In James Rumford’s Silent Music, Ali, an Iraqi boy, lives to write and tell stories. His world is simple and filled with typical early adolescence hardships. He finds inspiration from Yakut, a famous Calligrapher in Baghdad hundreds of years ago. His world comes crashing down upon the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. From this point on he struggles to write and explain what he experiences.
Looking at the readability lexile, I would place the text in an middle elementary level for language. There are some words that will probably be unfamiliar to elementary school students such as: “Calligrapher” and “Mongols” which may create some confusion to younger learners. Socially, I would place the text at the adolescent level because it tells the story from an Iraqi point of view which is often swept under the rug in America. Hearing an American narrative of the Iraqi War for years and then reading a children’s book that tells a very different story is a conflicted point of view. This may create confusion in student readers. Cognitively, there is a lot to interpret in the story. I would definitely place the text at an adolescent level. Understanding the “why” associated with this story is a tricky tightrope any teacher would struggle to walk and subsequently explain. I think a strong introduction to the Iraq War is absolutely necessary if the book is shared in class followed by a respectful and thorough class discussion.
Looking at the high quality literature template, I don’t think the situation is relatable to the average student. Having your country invaded, bombed and your whole life dramatically changed is a terrible experience almost no one can relate to. Seeing the damage this does to Ali does show students the pain violence and aggression can inflict on others. The conflict of war is not overcome in Silent Music. The best solution I found in the story was Ali’s inspiration from his family, Yakut the famous calligrapher and his personal writings.
While reading through Silent Music I found the characters, with the except of Ali, to be simply described, which is fine since there is little text in the book to begin with and Ali is clearly the main character. I found his representation to be poignant and honest describing the specifics of how he writes, his interpretation of the world around him and feelings. His greatest strength is his resolve and will to survive. The very last line in the book is, “How much I have to practice until this word (peace) flows from my pen.” His weakness is the environment of war that surrounds him.
The setting and issues are the central point of the story as Rumford takes us to the time and place where the Iraq War began. This offers an Iraqi historical perspective of bombs falling and an uncertain future. There is clearly a historical point of view told through Ali’s eyes; he is confused, frustrated and withdrawn from what his world has become. His enthusiasm for writing has decreased and the happiness that was originally present is now absent. It is this change that creates multi-leveled themes in the book.
There is a clear line between before and after the invasion. Themes such as love, family, freedom, war, peace, and culture are all firmly present and open for debate. It is these themes that encourage readers to use higher thought processes to analyze the story, its characters (mostly Ali) and the power a narrative can have in the opinion from the reader. After reading the story I had to take some time to let the words sink in. I wondered, “Did Ali leave out any information of his narrative that he wasn’t ready to tell?”
One has to look at the Iraqi and American side of the story and then interpret it. Based on this, I think the book allows students to be inspired to learn more about the beginning of the Iraqi War and finding peaceful ways to resolve their problems. If anything, the book gives students a chance to expand their knowledge of other cultures and how there are always at least two sides to every story.
The literary elements I found most prominent were characterization, setting as historical background and point of view. Despite the few words in Silent Music, the pictures described so much about Ali. His love of soccer, calligraphy and music are all well known, but the scant words written from his perspective are what stuck with me. “I filled my room with calligraphy. I filled my mind with peace.” instantly comes to mind. The setting on pre and post war Iraq creates a character vs. environment relationship. The image of Ali with his hands folded over and looking away shows me he has a feeling of fighting a losing battle to survive in a new more volatile country. The point of view from an Iraqi child before and after the invasion is one that is historically not well represented. Granted, the story is fictional, I’m sure the emotions are similar to that many adults and especially children felt—one of confusion, anxiety and frustration at not being able to put a stop to the conflict.
The illustrations in Silent Music are amazing. Patterns are laid into the shapes of things (shirts, faces birds, etc). The covering patterns resemble designs you may see in the Middle East (ornate repeating patters, exotic horses, stars, Arabic language, etc.). The backgrounds have these designs also, but usually in a tan color. This reflects the sandy and arid environment of the Middle East. When the bombing takes place the colors become dark with jet-like images. Another image that stuck with me after reading the text a slow evolution of a jet to a bird war to peace. This was a hopeful message for Ali and Iraq’s freedom.
An idea for a mini lesson would be to give students calligraphy pens so they can write a reaction to the story, much like Ali writes about his surroundings. This would be a great way to assume a similar role to Ali and hear their thoughts on a thought-provoking book.
I would place the target audience of Silent Music at an older elementary level almost entirely because of its subject of war and shattered innocence.
Aloha, e Adam Jay Johnson,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your thoughtful review of my book. It is always fascinating for an author to hear what others think about his or her work. In this case, I was intrigued how you viewed my work against a definite set of criteria (such as the readability lexile) and how you accurately defined my book.
I would, however, like to add my own point of view and, if I might, encourage your readers to visit my website jamesrumford.com, where I have more to say not just about this book but about my other books as well.
First of all, I believe that there is an underlying simplicity to this book that could be shared with young children. It might take some doing to “wade” through the foreign-ness of the book, the calligraphy, the war setting, etc.; nevertheless I think that children would not find it too difficult to decide whether it would be better to pick a fight or remain friends, whether it is easier to build something or tear it down.
I also thought that it was interesting that you thought that SILENT MUSIC might, for some readers, tell a story that would be in conflict with the American narrative of the Iraqi War. While I don’t believe that the book actually does this, because there is no mention of Saddam or of the reasons for the war or what happened in the aftermath, the book does ask the reader to reconsider the enemy and wear his shoes for a moment. All too often, people, not just kids, have a knee-jerk reaction when they hear the words “Iraq” or “Iraqi War.” It is hard for some to realize, after reading my book, that there might be one Iraqi who also desires peace.
It is almost axiomatic that enemies never want peace. It is this notion that my book seeks to dismantle. It is at this point that my book comes into conflict not just with the American narrative, but with the human narrative of aggression and survival.
I found your question, “Did Ali leave out any information of his narrative that he wasn’t ready to tell?” thought provoking. Of course, he did. Of course, I did. It would take someone who has spent time in Iraq to flesh out Ali’s story. Perhaps that someone would have to be an Iraqi. But there is another angle to your question, I think. What was I afraid to talk about? Remember that I had written this book in 2003 and spent the next several years trying to interest publishers in it. No one would touch it. “A cautionary tale,” said one. “No one will read this,” said another. At that point, there were no pictures. Just a few hundred words. But it is amazing how words of peace in a time of war can be so scary. Only when the war began to go bad, when sentiment in the country began considering alternatives to our policy in the Middle East, did a publisher take notice. For that, I am grateful. Why? Because as I read your review I realized that I had achieved my goal: to produce a thought-provoking book. Thank you for your words. Aloha, James Rumford
Adam: What a rich and deeply reflective review of this interesting book.
ReplyDeleteI think kids are far more capable of contemplating pain and darkness than we give them credit for. You would probably agree. So many of them have it in their own lives (uncles getting shot, and string of loss after loss in their own few years on earth). Maybe some of these sophisticated books (Book Thief, Silent Music) are the best invitations to our students to philosophize and examine profound topics as a group and with each other.