Author: hollander.66

Text Review Assignment: Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid is a novel centered around the life of supermodel Nina Riva. Alternating between the past and present, Malibu Rising shares the story of Nina and her sibling’s (Kit, Jay and Hud) life, navigating an alcoholic mother and a father (famous singer Mick Riva) who is not involved in their lives. The story concludes at the Riva sibling’s annual party, during which things get very out of hand.

Through out Malibu Rising, the main character Nina Riva navigates her identity. As shown in the novel, Niva’s entire life and identity has revolved around taking care of her siblings. After their father walked out on them when Nina was a child, Nina took on more responsibility within her family. Her mom, though present, was often consumed by alcoholism and because of this, Nina served as a mother figure to her three younger siblings. When their mother passes, Nina drops out of high school to take care of her sibling full time and run the family restaurant. Nina’s entire life had been consumed by doing whatever was necessary, including taking on a modeling career, to care for her siblings. Toward the end of the novel, Nina realizes that her siblings no longer depend on her, and she must examine what her identity is outside of being a mother figure to them. From this evaluation, she decides to leave Malibu and finally take her life into her own hands, doing what makes her happy. Overall, the entire novel is an investigation into Nina’s identity.

The novel also examines interesting power dynamics. The most prevalent one is the power that Mick Riva has over his family who he walked out on. Even though he is not present in their lives, he still holds a power over the family, influencing their decisions, especially because he is famous. Malibu Rising also examines injustices surrounding the contrast between wealth and poverty, and how this impacts people differently.

In conclusion, the novel Malibu Rising covers topics that are very relatable to the topics we discuss in this course.

Malibu Rising: A Novel: Reid, Taylor Jenkins: 9781524798659: Amazon.com: Books

Diary of Systemic Injustices Showcase: Tracking In Schools

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For my showcase of systemic injustices, I wanted to focus on something that I mentioned a few times throughout my diary of systemic injustices. The city I grew up in, Shaker Heights, Ohio, is a city founded on the premise of spurring racial equality. The city was created with equal housing for both black and white families, attempting to integrate the races in a ‘town ahead of its time”. With this premise, even though the right idea was at play, comes many more logistical issues, many of which the city is still dealing with today. Though diverse, some may argue that Shaker Heights is not yet as integrated as the original founders meant for it to be. I attended the Shaker Heights School District my entire life, and thus witnessed many of these systemic injustices, and even tried to combat them through my involvement in a club called Student Group On Race Relations (SGORR).

One example of a systemic injustice we investigated as a part of SGORR was the concept of “tracking” in the schools. To my best understanding, “tracking” in schools begins in early elementary school. Students are places in advanced reading or math groups as early as kindergarten or first grade. I personally remember when students would go into the hall as a part of the “advanced reading group” in kindergarten. These placements then follow you as you advance though school, and it is hard to be put into high level classes once someone is “tracked” to a certain level. Oftentimes, black or possibly other minority students are placed into the lower-level reading and math groups in elementary school. This carries into their later schooling careers, and often once they are “tracked” at the lower level, it is harder for them to move up to more advanced classes. This results in a lack of Black students in the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate classes in high school. This investigation began after an article was written in the Washington Post about a black girls experience in advanced placement classes at Shaker Heights High School. The link to the article is: https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2019/10/11/this-trail-blazing-suburb-has-tried-years-tackle-race-what-if-trying-isnt-enough/. I remember the uproar the article caused and the necessary talk it started to combat the systemic injustices that effected so many of my peers.

Relating to this, Shaker Heights was featured in a CNN United Shades of America episode about systemic injustices in schools. The episode focused on two different school districts in Cleveland, one of them being Shaker Heights. They talked about SGORR, and the systemic injustice of tracking, specifically in the Shaker School district. They followed SGORR members and interviewed students on topics surrounding race integration.

Overall, the systemic injustice of tracking in schools effected my school district greatly, much coverage has been done on it, and the district is working toward finding a solution to integrate races throughout the school even more.

https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/oh-cuyahoga/east-cleveland-shaker-heights-schools-to-be-featured-on-cnn-special-on-public-school-inequities

https://www.cnn.com/shows/united-shades-of-america

 

 

 

Satrapi’s Persepolis Context Presentation

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The story Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi is an autobiographical account of her life while growing up in the midst of political and religious turmoil in Iran. In summary, this is a coming of age story that highlights the unrest in Iran in the 1980s. Marjane is a social active girl and Persepolis shares her struggles with freedom throughout her life.

Because Persepolis is an autobiography, it gives a reader a unique first hand look into the complex political unrest in Iran in the 1980s. In September of 1980, the Iran-Iraq war started when Iraqi armed forces invades the western boarder of Iran. The attack was prompted by territorial and political conflict between the two countries. This lead to eight years of active fighting, until a ceasefire was called for in 1988. During these years of flighting, the daily life of those in Iran changed dramatically, especially for women. Before the Iran- Iraq war and the Iranian revolution, women were included in higher education. The choice of wearing a Hijab was left up the them, and they indulged in many western styles, including tight fitting clothing and high heels. Women were allowed to walk freely alone, shopping, getting their hair done, socializing, etc. This era is termed the Pahlavi Era and took place from 1925-1979. After this, the rights for women began to decline. This era, termed The Khomeini decade, lasted from 1979-1989 and is when Persepolis takes place. Under revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Iran’s new theocracy gave priority to Islamic tradition over modern ideas. Women were now required to wear a Hijab, or islamic headdress. They were segregated from men and taken out of the workforce. They essentially lost all of the westernized rights to which they had become so accustomed. After this, women took to political activism, fighting for their rights back.

Satrapi’s account helps to emphasize one of the main themes of the story, contrasting Iran to the rest of the world. Throughout her life, Marjane lives in and out of Iran. Through her story, she compares the different cultures in which she lives, giving insight into her the freedoms she is given in each place.

 

References:

“Iran-Iraq War.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/event/Iran-Iraq-War.

“Iranian Women – before and after the Islamic Revolution.” BBC News, BBC, 8 Feb. 2019, www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-47032829.

“The Women’s Movement.” The Iran Primer, 6 Oct. 2010, iranprimer.usip.org/resource/womens-movement.