Avi. Nothing but the Truth: A Documentary Novel. New York: Harper Trophy. 1991. ISBN: 0-380-71907-X.
Plot Summary:
Every morning of school in the Harrison School District the Star Spangled Banner is played to reflect the patriotic sentiments of the community of Harrison, New Hampshire. Phillip Malloy is a high school student who sings along, actually hums along to the national anthem in his homeroom class. The policy is that students are supposed to maintain a respectful silence during the anthem and Phillip is sent by his homeroom teacher, Ms. Narwin get disciplined for his failing to follow the rule. Phillip ends up getting suspended and eventually the case blows up school board politicians and the media get wind of what happened and the case receives national attention. It is clear that the background to Malloy’s action runs deeper than simple disobedience and that he has always had a shaky relationship with Narwin. The story is told from a number of points of view and there seems to be no one single truth but many different truths misunderstood by the majority of players in this drama. The tension of the media attention causes a number of results which destroy many of the central characters school lives.
Critical Evaluation:
The concept of a documentary novel is interesting as it is presented in a number of formats. For much of the novel it is a collection of dialogue interspersed with letters and media clips. The reader gets the feeling that they are indeed observing a documentary and the text is nothing but a culmination of collected and organized facts and evidence. As any collection of facts and evidence often there are a number of sides to a story and sometimes every side is equally wrong and right. The book brings up a number of issues, including freedom of speech and the distortion of actual events by outside forces. This book also brings the world of school board and national politics to readers who may not have much exposure to such things even though they may be students in a school similar to the one presented in the book. Overall the book is in a unique format and the writer is brave enough to take on serious topics through the use of this novel approach.
Reader’s Annotation:
Phillip Malloy is suspended for singing the National Anthem at school. The case of small misunderstandings spiral out of control until the whole nation is looking at the case.
Information about the author:
Avi was born Edward Irving Wortis in 1937 in Brooklyn, New York. He has since lived in Rhode Island and Colorado. Two of his grandfathers were writers and his first cousin is actor Alan Arkin. He uses the name Avi as it is one his twin sister gave him when both were about a year old. He is married to Lind Wright and he has adult children.
Avi is one of the most well known writers of books for young readers and has over 60 titles to his name. He has written in a variety of genres not really specializing in a single genre. His books have appeal to different age groups, but they are mostly written with young readers in mind. A number of awards have been given to this writer, including the Newbery Medal and the Newbery Honor. He is also a Beacon of Freedom award winner.
Genre:
Documentary Novel
Curriculum Ties:
Freedom of Speech/Media/Government
Booktalking Ideas:
1. Discuss the ways in which the situation gets out of hand and how it is exacerbated by eternal agencies.
2. Focus on the damage the attention does to the characters involved and how the stress of being in the spotlight can make things worse on a personal level rather than right a wrong.
3. Center on the way the central characters become pawns for much larger and different issues than the one they were originally arguing about.
4. Discuss the personal conflicts that existed before the main incident in the story and how these may have been a causal factor to the story.
Reading Level/Interest Age:
14+
Challenge Issues:
N/A
Challenge Defense Ideas:
Should a challenge arise:
1. Read the book.
2. Be Familiar with the policy of the ALA and your institution.
3. Make a note of the contents of the work and how they fall in with the collection development policy of your institution and the standpoint of the ALA.
4. Gain an awareness of the awards, reviews, and criticisms of the work, as well as other works by the same writer.
5. Know the process for materials challenges at your library.
Why did you include this book? :
The description of the book as a documentary novel piqued my interest and I am a proponent of when writers use experimental methods in order to tell a story and further the development of their craft.
Author’s Blog:
No comments:
Post a Comment