The Upside of Hunger, a true story based on the early life of a man who has been a resident of BC since 1951, has been evaluated and approved for use in high schools, and is now listed on the BC Erac site (Click here). The novel chronicles the life of Adam Baumann, from his childhood in eastern Hungary through his teenage years and involvement in WW2 as a teen soldier, and on to his immigration to Canada as a young adult, and the life he built in BC. Used in English and History in three high schools to date, The Upside of Hunger has received positive feedback from students and teachers (see video below).
Classroom sets are available by contacting the author at roxi@roxiharms.com. A full-length documentary of Mr. Baumann discussing events in the book and his experiences in wartime Europe, is currently in production, with a view to making it available with each classroom set purchased. Arrangements may also be made to have Roxi Harms and Mr. Baumann visit the classroom, either in person, or by video conference.
Teachers and students discuss The Upside of Hunger
In your opinion, what is the role of history in the education of our kids? What do you remember most about the history / social studies classes you attended in high school or college?I have this crystal clear memory from the night Adam first told me his story, about how I would so love it if young people could hear it.The impact of historical events on real lives lived, and stories of resilience and perseverance, are so critical in the education and development of our young people!I’m thrilled to report that high schools are now using The Upside of Hunger in History 12 and English 11 & 12. Have a look at this short video of students and teachers discussing Adam’s story. And please SHARE this post with any teachers you know who would be interested in a real life lived to study with their students. Adam and I also love doing live appearances by video!PS: We are in the final stages of creating a short film, about 30 minutes, of Adam discussing events in the book. It will be provided to schools (at no cost) to use as a supplement. When it's ready, I'm going to celebrate the heck out of it for a lot of reasons, two of them being the value to schools AND because it's being put together by a young film school student who read The Upside of Hunger in Grade 12 and loved it!Let me know if you’d like to see it, or think it would be of interest in other forums.https://roxiharms.com/extras/mybook.to/The-Upside-of-HungerVideo created by Ethan Sands, budding filmmaker!
Posted by Roxi Harms – Author on Saturday, April 25, 2020
This is an awesome approach to teaching a very important subject. Studying World War II and the after-effects is something everyone student should experience.
Hi Phil,
Sorry for late reply. Somehow the notifications from my website got turned off. Thanks so much for your comment. I couldn’t agree more! I personally found Adam‘a story very educational, and believe that it is a good thing for students to learn different perspectives. As with you our story! I have not had a chance to crack it yet, but this is also a good reminder. I am really looking forward to reading it and now that the cosy reading weather has settled in, it’s perfect timing!
Cheers,
Roxi