Al Capone Does My Shirts (Tales from Alcatraz)

The book, Al Capone Does My Shirts, by Gennifer Choldenko tells the story of a family who moves to Alcatraz in 1935 due to the father's job. The location of this family's move is not the only oddity of the plot. One of the main characters, Natalie, is described to have what we would classify today as Autism. Although the book never comes out and directly says Natalie has Autism, this is not unusual for the time period, because Autism isn't recognized until 1943, eight years after this book takes place. Due to the fact that no one in the book recognizes Natalie's true disability there are many questions looming between the family, outsiders, and doctors about how to handle and take care of Natalie. The book portrays Natalie's disability as accurately as it could in 1935. The interactions between her and others, mostly other children, are displayed as they would most likely take place now. There is skepticism, questions, and bluntness that comes from the children, but also ultimately acceptance. On Alcatraz Natalie's parents find it safe enough for her to spend amble time outdoors with her brother, as well as the other children on the island. Although it is only a small group of children that live on the island, Natalie is at most times fully included into their daily play and adventures. Throughout the book there is some degree of resistance from a few of the children, but nothing more than what one would expect from an 11-yearold growing up in a society that is uneducated about the disability that Natalie possesses. Despite the fact that no one really knows how to address Natalie's disability she is still almost fully included. Her level of inclusion in society is appropriately high given her circumstances and environment. The small number of children on the island allow her to be included in the group, without having an overwhelming amount of children around her, and the children that are included in the group is always constant, allowing Natalie to get to know and feel comfortable with the others and without having to experience a lot of day-to-day change. This book would be appropriate to use on a middle school level, depending on the reading level of the students. Being a Social Studies teacher I would use this book because of it's historical elements, but also as a way to introduce and start a discussion within the classroom about disabilities. Since the book never comes out and says what Natalie's disability is, it is easier for the reader to not characterize and prejudge her abilities by knowing that she has Autism. Without knowing this the reader can more easily separate Natalie as another one of the children in the book and her disability. Al Capone Does My Shirts is an educational and entertaining read. It is a great book for anyone to use that is looking to spark a discussion about disabilities and inclusion with children in a way that they will find easy to relate to and understand.

My fifth grade son who is high functioning and definitely on the spectrum has to complete a book report (in three weeks), and the required genre is historical fiction. I settled on this book, and it arrived today. Based on the reviews, I decided that he and I would read it aloud together (though he is a good -but sometimes reluctant - reader). I knew I had to select a high-interest book because he will gravitate toward books he's read before or titles that are not challenging enough. Additionally, unless the book is REALLY interesting, he wil refuse to complete any written responses. So...This afternoon we read six chapters in 45 minutes (the chapters are very short), and he loves it (and immediately started writing his early observations). He finds the details of Alcatraz fascinating but mostly really likes Matthew and Natalie. Natalie is autistic and clearly has sensory and social barriers. My kiddo thinks she's terrific. So far, this book is a WINNER. The language and terminology is not squeaky clean, but it's authentic to boys and authentic to 1935. The characters are well-drawn, and the plot provides lots of teaching-moments related to the Great Depression, our penal system, family relationships, etc.

First off, let me say this books is unique, admirable, and well worth your time. I read it in a day and I am an incredibly slow reader. Though Moose Flanagan (the 12-year-old living on Alcatraz Island with his family because his father works there) is purportedly the central character, two other characters, in my opinion, are better developed: Natalie, the autistic older sister of Moose, and Moose's mother, a woman totally dedicated and absorbed with helping her daughter.At the beginning of the book, I had a small problem with identifying important details because the opening chapters introduce a slew of characters. For example, I had to go back and reread early chapters to ascertain that the children on the island, for the most part, took a boat to the mainland for their schooling. I also had some trouble telling a few characters apart. But as the plot developed, I was very taken with the warmth the author felt for her characters and how moving the story was. Natalie is really the center of the story and Moose's maturation process is effected by his reaction to and relationship with his sister. And Moose's mother is a wonderfully complex woman, willing to do anything it takes to help her daughter, even if it means lying to others (and even herself) about her daughter's advancing age.This leads me to the moral problem I have with the book's ending. POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT: The resolution of the story's central problem is brought about in a morally-iffy manner. While certainly inventive, and just maybe possible, the solution is still a definite "the ends justify the means" transaction. The ending could be construed to condone the strong arm tactics used by mobsters to achieve their aims. Great result, questionable tactics.Whether to use this book in a classroom? As a middle grades teacher for 30 years I can see how some parents would be wary of a book with some violent and sexual overtones. Caveat emptor. However, what could you expect from a story that takes place in an environment full of monsters, which all the Alcatraz inmates undoubtedly were? (It would be bit like, as you were leaving the theater, to complain about the violence in a movie entitled "Zombie Attacks." Uh, I think the movie poster would sort of give a clue as to the content.) And yes, the language can be a bit raw. But again, consider the setting. Do you expect a person just shot in a war movie to scream, "Ah, shucks"? So yes, I believe this book should be handled with care by teachers and parents, but then again so should watching the evening news. You will get far more sex, violence, corruption, and depravity there than from this book.All in all, many thanks to Gennifer Choldenko for a great reading experience. (And don't neglect to read the afterward. You will find very interesting details that had tremendous influence in the creation of this work.)

I love that book I used it for literature circles.

Se compró para la escuela que así lo pidió, el libro llegó en tiempo y forma.

great book

Tal y como lo esperaba.

Good read for teenagers