quotes and history and stuff

[orangerful]

That is a quote from Steven Spielberg. I just flipped through a new book about his life and work that we got at the library. It was more of a collectible coffee table book than something you can sit and read (seriously, I tried to read it last night in bed and there was really no comfortable way). Also, the text about each movie offers only a tiny bit of insight - most are just summaries of the movie, behind the scenes stuff you probably arleady know if you're hardcore enough to be flipping through the books. So mostly the book is about collecting pretty pictures and taking random quotes and putting them into large print.

BUT ANYWAY - I digress. I just really loved this quote because I have felt this way SO MANY TIMES. Like, when I read Unbroken and found out about all the terrible things that happened to MIA POWs on the Pacific front. The Japanese way of war does not go by the same rules as the European way of war. Or when I read Seabiscuit and really got a grasp of what was happening during the Great Depression. As an adult, I think I've grown to love history because you can find uncensored stories of what happened. Not that it's all doom and gloom. I enjoyed Sarah Vowell's Unfamiliar Fishes which was a fantastic look into Hawaii's history with the United States.

I know this statement is ridiculous but THERE IS SO MUCH HISTORY. And, of course, the schools and teachers have to pick and choose what they need to impart to young people to help them best understand their country and culture. And in school we tend to get bogged down with memorizing names of the leaders and dates they did stuff. It wasn't until college, when I took an American Studies course and had to read books that were true stories of normal, average people living through upheaval in our history that I finally understood how history could be interesting. It's hard to identify with great leaders and a list of dates. Give me the story of a young woman trying to get by in the 1960s and suddenly it has releveance...

But I totally get what Spielberg is saying. And every time I help a kid who sighs about hating history, I just know that, deep inside, there's probably a story out there that would touch them and make them want to know more. But I worry they might never find it...

Comments

[moon-blitz.livejournal.com]

Confession time: I never really liked Canadian history all that much until grade 11. Mostly because in the Canadian school system, you get the origins of Canada shoved down your throat for more or less the first seven grades (read: the discovery of Canada, the founding of new France, the wars between the British and the French for control of North America + Confederation), mingled with some provincial history. Aside from grade 6, where we had an awesome provincial history textbook, Canadian history was pretty dry and somewhat boring. Until I got to grade 11 and had a wonderful history teacher that taught me all kinds of things I never knew before, and then I was hooked.

Now, world history? Loved it. I devoured history documentaries on places like Ancient Egypt because we simply didn't cover that kind of thing in school and it was sooo cool. Which is why I became a history major - it's just so interesting to learn about the past and wonder how future generations will respond to our lives and the world we live in. So yeah. History can be fun and enjoyable if you set aside the dates and names and focus on the people and their stories.

Side-note: Yeah, the Japanese POW camps during WWII were no fun. I remember studying how captured Canadian soldiers were treated, and it's amazing as many survived as they did.