This Unknown Binding Book item from Perfection Learning was reviewed on 24-Oct-2008.
Search ISBN:0812422457 offer from Abebooks or used books from Alibris. Iggie's House Reference Book. Classifications : General Ages 4-8 Children's Books Subjects Books General AAS Ages 4-8 Children's Books Subjects Books Blume, Judy ( B ) Authors & Illustrators, A-Z Children's Books Subjects Books General Family Life . Related topics: General. Ages 4-8. Children´s Books. Subjects. Books. General AAS. Ages 4-8. Children´s Books. Subjects. Books. requestid: ce4c3659-0f4b-4b9a-8094-1a3a0614be75
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1) Unknown Binding Book Iggie's House by Perfection Learning. The influence of Judy Blume´s opera supra on her young audience has been widely, if perhaps inadequately, debated. And certainly Blume has never been one to shy away from controversy, and her children´s literature has generally taken a "contrarian" or "progressive" perspective on most given issues. What makes her an interesting--if not exactly uplifting--author is her ability to render with tremendous realism the perspective of children and early adolescents on the world they live in.
But this strength ultimately damns Iggie´s House to total failure: Blume has chosen to treat the heavily complex, urban and political (read: ADULT) issue of racism and segregation through the perspective of a suburban child--and the result is, not surprisingly an extremely distorted and childish perspective of the issue at hand.
In the first place, the premise is totally implausible. A black family moves into an all-white residential development in back-town New Jersey and causes a huge stir spearheaded by the community´s self-appointed commander-in chief, Mrs. Landon. Unsuccessful in her attempts--supported by, oh, around twenty-five percent of the neighborhood--to convince the family to move, Mrs. Landon ultimately decides to quit the place, as do several other people.
Anyone with even a rudimentary knowledge of mid-century racial conflict will find this laughable. Racial segregation was, in the northern United States, largely an urban matter: tight-knit and largely ethnic European white communities wanted to ensure that their low-rent neighbourhoods would not become havens for the upcoming blacks, whom they viewed as competition for resources and a threat to their cultural and social autonomy. In 1948, their means of redlining blacks via restrictive covenants became constitutionally impermissible, and when brokers, dealers and landlords just couldn´t resist the temptation to "blockbust" to cash in on a one-time lucrative deal from black families who couldn´t find a friendly place and therefore would pay higher prices, the whites quickly fled, fearing their property would drop in value (which of course it did once it all went up for sale at the same time). They moved out to peripherary suburbs, where it was easier to control who moved in and out: if you were living there, you could afford a car and the commute, and so were probably not the type to let your kids run wild. Thus they ensured that if blacks did move next door, they would be "quality" blacks.
I´m not going to touch on the morality or immorality of the players in that tragic and wrenching drama except to say that blacks were victims, but they were not the only ones, of armchair politics. The point is, an upwardly mobile black family--as the Garbers of this book are clearly shown to be--moving into a nice, serene suburb would probably not be met with the kind of intense revulsion depicted in this tome. Of course there are exceptions. Generally speaking, however, by the time this was published, "respectable" suburban soccer moms did not behave like Mrs. Landon.
But "Iggy´s House" fails on more levels. It fails to tell a decent story or show any real action. Winnie, the young white protagonist from an ordinary moderate-conservative family and best friend of the departed cosmopolitan progressive family who recently vacated the home at the center of the storm, is shown to become friends with the three Garber children... but what of them? They´re black. They´re nice kids. What else? The book does deserve credit for depicting their ambivalence about her political vigilanteeism--do they need or want her help?
"Iggy´s House" raises these questions, but Winnie seems impervious. By the end it seems as though she has learned absolutely nothing. And the antagonist, Mrs. Landon... what a cardboard cutout. It´s easy to loathe her, but at the same time her anti-Garber crusade becomes puzzling. All she does is make casseroles and attend PTA meetings. To what end? Why involve onesself in schools if you don´t have an idea of what you want your children to be learning? Her twitty daughter makes us wonder why she even bothers. What does she have to protect, or hide?
Nothing. But the whites who fought to preserve their segregated neighborhoods DID feel they were defending something, and whatever one thinks of their methods, it is hard not to look at the remnants of vibrant old neighbourhoods and wonder if maybe they did not have a point, however questionable their methods. In a world where we will always have war or rumours of war, there is a price for everything.
"Iggy´s House" will not admit that. It sets up a straw man racist and doesn´t cut to the core of the issues. I suppose this is inevitable: set in the isolated and inhuman modern American suburbs, it could hardly be expected to depict issues in a human manner. But that´s another story for another day. Any child, black, white, purple, pink, brown, red, or WHATEVER would have his intelligence seriously insulted to be given this book. Don´t give it to him.¤ 2) Unknown Binding Book Iggie's House by Perfection Learning.
This book is short and you can read it in a couple of days or if you love to read it may only take you a couple of hours. The book is about a girl named Winnie whose best friend moves away and her best friends house is sold to a black family named the Gerbers. Know one in the neighborhood likes them. Every one in their neighborhood is white.
This book teaches a valuable lesson that color of skin does not matter. You can hang out with who ever you want no matter what your nationality . Some people think skin color matters and that black people and white people shouldn´t hang out together. This book teaches you that it´s okay to.
¤ 3) Unknown Binding Book Iggie's House by Perfection Learning.
This book is short and you can read it in a couple of days or if you love to read it may only take you a couple of hours. The book is about a girl named Winnie whose best friend moves away and her best friends house is sold to a black family named the Gerbers. Know one in the neighborhood likes them. Every one in their neighborhood is white.
This book teaches a valuable lesson that color of skin does not matter. You can hang out with who ever you want no matter what your nationality . Some people think skin color matters and that black people and white people shouldn´t hang out together. This book teaches you that it´s okay to.
¤ 4) Unknown Binding Book Iggie's House by Perfection Learning. Iggie´s House is a boring book from start to end. It never draws you in, and you never remember what is going on in the story. It is not funny,quirky,dramatic, or social issue type material. This book is so bad, it doesn´t even desrerve a 1, more like a -2¤ 5) Unknown Binding Book Iggie's House by Perfection Learning. The only character I like is Glenn. I hate the rest. At least try!¤ 6) Unknown Binding Book Iggie's House by Perfection Learning. When a black family with three children moves into the white neighborhood, eleven-year-old Winnie learns the difference between being a good neighbor and being a good friend.¤ Page Updated: Robert N. Goolsby, 21-Nov-2008, 08124224579780812422450, 930-790-300-340-990-570-8 |
