The beauty of this text I read Big Wonderful Thing because it was assigned in my Texas History course. I wouldn’t have chosen it myself since it’s almost 1,000 pages and seemed like another boring textbook. However, after the first few pages, I found it engaging due to Stephen Harrigan's storytelling and facts. I felt I needed to engage with it, having grown up in Texas, but realized I only knew the highlights of its history. What was my approach: At first, I tried to take it chapter by chapter, reading a bit each night. But the more I read, the more I realized I needed a plan. The stories Harrigan tells are complex, and he moves between time periods, people, and political shifts pretty quickly. So I started doing a few things: 1. Previewing the chapter first by reading the opening and closing paragraphs. 2. Jotting down names and events that were new to me in a separate notebook. 3. Using sticky tabs to mark passages that either surprised me or made me question what I thought ...
Francisco journal blog 4, English - 1301