Weeping Under This Same Moon
by Jana Laiz
Young adult/teen selection 2010 |
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Biography ... Reviews ... Summary .... Discussion Questions ... Curriculum
Author bio (from Crow Flies Press)
| Jana Laiz has been writing for as long as she can remember. She wrote her first novel at age 6: Fuzzy Wuzzy Rabbit. She is the author of the triple Award Winning novel, Weeping Under This Same Moon, Elephants of the Tsunami, written to raise money for tsunami relief, and the co-author of "A Free Woman On God's Earth, The True Story of Elizabeth "Mumbet" Freeman, The Slave Who Won Her Freedom". Fascinated by other cultures, Jana
studied anthropology and Chinese language at University. She is a teacher, a writer, an editor, a publisher, a photographer, a mom, an animal lover and keeper of pets, a sea glass collector, a jeweler, a musician and a dreamer. She is passionate about our beautiful planet and endeavors to make a difference in the world and to work with others who feel the same. Her novel, The Twelfth Stone, a Celtic American faerie tale, adventure, romance, coming of age, environmental novel for adults and young adults is due out soon. She lives in a 200-year-old farmhouse in the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts. |
Jana's website: www.janalaiz.com |
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Reviews of Weeping Under this Same Moon
"Through the story of these Vietnamese children and the American girl who befriends them, Jana Laiz shows us how faith and courage can overcome the worst hardship. One comes out of this beautifully written book feeling uplifted, reminding us that hope always springs eternal for all the children of the world."
- Emmanuel Dongala, award-winning Author of "Little Boys Come From the Stars," and "Johnny Mad Dog."
"Weeping Under This Same Moon", by Jana Laiz, is a stunning achievement written with uncanny sympathy and intuition from the complementary perspectives of two teenage girls - one a Vietnamese refugee, the other a passionate yet unhappy American high school student - the book vividly portrays very different yet intersecting worlds. It is a moving, heartwarming, even inspiring book. I recommend it enthusiastically to readers of all ages and in particular to young adults."
-George Rupp, President, The International Rescue Committee
"Weeping Under This Same Moon" by Jana Laiz is an exquisitely told story of the power of love and friendship during a turbulent time in history. Told with warmth, humor and sensitivity, Jana Laiz brings to life two young women from disparate cultures with unique voices and personalities that readers will come to care deeply about. Weeping... stays with you long after you have read the last word. It is an inspiring book not only for young people, but for anyone wishing to see what can happen by the simple act of reaching out. It will make a GREAT movie!" -Martin Meader, Co-Executive Producer/Co Story Writer of Paradise Road. Author of "The Adventures of Charlie of Moon."
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Summary
Weeping Under This Same Moon, by Jana Laiz is based on the true story of two teenage girls from different cultures, whose paths intertwine, dramatically altering the course of their lives. Mei is an artist whose life has been disrupted by the Vietnam War. Her anguished parents send her away on a perilous escape during the exodus of thousands of Vietnamese refugees known as "Boat People." In Mei's words we learn of the dangers she faces caring for her two younger siblings on a sea journey fraught with hunger, thirst and deprivation, leaving behind everything she loves, to find refuge for her family.
Hannah is an angry seventeen-year-old American high school student. Friendless, neurotic, a social misfit - her passion for writing and the environment only intensify her outcast state. Through Hannah's voice, we get inside her head, there to discover a gentle soul beneath all the anger and turmoil. When Hannah learns of the plight of the "Boat People," she is moved to action.
Destiny brings Mei and Hannah together in a celebration of cultures and language, food and friendship, and the ultimate rescue of both young women from their own despair. Weeping Under This Same Moon is a testament to the power of love and the spirit of volunteerism; affirming that doing for others does so much for one's self...
Recipient of the Gold Medal in ForeWord Magazine's Book of the Year Award for the best in Young Adult Fiction and a Notable Book for 2009 from the International Reading Association IRA.
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Discussion Questions
- What do you know or what have you heard about the experiences of the Vietnamese refugees that fled from Vietnam on small, overcrowded boats, also called the “Boat People”?
- What do you think it was like on the boat while drifting at sea, hungry and cold, while others around you were dying or giving up?
- Why do you think that Mei intersperses images of beauty and nature with images of hopelessness and despair during her days on the ocean?
- What separations do Mei and her family experience?
- Create a timeline of major events in the lives of the main characters, Mei and Hannah.
- Compare and contrast the difficulties and the joys that Mei and Hannah face.
- What parallels, if any, do you see between the lives of Mei and Hannah?
- Go to this site to read reviews of Weeping Under This Same Moon: http://www.crowfliespress.com/weeping-under-this-same-moon_by-jana-laiz.html Towards the bottom of the page on the left hand side, please click on the link to download Jana Laiz’s press release. You will be able to read a summary of the book, reviewers’ comments, and an interview with the author.
- One of the reviewers at the site listed above, from the Boston Globe, writes, “This strong debut novel is based on a true story of two teenage girls – one a Vietnamese refugee, the other an unhappy but passionate American high school student. When their paths cross, it changes both of their lives. This story speaks to the teenagers of today about the power of love and the spirit of volunteerism.” What do you think the reviewer meant by this statement? What message does this story have for readers today?
