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Indlæser... Spare Parts: Four Undocumented Teenagers, One Ugly Robot, and the Battle for the American Dreamaf Joshua Davis
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Bliv medlem af LibraryThing for at finde ud af, om du vil kunne lide denne bog. Der er ingen diskussionstråde på Snak om denne bog. Joshua Davis' book "Spare Parts", reminded me a lot of that 1998 film "Stand and Deliver". That movie was about a Los Angeles area high school teacher who inspired underpriveledged children to learn and achieve high marks on college level calculus tests. In "Spare Parts", Davis writes about four poor teens, children of illegal immigrants from Mexico, who were inspired by their science teacher and won top honors in a robotics competition, beating college teams from across the country, including one of the best, if not THE best, of our nations engineering schools (MIT). It's one of those uplifting, feel-good stories about underdogs striving, doing the right thing, and coming out on top - to a point. While the story does describe the academic struggles and overcoming their environment to succeed, their academic success did not fully translate to continued life success due to their immigrant status. Given that illegal immigration, calls for building a great wall between the Southwest U.S. and Mexico, and anger against any program which sounds like amnesty are hot topics of debate now, especially with the 2016 Presidential Election coming up, the book also serves a secondary purpose of placing a human face on the topic. The boys were brought to the U.S. as young children, and knew no other Country than the U.S. They worked hard, succeeded, and wanted to live their live in the only Country they knew, however strict immigration laws made that all but impossible. That led to a brief mention of The Dream Act legislation introduced by Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT) a number of years ago, to allow children of illegal immigrants who have met certain conditions to remain in this Country. Not quite balancing that side of the argument, Davis does provide a brief discussion of the argument against allowing these children to remain in the Country. Davis presents this side of the argument by talking mostly about the tough stance of Sheriff Joe Arpaio, and some of the legislation introduced in the State of Arizona to prevent illegal immigrants from benefiting from state funds. Clearly the argument in the book favors the softer stance of many Democrats rather than the harsher perspective of most Republicans, but if you look carefully, at least you will hear some of the rational of those opposing the Dream Act in Congress. But the political argument discussed above is not the focus of the book. It probably only occurred to me to mention it because Candidate Donald Trump made a big splash in the first Republican Presidential Debate by focusing on the negative side of our porous southern border. So it's being discussed by people on both sides of the political spectrum now. But the book's actual focus isn't on the political debate, but on the inspiring story of a teacher and his underdog students, who through hard work, grit, and determination were able to overcome their handicaps and compete against the brightest and best, and come out ahead. I understand the book has already been made into a movie. Hopefully, it will be true to the book. What an amazing story that was in turns something to cheer and something to weep. I could write an entire commentary on how we treat immigrants in this country, but I am here to talk about the book. The author does a wonderful job of sucking you into each student's life, from Mexican roots to struggles with post-high school life. The structure and writing keep you engaged throughout, and not once does the pacing or commentary leave you bored. My heart was with these guys as they worked their way to the final competition, and I wept with joy when they started getting awards. I really hope they all end up with their dreams coming true -- I especially hope that Cristian manages to finish school. I was heartbroken that he had to drop out because of Arizona's laws. You read this to find out if this foursome can actually beat colleges like MIT that they're competing against. You're introduced to the teenagers, how they wound up in United States, and how the high school robotics program helped kept them in school, giving their school a boost as well. To remain in the robotics program they had to maintain a certain grade point average and it became a family away from home where they could express their ideas. They were always in danger when crossing state lines that they could be picked up by ICE and came close when their teachers took them to California to see the facilities where they'd compete. Fortunately, they were traveling in school vans and their teachers managed to get them by the checkpoint and back home. One started the Robodevils at Arizona State University before deporting himself so he could enter the United States legally. I only put this book down when I was forced to. ingen anmeldelser | tilføj en anmeldelse
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Relates how four undocumented Mexican immigrants in Arizona put together an underwater robot from scavenged parts and went on to win the National Underwater Robotics Competition at UC Santa Barbara.
Four undocumented Mexican American students, two great teachers, one robot-building contest ... and a major motion picture. In 2004, four Latino teenagers arrived at the Marine Advanced Technology Education Robotics Competition at the University of California, Santa Barbara. They were born in Mexico but raised in Phoenix, Arizona, where they attended an underfunded public high school. No one had ever suggested to Oscar, Cristian, Luis, or Lorenzo that they might amount to much, but two inspiring science teachers had convinced these impoverished, undocumented kids from the desert who had never even seen the ocean that they should try to build an underwater robot. And build a robot they did. Their robot wasn't pretty, especially compared to those of the competition. They were going up against some of the best collegiate engineers in the country, including a team from MIT backed by a $10,000 grant from ExxonMobil. The Phoenix teenagers had scraped together less than $1,000 and built their robot out of scavenged parts. This was never a level competition, and yet, against all odds ... they won! But this is just the beginning for these four, whose story--which became a key inspiration to the DREAMers movement--will go on to include first-generation college graduations, deportation, bean-picking in Mexico, and service in Afghanistan. Joshua Davis's Spare Parts is a story about overcoming insurmountable odds and four young men who proved they were among the most patriotic and talented Americans in this country--even as the country tried to kick them out. No library descriptions found. |
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Faced with stereotypes and misperceptions about immigrants, these four teens beat the odds and outperformed some of the most privileged students in the country to win a prestigious robotics competition. More importantly, these teens garnered respect from their peers and brought national attention to the plight of many children who were brought to this country illegally by their parents. This is their story, one of hope and struggle.
The Bottom Line: This inspiring tale makes discussing tough topics like immigration approachable. Written in short chapters, this is a quick read. The author makes the topics of technology and robotics easily understandable. Highly recommended reading for students in and teachers of high school and college. Also of interest to those in politics, science, and technology.
For the complete review including Book Club Notes, please visit the Mini Book Bytes Book Review Blog. ( )