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Bibliographic data:
Leitich Smith, Cynthia (2001). Rain is Not My Indian Name. Read by Jenna Lamia.
New York: Listening Library.
Summary:
Cassidy Rain Berghoff knows grief all to well. Her mother died when he was a child,
and now, on the eve of her fourteenth birthday, her best friend Galen is struck
by a car and dies during the night.
In response, Cassidy pulls herself inward, isolating herself from
friends and family for months.
When Galen’s mourning mother tries to put a stop to the Indian youth
camp her aunt has organized, Cassidy is pulled back into the world and forced
to think about herself, her heritage and what’s best for everyone.
Analysis:
Leitich Smith has created a likable, relatable character in
Cassidy. Because of, or perhaps in
spite of, the great losses she has had in her life, Cassidy is down to earth and
realistic. She is a well-balanced
character, possessing get self-confidence at times and extreme self-doubts at
others. She is perfectly flawed,
she makes mistakes that hurt others and is hurt; yet at the same time she shows
great compassion and empathy. She
understands the complexities of the people around her, while not understanding
their puzzling choices and behaviors.
Cassidy’s questions and concerns are easy to relate to, even
for those who are not part Native American. Throughout the book, Cassidy attempts to figure out about
relationships, her place in the world and why people treat each other as they
do, all things that most teens can relate with. Her experiences in the book are very universal, allowing
both male and female readers to connect with the story.
Rain Is Not My Indian
Name would be a benefit to any multicultural library collection because
Cassidy and her family are not the stereotype of Native Americans. Often stories that feature Native
characters take place in the distance past, preventing the characters from
relating to modern youth. With the
exception of some outdated technology, Cassidy is clearly living in the
now. This is, unfortunately, a
unique characteristic that makes Rain is
Not My Indian Name an important addition to a young adult collection.
Activity:
When reconnecting with the world after Galen’s death,
Cassidy turns to her camera. She
takes photos of her aunt’s Indian Camp for the local newspaper, allowing her to
be a part of camp while still being an outsider. She focuses on the technical aspects of her photographs, the
light and angles, to ensure that they capture the correct feel and emotion.
Give readers either digital (preferred) or disposable
cameras. Have a number of
still life scenes setup, lit using lamps and flashlights. Allow the readers to experiment with
different positions of the lights to create different shadows. After this, instruct students that they
will be taking portraits of each other to show various emotions, however there
is a challenge. No facial
expressions are permitted; students must maintain a neutral face. They may change their head position. Students will have to use angle and
lighting to create the desired effect.
Related Resources:
One of positives of the book is that it portrays Native
Americans doing modern day activities.
Cassidy’s older brother works in the technology industry designing
webpages. For many readers, the
process of designing a webpage would be completely foreign. Learning
HTML for Kids is a basic guide on how to design a webpage. If a reader finds this career choice
intriguing, they can start designing their own sites.
Jeffers Goodell, Jill.
Learning HTML for Kids. Retrieved from http://www.goodellgroup.com/tutorial/
(accessed July 3, 2016)
A major event throughout the book is the Indian Camp that
Cassidy’s aunt is organizing. The
camp has a science and technology focus, with the campers experimenting to see
how strong they can build a bridge made from spaghetti noodles and Elmer’s
glue. To further the importance of
science and technology, readers could do their own experiments. Scholastic Inc has put together a list
of fun videos with experiments that students could recreate or use as
inspiration.
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/40-cool-science-experiments-web
Scholastic Inc.
40 Cool Science Experiments on the
Web. Retrieved from http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/40-cool-science-experiments-web
(accessed July 3, 2016)
Published Review:
“Multiple plot lines and
nonlinear storytelling may make it difficult to enter Smith's (Jingle Dancer)
complex novel, but the warmth and texture of the writing eventually serve as
ample reward for readers. The sensitive yet witty narrator, 14-year-old Cassidy
Rain Berghoff, grows up in a small Kansas town as one of the few people with
some Native American heritage. That experience alone might challenge Rain, but
Smith creates a welter of conflicts. Rain's mother is dead (she was struck by
lightning), and as the novel opens, her best friend is killed in a car accident
just after he and Rain realize their friendship has grown into romance. Six
months later, her older brother urges her to go to her great-aunt's Indian
Camp. At first she shrugs it off, but later volunteers to photograph the camp
for the town paper and begins to share her Aunt Georgia's commitment to it. When
public funding for the camp becomes a contested issue in the city council, Rain
decides to enroll. Some of Smith's devices such as opening each chapter with a
snippet from Rain's journal add depth and clarify Rain's relationships for
readers, although other elements (the detailing of song lyrics playing in the
background, for instance) seem stilted. Even so, readers will feel the
affection of Rain's loose-knit family and admire the way that they, like the
author with the audience, allow Rain to draw her own conclusions about who she
is and what her heritage means to her.”
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