Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Invasion of the Borrowers

The Borrowers are real. I know they're real because I'm missing quite a number of small items and important pieces of paper that I know I packed from my dorm room before I came home and I remember taking special note that they were there. And my dorm room was completely empty when I left it. It was as small as a closet (think Harry Potter and his cupboard under the stairs - yep, that was my dorm room) so it's not like there were many places these things could have disappeared to. No, the disappearing definitely happened once I got home. And so the Borrowers must be real. They have to be. There's no other explanation.

In other news, I saw an incredible movie last night called Freedom Writers. It's based on a true story after the LA riots where high school kids from an interracial school in Long Beach, California learn to cope with their lives and the struggles of gangs, broken homes, and racial wars through keeping journals. The project was started by their English teacher, Erin Gruwell, who joined the school in order to make a difference in the interracial community. She reached out and helped these kids realize their potential through exposing them to others who had similar struggles. She had her students read The Diary of Anne Frank and taught them about the Holocaust. The kids eventually referred to themselves as the Freedom Writers, a take-off of the previous segregation fighers, the Freedom Riders. They compiled their journals together and it was eventually published.

Freedom Writers is an extremely moving film and definitely a must see. I found it extremely interesting that there was so much focus on the Holocaust, as well. I even almost cried at certain points and I hate crying during movies (even though it, er, isn't that difficult to do. For me, I mean. So embarassing). I really, really want to read the book now.

4 comments:

Scraps said...

I agree with you about the Borrowers. They totally exist.

That movie sounds really good! I'm the same way about movies, in that I don't like crying at them but I usually do anyway. I'll have to see this one, as well as read the book. :)

the apple said...

The Borrowers. Wow. Can you say second grade flashback?

Someone else recommended Freedom Writers to me as well. I was surprised to find out that it's about the Holocaust, since the previews didn't give any sort of hint about that.

haKiruv said...

If I find little people under my floorboards with my small valuables, I'm straight up calling the cops.

Erachet said...

Scraps - go rent the movie right now!

The Apple - It's not really about the Holocaust. But the teacher uses the Holocaust to teach her students about how far gang violence and racial wars can go. She gets Holocaust survivors to speak to them, they read the Diary of Anne Frank, etc. It's very powerful.

Hakiruv - Awwww. I'd just let them live in my sister's old Polly Pocket house. Then they wouldn't need my things.

Now I have secret, hidden text like on SerandEz!