The Children's Story

Rating:
Summary: An intriguing work of speculative political fiction
Review: "The Children's Story," by James Clavell, is a short book that could be read in one brief sitting. It takes place in an elementary school classroom in the United States after the country has been conquered by some nameless foreign power. The story follows the initial re-education of the children by their new teacher.

This book reads very much like a product of the Cold War era, when many feared the possibility of ultimate Soviet domination. The story is written with a subtly chilling, "Twilight Zone"-like flavor; it reminded me of Ayn Rand's short book "Anthem." Ultimately, Clavell's scenario plays out a little too neatly to be truly believable. But the story is undeniably thought-provoking. And even with the U.S./U.S.S.R. Cold War now a thing of the past, "The Children's Story" is still worth reading.

Rating:
Summary: Examining the basic words of American freedom
Review: "The Children's Story," by James Clavell, is a short book that could be read in one brief sitting. It takes place in an elementary school classroom in the United States after the country has been conquered by some nameless foreign power. The story follows the initial re-education of the children by their new teacher.

This book reads very much like a product of the Cold War era, when many feared the possibility of ultimate Soviet domination. The story is written with a subtly chilling, "Twilight Zone"-like flavor; it reminded me of Ayn Rand's short book "Anthem." Ultimately, Clavell's scenario plays out a little too neatly to be truly believable. But the story is undeniably thought-provoking. And even with the U.S./U.S.S.R. Cold War now a thing of the past, "The Children's Story" is still worth reading.

Rating:
Summary: The price of democracy
Review: A fellow teacher recommended I read this book about 10 years ago, and I did - thankfully. It is provocative and compelling. It hit me like a board between the eyes. Not only are our children so easily molded,so are we - by anyone or any individual or institution that we allow to manipulate us, especially television, movies, the media, this story itself. It reminds me of another obscure little book I found at a library used book sale for a quarter - and it had the same profound effect on me: Ways of Living and Dying by Harry Jonesburg, Les Livres, Inc., 1992. These books are not for the faint of heart! Do yourself a favor and read them both. I am 52 years old and I am just now beginning to understand how much my thought has been manipulated all my life. The Children's Story was instrumental in that awakening. What I learned from that story: Democracy has its price. Clavell has shown me quite clearly how far freedom of expression can take us as a people. He has shown me that "democracy" is a philosophy that by its very nature defies definition.

Rating:
Summary: It's starting to happen!
Review: A lot of [people] have referred to this book as being against the backdrop of the Cold War, but the sad thing is that since the end of the Cold War, the warnings of this book have become MORE and not less pertinent, as the hard left have used the ruse that Communism has collapsed to inject their values into all of us, like a bacillus, through the back door.
I see the brainwashing of the children described in this book as being what university students in the so-called humanities go through, in nearly every university in the world.
The media and universities are trying to do to all of us what the teacher did to the children in the book!
And slowly as youth are filtered through the universities they will permeate the rest of society with corrupt neo-Marxist views, including elementary schools.
How many people throughout the world marched in support of Saddam Hussein earlier this year , without a thought about the morality of the positions they where taking?
Yes, the nightmare we read about in 'The Children's Story' is happening across the world.Too many of us have lost the distinction between right and wrong.
Can the voices of freedom fight back?

Rating:
Summary: A Perfect Opportunity to Share
Review: For years, I have carried the words of The Children's Story with me, and shared them with as many people as possible. With its roots in words we have taken for granted for years, Clavell forces us to look at all we, as Americans, hold precious, and how vulnerable we are without truly understanding the meaning of that which we espouse. A simple reiiteration of the Pledge of Allegiance, taught to first graders across the country, goes deeper than teaching just the words. Set in "small town anywhere", the story of children in a classroom taken over after a military invasion, this powerful piece takes us to the core of our beliefs, and makes us aware, more than ever, of the true meaning of "allegiance". From the cutting up of the American flag in the opening pages, we are consistently challenged and reawakened. The book teaches us to expect the unexpected, to appreciate our heritage, and to take nothing for granted. A simple, but moving piece of work that should be taken out of the closet, dusted off, and kept on the shelf to be read again and again!

Ever since my own children were small, I have taken out The Children's Story and reread it together with them each and every Memorial Day. I have bought more copies than I can count, and given them to friends, students, and book clubs. I am proud to say that my son, a Firefighter, immediately following the tragedy of September 11th, donated 100 copies to local schools in hopes that reading and discussing it will help reignite an interest and pride in the words we speak from memory, seldom give much thought to, but will never again take for granted.

