ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, August 25, 1996 TAG: 9608270048
SECTION: BOOKS PAGE: 4 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: BOOK REVIEW
`Amazing Grace' explores lives of kids in South Bronx
Reviewed by NELSON HARRIS
AMAZING GRACE: The Lives of Children and the Conscience of a Nation. By Jonathan Kozol. Crown Publishers. $23.
Best-selling author and child advocate Jonathan Kozol has done it again with "Amazing Grace," in which he brings attention to the plight of children in the South Bronx.
At a time when kids are re-emerging as a political and social focus, Kozol's insightful book is a welcome addition to the discussion of children's issues.
"Amazing Grace" is an account of Kozol's relationships with South Bronx children and their families and the poverty and isolation that each experiences.
Amid gang violence, disease, neglect, drugs and substandard public schools, the author displays the lives, thoughts and experiences of children who must survive and the teachers, ministers, parents and siblings who help them. Kozol also recounts the stories of children who did not survive.
Kozol provides no introduction or conclusion to his book. There is no gentle entry into South Bronx life nor is there a warm, tidy conclusion that might easily leave the reader thinking all is getting better.
Instead, the reader immediately embarks on a short trip on New York's Number 6 train: "The Number 6 train from Manhattan to the South Bronx makes nine stops in the 18-minute ride between East 59th Street and Brook Avenue. When you enter the train, you are in the seventh richest congressional district in the nation. When you leave, you are in the poorest." It is here that the reader spends the next 256 pages.
Kozol offers no pious solutions to the core problems of poverty, racism and violence. Instead, he does what he does best in pricking the conscience.
Kozol asks, "What is it like for children to grow up here? What do they think the world has done to them? Do they believe they are being shunned or hidden by society? If so, do they think they deserve this? What is it that enables some of them to pray? When they pray, what do they say to God?"
Prepare to be disturbed.
Nelson Harris is minister of Ridgewood Baptist Church.
`Generation' tells how to save higher education
Reviewed by MARK ROWH
THE ABANDONED GENERATION. By William Willimon and Thomas Naylor. Eerdmans Publishing. $11.
"The Abandoned Generation" is another in the growing subgenre of books criticizing American higher education.
It differs from many (such as those in the vein of Charles Sykes' "Profscam"), in that it doesn't vilify the higher education community, although it is quite critical of some trends.
The authors, both of whom are college professors, contend that a sense of meaninglessness has become pervasive on college campuses. Students drink too much. Faculty focus too much on research and their own advancement. Colleges pursue careerism to the exclusion of liberal learning. Institutions, especially larger schools, take on too much while trying to be all things to all people. Faculty and administrators become increasingly disengaged from their students' lives.
The strength of this book is that Willimon and Naylor seem still to love higher education despite its problems. They offer a wealth of anecdotes and statistics, which not only back up many of their assertions, but also make the book more readable.
They propose several steps for improvement: re-emphasizing teaching rather than research, strengthening curriculum to include more liberal arts courses, downsizing large schools, and creating "learning communities" where faculty and student spend more time together.
While their suggestions are not new, they are well argued, making "The Abandoned Generation" worthwhile reading for anyone concerned about the future direction of America's colleges and universities.
Mark Rowh is an educator and administrator at New River Community College.
A book to inspire `heroes' of all kinds
Reviewed by BARBARA DICKINSON
A HERO IN EVERY HEART. By H. Jackson Brown, Jr. and Robyn Spizman. Thomas Nelson Publishers. $7.99.
"A Hero in Every Heart" is appropriate for the winners and losers in all situations.
H. Jackson Brown Jr., author of "Life's Little Instruction Book" and myriad other 4-by-6-inch philosophical treatises, has teamed with Robyn Spizman.
Brown and Spizman have crammed pithy quotes from heroes in all walks of life into the 149 pages.
One-liners from George Schultz, Joe Namath, Henry Ward Beecher (as well as daughter Harriet) sparkle, as do the words of wisdom from former Olympians Bonnie Blair, Mary Lou Retton, Peter Vidmar.
"Hero" does not carry a guarantee to turn out a champion but it does come with a built-in promise to inspire and to motivate.
H. Jackson Brown quotes H. Jackson Brown more than a few times. This is my personal favorite: "You can't stuff a great life into a small dream."
