My 13 year old son just did a book report on F-451. While he was reading it he was always asking when the book was going to get good and kept saying it was boring. But, when it was all said and done and he was doing his book report on it he admitted to having a lot of admiration for Bradbury and the ideas he was conveying in the book.

Now, I don't know if he was just telling me what I wanted to hear (I don't think so) or if he really felt that way. I could really see an excitement in him as he was preparing his report. He got an A for a book report he did on TMC earlier in the year and was obviously quite passionate over that experience, and this was kinda the same.

I don't recall ever not liking a book while reading it, and then doing a turnabout when the reading was done. Knowing that my son hates reading ANYTHING, except the sports page, helps me understand his displeasure at having to read F-451 a little.

Any thoughts on this "latent appreciation" of his? Should I run him over to the psychiatrist?

Sorry about the double posting. It was taking forever to load so I hit my back button and submitted it again, and it immediately came up... twice.

The duplicate has been removed by the management.

[This message has been edited by dandelion (edited 03-23-2006).]

Seems to me that a lot of us balk at HAVING to read something; but if one does read other books for pleasure anyway, he can discover he likes the book even after he has HAD to read it.
Others (more and more, I fear) balk at reading, period. These latter are unlikely to appreciate a book no matter how good it is.
Then, there's maturing. Most of us who do read for pleasure have had the experience of re-reading something years later and finding that it's much better than we remembered; or discovering new things about the characters, style of writing, etc.

grasstain: What you have described is very familiar to my experiences with 9-12 when teaching RB. Unlike most authors for whom I get to present a single popular title (other than Wm S.) and then move on, with Mr. B's works there are "so many" books that carry weight in studying important topics (F451 & countless s.s.), the poetic style of the writing (MC, SW), and for the pure enjoyment of the story (DW, IM).

If students do not have knowledge of RB's works going into the reading, it does take a while to catch the intricacies of his methods and his story telling genius. How many writers are on the Must Read lists these days that challenge, not just in a literary sense but in the manner in which allusions are presented? Not many would be my guess. (ie, Where have you gone Mr. Poe, Dickens, Hawthorne, Wells, Stevenson, Mrs. Shelley,... you know the names! I still do all of these at all grade levels.)

It may be because it's easier to do the popular stuff and not get caught up in the detailed analysis of what an author is doing in presenting an imaginative story like 451 or Martian Chronicles. The tales do take time to dissect, to capture and explain the metaphors, to compare parallels to the events of life in the now, and then to make it exciting for that kid who "doesn't like to read!" Yet-

When a RB unit is done (without exception), the majority of the students respond in the same manner in which you have referred to your son's take on the stories and the man behind the writing. It does take Effort to get the background of RB's writings into the classroom. Too often, it may simply be, "Read the story and answer the questions."

For many of us who visit here, the gilted books must be preserved. Your son's real appreciation is a part of that preservation. Great for him ~ and to his Literature teacher!

I thoroughly enjoy knowing about the lives of my favorite authors. It fleshes out the stories, gives heart to the characters, and ultimately makes the teaching exciting.

Have your son read some of the early s.s. - (if he has not yet) Drummer Boy of Shiloh, Big Black and White Game, Emissary, Golden Apples, Sound of Summer Running, Flying Machine, Sound of Thunder, Pedestrian, Veldt, Rocket Man, and for some family fun sit some night and watch Wonderful Ice Cream Suit. Pure essence of Ray Bradbury.

Oops, I expound...but a good topic you've posed!

[This message has been edited by fjpalumbo (edited 03-24-2006).]

By all means, expound away. I never listened to my teachers in school but now I find your POVs fascinating.

I guess I can understand his turnabout a little better now, thanks.

His book report was really cool. The assignment was to do a newspaper dealing with topics from the book. There was certain criteria he had to follow such as:
Human interest story - 250 words
Favorite character article - 200 words
Four obituaries - any length
Two sports stories - 150 words each
Editorial based on moral or theme- 200 words
Story regarding conclusion - 250 words
One advertisement with photo of product
Health article - 150 words
And a weather report

It really made him think more than the normal kind of book report would have.

[This message has been edited by grasstains (edited 03-23-2006).]

Hey Grasstains!,
Long time no hear-um.(thats Mickmack for "gee,haven't heard from you in many a moon) I'm not surprised by the reaction your son showed, Rays books and stories, once into them, make you not want to miss a word. The very good assignment plus the awesome magical power of the book forced him to think, and think hard, and he liked it and excelled at it. Congrats!!! Both of you should be proud. Now, its done, and his mind is hungry again, continue to feed it and exercise it to its full potential. Turn the t.v., gameboy, gamecube, and the cell phone off and read together or play games that promote interaction and conversation.(I'm telling you this and reminding myself of it at the same time) fj, very compelling answer, and this is a good topic also. You too two.

[This message has been edited by Robot Lincoln (edited 03-23-2006).]