We Should Hang Out Sometime by Josh Sundquist
We Should Hang Out Sometime by Josh Sundquist
Reviewed by Sandra Mendoza, Mackenzie McFann, Danielle Miller and Ashley Mickey
Review:
Josh Sundquist is a cancer survivor, a professional ski
racer, motivational speaker, an amputee, and author of We Should Hang Out
Sometime. Sundquist uses his humor to tell the story of how he never had an
actual girlfriend until his mid-twenties, and he uses an analytical, scientific
approach to figure out why.
We Should Hang Out Sometime deals with relationships, or the lack thereof, as well as the adversity that comes from being an amputee. The awkwardness that comes with any teenager or college student trying to find that “special someone” is a common theme throughout the book, but Sundquist manages to keep it humorous in a way that keeps the interest and allows for an easy read.
The book is separated into different sections. First is the
background in which Sundquist gives the details on a girl that he either
thought he dated or tried to date. The second section is the hypothesis, and
here is where Sundquist offers his brief explanation of what he thinks might
have gone wrong. To verify if his hypothesis is correct, Sundquist concludes
each section with an investigation where he reaches out to the girl and asks
her what she thought of the situation and how it played out.
Overall, the book is a quick and entertaining read. The sections are very easy to get through because Sundquist sets them up in a way that makes the reader want to know the outcome of every encounter. This book is perfectly suited for a young adult audience because it is situated during Sundquist’s adolescent years, so it offers insight into many occurrences that are very likely to happen to other teenagers and college students. Being an amputee, Sundquist offers real life commentary on the struggles that come with being different than most others, a theme that is everlasting in the mind of all youth. Apart from his physical disability, Sundquist also addresses how it feels to be an outsider in other ways such as being home schooled as well as coming from a very religious family and trying to fit in in the world of public school. Sundquist’s main focus falls on the lack of relationship experience that he had throughout his high school and college years. Seeing that most teenagers may also find themselves struggling in the romance part of their lives, this book yields a humorous light on how to, hopefully, avoid those awkward missed signals and misunderstood emotions that may come with any relationship. This book may very well be utilized within a classroom setting as it highlights adversity, physical disabilities, heartbreak, and it can be viewed as an almost coming of age story in that it starts with Sundquist’s analyzation of his failed relationships and it ends with his outlook on the success that he gained from them.
We Should Hang Out Sometime deals with relationships, or the lack thereof, as well as the adversity that comes from being an amputee. The awkwardness that comes with any teenager or college student trying to find that “special someone” is a common theme throughout the book, but Sundquist manages to keep it humorous in a way that keeps the interest and allows for an easy read.
Overall, the book is a quick and entertaining read. The sections are very easy to get through because Sundquist sets them up in a way that makes the reader want to know the outcome of every encounter. This book is perfectly suited for a young adult audience because it is situated during Sundquist’s adolescent years, so it offers insight into many occurrences that are very likely to happen to other teenagers and college students. Being an amputee, Sundquist offers real life commentary on the struggles that come with being different than most others, a theme that is everlasting in the mind of all youth. Apart from his physical disability, Sundquist also addresses how it feels to be an outsider in other ways such as being home schooled as well as coming from a very religious family and trying to fit in in the world of public school. Sundquist’s main focus falls on the lack of relationship experience that he had throughout his high school and college years. Seeing that most teenagers may also find themselves struggling in the romance part of their lives, this book yields a humorous light on how to, hopefully, avoid those awkward missed signals and misunderstood emotions that may come with any relationship. This book may very well be utilized within a classroom setting as it highlights adversity, physical disabilities, heartbreak, and it can be viewed as an almost coming of age story in that it starts with Sundquist’s analyzation of his failed relationships and it ends with his outlook on the success that he gained from them.
Biography:
Josh Sundquist was born on August 6,1984 in Charlottesville, Virginia. At the age of 9 years old, Josh was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer that would later take away his left leg when it had to be amputated. By the age of 13 years old, he was cured of that cancer and had to learn to live life with one leg. Josh started to ski race and began training to compete in the Paralympics. He moved to Colorado when he was 17 to train and in 2006 he was named to the United States Paralympic Ski Team, he competed in Italy, but did not win any medals. He retired from ski racing after that time in Italy, he is currently a member of the U.S. Amputee Soccer Team.
After retiring from ski racing, Josh returned to school. He attended college in Williamsburg Virginia, he graduated from the college of William and Mary’s Mason School of Business with a degree in business. He later got his master’s degree in communication from USC. After coming to terms with his new life, Josh started to give motivational speeches. He gave his first speech at the age of 16 to a small group and is now a nationally recognized speaker. He continues to have to present to groups all around the world talking about his life and how he overcame his disease. He has given speeches to schools, large communities and has even spoke at the White House.
Josh Sundquist later started to write books, his first book was a memoir of his life Just Don’t Fall which became a National Bestseller. The next novel he wrote was We Should Hang Out Sometime which depicts his dating life growing up and the failures he faced that would later lead him to his wife. He got married in 2015 to Ashley Elizabeth Nolan which is one of the relationship she talks about in the book,
Josh still does motivational speaking, on top of that he posts comedy videos and is now best known for his one-legged Halloween costumes. In 2017, Josh was named to the “Social Media Power list” by People Magazine. Josh never used what happened to hold him back, he motivated others and continues to his disability to brighten the lives of all those that meet him.
