I have been (up to now) silently following the thread on the Female Man and A
Door into Ocean, which, just to put my biases out front, are two of the most
powerful books I have ever read. I read them at completely different times in
my life and that probably has a lot to do with how they affected me. I read
FM when it first came out, delighted to be reading sf by a woman who was
talking about the impossibility of being women in whatever world, as long the
conflicting expectations of women remained in place. Door I read during the
Gulf War at a time when I was, myself, trying to write and make art about
violence and war.
Perhaps these two books, more than others that have less complicated views of
existence, are more "timely" and require a personal resonance in order to be
fully appreciated. I tried several years ago to reread The Female Man and was
unable to sustain the interest. While that was somewhat disappointing, it is
not unusual to find that one has moved past (or, in the case of students, not
yet arrived at) whatever place in life makes a book especially enjoyable,
instructive or challenging.
I think it is a mistake to expect that it is entirely within your control
(and therefore your responsibility) to make sure each student in your class
properly appreciates, is engaged by, or even likes, every book you introduce.
And (the eternally optimistic teacher here), you never know what is sinking
in and will surface later to produce change well beyond your immediate
influence.
Barbara
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