Last night, I continued reading Deadline for the Facebook assignment. The story is about a senior in high school named Ben who finds out that he has a terminal illness when he goes to get a physical to run cross country. Because his illness is terminal, he decides to forgo treatment and live the remainder of his life to the fullest. Ben wants to feel normal, so he decides not to tell anyone, including his loved ones, about his fate. Ben's deadline gives him a new outlook on life in which he decides to cram a lifetime into a short period of time.
I was only supposed to read the next couple of chapters or so for the Facebook assignment, but I ended up reading the rest of the story because I could not put it down. I laughed out loud and balled my eyes out while reading this book, it is truly a captivating story that makes you appreciate life.
I envy the students in Wisconsin who get to read this book for class, I would have loved to read this book in high school. I would definitely love to use this book in my classroom. I feel that they could learn a lot about life from it. But don't just take my word for it, below is a video of the author, Chris Crutcher, talking about Deadline as well as high school students and teachers.
Chris Crutcher at SMHS
Thank you for posting that link. I finished the book in the first week, and that has made Facebook discussion difficult. Students from WDP are asking a lot of questions regarding the future of the book and I can't answer them speculatively--because I know already.
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting that Crutcher is one of the most banned authors. Honestly, I think this book is something that should be read. Of course, there are cuss words and the like, but what is different in this than Huck Finn and the "n" word?
I think that because this book is more present, more relevant to today's society, that we ban it. If something is too close to home, it makes us uncomfortable. In my opinion, that is the best place to be for the classroom. It prompts discussion and higher thought processes.
I definitely agree that this book should be read in classrooms and the fact that it is close to home makes people uncomfortable. I mean look at Shakespeare's work, there is murder,witchcraft, suicide, and cheating yet this text is read everyday in classrooms but if these things are brought up in a Y.A. book people start complaining.
ReplyDelete