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mariemargaret 's review for:
Gone to the Woods: Surviving a Lost Childhood
by Gary Paulsen
A wonderful addition to the Paulsen collection. He speaks honestly about his childhood, the good and the bad. Speaking in the third person allows a bit of distance from horrors he faced as a small child and allows the reader that distance as well. For those students who are avid Paulsen fans, they will recognize nuggets from his life that eventually became a novel. These moments are exciting to find.
He is unsparing with the horrible things he was forced to endure, but also generous in offering those parts of his life that offered him hope and survival skills. From his aunt and uncle, who showed him what a true family might be, to the librarian who changed the course of his life, unknowingly stopping his cycle of running, we see how small moments plant the seeds for long term survival.
For our students who come from challenging backgrounds, it is this that I hope they latch on to. I think they will appreciate the honesty with which Paulsen offers up his childhood... there is no sugar coating what my students recognize as wrong. I hope they also learn to look for and latch on to the seeds in their own lives. And perhaps, learn to use the written word to sort out their feelings as they grow. This is a worthwhile read.
He is unsparing with the horrible things he was forced to endure, but also generous in offering those parts of his life that offered him hope and survival skills. From his aunt and uncle, who showed him what a true family might be, to the librarian who changed the course of his life, unknowingly stopping his cycle of running, we see how small moments plant the seeds for long term survival.
For our students who come from challenging backgrounds, it is this that I hope they latch on to. I think they will appreciate the honesty with which Paulsen offers up his childhood... there is no sugar coating what my students recognize as wrong. I hope they also learn to look for and latch on to the seeds in their own lives. And perhaps, learn to use the written word to sort out their feelings as they grow. This is a worthwhile read.