Perhaps not, but he did stuff some great lines into a small book.
Barbara Dickinson is now devoting more time toward her own literary effort.
Librarians pick best books in last 100 years
Reviewed by BOB FISHBURN
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY'S BOOKS OF THE CENTURY. Edited by Elizabeth Diefendorf. Oxford University Press. $14.95.
This book version of the 1995 exhibition at the New York Public Library's centennial celebration is a bit like one of those ubiquitous lists of what's "in" and "out": The list of 100 books is momentarily intriguing, mildly controversial and ultimately unsatisfying.
There's nothing wrong with picking 100, 50 or 10 books, provided the methodology makes some sense. In this case, the wording of the selection process spells trouble: Branch librarians throughout the city were asked to choose 100 books published between 1895 and 1995 that have had "significant influence, consequence or resonance." Resonance!
Now there's something to sharpen one's critical faculties on. "Not only is this book a good read, it also positively resonates."
The ineffable ability to resonate accounts perhaps for the inclusion of such vibrating books as Gertrude Stein's "Tender Buttons," "The Joy of Cooking," "Quotations from Chairman Mao," "Peyton Place," and "A Field Guide to the Birds."
Quibble, quibble. Such grumbling, no doubt, is part of what the librarians hoped would result from such a book: It sets readers off on the frustrating task of compiling their own lists. But such work is tedious, like making a model of the Empire State Building with toothpicks. And, as is the case with such a model, the compiler has to wait many years to see if it holds up.
Bob Fishburn is former editor of this newspaper's commentary page.
BOOKMARKS
Educational activities for middle school students
Ideas for teaching middle school students
By MARY ANN JOHNSON BOOK PAGE EDITOR EASY IDEAS FOR BUSY TEACHERS: A Cross-Curriculum Resource. By Judy Light Ayyildiz and Rebekah Woodie. Frank Schaffer Publications. $10.95.
Constructive ideas for teaching middle school students are greatly welcomed by teachers and home schoolers alike, and this workbook by Roanoke teachers Judy Ayyildiz and Rebekah Woodie should be warmly received.
It is their third such book, and their combined 35 years of teaching, gives them the background to accomplish their goal which is "to help teachers, substitute teachers, parents and anyone else who wants a fun and simple way to challenge students and to strengthen students' critical thinking skills."
The teacher's notes for each lesson contain a statement of purpose, explanation of focus, suggestions and extensions (plans for additional similar activities). Facts and examples help both teacher and student.
These are activities that incorporate creativity as well as thinking and reasoning. They are participatory and explained in upbeat language. And, perhaps most important, they reflect a sensitivity toward the difficulties that face students of this age and an awareness of their interests.
The exercises do not need to be done sequentially. Although some are connected, each one is complete by itself. The pages are perforated which makes removal from the book simple and tidy and facilitates copying for classroom use.
This is a resource that will be handy on those days of substituting when lesson plans are completed in 15 minutes and ahead looms the question of how to occupy 18 sixth-graders for another 45 minutes in an educational activity that is both positive and entertaining. It may be ordered directly from the publisher by calling (800) 421-5565.
Child-care committee takes over where Dr. Spock left off
Reviewed by SIDNEY BARRITT
CARING FOR YOUR SCHOOL-AGE CHILD: AGES 5-12. By The American Academy of Pediatrics. Bantam. $29.95.
Perhaps times past were simpler and a single pediatrician could distill his knowledge into a book on child care that was a bible for a generation of parents.
Now, the only Spock that people recognize is the one with the funny ears on Star Trek. So be it.
The torch that the original Dr. Spock carried has passed not to a successor but to a committee - and that committee in these more complicated times has seen the need for three volumes rather than one to help parents shepherd their young from birth to the age of majority.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has done a thorough job on the many topics and so there are the traditional chapters on common illness and true emergencies but also contemporary treatments of divorce, separation, stepfamilies, AIDS, hyperactivity/attention deficit disorder, child abuse, and even one's own development as a parent.
The language is plain and simple so the text is accessible to any parent with a high school education. The index is thorough. The range of topics is nearly encyclopedic. Recommended!
Sidney Barritt is a Roanoke physician.
LENGTH: Long : 185 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: Ayyildiz (left) and Woodie.by CNB