Holler if You Hear Me

Holler if You Hear Me: The Education of a Teacher and His Students

by Gregory Michie

Finished another of the January mid-year RA favorite books. This one is Holler if You Hear Me: The Education of a Teacher and His Students by Gregory Michie.  The book is a true-life account of Michie’s experience as an inner-city Chicago teacher during the late 1990s.  The stories track some of the relationships he had with the students, including those he stayed in touch with years later.  Michie grew up in North Carolina and then he went to UNC to begin a life as a film-producer.  Things changed when he moved to Chicago.  His profiles are real and capture poverty, lack of role models, homelessness, gangs, drugs and how some students escaped while others couldn’t get out of the way of the landmines facing them.  Michie becomes a “beloved” teacher while learning lessons all along the way.  It is a rather quick read but has some important lessons and does a good job of capturing a moment in time in our country’s history.

Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor

Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor

by Yossi Klein Halevi

One of the mid-year RAs provided me their favorite book to read, and it is a great one!  Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor by Yossi Klein Halevi.  The book is a series of letters that the author composes in an effort to explain the Jewish story and the significance of the state of Israel to Palestinians, who live on the other side of the wall.  Haveli’s goal is to provide historical context and move towards peace between the two societies.  The inability of both Jewish and Palestinians to understand and accept the centuries old divide and offer a path to a future living together in a peaceful existence is a bitter sword in the side of both cultures.  The book is a powerful read and provides context, important in this world where we seek to be understood first.  For those who are unaware of the depths of the divide, read it.  We need more people who seek creative solutions. Religion, power, land, and politics are dividing points.  What is the commonality?  Pain, love of family/God, historical significance of the land, and recognizing that, while we may not agree with another’s beliefs, we should all respect that each person deserves to have their faith’s traditions honored.  In many ways, each letter could serve as an opportunity to understand the history of the conflict, especially what has happened since 1947.  In this era of divide, reading a book that asks readers to listen is important.