Alright – so we’re officially back in school. I’ve already been getting feedback from MSU freshman about Double Take, and it sounds like it’s creating some good discussion! So to add fuel to the fire, here is the second set of reading questions from the One Book-One Bozeman website

Hit the jump for the full list of questions, as well as comments and discussion…

8 ) How do you think “the Dirtbags” in chapter 6 helped to shape Kevin’s view of disability?

9) On pages 104-105, Serge tells Kevin a darkly humorous joke about a three breasted prostitute. Despite the vulgarity of the joke, Kevin insists that similar humor is important to shoulder aside the weight of reality. Do you think that it is right to laugh at such jokes? Perhaps relate this joke to the “black humor” that doctors engage in.

10) In chapter 17, Kevin catches himself staring at a man missing an arm and a leg – effectively doing the same thing he has caught others in the act of. What does this say about human nature and the act of staring? Is it something that should be controlled, or considered morally reprehensible? Is there a right or proper way to stare at someone?

11) Is Kevin Connolly disabled? Explain your answer.

12) On page 159, Kevin scrawls in his journal the rules for his photo project: Shoot every person that passes. Keep moving – never stop to frame your subject. Never make eye contact – give them permission to stare by looking the other way. Don’t try to attract people’s attention. Discuss what the rules allow, don’t allow, and their purpose.

13) In chapter 12, Kevin relates his experience crashing into an avalanche fence post to the feedback of his friends and family after he receives an X-games silver medal, “you go for broke?” How does Kevin interpret “going for broke” and how would you describe it? How does “going for broke” impact Kevin’s life and how does it impact your own?

14) The man on the skateboard with the Pomeranian at Venice Beach asks Kevin “what’s your gimmick” (see page 162). What do you think of his assumption that Kevin and he are colleagues and of Kevin’s reaction? What is the problem with assuming someone’s story from a single impression?

15) On the bus after he leaves Beth (see pages 209-210) Kevin experiences compassion, not pity, although he shares that the two responses look very much the same. Why in this situation do the looks make him feel linked to the people around him, whereas in other situations similar looks make him feel singled out and different? Do you think that this difference and the effect of the situation on Kevin is a result of Kevin’s perception or are compassion and pity inherently very different?

Told you I’d be back!

With school starting next week, now is probably the time to post the official convocation reading guide for MSU and One Book, One Bozeman. Now, I don’t know how many freshman or Bozeman readers there are reading this blog, but I wanted to invite anyone interested to post their thoughts or answers to any of these questions in the comments section below. I’m going to be monitoring the conversation, and will be answering questions and contributing some of my own thoughts to the discussion if we manage to get some people involved.

So if you’re a Bozemanite looking to attend one of the upcoming events; a freshman trying to get a jump on discussion; or just an interested web-wanderer wanting to contribute – I’d love to hear your thoughts on some of these questions.

Finally, to keep the discussion manageable, I’ve only posted about have of the total list of questions. The rest I will post sometime next week as a sequel to this post. If you are anxious to see the full list, however, it’s available over at the One Book – One Bozeman website.

Hit the jump for the list of questions as well as the comment box.

1) In chapter 2, Kevin’s dad fashions a number of different inventions to help him get around. The inventions are based purely on function, which contrasts heavily with the legs Kevin receives in chapter 3.What do you think is the relationship between aesthetics and function and the importance of each to those with a disability?

2) In chapter 11, Kevin gets particularly angry when he catches a group of teenagers taking a photograph of him. This comes after experiencing many stares, which by comparison he barely notices. What do you think is the difference between a stare and a photograph? Do you think that Kevin’s decision to “return fire” with his camera is morally or artistically justifiable?

3) In chapter 1, Kevin states his doubts of being able to raise a legless child. What do you think such an experience would be like? How would you handle raising such a child?

4) On pages 170-171, Kevin tries to create a different definition for the word “disability”. He makes the argument that the concept is much more common and more fluid than most people believe. Do you agree with his statements? If not, why? If so, what is your disability?

