Brooklyn (Spring 2010)
"Hauntingly beautiful and heartbreaking, Colm Tóibín's sixth novel, Brooklyn, is set in Brooklyn and Ireland in the early 1950s, when one young woman crosses the ocean to make a new life for herself." ~Simon & Schuster
Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín (Scribner, 2009)
Brooklyn Overview
Life is often described as a journey or a story. That sense of story or journey has become the foundation of literature, art, film, theater, television, lyrical music, and even social media. We are a culture that loves to watch, listen, and become a part of others’ stories, often imagining ourselves in someone else’s reality. However, sometimes we become too caught up with watching and not making our own journey the most compelling story. Shaping our journeys requires conscious choices and actions.
Colm Toibin’s Brooklyn is the story of a young girl with a very ordinary, predictable life that changes drastically when she makes one decision and takes steps toward a very different future. How often do we consider how one decision or choice might change the course of our lives, relationships, and futures? Not to say that our future will implode if we decide to have a cheeseburger instead of a chicken sandwich. But the truth is, as we get older, the choices we make become more meaningful.
In the shared reading of Ellis’ story in Brooklyn, YOUmedia challenges teens to think about the personal narratives we are shaping right now. What journey will our choices take us on? What paths are open and waiting for us? How will we make our stories more than ordinary? After all, if life really is a story, don’t we want ours to be awesome?
YOUmedia's Brooklyn Workshops
Legacy Seekers: Discover and document your family’s history as an investigative podcaster or filmmaker.
The Game of Life: Create an interactive reality and life experiment with Sims3 and blogging.
My Soundtrack: Compose original music and a score that reflects your present life and the choices you face daily.
FakeBook & LieSpace: Develop an alter ego and capture his or her story through social media, photography, and creative writing.
In Living Color: Imagine your future as a masterpiece in the form of a graphic novel, comic, or art series.
Click for more on One Book, One Chicago.