Review 8

[Michaela]

For my historical fiction choice I chose to read the book Purple Daze, by Sherry Shahan. I really enjoyed that this book was not directly told from the point of view of just one person, but six teens experiencing similar yet different things in their lives. This book takes the reader all the way back to 1965, which I am not entirely familiar with so it was really interesting for me to see the culture and differences from that time period versus others that I am familiar with. The book with the help of a narrator and written in the form of verse mainly through poems, diaries, thoughts, dialogue and so much more from six different young adults named Ziggy, Cheryl, Nancy, Don, Mickey, and Phil. The story takes place in a neighborhood in LA, where each of the characters live. The story beautifully outlines the lives, and connections between each of these friends. We are made privy to important issues such as civil rights activism, the drafting of young men into the vietnam war, discrimination, teen drama and so much more. I have honestly never read anything like this novel, it truly opened up my eyes to a new form of literature that I had never thought I would be interested in. I learned a lot more reading this novel than I probably did learning in high school history, as it gave a more raw perspective than any text book I have ever come into contact with. I think it is truly important for me as a future teacher to seek these outside resources when teaching a concept, in order to provide a more full understanding and experience for the students in my classroom.