The Star Online: Lifestyle: Bookshelf
The Star Online: Lifestyle: Bookshelf |
| Posted: 02 Dec 2012 12:42 AM PST If you ever doubted the power of books in the hands of children, read this little's boy's tale — that he made up in five minutes, no less! MY son was recently teased by his more athletic classmates for being a bookworm. He did not retaliate. In fact, he could not be bothered, for though he may not be a runner, he is destined to be a writer. He is a content member of a bookish cult, having experienced the thrill books bestow, and is merely awaiting his chance to shine. And he has. As part of the year-end assessment in schools in Sydney, Australia, Primary Three and Four students were each given an image as a prompt to create a story. They only had five minutes to write the story and 10 minutes to present it. The class went berserk, as it surely was a difficult feat. Some stories were funny in their own bizarre way while others were choppy and dull despite being packed with action, as they sounded like computer games. When it came to his turn, my son, given the image of a tree bare of leaves, was calm as he told his story. The Dead Tree by Jonn Lim: "On the bank of a sparkling river gurgling with happiness, a leafless dead tree stood. On this gloomy night, the clouds fogged up the entire atmosphere, and thunder struck mountains causing avalanches and earthquakes. Lightning crackled in the sky and for an instant, everything seemed to be in full daylight. Yet, the dead tree remained alive. "An infuriated mob with their flames and razor-sharp pitchforks ran towards the tree, shouting and screaming with anger. However, the tree was undaunted, and swiftly with its branches, it grabbed every single person and stored them in its trunk. Slowly, the people turned into twigs, and the village was petrified with fear, so no one approached the ghastly beast. "Anxious and dismayed, everyone locked their houses, windows and chimneys and ran into their rooms, trembling with fear as they hid under their beds. Is this how our lives are going to end? Will we stay in our houses for all eternity? We all know we don't want to, but how do we escape from the tight grasp of the tree? "As the dark sky witnessed the macabre calamity, a man named Jonathan Kimble racked his brains and finally found a way. Tall and gangling like a feline, Jonathan was as brave as a lion and extremely quick-witted. He also detested evildoers and they caused his fists to clench, icy-blue eyes to flash and usually smooth brown hair to stand up on the end. "Sneaking up on the tree like a tiger preying, Jonathan threw a torch of fire onto the tree. In a flash, the tree started burning. The scent of ashes and smoke filled the air, and the tree, before bursting into flames, grabbed Jonathan and perished along with him. "From that day onward, Jonathan's statue was displayed to mark his heroic bravery and courage in tackling that monstrous beast." Once again, the class went berserk – for a good reason. "The tree is evil," one girl murmured. "I cannot believe he died," another growled, shooting my son a teary look. The boys asked what "macabre" meant, and the teacher, who seemed rather flabbergasted, explained with great difficulty – though the difficulty came mainly from the fact that a nine-year-old had attempted to use a superfluously elegant word and used it correctly. The class captain, a soccer player, patted my son on the shoulder as if to praise him for a story well told. In fact, as I found out later and much to my amusement, he said with his eyes twinkling, "At least I still outrun you, Jonn." No. My son Jonn cannot kick a ball well, but he is not nerdy. He simply loves stories, and is very good at making them up. The story of the dead tree was published in the school's newsletter, and was later submitted for the Young Writer Award. Is Jonn going to win? Hopefully, though that is no longer important. What is important is that he has won over his classmates himself by displaying a literary skill to make up for an athletic skill that he does not have. When asked by the principal how he can write and tell stories so effortlessly, Jonn replied, "My first gift was a book, and so were the many that followed." "What else do you do besides reading?" "I do long jump with my mum." With his slender build and long legs, Jonn can jump far if given pointers. And he does. Sprinting as fast as he can, Jonn clenches his fist and thinks of nothing but landing as far and as firmly as possible in the long jump sandpit. That is another skill he is now acquiring, secretly, just as he patiently learnt to read when he was four years old, and quietly began honing his writing skills when he was seven. We give our children skills to teach them self-confidence. I first read Jonn stories, and then I gave him books, then words, then sentences, then writing skills; he acquires from stories quirkiness, aesthetics, humour, cohesiveness, logic, fantasy, and the craft of writing. All these I did not teach him, for how could I when books can do a better job? "What is your wish, Jonn? "I wish Roald Dahl was alive." > Jonn likes to lie in the hammock and read after school; he calls it being meditative, as opposed to meditating. |