Rating:
Summary: The Children's Story (by James Clavell)
Review: I first read this disturbing little book in 1981, in hardback and before it was given a subtitle, and I promptly bought a dozen copies to send to friends. Re-reading it now, 20 years later and in a significantly changed political climate, I find it even scarier. Instead of The New Teacher representing an authoritarian government, I see her today as a symbol of an authoritarian religious movement that seeks to insert its own values into the hearts and minds of all. Clavell's warning about the ease with which manipulation can be successful transcends specific antagonists and tells us instead to be wary of any entity that attempts to ursurp our own values and ethics in favor of theirs.

Rating:
Summary: The Children's Story (by James Clavell)
Review: I first read this disturbing little book in 1981, in hardback and before it was given a subtitle, and I promptly bought a dozen copies to send to friends. Re-reading it now, 20 years later and in a significantly changed political climate, I find it even scarier. Instead of The New Teacher representing an authoritarian government, I see her today as a symbol of an authoritarian religious movement that seeks to insert its own values into the hearts and minds of all. Clavell's warning about the ease with which manipulation can be successful transcends specific antagonists and tells us instead to be wary of any entity that attempts to ursurp our own values and ethics in favor of theirs.

Rating:
Summary: Not So Eye Opening
Review: I have to warn everyone who has already given more than 5 minutes of thought to our school system and the control we give to the teachers. If you have, then this book is old news. This book is for those who blindly hand their children over to the system and think their kids are always being taught correctly. It's for the people who don't know how little our teachers are educated (education majors have very hollow curriculum - been there, done that). It's for those who don't realize that teachers are never evaluated to see if they even should be teachers. (I've known a few I wouldn't even let babysit my children for a few hours - much less leave them in their care for days on end) It's for those who have never pondered their own education and dissected what their teachers taught them. It's for those who never caught on when a teacher was teaching them something incorrect (maybe because they were never taught at home). It's for those who never volunteered in an elementary school. (If you do, volunteer for the whole grade - spend some time in each room and I guarantee you'll find a few teachers that shouldn't be with children) So, if all of the above is news to you - read the book. If it's all old stuff, pat yourself on the back and save the money. Oh, and the book is WAY overpriced. Calling it a book is a stretch - more like a booklet. See if you can borrow it...

Rating:
Summary: Funny
Review: I heard this story within the last couple of months at a speech competition that I was judging because I teach college English. I thought the story was supposed to be providing a positive idea of how a teacher should act. The story made me think of how most public school classrooms involve mindless routine and no critical thought/intellectual questioning--more teachers should be like the one in the story. I don't think it's worse for a teacher to have students cut up the flag than to force them to memorize and recite the pledge of allegiance. Why don't people question the first act of mind control? Did anyone understand what the pledge of allegiance meant in 1st grade? I certainly didn't and once I understood later, I disagreed with it. What would I pledge allegiance to this country? I live in a very small part of it and I don't accept the murderous conditions that make this country's establishment possible. The teacher was simply liberating the students from a meaningless ritual. Additionally, I like how the teacher has the students pray to God and receive nothing and then pray to her and receive candy. It is absolutely true that people get what they want by asking it or demanding it of other people. I would be happy for my child to learn that in school. Maybe then my child would grow up to be someone who fights for his rights in interpersonal ways (like in the workplace) instead of waiting for God to solve his problems. If Clavell considers the teacher an evil character, I disagree with him. However, he's clearly a good enough writer to make his point without it coming across in an unambiguous propagandistic way. It's funny to me that people considered the little boy who questioned the teacher to be a moral figure. As I recall, all he said was that his parents told him differently. Is that the critical thinking kids are supposed to be learning in school? What a threat that this new teacher made children question what their parents told them.

Rating:
Summary: Quick read, big impact.
Review: It only took me thirty minutes to read this book. But now and then, since my reading of it I get flashbacks of what its message was. It very nicely shows how a mind of a child, and maybe everybody, can be influenced and perhaps changed by a few suggestions of a second party that can seem logical at the time. How Clavell does this is to tell of a thirty minute scene in a classroom that has just recieved a new teacher. This teacher is the second party in this case. Here she offers ideas and statements that the kids rationally put together as being not bad ideas. In the end it is rather disturbing how easy it can be. For Clavell fans expecting another Clavell-like book, this is not. The Childrens Story reads like a poem in a classic Clavell style, and is I bet much like that in its power of symbolism and suggestion. Good book.