5) In chapter 17, Kevin almost quits working on “The Rolling Exhibition” as a result of the pain that his appearance is bringing out in others walking the streets of Sarajevo. Kevin feels as if he is manipulating people and their pain for his own artistic gain. Do you agree? If so, is it right for him to continue photographing?

6) On page 163, Kevin talks about his skateboard and how it has come to be a part of his self-concept. The skateboard embodies who he is, despite it being less socially acceptable than a wheelchair would be. In your own life, how do you deal with the relationship between being “socially acceptable” and being true to yourself?

7) Discuss the symbolism of Kevin’s skateboard and what it represents. What people, items or events have served as your “skateboard”?

8 ) How do you think “the Dirtbags” in chapter 6 helped to shape Kevin’s view of disability?

So we’re getting close. Next month will kick off the main set of events for the “One Book – One Bozeman” program, and after having seen the schedule, I can definitely tell you that it will be a busy month. I’ll be attending most of the events, so if you’re interested in either the book, me, or social settings – here is the official schedule:

If you would like to see a more comprehensive layout of the schedule, as well as learn a little bit more about the program, head over to the official OBOB website.

Keep checking back here, because this blog is definitely going to be picking up in the next couple weeks. Tonight, I have an interview airing on Yellowstone Public Radio at 7pm. I’ll be posting the interview on here this week, but if you want to catch it live, hit the link.

Next week I’ll be posting some reading questions that I created in conjunction with some of the One Book – One Bozeman people. I’ll only post a few up each day, and I would encourage any readers to discuss their thoughts. I’ll even be jumping into the fray, so hopefully we can get some good online discussion going.

Alright, back soon!

A bit on how to play the game:

It is a 2D platformer, inspired in part by Super Metroid, where you must explore a large world, collect powerups and find secrets. The game’s hook comes from the fact that the main character, Jack (READ: Kevin), has no legs. As such, you cannot walk, run, jump or do most things you would want to do in a typical platformer. Instead, the game is entirely controlled with the mouse: you move around by grabbing and dragging yourself forward. As you explore the world, you gain new abilities that give you new moves, such as the ability to launch yourself into the air or to pick up and throw boulders.

Everything in the game can be done with the mouse. If you are worried about wearing out your left mouse button, Z, X and spacebar all perform the same function as the left mouse button.

Pressing R while in-game will reload your last saved game. Pressing S will mute/un-mute sounds and music. Pressing M will open the map, assuming you have a map.

I’m really feeling speechless on this one. I’ll leave it to you to comment…

If you’d like a full-screen version of the game – go here.

If you’d like to learn more about the developers or the game itself, head over here.

Otherwise, hit the jump to play the game right here…

This is definitely the coolest present I’ve ever received from a fan. A gal named JuJu contacted me on facebook a couple of weeks ago from South Korea after having read my book. Having not yet seen the final published product, I was surprised to hear that I even had a fan on the other side of the world – much less one reading my book in a different language. After a bit of pleading and begging, JuJu was generous enough to send me a copy of the book  to look at, and it’s been a very surreal experience flipping through the pages of a very different version of my work. Seeing some of the definitions they had to provide for some of my more colloquial words (think “dirtbag” or “49er’s), I have to wonder how the book as a whole came across in the translation.

Also, if you would like a Korean copy of your own, look no further!

More photos to check out after the jump…

Seeing my bio in a foreign language did make me go all warm and fuzzy inside...

Title page

Table of contents. Notice the boy from the cover...

I really want to know how "dirtbag" was defined...

Chapter openers in full color

]]> http://kevinmichaelconnolly.com/2010/08/the-korean-edition/feed/ 0 http://kevinmichaelconnolly.com/2010/08/i-done-got-on-the-bbc/ http://kevinmichaelconnolly.com/2010/08/i-done-got-on-the-bbc/#comments Thu, 12 Aug 2010 16:30:49 +0000 Kevin http://kevinmichaelconnolly.com/?p=511

So last week I was interviewed by the BBC for a ten minute program called “Outlook”. The show just popped up online, and I gotta say, it’s a fairly funny interview to listen to if you have the time.

