But I'll Be Back Again: An Album
By Cynthia Rylant
Since we have studied Rylant’s picture books, realistic fiction, historical fiction, and poetry prose throughout the semester, I have grown to appreciate and respect her craft of words. Because we have studied her books in depth this semester, I was pleased that her autobiography was saved until last. I think this made my “meeting” with Cythnia Rylant more meaningful. Did anyone else feel as they read But I’ll Be Back Again, that they were sitting face to face with Rylant as she spilled her childhood secrets, her mischievous demeanor, her first kiss? Rylant was so REAL with her stories! It felt like she was exposing us to her childhood diary – what a neat feeling to share with an author after having studied her work!
“Some children who have suffered a loss too great for words grow up into writers who are always trying to find those words, trying to find a meaning for the way they have lived. Painters do that. And composers.“ (pg 5) Having read her stories about love and family, I was surprised that her childhood was immersed in hardships. But, as I read on, I realized that Rylant used writing as a means of coping with her childhood. For writing stories gives Rylant “the power to change things I could not change as a child.” (pg 10). I think this is a valuable lesson to share with children – a lesson for the children who enter our classrooms who are less fortunate and come from tough backgrounds, to those children who come from supportive families and who are having a minor drama issue with friends, hearing that a writer, a painter, a composer can be empowered by their work is inspirational. I think another valuable lesson to share with students is the fact that Rylant immersed herself in comic books as a child, and romance novels as a teenager to escape her “embarrassing” life. Isn’t that what we want for our students, to become so engaged with reading that they are swept off their feet and taken new places and new adventures with the books they read?
My favorite part of the book included the connections I was able to make from her life to her novels. On several occasions, as she introduced characters, Rylant would explicitly state that a chapter or a book was dedicated to a person in her life. For example, Robert Rufus became Rufus in her novel A Fine White Dust, Rylant’s Uncle Joe was honored as a soldier and a hero in a chapter in her novel Blue-Eyed Daisy. Reading how Rylant was inspired to honor these important people in her life as characters in her books motivates me to want to read more of her novels!!
In the last sentence of her book, Rylant says her hope for every child is “a hero, and music, and at least one kiss he will never forget.” I thought this closing line was very touching; it definitely made me think about what my hope is for children. Although I am still deciding, I think my hope for every child is a hero, an imagination, and at least one true friend.
Home for the Holidays
I love going home to KY for the holidays. This photo was taken Christmas 06, I am with my nephew, John, niece, Grace, and 92 year old Grandfather. Isn't he handsome?
Aaron and I
This photo was taken at Aaron's promotion ceremony, August 2006. Days after he was promoted, he was deployed to Iraq. Thankfully, he is scheduled to return home in early March.
6 comments:
Your comment about Rylant reading comic books as an escape during her teenage years reminded me of a thought I had while reading. If Rylant was such a fan of comics, why shouldn't she write them too? She may not be the kind of comic-writer that has weekly installments and quick laughs, but she would have meaningful moments - a saga, if you will. It's definitely a direction she hasn't taken yet!
I happened to learn how to read using comic books and later, as a teenager (even though I am a little emabarrassed now to admit) I read as many drugstore romance novels as I could get my hands on! It's not that I didn't have any other books available (my mom and dad took me to the library as much as I wanted), I was just enamoured with these types of books. I, too, mentioned in my blog that I felt like I was sitting down with Rylant, over a great cup of coffee, and hearing so many fabulous tales of her childhood. She writes like I imagine she talks. I think that is one of the things that makes a great writer, to be able to allow your own personality to come through in your characters and stories. Does make one stop and ponder what type of person Stephen King is, though!
I did experience the same reactions as you did in regards to Rylant's candid accounts. Rylant unabashedly exposed many intimate details about herself. Although I could never imagine being comfortable with being so candid, I believe this honesty and willingess to expose personal vulnerability is what makes Rylant such an amazing author! Her stories are quite personal and the characters portrayed possess a level of vulnerability that enables readers to invest and connect with her stories. Rylant's personality translates into her books. I have learned a valuable lesson about the power of writing and the level of risk that is involved in drawing upon personal experiences. This willingness to expose oneself through writing can be both rewarding and cathartic for many people.
"Although I am still deciding, I think my hope for every child is a hero, an imagination, and at least one true friend." How absolutely perfect!
I cannot decide on just three wishes for each child, but I would definitely include the three you chose. I liked your comments about growing to respect Rylant's work over the course of the semester. I had not read very much of her work before this class, and admit to having ignored Rylant as an author my students should read.
I must have had a warped childhood. I never read comic books or romance novels. However, I had less need of escape than Cynthia Rylant did.
I loved this book as well. I am amazed at Cynthia Rylant's strength and willingness to share her most intimate childhood tribulations with us. One of the best things that I have gained from this semester is a better sense of the people behind the wonderful literature available for children. I don't know why I never thought to find out about them before now. I think on some level I felt that finding out about the authors would somehow ruin their work for me, sort of like Dorthory discovering that the Wizard was just a man behind a curtain. But, it isn't like that at all. I loved finding out about Cynthia Rylant and her life so much that I find myself in search of information on other writers that I enjoy, people like Eric Carle, Lois Lowry, Mo Willems, and Chris Van Alsburg. I am thrilled to find out that most authors these days have websites, blogs and the like. They are talented artists to be sure but, above that they are people that have a lot in common with educators. They do what they do because they love children and want to share their gifts with them. I have uncovered the Wizard but, I still get to keep the magic.
Where'd you go?
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