Stick Song. He came out earlier today to seek my opinion on a certain passage in the song.

"Mom. I think there might be something inappropriate in the Fish Stick Song."

"Sing it for me, " I said.

Joel sings, "Girls with big boobs, come sit on my lap." Then he looks earnestly at me, awaiting my opinion on the matter. After picking myself up off of the floor, I expressed to him that a good many campers and all of the adults at the retreat would consider it both inappropriate and offensive.

"Hmmm," he said. "I'll have to switch some words around."

At this point Ellie looked at me and informed me that Joel will probably now sing, "Girls with big laps come sit on my boobs." Unfortunately, she might be right. This could very well be the first and last time the boys are invited to attend the Celebration Circle Children's Retreat. We have never been evicted from a retreat, before. Other events, sure. But a retreat would be a first.

Ellie is prepared to quote Thoreau, of course. She said she plans to spend her time sketching, hiking, reading, working on the Darfur project, and enthusiastically refusing to participate in group activities. That's my girl. She turns 16 in just a few days. I CANNOT BELIEVE IT.

Tomorrow I will post pics of the chicks. They are looking more and more like chickens every day!

I want to see a ton of comments about what you've all be reading and what you think about it. I don't care who you are or what you consider a good read. If you're reading cereal boxes, which ones? Can I get at least 10 or 15 of you to respond? What's on your nightstands and coffee tables?