Jaqueline Woodson Experience

Reading "Feathers" by Jaqueline Woodson was an experience very different that when I usually read a book for school.  More often than not, I find myself uninterested by texts assigned at school.  I'm not sure if it is the books themselves or the fact that I am being forced to read them, but regardless, my Woodson experience was the complete opposite.  After rushing to read Feather's in time for class, I found myself constantly slowing down to really soak in the text.  As previously stated in my Feather's blog,  I loved the way that Frannie took me as the reader through her travels and self-discovery.  I felt like she had a very wise and mature mind for someone who was a middle schooler, which gave the story an interesting tone and perspective.  Overall, I really enjoyed the way the book was written, and found myself actually connecting and attaching to an assigned reading.

Another thing that sparked my interest about Jaqueline Woodson's writing, was her use of controversial topics.  Throughout Feather's, there was a constant reference to religious viewpoints of Frannie and her family.  Jesus was discussed on numerous occassions, which could cause controversy in a classroom where the students all have differing backgrounds and beliefs.  Being a college student, I am able to recognize these issues as controversial and understand that the author is not trying to push certain beliefs onto me as the reader.  However, parents and students may not necessarily understand that when a controversial book is assigned in a classroom with younger students.  It is for this reason that I would be extremely careful in deciding how to handle implementing a controversial text in my own classroom, however I think the benefits of Woodson's intelligent and creative writing style would outweigh the dangers.