Angie Powers > Recent Status Updates

"We believe the one who has the power. He's the one who gets to write the story. So when you study history, you must always ask yourself, 'Whose story am I missing? Whose voice was suppressed so that this voice could come forth?' Once you have figured that out, you must find that story too. From there, you begin to get a clearer, yet still imperfect picture."

On the very first page of the book, Bradbury's knack with words is evident when he introduces his main character, who is burning books: "his hands were the hands of some amazing conductor playing all of the symphonies of blazing and burning to bring down the tatters and charcoal ruins of history" (Bradbury 1). The comparison of destruction and art is shocking to me, even though I've read this book several times.

H's story wrecked me.

My very smart friend Jessica Skoglund got me to read this book when she described it as being about generational trauma.

And she nailed it. It's a beautifully written depiction of the human implications of slavery through hundreds of years.

The first chapter of Homegoing is about Effia Otcher. She was born in the midst of devastating fire that destroyed her family's yam crop. Her father said, "We will never speak again of what happened today" to her mother because he was so upset (Gyasi 3). The fire was so horrible that villagers even looked at Effia like she was cursed simply because she was born as the fire ravaged the area.

Quey ❤❤❤

This book is beautiful in the way that And The Mountains Echoed was beautiful.

I have never been seen like I felt Atwood saw me while writing "The Tin Woodwan Gets a Massage."

I am honestly embarrassed that I haven't read this book yet. It's the bible of organizing and now I know why. Wow. Good stuff.

When I read "Late Poems," I was intrigued by some of the details Atwood used to describe how the poems in this book are "late." Specifically, she says the poems in this book are late "like a letter sent by a sailor," but then adds that the letter "arrives after he's drowned (Atwood 1). This made me think about how poems aren't USEFUL but they are MEANINGFUL--just like a letter from a deceased loved one.

"It takes courage to interrogate yourself. It takes courage to look in the mirror and see past your reflection to who you really are when you take off the mask, when you’re not performing the same old routines and social roles. It takes courage to ask—how did I become so well adjusted to injustice? It takes courage to cut against the grain and become non-conformist. It takes courage to wake up and stay awake..."

This chapter is about facilitating learning in a way that acknowledges differing power dynamics: "Neutrality is not enough" (Landreman 61). I thought this was interesting because I always assumed that being "neutral" as a teacher was the best policy, but this chapter got me thinking about how sometimes educators can't be neutral. Sometimes, they have to speak up about what's right.

The last chapter was about being multi-racial. I appreciated the opportunity to learn about the complexities of that identity and how when they are lumped in with "people of color," that can feel uncomfortable for some.

As I read about street data, I am seeing some amazing parallels to Think Again by Adam Grant. It's all about radical listening.