Category Archives: Controversial Issue/Debate

“That Used to Be Us: Part III”–back to our staff recommended reading

Posted on April 12, 2012 by Victoria Waddle

Part I Part II That Used to Be Us—Part III: The War on Math and Physics Part III of That Used to Be Us starts with more bad news. Part I tells us that we underestimated the impact of globalization … Continue reading →

Posted in Controversial Issue/Debate, Environmental Issues, Non-fiction | Tagged climate change, economics, energy, politics | Leave a comment

“That Used to Be Us: Part II: The Education Challenge”

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Victoria Waddle

Part II: The Education Challenge Teachers who are overwhelmed should try to make time to read, at the very least, this section of the book. The global market and the IT revolution discussed in Part I means big changes for … Continue reading →

Posted in Controversial Issue/Debate, Non-fiction | Tagged education, employment, future, technology, United States | Leave a comment

“That Used to Be Us”

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Victoria Waddle

“This is a book of exceptional importance, written on a sweeping scale with remarkable clarity by two of our most gifted thinkers. . . . It should be read by policymakers and every American concerned about our country’s future.” Library … Continue reading →

Posted in Controversial Issue/Debate, Environmental Issues, Non-fiction | Tagged economics, education, environmental issues, politics | 1 Comment

More in the Orca Soundings series 4

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Victoria Waddle

High interest books for a quick read; good for Read 180 students and English Learners Big Guy by Robin Stevenson Derek thinks he might be falling in love for the first time ever. The problem is, he hasn’t been entirely … Continue reading →

Posted in Controversial Issue/Debate, Fiction, Hi-Low/Quick Read, Mature Readers, Read 180, Romance, Young Adult Literature | Tagged English Learners, GLBTQ, musicians in literature, Orca Sounding series, Read 180 | Leave a comment

“The Meaning of Matthew: My Son’s Murder in Laramie and a World Transformed”

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Victoria Waddle

This week–February 8, 9, 10, and 11–the Colony High School Theater Arts Department is producing the play The Laramie Project. After seeing this powerful production, students who want to learn more about Matthew Shepard should consider reading The Meaning of … Continue reading →

Posted in Biography/Memoir, Controversial Issue/Debate, Human Rights Issues, Non-fiction | Tagged bullying, gay rights, Matthew Shepard, murder | Leave a comment

“Divergent”

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Victoria Waddle

Divergent by Veronica Roth “Every faction conditions its members to think and act a certain way. And most people do it. For most people, it’s not hard to learn, to find a pattern of thought that works and stay that … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure Stories, Controversial Issue/Debate, Family Problems, Fiction, Human Rights Issues, Literary Read Alike, Mature Readers, Over 375 pages, Sci-Fi/Futuristic, Young Adult Literature | Tagged Hunger Games readalike | 2 Comments

“Elizabeth and Hazel: Two Women of Little Rock”

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Victoria Waddle

Elizabeth and Hazel: Two Women of Little Rock by David Margolick When young and learning about desegregation in the South, for me, one photograph stood as the example of the deep southern racial divide. It portrays all the hatred of … Continue reading →

Posted in Biography/Memoir, Controversial Issue/Debate, Human Rights Issues, Non-fiction | Tagged desegregation, Elizabeth Eckford, Hazel Bryan, Little Rock Central High School, Little Rock Nine | 1 Comment

More than just memoir: Deeper thinking about the Holocaust “The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness” and “Man’s Search for Meaning”

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Victoria Waddle

The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness by Simon You are a prisoner in a concentration camp. A dying Nazi soldier asks for your forgiveness. What would you do? Withe responses by Robert Coles, The Dalai Lama, … Continue reading →

Posted in Biography/Memoir, Controversial Issue/Debate, Faith-Based/Religious Element, Fiction, Human Rights Issues, Non-fiction, Short Stories | Tagged forgiveness, Holocaust literature, logotherapy | Leave a comment

For Read 180 and English Learner students

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Victoria Waddle

High Interest Series Check for these books in our new library section: 372.41 Choices series: The Choices series is for teens who are emerging readers. They are not complete stories. They set up situations that require teens to make a … Continue reading →

Posted in Controversial Issue/Debate, Family Problems, Fiction, Hi-Low/Quick Read, Mature Readers, Read 180, Young Adult Literature | Tagged Bluford series, Charmed, Chill, Choices Series, Comeback, EL, English Learners, Orca Soundings Series, Pretty Ugly | Leave a comment

Tough Teen Topics: An Occasional Series Post 1–Violence

Posted on December 16, 2011 by Victoria Waddle

What about mature teens who are asking for books that delve deeply into the difficult subjects they are grappling with? Do we sanitize reading too much for your age group? You are, after all, sprinting on the heels of adulthood. … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure Stories, Controversial Issue/Debate, Family Problems, Fiction, Historical Fiction/Historical Element, Mature Readers, Movie Tie-In, Multicultural, Romance, Sci-Fi/Futuristic | Tagged Cormac McCarthy, drug dealers in literature, horses, Mexico, Texas | Leave a comment