Job Discussion Forums

[gelin]

Has anyone read this book? What did you think? It's about someone's experiences at a school in Ankara.

[yaramaz]

I read it last year. It was...okay. Felt a bit like an extended high school essay about a guy's Year Abroad. Some of his observations were valid and insightful, but lot reminded me of things that I wrote in emails home during my first year that I now cringe over when I see how naive/wrong I was in my interpretations of things.

[gelin]

It was written after he looked at all his emails home. I'm curious to hear what you thought was wrong in the book. Naive I can see.

[yaramaz]

Not so much wrong as in incorrect...but as in rather incomplete and simplistic. I havent read it since last year so I can't cite any examples, I just remember thinking it at the time.

[gelin]

I think someone who has lived in Turkey for a while, as you probably have, would find it so, but it's a good introduction to someone who's thinking about teaching in Turkey for a year or two. I know that most everyone can identify with the book in some way or other.

[yaramaz]

True. I agree with you there- it is a pretty decent intro.

[FGT]

Changing the subject a little, but sticking to books - i just read Livaneli's "Bliss" (English title), otherwise known as "Mutluluk", and loved it. Has anyone else read it? I've not (yet) read anything else by him, are his other books as good?

My students tell me it was made in to a film, has anyone seen it? Is it available on DVD? Did Livaneli do the music?

[tvik]

i read bits of the yogert man book and agreed with yaramaz. i would consider it a good book for toilet reading but not sustaining enough for long distance bus reading

[calsimsek]

tvik: