So Far From the Bamboo Grove

This book is riveting as far as teaching it in an elementary classroom goes. I think that this book deserves a lot of the controversial talk that it has gotten over the years simply because of the issues it discusses. Not only does it talk about war from a perspective that many of it's readers most likely have very little knowledge about, but it also talks about a few things that would make many adults uncomfortable. The issue I am referring to is the forced prostitution and rape that occurs in the book. I think that rape is an issue that is very difficult to talk about even in a High School classroom where students should have enough knowledge and morals to be able to discuss the issue in an appropriate and mature manner. However, this can be a very risky and difficult subject to talk about in an elementary schools. There are many reasons for this, but I think the main one is exposure or lack there of to the students prior to reading about it in this book. I do think that it is a subject a teacher has to be very careful discussing and it would vary class by class year by year depending on the maturity level of your students. I can understand why parents think that their children should not be exposed to such a horrible thing as rape in the classroom and that perhaps it is an issue that should be dealt with at home. However, I do believe that if given the opportunity, and under the right circumstances, the issue can be talked about effectively with young children. The main question this subject still raises in my head is how much different it would be for me, as a male, to teach this to a classroom of young students than a female teacher. I think this is an important factor in teaching about a subject as sensitive as rape due to the fact that females are the main victims in these crimes. This book really makes you think deep as an adult as to if and to what extent we want our children learning about some of the more graphic details of this particular depiction of this war.