Chris Crutcher

Discover more about the author of Deadline, Chris Crutcher, on his website.

Fall 09 Book Club Selection

Video: Conversations @ KCTS9- Sherman Alexie

2007 National Book Award Winner

Video: Sherman Alexie on Colbert Report

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Sherman Alexie
colbertnation.com
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Author: Sherman Alexie

Sherman Alexie's website, www.fallsapart.com, has a multitude of information about his books, short stories, and movies he has written, as well as other pertinent info.

Fiction follows real life. Check out Sherman Alexie's biography and discover how much of Junior's story is fact.

3rd book: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Our final book club selection for the semester is The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. We will be meeting Wednesday, April 22, April 29, and May 6th. Contact Mrs. Hancock if you have not received a book and are interested in joining us.

VIDEO: "The View" on Transgender Children

Resources

The Gender Identity Center of Colorado

• The Gender Identity Center of Colorado, Inc. is a non-profit corporation organized to provide support to those people who cross dress, are transsexual, transgender, or are non-traditional in their gender identity.
• The Gender Identity Center is also an informational and educational resource to the community at large.
• We are available to anyone, male or female, who can benefit from our services or resources.
• We are here for all, including spouses and significant others, parents, and siblings.

GLSEN: Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network

• GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, is the leading national education organization focused on ensuring safe schools for all students. Established nationally in 1995, GLSEN envisions a world in which every child learns to respect and accept all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression. GLSEN seeks to develop school climates where difference is valued for the positive contribution it makes to creating a more vibrant and diverse community.

Who is Fred C. Martinez, Jr. (Beyonce)?

The dedication of Luna is inscribed "In Memory of Fred C. Martinez Jr. (Beyonce) 1985-2001".

This photo is from the Rocky Mountain News.
Fred C Martinez Jr. was a 16 year old high school sophomore from Cortez, Colorado. He identified himself as "half-Navajo, openly gay, Two-spirit, and transgender." In June of 2001, his body was found brutally murdered. Shaun Murphy, then 18, pled guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 40 years in prison. Murphy was not charged with a hate crime as "the legal definition of hate crime does not apply to crimes based on the victim's gender identity or gender expression."

According to a Wikipedia article, "Transgender is the state of one's "gender identity" (self-identification as woman, man, or neither) not matching one's "assigned sex" (identification by others as male or female based on physical/genetic sex). "Transgender" does not imply any specific form of sexual orientation; transgender people may identify as heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, pansexual, polysexual, or asexual. "

To learn more about Fred C Martinez Jr, follow these links:

Families United Against Hate
Rocky Mountain News articles regarding the case
An obituary
Temenos Page for Fred Martinez Jr
Wikipedia Article about Fred Martinez

Author: Julie Anne Peters

Julie Anne Peters has published 6 novels for teens, with a seventh, Rage, to be released in September 2009. For more information, click on the book cover. Julie Anne Peters website is http://www.julieannepeters.com. She is also on myspace.

2nd Book: Luna by Julie Anne Peters

Our next book is Luna by Julie Anne Peters. Books will be given out on March 18th. We will meet each Wednesday during SSR (2:50-3:05pm) in Mrs. Ochs room. REMEMBER if you take a book, you are making a commitment to read and join us for book club discussions.

More information about Luna can be found on NCPL's book review blog or on the author's website.

If you enjoyed reading BLACK AND WHITE, you might like...

The Perfect Shot by Elaine Marie Alphin
Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson
Tyrell by Coe Booth
Crackback by John Coy
Ball Don't Lie by Matt de la Pena
Cheated by Patrick Jones
The Juvie Three by Gordon Korman
Autobiography of My Dead Brother by Walter Dean Myers
Monster by Walter Dean Myers
Slam by Walter Dean Myers
Paranoid Park by Blake Nelson
The Hoopster by Alan Lawrence Sitomer
Hip-hop High School by Alan Lawrence Sitomer
Homeboyz by Alan Lawrence Sitomer
Boot Camp by Todd Strasser
Snitch by Allison Van Diepen
Street Pharm by Allison Van Diepen

Links will take you to a description on Amazon.com. NCPL owns each of these titles. Roosevelt High School may own some of these. If not, talk to Mrs. Hancock about ordering them.

NEWS: Corrections Officers Accused of Letting Inmates Run Rikers Island Jail

Corrections Officers Accused of Letting Inmates Run Rikers Island Jail

This New York Times article dated 1/23/09 discussed the violence that is prevalent on Rikers Island. This case stems from the 10/18/08 beating death of an 18-year-old inmate.

Rikers High Videos

More Rikers Island Facts

According to TruTV's Inside an American Jail:

• Rikers Island in New York is considered the world’s largest penal colony. As many as 130,000 inmates reside there each year (although only about 15,000 at any one time).
• Check out more of their startling facts about American jails.

This is the bridge inmates cross on their way to Rikers Island.

Learn More About Rikers Island

• Get the basic facts from this Wikipedia article.
• Find out more about Rikers Island on this website created by NYC24/Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
• Watch this video of Bob's experience visiting a friend on Rikers Island.
• Take a photo tour of Rikers Island.
• Read A Tale of Two Ex-Inmates.

This map is from CourtTV.com
Another view of Rikers Island.

Famous Rikers Island Inmates

The jail facilities on Rikers Island are for temporary inmates or those serving city sentences of one year or less. You may know a few of these famous Rikers inmates.

Mark David Chapman
1980-1981 for the murder of John Lennon (12-8-80). He is currently serving time at Attica State Prison and was denied parole in 2004.





Tupac Shakur
1995 for sexual assault, served 8 months and was released on $1.4 million bond. He Died in Las Vegas on 9-13-96.





DMX
2006, served time for reckless endangerment and traffic citations. He was given a 70 day sentence but was released early for good behavior/time served.




Foxy Brown
2007-2008, served one year for violent assault





To find out more about these famous inmates, click here.

Teen Inmates on Rikers Island

If you were a teen sentenced to Rikers Island (like Marcus), you would probably serve your time in this facility, one of 10 jails on the island.

Adolescent Reception and Detention Center
Address: 11-11 Hazen St., East Elmhurst, N.Y. 11370

Adolescent Reception and Detention Center was opened in 1972. The facility houses adolescent male detainees (ages 16-18). ARDC has a capacity of 2,500 in a combination of modular dormitories, Sprung structures and cells.


Helping New York Youths, Fresh Out of Jail, Stay Out

This photo and article are from the New York Times (dated January 2, 2007).

Facts about Rikers Island

• There are approximately 13,500 inmates daily on Rikers.
  
• Of that population, about 800 are teens.
  
• Half of those teens are junior high dropouts and half read below a sixth grade level.
  
• Without intervention, 2/3 of release inmates return to jail within 3 years
• With training and education, 70-80% will stay OUT of jail.
  

Paul Volponi

Author Paul Volponi has published 6 novels for teens. Click on each cover for more information. You can also access his website @ http://www.paulvolponibooks.com/

1st book: Black and White by Paul Volponi

The first book we'll be discussing is Black and White by Paul Volponi. Books were distributed to students on January 28th. We will meet each Wednesday during SSR (2:50-3:05pm) in Mrs. Ochs room. If you have received a book, you are making a commitment to read and join us for book club discussions.

More information about Black and White can be found on NCPL's book review blog or on the author's website.