Children of the River

“Children of the River”, written by Linda Crew is a novel that addresses the challenges between assimilation and remaining loyal to one’s native culture. Crew was successful in creating vivid tale of a young Cambodian girl and her family who came to America to escape the Khmer Rouge. The book is an interesting and easy read, with great use of literary imagery.

Sundara, the protagonist, was my favorite character. Several times, throughout the story, Sundara suddenly finds herself being introduced to new aspects of American culture. Although the story is heavy, at times, Sundara’s cultural experiences can delight the reader. I found myself smiling while reading some of Sundara’s coming-of-age experiences, as she grapples with trying to identify with American society; all the while she brings innocence and light to the novel.

Young readers, starting in the 6th grade, would appreciate the book. Even though the story is about cultural identification, I believe that all students would be able to identify with Sundara’s teenage struggles. In addition, the story can be used to to teach students about the similarities and differences between cultures of the East and West; especially teaching young students about personal/social respect, self-restraint, humbleness and modesty, which are highly regarded personal values practiced in the East. In addition, the book is a great supplemental tool for introducing the historical aspects of the conflicts that took place in Southeast Asia during the mid to late 20th century.

I would highly recommend this novel. I enjoyed every page and have added to my historical understanding of the Cambodian crisis. …a must read for cultural and historical education classes!

Under the Persimmon Tree

Suzanne Fisher Staples’s novel, Under the Persimmon Tree does not address multicultural issues, inasmuch as the story makes readers aware of the current interaction between different factions in Afghanistan. The author’s writing style does an excellent job in creating vivid imagery as one reads through the story. However, this novel did not keep my interest. For me, the book was not a “page-turner.” At times, I found the story difficult to follow and found too many characters to keep track of.

Najmah, the main character, is forced to grow-up very quickly in order to survive the long journey into Pakistan, in order to escape the Taliban. Najmah’s character represents endurance…the endurance to survive to find her father and brother and enduring the loss of her mother and newborn brother.

As compared to the other novels I have read to-date, this particular story does not address multi or cross-cultural issues, but instead discusses the cultural divide in a war-torn nation. The story brings forth the sense of humanitarian urgency for the desperate situation in Afghanistan created by the brutal Taliban government. The novel could be used as multicultural literature when teaching students about the culture and crisis in the Middle East.

I can not say with any amount of certainty that my middle school students would enjoy this novel. As for the other books I have read, I could instantly decide if my students would or would not enjoy the reading, or if the reading at all was grade appropriate. However, with this novel, it is difficult for me to make and immediate decision; as I was not fond of the story and found it difficult to follow. The only way I could make a definite determination would be to introduce the literature to my students. Only after receiving student feedback and reviewing assessment, could I then give a true evaluation if this book would be a supportive teaching tool.