Stamped vs When the Ground is Hard

  

  vs  

Long story short....When the Ground is Hard is moving on....it was a tough choice but we are hoping to see Stamped return as the Zombie pick.

Van: This round is going to be tough because although both books deal with the subject of racism and history, I feel like the audiences are very different.  Stamped is non-fiction, a compelling account of how racism really came to be in America but with a focus on racism vs anti-racism vs assimilation.  I thought this book was excellent, informative and balanced. It was something I would definitely recommend but more for junior high, high school students.  I have always appreciated a non-fiction read.

When the Ground is Hard is based on life in Swaziland in the 60’s.  It’s a lovely story of two girls in a school for mixed-race students, one who is “first class” and one who is not.  It explores the class system within Swaziland and at a time of apartheid. The story was heartbreaking then heart-warming.  Even though the characters in the story were older, I could give this book to students in grade 6.  

So two great read, both geared to different audiences, in different styles.  I believe that if this round went to JH/HS teachers, Stamped would move on but it’s in the hands of elementary teachers so When the Ground might move on.  It’s the viewpoint from which we see the lessons being taught.  I would have like to have read Stamped (for Kids) vs When the Ground is Hard so it was the same audience.  For this round... I am going with When the Ground is Hard (let the smack begin).

Norma:

Stamped: A powerful look at the roots of racism and racist ideas in a way that is easily understandable and accessible to readers and listeners of all ages.  As a black reader, not from the US,  I learned a lot about the history, struggles and activism of people of colour in the US.  It is timely and well written and not preachy.  The style of the writing makes it easy to understand as the writers’ voices add to the accessibility of the information.  When the Ground is Hard:  This is another good one.  The book tackles issues in a way that would be more accessible to Grade 5/6 students.  In another setting I would choose this book but because of the time we are in our history and our proximity to the issue of racism in the US and here in Canada, my selection is for Stamped to move forward.

Colleen: Still reading...will update her section but definitely leaning toward When the Ground is Hard

Emily: “Stamped” is a heavy read. I often had to stop to really process the information being presented. And I too found myself wishing for the addition of information about the history of racism in Canada, as this is not a uniquely American problem. With that said, I really appreciated how the author laid out the information, and how he followed the history of racism in America chronologically, so you could see how it built up over time. This gave the sense of a building narrative instead of a choppy history textbook which was helpful for me. I had several “oh wow” moments while reading as I realized how deeply ingrained racism is in popular culture, and in ways I never would have seen previously. In the end, I felt I had learned a lot. 

“When the Ground is Hard” captured me immediately. The story has a strong sense of place and as I was reading I felt like I was transported to another world, much like Adele is with Jane Eyre. I fell in love with the characters, and loved watching Adele’s growth throughout the book. I’m a sucker for stories about unlikely friendships, and it was so satisfying to watch the relationship between Adele and Lottie develop. It’s a beautiful and touching story that will stick with me for a long time. 

While I enjoyed both books, due to my own emotional response and how it resonated with me, I vote for When the Ground is Hard to move on.

Jon:  More information forthcoming, but I don’t see myself voting for Stamped.  

Rushmi: Well one book I couldn’t put down and the other I put down often just to look to the sky and take some deep breaths as a I reflected on the weight of the information. Undeniably, both books are excellent contenders. Stamped is so relevant to our times, and even though I was skeptical that it might just be based on US info, the ideas are so powerful that there are no borders, no limits in time, and no end to this cause. I too wanted to know more about our Canadian history on this topic, and found the ending to be a bit abrupt since it doesn’t quite make it to 2020 in the timeline. In any case, this is an excellent addition to a history collection...taught in a way we have never been taught history! After reading this, I moved to When the Ground is Hard, and this book draws you in right away. This story too had me reflecting on my own personal and family histories, coming from parents that went to school in the aftermath of British rule in post colonized India.  I think this book would reach audiences of all ages, and the narrative does a great job of providing enough of the background. I loved the growth in Adele and the strength of her character developing over the course of the book. This book is my pick for this round! 

Stephanie: This round was definitely tough. I read Stamped first and was so sold on it that right after reading it, I ordered a copy for my 15 year old nephew.  At times,  I found his writing style abrupt; however, I recognize this approach would probably be quite effective with younger readers. It did remind me when I needed to pause and just let some of the information settle because there is a lot of history-although it’s not a history book-to digest. It was very informative: the chronological approach and categorization of racist thought was very helpful. Although it’s a book I will recommend to everyone, my choice for this round will be When the Ground is Hard. It has everything I want in a novel: intertextual references to Jane Eyre, a scrappy heroine, personal transformations and this all takes place through the story of an unlikely friendship. Reading about the complexities of racism and classicism through the eyes of a young girl who is trying to find herself and survive socially at a Christian boarding school makes for a very compelling story. I couldn’t put it down and hope it makes it to round 3 for others to enjoy!!

Joni: “Stamped” was extremely powerful as an overview of racism in America and unclouded many aspects of how deeply rooted and all-permeating racism has been since the establishment of the United States. While the author’s conversational tone lightened the sheer volume of dates, names and facts in this ‘not a history book’, it made it, at times, distracting to be constantly pulled from the content that I was hungrier and hungrier to read as the book went on. The bite-sized bits of facts and events that we were fed throughout the book lead to many questions and lots of sticky notes, for further reading and research. This is a book that everyone should read, especially educators. While the lens of racism was mainly focused on the black struggle, there were vague mentions of other cultures who were a part of the fight for freedom and equality. It left me wishing there was an equivalent text documenting the history of racism in Canada.  

Then I read “When the Ground is Hard”, which I just fell in love with. It was a beautifully written coming of age story of a girl finding her place in the world, in a colonized Africa. The characters were relevant and relatable, with fine attention to detail that made the story feel palably real. The themes of racism and the comparisons between class systems in school and in life there brought up a lot of questions and topics for discussion. It was impossible not to be so immersed in the story that you felt that you were experiencing it all for yourself. The beauty, the sadness, the realness and the journey got me and I think would capture many different audiences. I would love to use this book in a novel study with my class (Grade 6).

This round is the worst! Both books have so many merits and are SO different but, for the purpose of using the book to teach my Grade 6 students, I am going with “When the Ground is Hard.”

Mel:  When I read “Stamped”, I was thinking it was going to end up as my pick.  I liked the way the author presented serious and heavy history in a tone that younger readers (and me) could handle.  However, I thought closer to the end, the tone changed and it started to lose me.  I disagree with my friend Norma!  I thought it DID get preachy at the end and its “non-preachy” tone is what pulled me in at first!

I completely pick “When the Ground is Hard” for this round.   I felt like I knew and liked the characters .  I was cheering for and grieving with Adele as she maneuvered through the challenges of race and discrimination.    I could totally see having great discussions with kids about what was not “fair”....they would get this and be able to  leap to our own Canadian culture.  We DO get a lot of news from the US and have similar but not identical histories.  We have our own challenges here (of our own making).  I think what stands out for me is this issue is in every culture and every country.  And how do we want to change and be different here going forward?  

SO many excellent quotes - I should have had my pen with me to write them down.  Love this book.