By: Pam Munoz Ryan
First of all, I was extremely excited to know that we would be reading a book by Pam Munoz Ryan. I had read one of her books before, Experanza Rising, and I loved it with all of my heart. My fourth grade teacher introduced it to us and created an entire lesson plan filled with fun activities which I enjoyed quite a lot. I loved the idea of being able to relate to the character and the author’s writing style was very pleasant. Having said this, I was very excited to read another one of her books. It is nice to say that my expectations and excitement were not let down by this book.
Like I mentioned earlier, I just loved the idea of being able to relate to the character or the book in any way as possible and I was able to do so through this book. I mean the main character of this book was Naomi who was essentially half Mexican and well I come from a Mexican background. I am quite proud of being part Mexican and so I hold very highly my heritage which is why I like seeing it be reflected and exposed to others as much as possible. I remember that when I was back in elementary school, I often looked for books like Experanza Rising, Casas de Carton, The House in Mango Street, and such because I felt the need to relate to the book. I mean I loved reading books like Tuck Everlasting, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, A Christmas Carol, and other books but I could never build a strong of connection with them because they simply did not address my background, needs, desires, hope and what not.
On top of this, I feel like this book is not only good for individuals with a Mexican background but to those who are not as well. I mean people who are not of Mexican heritage can actually learn about other people’s experiences, hardships, family structures, beliefs, among other aspects. They can learn that there are people like Naomi who are not fully Mexican and do have other heritages within them/ They can also learn that some people, regardless of their heritage are often not brought about within a traditional family. I mean Naomi and sibling were raised by her grandmother which is not something extremely typical. I mean even I coming from a Mexican heritage, was surprised by this small detail. Unlike Naomi, I was raised by both of my parents who got married before I was born, have been together ever since, and never have I seen a fight among them. Having said this, it was shocking to find out that some of my friends were not raised in a traditional family setting. I mean as awkward as this may sound, I discovered such detail when I was in high school. I mean in elementary school my best friends were both raised within a traditional family and so I was never so much exposed to nontraditional families. It wasn’t till high school that I discovered that some people do not live a similar life to mine even though we come from the same heritage background. I mean even now that I am older, I am still shocked at some of the stories I hear about. I mean I was even shocked to know my boyfriend’s story. He like Naomi was not raised by is mom directly, instead he was raised by his grandmother. Without going much into details, I think he could really relate to Naomi and the book in such a way that it might even overcome some of the negative aspects of his experience.
Adding on, I loved Naomi’s wordlist tracking system and I could strongly relate to this as well. When I was little I used to do the same thing and in both idioms. Being the first child was kind of tough because I had to learn both the Spanish and English language very well. Having been born here, I had the responsibility and pressure to learn English as best as possible but I also had to learn the Spanish language to perfection because I came from a Hispanic heritage. I would have to admit this was quite a task but I managed to succeed with the aid of my mother. I remember she bought me a dictionary/thesaurus that was both in English and in Spanish which I had to use to find the meaning of a word and translate it to the other language. My task was to read books both in English and in Spanish and then translate it to the other language so this became a part of my reading process. I guess that’s why I understood and was able to connect to Naomi. Interestingly, I found that this method that I used when young could actually help my 3rd graders at Booker T. Washington. One day the teacher was just talking things they could to do get good with their English and so I decided to step in and give them my technique. The teacher was surprised when she heard about it because of the way I spoke about it. I began by telling them that just like them I also faced the issue of having to learn both languages and that it was not an easy task but I succeed with the aid of my mother and a book. I told them that my ally was a dictionary/thesaurus that was book in English and Spanish and narrated how I went about it. They were just to attentive and surprised at my story and to be quite honest I got the feeling they felt they could actually do it too.
All in all, I think that Becoming Naomi Leon was an outstanding book just like other books I’ve read by Pam Munoz Ryan. Pam writes in such a way that people could actually understand other spectrums and even be able to relate to them in one way or another. Loved how I could related to Naomi but at the same time learn and become surprised by new ideas that I personally have not been exposed to. For instance, Naomi being raised by her great-grandmother was something that I could not relate to coming from a traditional family structure. It was helpful to see that my spectrum of life is not the only one there exists and that there are other types of family out there. It is sad to say but in this book I realized that not all mothers are good. I think I could believe this due to the fact that my boyfriend’s mom is said to have been an example of one. From what he tells me, she abandoned him when he was three years of age. He was initially going to be left with a family that his mother knew but that family thought it was best for him to be left with his dad’s family which is exactly what happened at the end. Due to this, he now lives with his grandmother who he recognizes as his mother since his mother literally abandoned him and his father went on with his life and created a family of his own. Having said this, his life has not been easy but it comes to show me how other individuals are not raised within a traditional family structure and they overcome such hardship. Both him and Naomi are great examples of this and I am proud of them both. I am proud to see that he was come a long way and has kept a good nature spirit. And well, I am glad to have seen Naomi escape her mother’s abuse and having had the chance to see her father. I really liked the ending because it comfort the idea that everything was going to be fine after having suffered so much throughout the entire book. I would really recommend this book not only to individuals with Mexican heritage but to other individuals who may not be. In fact, I can’t wait to tell my boyfriend all about it and advice him to read it. Even at his age, I strongly believe this book could be of great help! :)
No comments:
Post a Comment