(have Indian music playing in the background during booktalk) Haveli Suzanne Fisher Staples 1993
"Have you ever felt like you were being pulled between two different lives? The first was expected for you to follow by all of society and the other would mean taking a huge risk to be the person that you are truly meant to be. Shabanu struggles to the lead the life expected of her by her family and everyone around her. Shabanu’s journey takes place along outskirts of the Cholistan desert in the country of Pakistan. She is the youngest of her husband’s four wives and she finds herself longing for a life ruled by different traditions and rules.
Her life has been decided for her, but she still is left with one choice of her own. Does she want to risk everything; her safety, the life of her daughter, and her family, all for the chance of finding what her heart has been searching for all of her life? Shabanu must face the obstacles of being married to a man that she does not love, living with women who despise her, and keeping her daughter out of harms way. She must fight the battle between conflicting loyalties-to her husband, her family, and her own passion-to choose a new path for herself and her daughter."
While giving this booktalk, I would have traditional Indie music playing softly in the background. I also thought about serving small cups of tea to all of my students because serving tea to guests is a tradition in the Middle East, and it is seen throughout the book. The idea of serving tea may not be ask practical because of the number of students and finding a means to keep the water hot. I also thought about bringing in some of my clothes that I brought back from India so that students would have a tangible object to connect to the book. But those are just my ideas. I really enjoyed reading this book. I would encourage my students to read this book not only because of the captivating plot, but because it introduces young readers into a world that looks very different from their own. In Haveli, other culture's traditions are explored and it leaves room for students to explore issues such as Hinduism, arranged marriages, the unequal status and treatment of women, along with many others. This book not only engages it's reader, but it also invites them to enter a different world full of experiences that they have not been exposed to. I also like that this book is apart of a trilogy. This means that students will get hooked and want to keep reading. This is a great way for students to fall in love with reading!!!!
I also loved every piece of the vibrant imagery of the Middle East in this book. It could also be used as an opportunity to view touchy subjects such as feminism and arranged marriage from another cultural point of view. For example, I'm sure many students would instantly be horrified by the idea of arranged marriage. It is important to show them that if they had grown up in another culture, surrounded by different beliefs and morals, they may not feel the same way. It does not make other cultures wrong or ignorant, simply different. On another note, how did you feel about the book overall? Specifically the male characters. I have had quite a few rousing debates about whether or not Rahim is a 'good,' moral character. I think that he is. Of course, he did marry a girl who was barely out of puberty but in his culture, this is not vulgar or evil. It is commonplace. From a non-Western perspective, I do see him as a good man. Thoughts?
I also did not like Rahim. I think I did not like him because of what he stood for in the book. He has complete control over his wives and this goes against what I feel creates a good marriage/relationship. It is hard to relate to the characters in this novel because their society's norms are so unlike our own. I think this is what makes it so interesting though.
ReplyDelete(have Indian music playing in the background during booktalk)
Haveli
Suzanne Fisher Staples
1993
"Have you ever felt like you were being pulled between two different lives? The first was expected for you to follow by all of society and the other would mean taking a huge risk to be the person that you are truly meant to be. Shabanu struggles to the lead the life expected of her by her family and everyone around her. Shabanu’s journey takes place along outskirts of the Cholistan desert in the country of Pakistan. She is the youngest of her husband’s four wives and she finds herself longing for a life ruled by different traditions and rules.
Her life has been decided for her, but she still is left with one choice of her own. Does she want to risk everything; her safety, the life of her daughter, and her family, all for the chance of finding what her heart has been searching for all of her life? Shabanu must face the obstacles of being married to a man that she does not love, living with women who despise her, and keeping her daughter out of harms way. She must fight the battle between conflicting loyalties-to her husband, her family, and her own passion-to choose a new path for herself and her daughter."
While giving this booktalk, I would have traditional Indie music playing softly in the background. I also thought about serving small cups of tea to all of my students because serving tea to guests is a tradition in the Middle East, and it is seen throughout the book. The idea of serving tea may not be ask practical because of the number of students and finding a means to keep the water hot. I also thought about bringing in some of my clothes that I brought back from India so that students would have a tangible object to connect to the book. But those are just my ideas.
DeleteI really enjoyed reading this book. I would encourage my students to read this book not only because of the captivating plot, but because it introduces young readers into a world that looks very different from their own. In Haveli, other culture's traditions are explored and it leaves room for students to explore issues such as Hinduism, arranged marriages, the unequal status and treatment of women, along with many others. This book not only engages it's reader, but it also invites them to enter a different world full of experiences that they have not been exposed to. I also like that this book is apart of a trilogy. This means that students will get hooked and want to keep reading. This is a great way for students to fall in love with reading!!!!
I also loved every piece of the vibrant imagery of the Middle East in this book. It could also be used as an opportunity to view touchy subjects such as feminism and arranged marriage from another cultural point of view. For example, I'm sure many students would instantly be horrified by the idea of arranged marriage. It is important to show them that if they had grown up in another culture, surrounded by different beliefs and morals, they may not feel the same way. It does not make other cultures wrong or ignorant, simply different.
DeleteOn another note, how did you feel about the book overall? Specifically the male characters. I have had quite a few rousing debates about whether or not Rahim is a 'good,' moral character. I think that he is. Of course, he did marry a girl who was barely out of puberty but in his culture, this is not vulgar or evil. It is commonplace. From a non-Western perspective, I do see him as a good man. Thoughts?
I also did not like Rahim. I think I did not like him because of what he stood for in the book. He has complete control over his wives and this goes against what I feel creates a good marriage/relationship. It is hard to relate to the characters in this novel because their society's norms are so unlike our own. I think this is what makes it so interesting though.
Delete