Resources:
"Disability Awareness Teacher Toolkit." Nysut.org https://www.nysut.org/~/media/files/nysut/resources/2012/april/connectability_teachertoolkit.pdf?la=en
This provides a comprehensive and
helpful guide for teachers with ideas and strategies for how to teach about
disabilities in the classroom.
"Miss America Made Fun of Me." YouTube, uploaded by Josh Sundquist, 30 June 2010 https://youtu.be/PHwiMbVKFE0
Josh Sundquist’s video shares an
experience that led him to writing his book We Should Hang Out Sometime.
"The Amputee Rap." YouTube, uploaded by Josh Sundquist, 24 January 2010
"The Amputee Rap." YouTube, uploaded by Josh Sundquist, 24 January 2010
One of the aspects to Sundquist’s book
relies heavily on humor as a way to cope with disadvantages or awkwardness
during life. This video provides an example of how he lives by that, as he made
a rap about his disability in order to show the lighthearted side of his life
with one leg.
“Audacity Tutorial: 17 Essential Podcast Recording and Editing Tips.” Buzzsprout, https://www.buzzsprout.com/learn/audacity-tutorial
This website provides tips and
explanations on how to use Audacity and navigate the various tools that it
offers.
“Writing Toward a Climax.” EReadingWorksheets.com,
Students can use this worksheet of
Freytag’s Pyramid as a guide to help them create and write their own narrative
story that will eventually be turned into a podcast.
“Don’t Tell. Show!” EReadingWorksheets.com,
This worksheet can be used as practice
while learning about narrative writing. Because this writing style relies on
the “show, don’t tell” method, students are given sentences in which they can
practice that strategy before writing their own story.
Lewis, Daniel J. “Award Winning ‘how to’ Podcast About
Podcasting to Help You Launch or Improve Your Own Podcast.” The Audacity to
Podcast,
https://theaudacitytopodcast.com
A “how-to” guide on creating a podcast
with Audacity.
"How to Use Audacity for Beginners." YouTube, uploaded by Mike Russell, 29 September 2016.
"Podcasts: The Nuts and Bolts of Creating Podcasts." ReadThinkWrite,
Instructional Activity:
Preview:Lesson: Time frame 1 week
Grade Level 9th or 10th grade
Overview: After completing the novel students will reflect on their own lives and experiences, as Josh did throughout the novel. They will then anonymously write a one page paper where they discuss a personal experience where they felt, bad, excluded, different, etc. Next step they will be assigned another classmates story and create a podcast reading and reacting to the story they were assigned. Finally, we will sit as a class and discuss what we have learned from each other and how that connects to the novel, and his experiences.
California Common Core Standards:
Grade Level Standards for 10th and 9th
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.3.
Analyze how the author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events,
including the order in which the points are made, how they are introduced and
developed, and the connections that are drawn between them.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.6.
Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how an
author uses rhetoric to advance that point of view or purpose.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.3.
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using
effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
a)
Engage
and orient the reader by setting out a problem, situation, or observation,
establishing one or multiple point(s) of view, and introducing a narrator
and/or characters; create a smooth progression of experiences or
events.
b
Use
narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, re ection, and
multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events, and/or
characters.
c)
Use
a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to
create a coherent whole.
d)
Use
precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a
vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or
characters.
e)
Provide
a conclusion that follows from and reacts on what is experienced, observed, or
resolved over the course of the narrative.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1.
Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions
(one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades
9–10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing
their own clearly and persuasively.
a)
Come
to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study;
explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and
other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned
exchange of ideas.
b)
Work
with peers to set rules for collegial discussions and decision-making (e.g.,
informal consensus, taking votes on key issues, presentation of alternate
views), clear goals and deadlines, and individual roles as
needed.
c)
Propel
conversations by posing and responding to questions that relate the current
discussion to broader themes or larger ideas; actively incorporate others into
the discussion; and clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and
conclusions.
d)
Respond
thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarize points of agreement and
disagreement, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own views and
understanding and make new connections in light of the evidence and reasoning
presented.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.5.
Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual,
and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of
findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.
Instructional Plan:
The objective of this lesson is to get students to open up and reflect on their own lives after closely reading the novel We Should Hang Out Sometime. It will help us discuss topics that are not always discussed such as facing adversity at a certain part of life or overcoming a hardship or obstacle that you never had the chance to talk about. Students will have to have finish the novel prior to the week that the lesson will be discussed.Activity One: To begin students will be given a handout that breaks down how the week will go. The handout will be formatted the same way as the novel. Students will write a one page paper anonymously where they reflect on a time where they felt different, embarrassed, heartbroken, etc. Students will then bring the material to class where it will be distributed among the class so that each student has a different paper.
Activity Two: After getting another students paper students will go home and create a podcast where they will read the paper they were given and then will reflect on what they have learned from the reading, or talk about if it was something similar they had experienced. Students will use this time as a reflection just like Josh does after each of his personal accounts.
Wrap Up: As a class we will discuss what we learned from the experiences that were discussed in the blogs that were uploaded and tie them into the novel. We will discuss as whole how it was connected to the novel and how we can relate to what is discussed.
Instructional Resources:
1.Handout
2. Audacity: here is the link to get to it. www.audacityteam.org/download/
Students will download Audacity and create a free
account. They will use this account to create their podcast and upload it.
Here is an example of what a podcast will be like:
Post References
Sundquist, Josh. We Should Hang out Sometime: Embarrassingly, a True Story. Little, Brown and Company, 2016https://upclosed.com/people/josh-sundquist/
