So, in choosing which books to bring for the library, I have optimistically included several classics of the 4th-7th grade reading level: lots of Roald Dahl, Lois Lowry, E.L. Konigsberg, and Louis Sachar. I intended to distribute them among English teachers so that they can sharpen their language skills. However, this word-for-word transcript of a conversation from a winter teaching conference should show you why this intention is, to put it mildly, flawed. Keep in mind that teachers who work with Peace Corps volunteers are inherently more motivated than the rest. To set the scene, it’s a session on feedback, with me, my friends Ian and Lola, and 3 Kyrgyz teachers (one of whom, no joke, is named DILDOCON) in a small group. The question on the board: “Were the goal of the session achieved?”
Ian: I think it were.
Lola: So the goal was to give direct feedback and encourage it on a regular basis by creating a comfortable forum between each counterpart-volunteer pair.
Me: (to Kyrgyz teachers) What do you think? Was the goal achieved?
Teacher 1: Much time.
Teacher 2: Higher education, yes?
Me: Yes. What?
Everyone: (Silence).
Teacher 3: Challenges.
Teachers 1 and 2: (Nodding).
Me: What… were… the… goals… of… the… session?
Teachers: (Nodding).
Lola: I think we’re done here.
So whatever. Eventually some driven, self-studying teacher like my counterpart will read The Witches and renew her love for the English language. Until then, I have tons of awesome shit to reread.
The Witches is not my favorite Roald Dahl book. However, I like that it gives a little cultural background to Dahl’s ever-present macabre tone–his parents were Norwegian, and aside from the fact that Scandinavian folklore is incredibly chilling and violent, “the Norwegians know all about witches, for Norway, with its black forests and icy mountains, is where the first witches came from.” The story involves a boy being turned into a mouse by a hotel convention of child-killing witches and then him plotting revenge with his cigar-smoking grandma (the quintessential Roald Dahl sentence of “‘What an idea!’ she cried. ‘It’s fantastic! It’s tremendous! You’re a genius, my darling!’” appears unsatisfyingly late in the book, a little more than 2/3 through). Eventually they destroy the witches of England and plot to destroy the witches of the world.
I think my post-America emotions were making me extremely sappy during this reread, but still, the part of the book I liked best was at the very end. “My darling,” the grandma says, “are you sure you don’t mind being a mouse for the rest of your life?”
”‘I don’t mind at all,’ I said. ‘It doesn’t matter who you are or what you look like as long as somebody loves you.’”
i’m doing a library project too, and not that i am ACTIVELY seeking books i want to read, but every time i open a box to find a roald dahl in there i hold it for myself. this isn’t my favorite either, but it gets so much of what i love about dahl. what other writer would end his children’s book with the main character remaining a mouse? and how disappointing is it that in the movie there’s a GOOD witch who turns him back into a little boy?
also, why do i keep hoping that anyone will read these books? that transcript is a chilling reminder of what i am returning to when winter break ends in 4 days.
They’ll read them! Even if it takes fifteen years someone will be able to read Roald Dahl at our sites. Well, maybe.
I’m pretty sure that here in Armenia, were I to deliver a copy of The Witches to a teacher and suggest she read it, she would say, “Why would I read something scart?” And she would think the Blake drawings are ugly. I think the whole experience would be like watching “Little Miss Sunshine” with my coworkers. They loved it. Laughed a ton. But at the end my counterpart said, “It was good. But I just wanted a happy ending for everyone. I kept waiting for the uncle not to be gay.”
At least those are complete sentences. That’s so funny about Little Miss Sunshine. Of course being completely normal is the happiest ending of all.
And by “scart” I mean “scary”. Although I do wish ‘scart’ were a word.
Remember when Leah’s ex Colin started dating Catherine of Norway?
Smiles, I’m so happy your library is launched!
Yeah… Lara and Leah and I took her to teen night at the Roxy and then to Whataburger. I almost vomited writing that sentence but it’s true hahaha.