Day School Teacher Writes Historical Novel for Students
Roger Whittlesley was inspired to write a new historical novel for young adult readers that he believes can engage audiences of all ages.
Norman E. Day School students and parents might know Roger Whittlesey from the classroom, but in case you didn’t know, he’s also one of Westford’s newest authors. His book, “Home to Oblivion” aims to bring history to life through the eyes of a young sailor in the Revolutionary War who finds himself trapped in time with a soldier from Vietnam and a World War I code breaker. Over his 15 years at the Day School, Whittlesey continued to read the historical fiction his students were seeing and thought he could give them something better. “I wasn’t seeing what I wanted in terms of history (combined) with philosophy and poetry, I wanted to see more of a hybrid,” he said. “No doubt about it that I wrote it for my students, I had them in mind.” …
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Roger L Whittlesey
4:05 pm on Monday, April 1, 2013
In addition to history, there is a section in the novel where the characters, all from different time periods, analyze and interpret a Yeats poem. The poem, the characters believe, speaks to them and directly relates to their experience on the island. Poetry interpretation and analysis is taught at many grade levels, including fifth grade. A teacher could certainly discuss how the characters use … more ›