Ordinary Resurrections
Jonathan Kozol

Community Comments

Sara Brant, Book Club Guide

As many of you may know, Jonathan Kozol has ascended the ranks of education writers because of his staunch commitment to taking a different view of things, to putting himself inside the communities about which he chooses to write. Hearing him speak of his experiences, he considers himself a novice still: learning, growing, expanding along with the elementary and middle school children and teachers he has spent his entire career observing. Lately, he has been writing about how truly, crushingly stratified our current system of education is. But in his essay "Ordinary Resurrections," which is excerpted from a much longer book of anecdotes and vignettes, he focuses on small moments. There is a melancholy to his thinking instead of sharp critique. But that being said, what are his underlying messages?

- Knowing this to be an excerpt from a much longer work, do you feel the piece stands alone? If so, why? If not, what about it felt incomplete to you?

- In describing the Mott Haven neighborhood of the South Bronx, what are some things you noticed about Kozol's choice of description? What markers about the neighborhood does he leave out of the piece, and what does he replace those markers with that give you a sense of people and places?

- Talk about your thoughts on Kozol's friendship with the girl he calls Pineapple. What struck you about it, and why do you think Kozol chooses to end the essay with a description of her artwork?

- Are these "ordinary resurrections?" Why or why not?

As you read on, think about the ways in which Kozol's subtle vignette can be contrasted with several of the collection's more strong and forceful political pieces.

Carla Sosanya-Tellez, '98 Principal

How do we as a society live our lives?

As an urban educator, there are so many times that a life ends, just evaporates like a drop of water on a hot roof. We read the news "Ten Mexicans Die in the Desert", but we don't know who they were - not even names. We are here for such a short while, that we sometimes numb ourselves to avoid looking at the bloodstains spilled from a young child's body - in our midst.

Yet, it is our choice about how to speak truth. Truth to power, truth with each other, and as Kozol so often does, speak truth to honor the lives of the voiceless.

Let's work together every day and join across differences to make schools and society safer for those most at risk - all of our children.

Questions?

e-mail: gsealum@lclark.edu
phone: 503-768-6049