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A review by just_tina
Ada's Violin: The Story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay by Susan Hood
My focus for this book is a text to world connection, though I experienced many others as I was reading the story. Ada was one of the main characters in this story, and her story reminded me of another musician's story. Ada came from a poverty stricken town. Through music, she was able to have many opportunities that she never would have had otherwise. She was able to travel. She was able to make more money than she had in her hometown. I hope this doesn't sound too silly, but an artist I know about who had a similar experience is the rapper Eminem. I am using this comparison because I have not seen or known Eminem personally, but I know his story is something that has happened in the world. He was a blue collar worker from Detroit raised in a poor family. He worked in a car factory, and he did not see a way to help himself and his family. He then started rapping even though people laughed, made fun of him, and had no faith in him. Ada and her recycled orchestra were not viewed as serious musicians at first either. Due to both Eminem's and Ada's perseverance, they found success and bettered their lives.
A text to self comparison I found in the story was the recyling aspect. My family and I used to recycle cans for money when we were younger. The difference was that we simply collected our own and walked around the neighborhood picking up cans that were littered. However, there was an elderly homeless lady that habitually went around to the trashcans of public places to collect cans. When I was little and saw her doing that at the library, I didn't understand what she was looking for in the trash until my mom told me.
Another text to self comparison I thought of was that garbage sometimes has some hidden treasures. This children's book mentioned characters finding appliances, toys, perfumes, antique watches and jewelry. My cousin worked as a garbage man for a while, and he told our family a lot about the random things that he had seen being thrown away. He often saw appliances, furniture, and VHS tapes.
A text to self comparison I found in the story was the recyling aspect. My family and I used to recycle cans for money when we were younger. The difference was that we simply collected our own and walked around the neighborhood picking up cans that were littered. However, there was an elderly homeless lady that habitually went around to the trashcans of public places to collect cans. When I was little and saw her doing that at the library, I didn't understand what she was looking for in the trash until my mom told me.
Another text to self comparison I thought of was that garbage sometimes has some hidden treasures. This children's book mentioned characters finding appliances, toys, perfumes, antique watches and jewelry. My cousin worked as a garbage man for a while, and he told our family a lot about the random things that he had seen being thrown away. He often saw appliances, furniture, and VHS tapes.