- Another reviewer writes, “Through the story of these Vietnamese children and the American girl who befriends them, Jana Laiz shows us how faith and courage can overcome the worst hardship.” What does this mean? How have faith or courage helped you overcome hardships in your own life?
- What emotions or feelings did you have while reading the book? Identify the parts that caused those feelings.
- If you could talk to the author, what would you ask or comment on?
- If you were going to recommend Weeping Under This Same Moon to someone, who would it be? Why would you recommend it?
- If you were to draw a picture representing what you found important as you read, what would you draw? Why?
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Curriculum Resources
Weeping Under This Same Moon takes place in the late 1970s. It is a fictionalized account based on true events. You may find it interesting and helpful to learn more about the history relating to the events in the book. Please link to The Teaching Tolerance website concerning Vietnamese Americans:
http://www.tolerance.org/kit/vietnamese-americans
Located on this site you will find A Brief History of Vietnam, a Glossary, Maps of Asia, and Timelines. Some of the activities and discussion questions below are based on the Lesson Plans found at the site.
Activity for Students and Participants
The Boat People: Separation and Loss
(From Lesson 1, Vietnamese Americans, www.teachingtolerance/vietnamese)
After the fall of Saigon in 1975, thousands of Vietnamese began fleeing their country fearing persecution by the Communists. The phrase “boat people” came into common use as a result of the flood of refugees casting off from Vietnam in over-crowded, leaky boats at the end of the 1970s and the beginning of the 1980s. Between 1978 and 1981, over one million Vietnamese ventured across the South China Sea for freedom and safety, and it is estimated that half of those who attempted the trip died due to hunger, thirst, disease, and at the hands of pirates. These boat people gave up their homes, friends, and essentially their lives for a better life abroad.
HOW TO DO THIS ACTIVITY
Students will participate in an activity that will enhance their understanding of the word “separation” in the context of the refugee experience. Remind them that America has a long history as a destination point for refugees. Give students the example of the Mayflower pilgrims as the most famous “boat people.” [It is important to note that the arrival of such earlier European groups to America resulted in the displacement of Native Americans, who also experienced “loss” and “separation” as a result of war, persecution and forced removal from indigenous lands.]
Ask the students to name other refugee groups, or countries of origin where refugees have emigrated and permanently resettled in the United States. For example, the twelve largest source countries for refugees (comprising 98 percent of 1999 arrivals) who permanently settle in the United States are: Yugoslavia (former), Cuba, Soviet Union (former), Vietnam, Somalia, Liberia, Sudan, Iraq, Ethiopia, Iran, Haiti and Sierra Leone.
• Write the word “separation” on the board and ask students to brainstorm what the word means to them. Write all their ideas on the board and briefly discuss. Words should reflect wide interpretations of separation.
• Ask students to take out a piece of paper and write down the ten most important things in their lives in no particular order. The list could include people, pets, objects – anything.
• Now tell them to eliminate two items on their list. Tell them to choose carefully because they will never see or touch these things again. Give them a few seconds to do this.
• Now have them eliminate two more items. Again, tell them that they will never be able to see the items again. Some students might protest but encourage them to continue.
• Eliminate two more items and continue until there are only two items left. Now have them cross those out also. This activity will be difficult because students will have to choose among siblings, parents, and other important aspects in their lives. Some may refuse to go on.
ASSESSMENT/CLOSURE
Ask students how they felt during the process. Remind them that this, of course, was not real. Tell them that these are decisions that the Vietnamese Boat People and nearly all refugees have made in order to survive.
Remind them that separation for refugees is often among the harshest kind — parents separated from their children, siblings separated from each other, and people separated from their homes and country.
Conclude by having students write about their feelings regarding this activity and whether or not they have developed new insight into the plight of the Boat People.
Additional Activities
- Word Collage: Write the title, Weeping Under This Same Moon, in the center of a sheet of paper. Then look through magazines or newspapers for words, phrases, and sentences that illustrate or tell something about the events or characters. Work to locate a number of words, phrases, or sentences to fill the entire sheet of paper. The visual impact of the collage will tell a lot about the book.
- A Character Alphabet: Choose one of the characters in the book and create sentences based on the alphabet that show your interpretation and understanding of the character.
- Photo Album: Think about the events in the book and then choose one of the characters. Decide which scenes or events from the book this character would remember as being important. Then draw several of these scenes or events as “photos” for an album page. You may also write about which pictures the character would want in his or her album.
- Found Poems: Select a chapter or section from the book that you feel is very powerful or interesting. Select words, lines, and phrases from that section. Arrange this material into a poem.
- A Character’s Fears: One way we get to know characters is to think deeply about them and make inferences based on what they do and on what they and others say about them. Through a person’s actions we can learn what they fear and what they want to avoid the most. Choose one of the characters in the book and write a few sentences or paragraphs explaining what you believe that character fears the most.
- Community Resources for Characters: Create a list of community resources that would help one of the characters in the book solve a problem. You may look in the phone book and on the Internet for ideas.
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