I like when you realize so many things from something you didn’t expect to realize – for me it happens usually through reading. Take a look at the latest review and experience I had with Jason Reynold’s Miles Morales Suspended

When I first stumbled across Jason Reynolds, I realized, it wasn’t the mere fact of seeing him that was a draw. It was hearing him. Jason speaks from his experiences and from his heart like few do, within seconds of his first words. It draws you in and hold you in a place where we each found ourselves and identified ourselves as the one true self. Over time you begin to realize that context matters. Few people are able to tie so many concepts, ideas, and possibilities together unless the context of your experiences, are able to from patterns. The more context you have, the more patterns and the more realizations you are able to make.

Saying this, so many students never have been taught or exposed to a volume of contexts in reading to be able to see those patterns. The more the better. In Miles Morales Suspended, just fr the title, many will brush this off as simply a graphic novel and embracing the idea of SpiderMan. Yet, after being exposed to years of literature, books, recently the movie The Librarians, and of course over the years Jason Reynolds himself, receiving context and creating context is important. Seeing the issue of banned books, you might not realize it, but pushing back on this is vital for others to grow and form context to their experiences.

Not realizing or seeing the pattern or intentions of individuals pushing away words or books can be dangerous to a society, limiting, crippling even. As the pages progress in Miles Morales Suspended, you being to see the results of absences created intentionally, holes in the wood so to speak, when banning and removal of books becomes a norm. This should never be, and those that have experienced seeing patterns in context, thanks to someone reinforcing reading, reading of all kinds, good, bad, reading they agreed with, reading they do not agree with, simply words, they are the heroes that helped patterns of context form. They are heroes and sages, guides even, to letting each one of us contemplate, think deeper and truly consider the world around us.

This all sounds so deep and really, when it comes down to it, it is not. Just reading something, and being able to pull something out of that reading you didn’t expect- unless it has happened to you, it’s pretty exhilarating. Which is why the various contexts around us are so important to experience. We need encourages of context patterning like Jason Reynold, librarians, the movie The Librarians, access to vocational education, access to finding out who we can be, and it is all important to experience. it is even more important to continue to have the freedom to experience and notice the patterns of context that can be available to you.

“All that from one graphic novel?” Absolutely. Well done AGAIN Jason Reynolds!