Some thoughts on the interview

I want to preface this post by saying that I love Spinelli and think he can pretty much do no wrong, because he hasn't yet. I also want to preface this by saying that Kami doesn't like Spinelli and probably didn't much like Milkweed. That's okay. We picked this book because Kayli told us to and I am glad we did. It was good for you to read it, Kami.

The most important thing in that interview, I think, is when Spinelli said he wrote the story because you should write about what you care about. Thinking about Spinelli and all of his books, not just Milkweed, I would have to conclude that Spinelli cares most deeply about the humanity of children. Their innocence, the way they think, the way they can influence others despite their limited power, the way they can be cruel, and the way they can be different in an unaffected way because they don't yet understand what is "normal." I don't think many writers can capture that like Spinelli has and continues to do. I think that is why I find his writing so powerful despite its surface simplicity.

The other thing I found powerful was when Spinelli said, "Six million holocausts of one." I, unlike Spinelli, can't handle studying the holocaust. I can't look at the pictures, I can't handle watching the video footage, and I try to avoid books that deal with the subject as a general rule. I find it emotionally more than I can take. However, every once in awhile an author or director will handle it in a way that makes it about a holocaust of one--like Milkweed and Life is Beautiful, and I think that is powerful. It scares me when I hear about Oxford professors getting fired for teaching that the government made up the holocaust. We have to teach it, we have to think about it periodically, and we have to remember that it can and has happened again, and that even if we sacrifice our soldiers, we have to stop it.

I found it annoying when the interviewer talked about this book being too "horrifying" for young readers. What?? I thought Spinelli had the perfect light touch, and he was absolutely right that he mixed so many rays of light in with the awfulness that it becomes bearable and readable, and certainly acceptable for young readers. For example, just Misha's belief that the Jackboots were fantastic and cool is deeply horrible, but so understandable. And Uri's impatience with him is so sad, but understandable. And Uri's having to hurt him to save him was heartbreaking, yet Uri was such a noble character. Janina's being so ridiculously ANNOYING was also so believable and how much Misha clung to her was so sad and so true to how much every child wants/needs a family and a sense of belonging.

Again, I found lots of rays of hope and light in the book. That his daughter found him and had compassion and allowed him to live out the rest of his life in dignity was the perfect ending. I certainly don't blame his wife for leaving him--again, it rang true. It would be hard to live with a damaged person like he was. Sometimes I was annoyed that never seemed to "get it." That he told people about his story, but without getting the sense that he really understood his story. I was frustrated with him throughout so much of the book, but then I thought of Miriam left alone in such an inexplicable situation as a holocaust ghetto, struggling to figure out who was friend and foe and mostly WHY, and it really rings true. She would never "get it" on her own. I could explain it to her for years, and she wouldn't necessarily "get it" until she was older. Misha didn't have the opportunity to study, to discuss with other what had happened, he never could really organize the events in his head, and it all happened when he was too young for any real understanding--so in the end, when he still seemed slightly crazy, it still rang true to me. Now we would say he needed serious counseling.

Anyway, I've gone on much longer than I intended. I'm curious to hear what you all had to say.