Nervous Condition Thoughts

         I think the upcoming ninth graders should read Nervous Conditions. It will enrich their minds on a totally different community than we live in now. They may become more grateful on the things they have, and they may realize that life is rough for a lot of people in this world. Also, it is one of the books where after you finish reading it, you know exactly what to put for the essential question that is asked for from each book we read, "How do community and culture shape who we are?"
          As I see it, the book was pretty good. I couldn't really relate to most of the things they were talking about, but I was able to comprehend what they were going through in my head. The struggles of this and that, and why they did that and this. The discussions raised in class were helpful to the thought process of the book so I was rarely confused of which direction Tambu was going in while telling the story.
          Readers will also gain a large amount of knowledge about Zimbabwe(Rhodesia) in the 1960's and will learn a lot about the culture. Varying from language, patriarchal society, food, social class systems,etc., it definitely wouldn't hurt to learn about those different aspects. Furthermore, thinking about how class systems and patriarchal societies are still occurring in a watered-down state in Zimbabwe now will also help distinguish the growth of their community and culture.
          As these 9th graders ponder for more questions about this book, Dr. deGravelles will be giving more answers which will help them succeed for the final exam. Not only will it help them think beyond the essential question for the books, but also they will think beyond the question and take it into consideration for their own lives.

Reading Times: 3/17- 3 hours for interview and film study paper
3/17- 2 hours of reading Fallout by Ellen Hopkins