They Came for the Schools by Mike Hixenbaugh

"But the policies advanced by conservative activists like Chris Rufo and adopted by DeSantis and other Republican governors did not reflect an attempt to remove political ideology from education. Rather, they elevated ideologies favored by conservatives while minimizing or banning those they opposed. Books and lessons that applied a critical lens to the lasting influence of racism in U.S. society were prohibited; those minimizing the effects of racism were made mandatory."

    -from They Came for the Schools

This book was described at a sharing session I attended recently and had my interest right away. I have followed the assaults on public education in Florida for several years, particularly in the DeSantis era. Although Hixenbaugh started his research in Texas, he eventually addresses the situation in Florida. (See quote)

The subtitle of the book is almost a short summary: One Town's Fight Over Race and Identity, and the New War for America's Classrooms. The town is Southlake, TX. The "war" is essentially being fought in many states, including Florida. 

As a veteran teacher, now retired, my heart is still in education. I cannot stand the book banning, the "cleaning up" of history and the robbing of public-school monies to fund private schools with little or no accountability! The ideas in this book were totally in line with my thoughts but I learned a great deal about how this movement began.

The author, an award-winning journalist, spent some three years researching this book, including many interviews with affected students, parents, teachers and political figures. He did an amazing job and put it together with a clear and compelling style. I have rated it a 5. I can't say it was enjoyable; in fact, it was infuriating at times. But I am glad I read it, and I can only hope that many others do and that it changes some minds and hearts and eventually some policies and laws.

The Fourth Girl by Wendy Corsi Staub

"The shared burden created an irrevocable bond among the three of them that first year. Then came the first anniversary of Caroline's disappearance---the night they kept their promise and revisited Haven Cliff. The night it all fell apart."

         -from the novel

Mulberry Bay, NY---four high school "besties" on prom night in 1999. One goes missing. The other three think they know what happened to her but have been sworn to secrecy. But do they really know? Obviously, it's a mystery for the reader to solve, but not an easy one with twists and turns and some confusion, at least for this reader.

Talia, Kelly, Midge and Caroline were supposed to be best friends forever when Caroline vanishes. The 3 friends reunite on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the disappearance at Haven Cliff, the former estate of Caroline's family. Nearby a man is found dead who happens to have been the high school boyfriend of Caroline, Gordon Klatte. At first Midge, now a detective sergeant, sees the death as an accident but then she notices something that indicates foul play. And what a coincidence that this has occurred at this particular time! Is there a connection?

I am rating this novel a 3. I didn't really like it that much, but it was intriguing enough that I HAD to keep reading to find out what happened to "the fourth girl." It seems that this novel is the 1st in a series. I doubt I will look for #2.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

 

"But that's always the way; it don't make no difference whether you do right or wrong, a person's conscience ain't got no sense, and just goes for him anyway. If I had a yaller dog that didn't know no more than a person's conscience does I would pison him. It takes up more room than all the rest of a person's insides, and yet ain't no good, nohow. Tom Sawyer he says the same."

     -Huck Finn, from the novel

I read this novel in my youth and again in 2011 when our Page Turners tackled The Year of (Mostly) Classics. Our average rating for the book was 4.0. I don't remember if I gave it a 4 or 5. This reading, I decided 4.

So why read this again? In February I read James by Percival Everett. It is the Huck Finn story told from Jim's point of view. Very creative! At the time I wished I had reread Mark Twain's version first. Now James is our April book selection for Page Turners so before rereading it, I went back to the original. 

It is amazing The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was first published in 1885. The setting is pre-Civil War, so the evils of slavery are very evident. Huck decides to run away to escape his drunken, abusive father while the slave Jim is running from his owner Miss Watson and toward freedom, he hopes. They meet up and have some wild and crazy adventures together as they raft the Mississippi River. Huck dresses up like a girl; he and Jim meet two nefarious characters who refer to themselves as duke and king and eventually meet up with Tom Sawyer unexpectedly. Some of the most humorous parts of the story occur when Tom comes up with some convoluted ideas from his reading of European history about how to free Jim when he is captured. 

I got a kick out of the dialect and the frequent misuse/misspelling of words, like yellocution, preforeordestination, balditude and meedyevil armor. I am now rereading James to compare and contrast details.