Noticing Sentences

Lincoln Award Book, 2021 Way too relatable for my students ... I try not to stare at the scarf wound around her head. It's not that I've never seen this before. I've just never seen it live, in person. Especially here in Brookdale, the place crowned three years ago as the "Whitest Town in Maryland." p32 Privilege A human being would apologize. Would at least put the rifle away. but Mr. Danforth lacks the basic human firmware required for apologies. He rooted out those files and deleted them years ago. Being rich means never having to say you're sorry. p68-69 Emphasis mine. Discussion "Well, here's what I've noticed over the years: People-- men, especially-- are quiet for one of four reasons." She hands me the newly full glass and proceeds to tick them on her fingers: "They're hiding something. They're afraid of something. They have nothing to say. They have too much to say. Which is it for you?" p97 "Suck ...

Lincoln 2021 Books U.S. versus other countries South Korea- p65 It's awkwardly formal compared to back home, where we usually all eat at different times, typically while in front of the TV or a book or our phones. Loneliness and noise. The American way. p92 Marcos is widely regarded by the world as a brutal dictator, continuing to stay in power after the end of his presidential term by declaring martial law. p147 It strikes me that I cannot claim this country's serene coves and sun-soaked beaches without also claiming its poverty, its problems, its history. To say that any aspect of it is part of me is to say that all of it is part of me. p227 Discussion I met one old woman who had been doing this every week for the last forty-eight years. even if God does not exist, this woman has been doing good in His name so maybe it does not really matter. p88 She hesitates, then adds, "Maybe you haven't developed a passion yet because you've spent your entire ...

Lincoln 2021 Book Gender I thought women were gorgeous no matter what they wore, and I didn't think they owed ayone an explanation for their sartorial choice. p49 gender and religion-- p49 Description There was something in Jacobi's eyes that was sympathetic in a way I'd never experienced before. It wasn't pity . It was recognition. He actually seemed to acknowledge me, my pain, and my anger, in a way no one else ever had. p108 Love it "Just try to be happy," Jacobi finally said to me. "Your happiness is the one thing these assholes can't stand." p108 "I don't want space," he said. "I've never wanted less space." p191 _______________________ "Aren't they your friends?" I said. If they were my friends," he said, "they'd be happy for me." p236 _______________________ The more I get to know people, the more I realized we were all just a bunch of frightened idiots wal...

Lincoln Award 2021 Book Description My body may have returned home, but my brain is still wired for war. p6-7 "You're a real military man now." p17 Discussion "You're a real military man now." p17 -- What does this mean? How does his grandpa mean it? Who does this exclude? How does it make Jake feel? We're not making a stand for democracy or freedom. We're just a bunch of scared nineteen- and twenty-ear-olds doing whatever we can to stay alive. p29 People who have good intentions, but can't comprehend that in so many cases "service" means that it you're not dead, you're physically and psychologically crippled for life. It means you will never, ever be the same. p41 all of the Brandi chapter starting on p 82-- the purpose of JROTC/ recruiting practices and targets war memorials discussion-- p124 drugs from the military- - p126 diversity/ inclusion in the military- 135 America has managed to be involved in ...

A Lincoln 2018 Finalist There are curse words in some of these quotes. They are left in for accuracy, but know they are there-- don't just cut and paste onto your Smartboard. :) I don't know... I'm not sure what to label these, but they needed to be saved. My dad got blown up in Afghanistan, and Ma and everybody we knew and plenty of people we didn't know but knew his name, all reminded me-- he sacrificed for all of us. He sacrificed for the good of the country. He died in the name of freedom. He died to prove to the wackos of the world who didn't believe in democracy, liberal economy, civil rights, and all that shit, that we were right and they were wrong. But for me, my dad was dead, so the frigging wackos won. And, seriously, who are the frigging wackos, anyway? I sure as hell didn't feel sane all the time. p31 All-American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely Custody . A police officer-- not the one who did this to me, but a different one, the ...

Another Lincoln Award finalist for 2019. Just a beautiful description I guess when you spend a life riding waves-- knowing that the ocean is heartless and millions of times stronger than you are, but still trusting that you're skilled enough or brave enough or charmed enough to survive it--you become indebted to the people who don't make it. p30 We Are Okay by Nina LaCour I have only just learned how to be here. Life is paper-thin and fragile. Any sudden change could rip it wide-open. p93 We Are Okay by Nina LaCour I was given cakes and cookies and rides to school. I was given songs and dinners at a table with brass candlesticks. I was given a man with a sensitive heart and a devious sense of humor and enough skill at cards to win me a year of private college-- tuition and room and board-- and I took all of those good things and told myself they made us special. Told myself we were a family the way Mabel and Ana and Javier were, told myself that we weren't missi...

I read this book because it was a Lincoln Award finalist for 2018. It's not in my usual wheelhouse, I tend to shy away from books that are modern realistic fiction romance. But I ended up loving this book because I loved Vivi and her personality. Let me take a moment to plug YA book awards. Being on the selection committee of the Lincoln Award is one of the most exciting and rewarding things I do all year. If your state has a similar program, I cannot more highly recommend applying to participate. And in my state (Illinois), teens participate as well, so encourage your students to apply! Revealing Character I think Betty keeps words like sugar, darlin', and honey etched on a pair of dice in her mind. With each customer interaction, she shakes one or both dice to land on a single word or a combo: honey pie, sugar darlin', doll baby . I like to hear who I am each day. The term of endearment is like a fortune cookie at my favorite Chinese restaurant; it's not why I...