Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Lecture
I was extremely glad that I attended Susan's talk. I really enjoyed listening to her detail her methods for research. It was very impressive the way that she hunted information down, striving to gather as many first-person tales as she possibly could. In some informational texts, there is little passion behind the writing, almost as though the writer had gathered the information soley from other texts on the topic. This is not the case with Susan's books, and having heard her speak, I can understand why. She becomes totally involved in her writing. She sets out to tell the true tale of the lives of real people.
I think one of the things that impressed me most was the fact that she was clearly as moved by the stories of her interviewees as those of us who had only just recently read about them. I think that her passion speaks to her readers, which is why her books are so engaging. I was also impressed by the lengths she went to to gather her information. For her latest book "They Called Themselves the KKK: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group" Susan ventured to the very edge, attending a Klan rally. I questioned whether I would be willing to go to that extent for the truth. Clearly, Susan is.
I totally agree with you Caryn! She really brings a whole new life to non-fiction / historical writing!
ReplyDeleteI'm very excited about her new book on the KKK. I have at least two units that can use the book and I know it will spark interest when displayed.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you were able to attend this event and learn about how excellent nonfiction is researched and written. I doubt that many people understand how much work, integrity and passion go into these books. And yes, many series nonfiction books are dry and just presenting information that students prefer to get electronically - which is why I think secondary nonfiction sections will soon be very small.
ReplyDeleteFrom what classmates have said, I know Bartoletti's books must be very good because of her passion. I also think she is very brave to have researched the KKK. I guess her passion drove her.
ReplyDeleteI totally enjoyed her lecture and would love to be able to have her speak to our 6th graders. I think she would be an inspiration to younger students, but the amount of material and the extensivness of her research would definitely lend itself to middle and high school.
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