If you’ve ever wanted to know about my dating life and how staring can be compared to sex, look no further. Sorry for the link, but I was told that the BBC has “lots of really tough rules about copyright of audio”.

You can also check an abbreviated audio slideshow here.

Finally, because I’m still holding a bit of a grudge for not being able to embed the interview directly on my blog, here is something that I can embed – a compilation of BBC bloopers from the past ten years. English accents always sound more entertaining when there is just a tinge of discomfort and embarrassment to them…

Sorry for not keeping things too frequently updated, but it’s been hard to stay indoors with all the sun finally pouring down on Montana. We’ve had steady rain and cold temps for the past month, so now that the sun is out, I’ve been trying to avoid the pale glow of my laptop as much as possible.

But while I’ve been avoiding online activities, I’ve been sweating bullets over a speech I need to give this fall to all of the incoming Freshman at Montana State University. See, Double Take was selected as required summer reading for all of the new students arriving at MSU this year, and to cap off the assignment, I need to deliver the big convocation address at the beginning of the semester. Normally, I’m not too afraid of getting up onstage to talk, but this time it’s different. Not only will I be standing in front of thousands of students reasonably close to my age, but I’ll be doing it with all of the pomp-and-circumstance that goes along with a college event of that size. So, in a tidy list – here are my worries*:

1.) The Wisdom – While I have had some pretty incredible experiences in the past few years, I’m not sure if I’ve reached the point of being totally sure of my ability to actually impart wisdom. I’ve only been out of college for two years, which has been just long enough to realize how little I actually know about Adultland.  So while I may be able to talk about traveling the world or skateboarding the Great Wall of China, I’m still reduced to confused child when it comes to doing my taxes, looking at property, or any other of the myriad Adult-ish things that seem to hit you in the face post-college.

2.) The Pomp – Having seen these events before, I’m fairly certain that I’m going to need to wear one of those fancy black robes. I’ve never been a fan of clothes longer than my own torso, but a 5-foot-long robe could really cause some logistical difficulties on stage. I’ve asked the director of the event about possibly tailoring my robe into a cape (which, let’s face it, would be much cooler), but thusfar have yet to receive an answer…

3.) The Circumstance – When the time finally comes to be standing onstage in front of all these people, there is going to be somewhat of a juggling act. Behind me will be the main powers of MSU – from the president to the provost and all sorts in between. In front of me will be a gym full of kids that have yet to even experience college. There is probably something less cliche’d than using “a rock and a hard place”, but it does feel fairly apt in terms of having to try and keep both groups on point.

So – to those reading – is there anything I need to be worried about? For those freshman who may be looking at this blog – is there anything you would like to hear? Also – if anyone out there has the power to make this happen – I totally want a cape.

*Carmen, Greg, or anyone else reading this blog who is also helping to set up the event – don’t let this post get you sweating too much. It’s more tongue-in-cheek than you think. Or is it….

So in the few weeks since my NPR interview aired with Scott Simon, I’ve received quite a few requests to post it online. So if you missed the interview, or just need to let my dulcet tones soothe your afternoon – you’re in luck!

Howdy everybody – hope that the summer has been going well!

So tomorrow, June 26th, I’m going to be featured on NPR’s Weekend Edition with Scott Simon! I’m a huge NPR nerd, so the opportunity to be featured on one of my favorite programs was a real treat. I’m not certain how long the segment is going to be, exactly, but I know that I spoke with Scott for well over forty-minutes. Most of the interview surrounded my experiences working on Double Take as well as some of my more recent endeavors.

Most of local airing times are between 7AM and 9AM, but check your local listings to be sure. If you want to stream the show, or even check out some older programs, you can find it all right here.