The Composition
Grade 2-6-Children living under an unspecified dictatorship watch as one of their fathers is taken away by soldiers. The next day, a military officer visits their classroom and tells them they must each enter a composition-writing contest about "What My Family Does at Night." Although the adults have tried to shield the youngsters from the dangers of their political situation, several of them know that their parents are opposed to the government and that their sentiments, associations, and conversations are perilous to divulge. What can they safely say? Sk rmeta leaves readers in suspense while he writes of the mundane occurrences of a week: an old tree falls down, the price of ice cream goes up, etc. Finally, the Captain returns to the classroom with the compositions, each of which has been read and commented upon. It is only on the last page that readers learn what the protagonist has written. Pedro's innocuous and blatantly false assertions that his parents play chess every night shows how clearly he has put together the pieces of his parents' resistance and the necessity for secrecy. Sk rmeta's concise and pointed description of Pedro's acquisition of political consciousness and discretion is brilliant. As a provocative incentive to discussion of different forms of government or the importance of freedom of assembly and discretion, this story is unique. Ruano's emotionally charged paintings depict a multicultural society in which people hold themselves rigidly in control in public situations.Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Public Library, NYCopyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.