Remembering Martin Luther King Jr. with a single quote

Last week I took the plunge and answered the “50 questions that will free your mind”. Question #13 was:
Would you break the law to save a loved one?
My answer, as short as it could be, was “Absolutely.”

Today I read a quote by Martin Luther King Jr. that made me think about this very question, and now I know how King would have answered it himself.

“Never be afraid to do what’s right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society’s punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.”
― Martin Luther King Jr

Such timeless advice, still relevant today.

My husband and I happened to watch the movie The Help this weekend. We didn’t time it to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. day. It just happened to show up at the library late last week and it gave us the opportunity to watch a movie together this weekend. I read the book The Help by Kathryn Stockett several months ago and I loved it. I thought it was especially good as a first time novel, with an interesting way to tell a fascinating story. As always, I found the book  much better than the movie since many parts had to be cut, but the scenes still flowed well.

I just can’t imagine these events happened barely 60 years ago. Of course, we’ve come a long way since then (at least compared to how things used to be) but it’s still hard for me to remember how bad things were not so long ago.  And so, if I could change my answer to the question Would you break the law to save a loved one?, I’d refine it with this answer. “To do what’s right, absolutely.”

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WWW Wednesdays – November 30, 2011

I’m working on a “101 in 1001 challenge” update about the past two months and I hope to display my “accomplishments” by the end of this week. I would have loved to do an update for October alone, but just didn’t get the time to do much. Not that I accomplished a lot in November either… Oh well, life works that way sometimes. At least we’re getting to have some good reading, and since it’s part of my 101 in 1001 challenge, I’m getting a few things done! 

My bookshelf

– What I’m currently reading
Out of Our Minds: Learning to Be Creative by Sir Ken Robinson. Robinson gives good background data on where our current education system comes from and what it lacks for the new world. I’m not sure where this is going but I’m enjoying the book so far.

– What I recently finished reading
The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I just read The Secret Life of Bees so this was a great book to follow up with and I loved it too. The writing was great, I couldn’t put the book down and wanted to know what would happen next. Each character (and there are a lot of them) was very well developed. I’m a little disappointed by the end, where I’d like to have seen a “happier” ending for Abileen because she deserves it so much. Otherwise this is a great story about that era and I highly recommend it.

– What I think I’ll read next
I recently read The Lying Game by Sara Shepard for my book club and I LOVED it! What a suspenseful murder story, but when I started the book, I had no idea it was the first of a series. This means I had no idea what really happened to one of the two main characters at the end of it. But now I’ve got book #2 called Never Have I Ever so I can’t wait to read it. Unfortunately there’s a book #3 and it’s not coming out until… Spring 2012!

My kids’ bookshelf

– What they’re currently reading

The Gas We Pass : The Story of Farts by Shinta Cho.  From the same series as the book Everyone Poops, this book explains how humans and animals produce, and eliminate, gas. Funny and instructional.

The Magic Porridge Pot by Paul Galdone. A witch gives a hungry little girl a magic porridge pot that produces porridge upon request, but makes a big mess when her mother tries to use it without knowing the magic words to stop it.

 

– What they recently finished reading

Rotten Ralph Feels Rotten by Jack Gantos. Rotten Ralph comes to appreciate his owner Sarah’s healthy cat food after he gets sick from eating out of trash cans. A good lesson for kids about junk food. Spoiler alert: the vet gives Rotten Ralph medication to make him vomit the bad food… My kids loved this story!

The Last Laugh by Jose Aruego. This hilarious wordless book tells the story of a clever duck outwitting a bullying snake. A good start-up book on bullying for little ones.

– What I think they’ll read next
I picked up a whole bunch of books at the library today, so I’m sure there are a few good ones in there.

What about you? Any books you or your kids are reading you’d like to share?

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WWW Wednesdays – November 23, 2011

I wish everyone a happy Turkey Day tomorrow. I hope you have many kind people and good things to be thankful for, and get to enjoy a great time with friends and family.

My bookshelf

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

– What I’m currently reading
The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I’m a little behind on the bandwagon since everybody I know has already read this book but it took me a while to put it on my to-read list and then get it from the library. A great follow-up book to The Secret Life of Bees I read recently, carrying a similar theme set in the Deep South during the Civil Rights Movement. I’m really enjoying this book so far, especially for a first-time author novel.

– What I recently finished reading
The Princess Bride by William Goldman. Ah, what a great book! And if you’ve seen the movie, you’ll really like the book since Goldman wrote the screenplay with Rob Reiner. This is what all fairy tales should be like.

– What I think I’ll read next
Out of Our Minds: Learning to Be Creative by Sir Ken Robinson, after being inspired by Robinson’s speech in a recent post of mine on ADHD and divergent thinking in schools.

My kids’ bookshelf

– What they’re currently reading
A Turkey for Thanksgiving by Eve Bunting. A very timely and hilarious story about Mr and Mrs Moose looking for a turkey at the very last minute to have for their Thanksgiving dinner. When Mr Moose finds him, the poor turkey panics as he doesn’t realize that his hosts want him AT their table, not ON it.

Little Bear’s Visit by Else Holmelund Minarik. Illustrated by Maurice Sendak, this short chapter book tells of Little Bear visiting his grandparents for the day. It includes a very funny story about a goblin getting scared in the woods… by his own shoes!

Mail Harry to the Moon by Robie H. Harris. A funny story of sibling rivalry where big brother asks his parents to mail his little brother to the moon. He’s in for quite a surprise when he wakes up the next day and can’t find his brother anywhere… My boys have a great laugh with this one.

 

– What they recently finished reading
Yours Truly, Louisa by Simon Puttock. A very funny book about Louisa the pig who sends her farmer anonymous requests to get him to clean things up around the farm.

A Frog Thing by Eric Drachman. This book has it all: an inspiring story about a frog who really wants to fly, beautiful illustrations and an audio CD. My kids loved it.

Magpie Magic : a Tale of Colorful Mischief by April Wilson. This is a wordless picture book following a young artist who draws a picture of a magpie that comes to life and starts interfering with the drawings. Wordless, mischievous and colorful make it a great read for everyone.

– What I think they’ll read next
My husband just picked up new books at the library this afternoon and I don’t know what they are, so it will be a surprise for everyone tonight! 

What about you? Any books you or your kids are reading you’d like to share?

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