Welcome to the cKotch.Com blog. I’m Christopher Kotcher, and this is the class that expanded my bookshelf.
One Late Reader
I was a writer before I became a reader. My first project written for myself was written in grade school. My first book read for myself, not for school or parental bribes, was read in my senior year of high school.
My first book read for myself was not even anything expected for a teen either. It was the Italian poet Dante’s classic epic poem The Divine Comedy. That epic got me hooked on books.
By my first day of college, I had read not only Greek poet Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, but also complete collections of Sherlock Holmes, Edgar Allan Poe, and William Shakespeare. None of it for school. All of it for my interest and enjoyment.
A classic had finally gotten me into reading. So, classics seemed the most natural choice for my reading list.
I allowed almost no room for “modern masterpieces” or “instant classics.” No, my key measurement was the test of time.
Only real exception would be a few new Star Wars books read in anticipation for The Force Awakens. Though even then I started with Ian Doescher’s Shakespeare’s Star Wars.
Of course, this old attitude does not reflect much of my modern bookshelf.
Now one may find things ranging from The House with a Clock in its Walls to the Will Wilder series to Star Wars: Lost Stars. All fine books. All considered young adult literature. None even as old as Poe.
So, what happened?
One Different Class
Literature for Young People happened.
This was one of my required teaching courses at University of Michigan-Dearborn. The class’s main goal was to show benefits of involving popular books for kids and teens in the classroom.
It was all about meeting young readers and potential young readers where they are with stories they love. These included not only dystopian romances and supernatural love affairs, but also graphic novels, realistic fiction, and magazines.
My section for the course only had about ten other people. Like many later college courses, I basically ran the classroom discussion. Often tried to let other people take over. But they were always too interested in my thoughts or too tired to share their own. I even managed to make my professor take notes a few times. Even with me being Mr. Classics, she always enjoyed my input.
Now, while I did approach Literature for Young People with an open mind, I still did not expect much from it.
This was just another box to check off my undergraduate worksheets. Something to give me maybe two or three good tips on how to be a teacher.
In reality, I would wind up expanding my horizons like never expected.
This growth stemmed from the course’s structure. You see, rather than read a handful of selected books, we chose our own books to read.
Each week focused on a different genre or condition. We would discuss our selected books in class and complete a few reading logs and book reports. It was actually a great strategy to cover multiple works within various genres and see how each one pushed the limits of said genre.
Honestly, if my selected books did not tend to be short (a very conscious decision), that class probably would have featured one of my heaviest college reading loads.
Two Real Standouts
I pulled many books from the library shelves for Literature for Young People. Many books that gradually widened my literary tastes.
Some books came from my professor’s recommended reading lists. Other books came from deep searches through library catalogs.
For now, I would like to briefly discuss two standout examples from my reading list for Literature for Young People.
These books both belong to the genre of contemporary realistic fiction. They tell fictional stories which could happen in our real world during our present day.
Young Adult Literature actually covered this genre across two weeks. The first week required a book comparable to you own life. The second week required a book distinct from your life. One book to reflect on your own experiences. One book to glimpse at someone else’s experiences.
The Book Like Me
For the first book, I chose Phyllis Reynolds Naylor’s classic dog story, Shiloh.
This was a book from my childhood. It was one of the first novels I read for school. The writing is simple and short. The plot related to my life as a dog lover.
Ultimately, the story is based on one simple question. What should you do to protect a dog you love?
Main character Marty Preston had a hard time answering that question when he met a young beagle he named Shiloh. You see, Shiloh was a hunting dog owned by a cruel neighbor named Judd Travers.
Throughout the book, Marty and his parents struggle to find the right path in a complex situation. Judd rightfully owns Shiloh, but Judd also abuses Shiloh for not being a perfect hunting dog.
Marty could see the signs of abuse right away. He noticed Shiloh always walked around with his tail between his legs, “scared to breathe.”
Thankfully, I never needed to go through half of Marty’s trials. Still, the book makes you wonder how far you would really go for all the dogs you have ever loved.
I also appreciate how Naylor never talked down to her readers. Shiloh’s pain is truly felt, and every choice has consequences, especially Marty’s choices.
The Book Unlike Me
For the second book, I found Kathryn Erskine’s novel on empathy and closure, Mockingbird.
This was a tale discovered in the library catalog.
It is a book with a very distinct style. The main character Caitlin Smith is a young girl with Asperger syndrome, a mild Autism Spectrum Disorder. She is also the book’s narrator. The story is communicated according to how she views the world and shares her thoughts.
The plot concerns Caitlin and her community reeling from the aftermath of a middle school shooting. This particular shooting is fictional but based on the real 2007 Virginia Tech Shooting.
In the book, one of the victims was Caitlin’s brother Devon Smith, an aspiring Eagle Scout. Caitlin and her father had trouble reconnecting after Devon’s passing. Their dad became a broken man. He wanted to do right by his daughter but was still ravaged by the loss of his son.
Caitlin also had trouble connecting to her classmates, who all saw her as weird. She struggled finding a friend until meeting a younger student named Michael.
This book can be a rough one to read. But that difficulty makes it excellent.
This story is a tale for everyone. It is a story not about a shooting, but about a community rebuilding itself after tragedy.
Mockingbird has become one of my favorite books for its unique style and impactful themes. I am happy to have found it.
My Bookshelf Expands
These books and more showed me worlds beyond classics.
I was missing great stories because they were new and because they mainly targeted young readers. A bit odd since much of my TV viewing consists of cartoons and much of my gaming involves Nintendo.
I still love grabbing a few more classics now and then. And those classics which made me a reader will always have a special place on my bookshelf. But now that literary locker has expanded.
A good story is a good story. It can be found anywhere. Whether in the classics section of Amazon or the new releases rack at Target.
You can bet my Literature for Young People professor appreciated hearing how her course altered my literary tastes. She would have probably been even more excited she knew of two of my favorite Christmas gifts that year. The remaining books in the Shiloh Quartet and my own personal copy of Mockingbird.
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