Mind's Eye
Written by: Paul Fleischman
Cover illustrations by: Ericka O'Rourke
Published by: Henry Holt and Company, LLC in NY in 1999
Genre: Realistic and Historical Fiction
Age: Grades 5-8
Summary: This novel is written in the form of a play. It features a popular, normal sixteen year old girl who has to adapt to her rapidly changing life after becoming paralyzed in an accident. Courtney is placed in a nursing home and dreads the rest of her life with her new condition until an elderly blind woman takes her on an imaginary journey to Italy in 1910 and teaches her the power of the mind. On this trip Courtney discovers the love she has never known and is able to fight through her struggles with her situation. Much historical data of Italy is intertwined with this remarkable coming of age survival tale.
Response: I was very intrigued by this book at first simply because of its cover art. One sees a young girl and an elderly lady both lying in hospital beds on the two covers of the work. These black and white photographs are set on top of a colorful scene of rooftops in Italy. The contrast of these two photographic images is very stark and makes the book seem somewhat eerie, but nonetheless extremely intriguing.
An aspect of this work that I enjoyed was the ability to read a fictional tale and yet, learn so much about Italy in the early twentieth century. Because this author has such a love for history, he places much of his knowledge into his books. The descriptions in this work create truly amazing vivid images that make one feel as those he or she is actually vacationing in Italy during this time. Elva, a friendly elderly woman, has Courtney use the Baedeker's Guide to Italy, published in 1910 and famous throughout the world for its vivid descriptions of every aspect a traveler would care to know, that she bought to explain with great detail every museum, hotel they visited as well as describe each statue and figure they passed on their walks through the city.
I really love this line in Mind's Eye: "Isn't that the essence of literature? Of all the arts, really. Our ability to identify with characters, no matter that they're separated from us by thousands of miles and hundreds of lifetimes. We may have no Mount Vesuvius looming over us. It may not be lava and ashes we fear. But we look at these forms, and we know what they felt" (58). It just seems as though Fleischman truly captures the essence of literature with this statement. Those of us who feel that we can truly connect with the characters in our books have a wonderful gift. We are able to see past some of the differences from us they may posses and really get to know them as if they were real people. Being able to see past those differences is key to a successful life outside literature, so the connection of those two is remarkable. I am always amazed by the connections Fleischman is able to make between his works and real life situations.
Another quote I love from this book is: "A good, loving childhood fills you up like a good breakfast. It gives you strength and sustenance for the adult years ahead. And a good marriage does the same, for the years of living alone that come after. I go back to those years everyday. Like a child passing through the kitchen for a snack. Something sweet and savory" (63). This metaphor, spoken by Elva, the elderly woman in the book, captures impeccably two diverse aspects of one's life. It makes connections that are so true that it leaves you at a loss for words. There need be no further description of this passage than simply the passage itself, and that speaks very highly of Paul Fleischman's writing.
Teaching Connections: Have students choose and ancient city like Rome, Paris, London, Venice, Bologna, Moscow, Berlin, Prague, Geneva, etc. and research its landscape, inhabitants, and history in a time period of their choice. Then have them draw a map of that city including all historical sites of the time. To continue with this activity, teachers could ask their students to write a story about traveling through this city. Encourage them to not only use their research as a guide, but to also use great detail and a little of their imaginations to make the story interesting to its reader.
Websites that might be of assistance:
http://www.world66.com/destinations
Venice, Italy
Bologna, Italy
Use this encyclopedia to search for cities
Written by: Paul Fleischman
Cover illustrations by: Ericka O'Rourke
Published by: Henry Holt and Company, LLC in NY in 1999
Genre: Realistic and Historical Fiction
Age: Grades 5-8
Summary: This novel is written in the form of a play. It features a popular, normal sixteen year old girl who has to adapt to her rapidly changing life after becoming paralyzed in an accident. Courtney is placed in a nursing home and dreads the rest of her life with her new condition until an elderly blind woman takes her on an imaginary journey to Italy in 1910 and teaches her the power of the mind. On this trip Courtney discovers the love she has never known and is able to fight through her struggles with her situation. Much historical data of Italy is intertwined with this remarkable coming of age survival tale.
Response: I was very intrigued by this book at first simply because of its cover art. One sees a young girl and an elderly lady both lying in hospital beds on the two covers of the work. These black and white photographs are set on top of a colorful scene of rooftops in Italy. The contrast of these two photographic images is very stark and makes the book seem somewhat eerie, but nonetheless extremely intriguing.
An aspect of this work that I enjoyed was the ability to read a fictional tale and yet, learn so much about Italy in the early twentieth century. Because this author has such a love for history, he places much of his knowledge into his books. The descriptions in this work create truly amazing vivid images that make one feel as those he or she is actually vacationing in Italy during this time. Elva, a friendly elderly woman, has Courtney use the Baedeker's Guide to Italy, published in 1910 and famous throughout the world for its vivid descriptions of every aspect a traveler would care to know, that she bought to explain with great detail every museum, hotel they visited as well as describe each statue and figure they passed on their walks through the city.
I really love this line in Mind's Eye: "Isn't that the essence of literature? Of all the arts, really. Our ability to identify with characters, no matter that they're separated from us by thousands of miles and hundreds of lifetimes. We may have no Mount Vesuvius looming over us. It may not be lava and ashes we fear. But we look at these forms, and we know what they felt" (58). It just seems as though Fleischman truly captures the essence of literature with this statement. Those of us who feel that we can truly connect with the characters in our books have a wonderful gift. We are able to see past some of the differences from us they may posses and really get to know them as if they were real people. Being able to see past those differences is key to a successful life outside literature, so the connection of those two is remarkable. I am always amazed by the connections Fleischman is able to make between his works and real life situations.
Another quote I love from this book is: "A good, loving childhood fills you up like a good breakfast. It gives you strength and sustenance for the adult years ahead. And a good marriage does the same, for the years of living alone that come after. I go back to those years everyday. Like a child passing through the kitchen for a snack. Something sweet and savory" (63). This metaphor, spoken by Elva, the elderly woman in the book, captures impeccably two diverse aspects of one's life. It makes connections that are so true that it leaves you at a loss for words. There need be no further description of this passage than simply the passage itself, and that speaks very highly of Paul Fleischman's writing.
Teaching Connections: Have students choose and ancient city like Rome, Paris, London, Venice, Bologna, Moscow, Berlin, Prague, Geneva, etc. and research its landscape, inhabitants, and history in a time period of their choice. Then have them draw a map of that city including all historical sites of the time. To continue with this activity, teachers could ask their students to write a story about traveling through this city. Encourage them to not only use their research as a guide, but to also use great detail and a little of their imaginations to make the story interesting to its reader.
Websites that might be of assistance:
http://www.world66.com/destinations
Venice, Italy
Bologna, Italy
Use this encyclopedia to search for cities
(Image retrieved from http://www.hcboe.net/School/MHHSE/mindseye.jpg on 19 April 2008)
No comments:
Post a Comment