| Posted: 02 Dec 2012 12:33 AM PST FOR week ending Nov 25, 2012: Non-fiction 1. Syed Mokhtar Albukhary: A Biography by Premilla Mohanlall 2. Creating A Purposeful Life by Richard Fox 3. 1D: The One Direction Story by Danny White 4. Steven Gerrard: My Liverpool Story by Steven Gerrard 5. The Power Of X Qualifying The 10 Gods by Joey Yap 6. The Law Of Attraction Classic by Wallace D. Wattle 7. Unstoppable: The Incredible Power Of Faith In Action by Nick Vujicic 8. Justin Bieber: Just Getting Started (100% Official) by Justin Bieber 9. We Got Him!: A Memoir Of The Hunt And Capture Of Saddam Hussein by Steve Russell 10. Heaven Is For Real by Todd Burpo & Lynn Vincent Fiction 1. The Hobbit (movie tie-in) by J.R.R. Tolkien 2. The Perks Of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky 3. The Garden Of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng 4. Fifty Shades Of Grey by E.L. James 5. One Hundred Names by Cecelia Ahern 6. The Sins Of The Father by Jeffrey Archer 7. Life Of Pi by Yann Martel 8. The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling 9. Reflected In You by Sylvia Day 10. One Shot by Lee Child > Weekly list compiled by MPH Mid Valley Megamall, Kuala Lumpur; www.mphonline.com. |
| Posted: 01 Dec 2012 02:52 PM PST A FEW weeks ago, a friend told me about a Malay romance novel he had heard about. "Don't scream, but it's called Sayang Cikgu Ketat-Ketat." Needless to say, I screeched – in both horror and perverse delight. Sayang Cikgu Ketat-Ketat (Teacher, I Love You Dearly). That really is some title. The English translation sounds fine, but to me, the original sounds sleazy, vulgar and common. According to a translator I'm working with at the moment, it's not standard Bahasa Melayu, and is considered rather naughty if not downright coarse. The book is about a teenager who falls in love with her teacher and marries him. Complications arise when he receives a text message from an ex-girlfriend who expresses her willingness to be his second wife. The next time I was in a bookstore with a large selection of books in BM, I scanned the shelves (eagerly) for Sayang Cikgu Ketat-Ketat. I didn't find it but came across a whole lot of other very "interesting" titles, including Asam Pedas Untuk Dia (Asam Pedas For Him), Nasi Lemak Buah Bidara (Indian Plum Nasi Lemak), Miss Pisau Cukur (Miss Razor Blade – slang for "gold digger", it seems), Cinta Sambal Belacan (Sambal Belacan Love) and I Love You Cikgu. OK, first of all, it seems like BM romance novel authors like using food in their titles ... perhaps they are inspired by Laura Esquivel's Like Water For Chocolate and Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's Mistress Of Spices. After all, Malaysians love to eat, so these books are probably about how to win the man of your dreams by being a great cook. Fair enough, I suppose. What I find disturbing is that at least two books have been published about teacher-student romances; there might in fact be more but, in my opinion, two is already two too many, especially in the light of recent statutory rape acquittals, and the 12-year-old bride and her 19-year-old groom.... I have no doubt that students do have crushes on their teachers, but while a teacher-crush might make a good subplot, it should not be the central story, especially not if it ends in marriage where the ages are so disparate. I think another popular premise is for a servant to be wooed by her employer's son. That's what happens in Badai Semalam (Last Night's Storm) by Khadijah Hashim, which was one of the texts when I did Sastera Melayu for SPM in the Jurassic Era. Asam Pedas Untuk Dia is also about a servant girl, Ainin Sofiya, who attracts the attention of the young master of the house. In this case, it's her asam pedas that is the guy really likes. Corny, but I can live with the idea of a man's stomach being the way to his heart. However, it gets dodgy from then on because the guy proposes marriage but says that it has to be a secret: His parents and his girlfriends are not to know. Yes, his girlfriendS! Also, he tells poor Ainin that she must not get pregnant and if she does, he will never forgive her. What's really disturbing is that the silly girl, despite not being totally happy with his conditions, accepts them anyway. Are women that desperate to marry? I actually bought both Sayang Cikgu Ketat-Ketat and Asam Pedas Untuk Dia today. I want to read them for myself to see if the books are as shocking as their synopses make them sound. I guess it could be argued that these books aren't written for children or even teenagers, but I started reading romance novels when I was a pre-teen so I'm pretty sure that there are impressionable young Malaysian women who are reading books like Asam Pedas and thinking, "So maybe a secret marriage is better than no marriage?" Hopefully, no one is that desperate and I'm being alarmist. What's your experience with Malay romance novels? Are they harmless fun or do they encourage girls to judge themselves worthy only when desired by men? Share your thoughts at the e-mail above. In the meantime, as always, Happy Reading! Daphne Lee reads to wonder and wander, be amazed and amused, horrified and heartened and inspired and comforted. She wishes more people will try it too. Send e-mails to the above address and check out her blog at daphne.blogs.com/books. |
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