Sunday, March 31, 2013

"The Skin I'm In" reflection

The Skin I'm In


Flake, S. (1998). The skin I'm in. New York: Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children.

The Skin I’m In is a narrative written from the perspective of Maleeka, a thirteen year old with very low self-esteem. She attends an urban, rough middle school where most of the students are more concerned with smoking in the bathrooms and partying than with school work. Maleeka is dragged down by a so-called “friend” named Char. Maleeka is so embarrassed by her dark skin and mangy clothes (sewn together by her mother) she allows Char to treat her terribly. Maleeka does her homework and follows Char in all of her schemes, just so she will loan her some decent looking clothes to wear. Everyone in school bullies Maleeka, especially a boy named John-John, who has made up a jingle about how black Maleeka’s skin is. Things start to change when a new teacher, Miss. Saunders, a former corporate business woman, begins teaching Maleeka’s English class.  Miss. Saunders has a large white birthmark on her face, but has not let that stop her from being successful. She see Maleeka’s potential, and tries to bring her under wing, but Maleeka is resistant from the beginning. She continues focusing on being accepted by her peers, following Char in the hopes she’ll throw her a bone, and getting into trouble. Finally, at the very end of the book, Maleeka gets into much more trouble than she ever anticipated. She finally stands up for herself against Char and begins to take her education and herself more seriously.
            Honestly, I had mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed seeing the world through Maleeka’s eyes, I almost felt as if I were in her shoes. However, this book really lacked much of a plot. Flake spent the first three-fourths of the book describing characters and several little events that weren’t really tied together. There was no real build up, or anything to keep you reading. Finally, there was somewhat of a climax when Maleeka gets blamed for Char’s grand idea, yet again, and she finally stands up for herself. But suddenly, the book is over. It was just somewhat, disappointing.
            There was definitely a lot of conflict in this book. Maleeka was conflicting with herself (person-against-self) as well as with her peers (person-against-person), especially Char. Maleeka is constantly feeling down on herself and that she is not good enough to do anything. Even when her new teacher, Ms. Saunders, tries to give her some confidence in what a wonderful writer she is, Maleeka is too insecure to accept it. Some of the words used in this book are different than in traditional literature. However, I found them very appropriate for the context. I have spent over three years working with low-income, urban children and I could almost hear some of the things Maleeka and her peers say coming out of the mouth of my students. For example, on page 27 when Desda asks Maleeka why she doesn’t speak proper English she answers, “Don’t nobody talk like that for real, only people in old movies and books.” This really hit home for me, because many of my students really don’t hear anyone speak proper English. This makes it even more important for me to concentrate on what I say and how I say things because it makes such an impact. 

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