Flake, S. (1998). The skin I'm
in. New York: Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children.
Sharon Flakes’ The skin I’m in is a
realistic fiction book that any school aged kid could relate too. This young
adult novel could easily occur and many people young and old probably have had
similar experiences to these characters. The protagonist Maleeka Madison’s story and experiences
take the bullying topic to a whole new level.
It is very easy to fall in love with Maleeka’s character because of her
honesty. As she narrates we hear the thoughts that go thru her mind. One of the
most intimate moments between Maleeka and the reader is when she looks at
herself in the mirror and tries to see the ugly that all of the students speak
about when anyone mentions her name.
Maleeka is a thirteen year old, beautiful dark skinned African American girl
who lives with her mother. She has above average intelligence but allows her
peer relationships to impact her efforts. After her father’s death Maleeka took
on the role as caregiver to her mother. She fed her and took care of the house
when her mother couldn’t muster up the energy to get out of bed. Maleeka’s
mother began to come back to life when she started sewing clothes. This is one
of the major conflicts that Maleeka faces because the clothes that she makes
are not sewn well and they make Maleeka look like a poor outcast. The students
at her school do not give Maleeka any passes. The song that Maleeka’s rival
John John sings about her being so black that no one can see her is the most
painful example of bullying any child could ever experience. When Maleeka
decides to take her fate into her own hands she signs a deal with the devil.
That devil being Char who is one of the most disrespectful and ugly spirited characters
that I have ever seen created for a book. Maleeka makes a deal with Char that
requires her to do her homework in return for fashionable clothing.
Maleeka was finally adjusting to things
until her new English teacher, Ms. Saunders walked into her life. Maleeka didn’t
like that Ms. Saunders seemed to compare herself to Maleeka. Ms. Saunders was
bullied her entire life because of a huge birth mark on her face. The beauty of
this story is that through all of the saga and turmoil Mrs. Saunders doesn’t
give up on Maleeka. She sees her abilities and finds unique ways to get Maleeka
to stay away from the drama that Char creates. Maleeka’s story takes an awful turn at the
climax but the resolution when Maleeka comes into her own will make tears roll
down anyone’s face.
The minute I read about the
students bullying Maleeka I thought about my darker skinned cousins who were
bullied by their family and friends when we were younger. Names like blacky,
darky, tar baby, and midnight were a few. I don’t think as kids we knew what we
were doing by perpetuating the cycle of self-hate that many African Americans still
endure today. It was funny to those who weren’t experiencing it but I’m sure
like Maleeka’s story it was painful for them to deal with being the outcast.
Big Idea Question: What is your
biggest insecurity and how could you take this insecurity and turn it in to a
positive?
trueeeeeee
ReplyDeletetrueeeeeee
ReplyDelete