Book Chat Fun - The Perks of Being a Wallflower

NOTE: I am going through something right now, so I won’t be replying to comments or returning visits so quickly. Thanks for your understanding!

THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER

BLURB & BUY @BOOKSHOP

“We accept the love we think we deserve.”

― Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower

I first read The Perks of Being a Wallflower in 2013 after the film adaption came out (September 2012).

The Perks is a great example of voice. While reading, Charlie's voice (which is the alias of the narrator in the novel who gives all the other characters aliases, too) comes across as young, innocent, and quite naive. He doesn't understand a lot, but he understands certain things in his own way. The voice is written simply, which is perfect for his character and his age (he's a freshman in high school). He's a character who is deeply shy and full of guilt and suffers from depression and PTSD. He's also very caring and thoughtful, which leads him to do things to make others happy even if it's reckless for himself. You get all of this while reading.

The book is composed as letters to an anonymous person he only refers to as "Dear Friend," so it also is a great example of structure.

I loved all the books and songs that were mentioned throughout the story.

One Woman’s Road to Independence / Guest Post by C. Lee McKenzie / SHATTERED Release

C. Lee McKenzie has a new release out called SHATTERED, and she's sharing an inspiring story with us.

Welcome, C. Lee!

One Woman’s Road to Independence:

A Brief Account of a Paraplegic who Returned to an Active Life in Sports

by C. Lee McKenzie

In her daily exercise program, she included pull-ups, push-ups, catching and throwing a ball, bicep curls, extended arm raises with weights, shoulder shrugging. All of these contributed to keeping her body healthy and in shape, but her legs still couldn't bear her weight, even if she used a standing frame. However, standing on her feet was one of her goals, and she never lost sight of it.

She learned to crawl face-first into her chair, and to recover if she slipped and fell. In her biography, she expressed gratitude for all those upper arm exercises that gave her the quadricep strength she needed.

How to Respect and Support Indigenous Peoples / National Native American Heritage Month

For a good half of this year I committed myself to learning about the history of Indigenous peoples native to North America (like the Seminole nation that is native to the Floridian land where I now live), as well as Native American wisdom and their way of life. They were here before us and have learned (through force) European ways, but settlers then and Americans now know little about them and their ways. It’s time that changed.

In this post I am sharing resources I've found that can help you begin your journey of honoring and respecting Indigenous peoples.

First, it has to be said...

EDUCATE YOURSELF:

Nowadays, in the Age of Information, there's really no excuse for ignorance when there's so many resources out there and with how Google is accessible through the help of libraries and schools and Wi-Fi hotspots. Not to mention that libraries are there for this exact purpose. Only through educating ourselves will we ever be able to grow. Only through educating the next generation will anything change for the better. This doesn't just go for teachers, who should be allowed to teach our children about the true, full history of America (the things that have been erased or covered up or ignored), but this also applies to parents, guardians, and grandparents, even aunts and uncles. In other words, everyone.

Resources:

- Indigenous Resistance Homework - This is a PDF with questions that can help you to begin your Indigenous education journey.

- How to Talk About Native Nations: A Guide from Native Governance Center

- A Self-Assessment from Native Governance Center

READ:

You can participate in the #NativeLiteratureChallenge2021 hosted by @NativeGirlsReading on Instagram. It may be November, but you still have time to read a book or two. With this challenge, you don't have to complete every prompt. You can check out suggest for each theme on The StoryGraph here.

Also check out these book recommendations:

 40 Best Native American Authors to Read in 2021 (article)

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants

Why Indigenous Literatures Matter

Bad Indians: A Tribal Memoir

The Sacred Hoop: Recovering the Feminine in American Indian Traditions

Sister Nations: Native American Women Writers on Community 

Firekeeper’s Daughter (fiction)

FOR TWILIGHT FANS:

Are you a Twilight fan (or do you detest Twilight)? Donate to the Quileute Nation, either way. Why? Stephenie Meyer appropriated from the Quileute Nation who live in Forks (the setting of Twilight) in her series, and she never gave them any compensation for it. 

Move to Higher Ground is a project to help the Quileute Nation relocate their tribal school out of “a tsunami zone at the edge of the Pacific Ocean.”

Read about the cultural appropriation in Twilight: https://filmdaze.net/twilight-sagas-issue-with-indigenous-culture/ 

Learn more about the Quileute Nation: https://quileutenation.org/

Donate To:

Move to Higher Ground: https://mthg.org/

FOR TEACHERS:

Check out these articles:

10 Tips to Decolonize Your Classroom

Lessons Learned in Teaching Native American History

"In many schools, students are learning that Native American tribes no longer exist, or they gain the impression that Native Americans continue to live in teepees—misconceptions and biases that are damaging to modern Native communities." [1]