Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Discussing The Text: Al Capone Does My Shirts

I really loved reading this book. I had never read a fiction piece dealing with autism, let alone any type of learning disability. I thought this piece of literature did a great job of exploring the relationships between those with and without a disability. I liked that the perspective was not of the person who had the disability, but as close as you can get to that, with the character of Moose and his insight. I think it is important to note the changing development of the relationships between the character's in the book as the result of autistic Natalie's character.

Moose's anxiety about Natalie being around other "normal" people really seems to come at ease by the end of the book, as he better realizes his place with her. Moose really struggles between being a brother to Natalie, and a more parental figure to her. He really fills some big shoes and is rewarded greatly.

Piper, the rowdy trouble-maker of the group makes a positive transition from making fun of Natalie, asking if she is "retarded," or "stupid", to becoming compassionate and sensitive to Natalie's needs, wants, likes, and dislikes. She even asks Natalie for help in counting her money and comes to tell Natalie "Happy Birthday."

Moose's mother also makes a great transition throughout the book. At first, she is super stressed out all the time about Natalie and constantly making decisions that may or may not be in the best interest of Natalie. However, she comes to realize that her young son Moose is right about a lot of things and comes to appreciate him even more for it.

I really want to explore these relationships in class, and the cause for their dynamics to shift so much in a short period of time. I believe that when the character's come to a better understanding of Natalie, they accept her and become compassionate toward her. This is a major theme across all multi-cultural diverse relationships. When the "unknown" and "different" becomes more familiar it is easier to understand and get along. A major purpose of this course and our future teachings in elementary classrooms!

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