by Todd Strasser
Review: The Wave is based on a true incident that occurred in a high school history class in Palo Alto, California, in 1969. I was really reluctant to read this book because I had heard that it was a cheesy school book that had a cheesy movie that went along with it, but a lesson could be learned from the message. So, I started Spring Break on Saturday and decided to dive into my homework. I have to teach this book in a little over a week from now to my 7th grade honors students and had never read it before. Shocking, I waited till last minute and cannot find any substantial lesson plans online to go along with the book. Well, good news, I read the book in two sittings and have decided there are a ton of activities I can create for this book. I love the tie into Nazism and the Holocaust, especially since my students are in the midst of World War II in their social studies class as we speak. I also love the thought of dabbling in "cults" and the role that people play in society. When I was reading this story I thought immediately of the incidents in Waco, Texas, the Jonestown mass murder-suicide, Witch Killers in Congo, Heaven's Gate and Charles Manson & The Family, just to name a few. I think that I will have the students research these events under the guidance of the school librarian and put together a presentation. This story is a work of fiction, but has some truth to it and the lesson to be learned is one that I think will stick with anyone who reads it forever.
