Soup for the Soul

Students at Kennedy High School are learning that a little chicken soup is just what the doctor ordered.

This soup, however, comes not from a bowl but from the pages of a book in the making.

Kennedy students have been evaluating stories for the latest edition of the popular “Chicken Soup for the Soul” books, which will target teens. The project, teachers say, has both motivated their students to read critically and given them a first-hand look at the publishing business.

In 1933, two Los Angeles peak-performance gurus created a mini-industry with the publication of the first “Chicken Soup” book--a collection of 101 inspirational short stories and poems. Since then, 11 million books in the series of nine books have been sold.

The editors generally rely on small, hand-picked groups to narrow down the stories being considered for publication. But thanks to a family connection, book editors called upon the students of Kennedy High.

Willy Ackerman, an English teacher at Kennedy, is the mother of Heather McNamara, an editor of the “Chicken Soup” books. After her daughter suggested the idea, Ackerman spearheaded Kennedy’s involvement in the project. She said about half of the school’s students--more than 1,000 kids--evaluated stories.

“They each read several stories and then rated them on a scale of 1 to 10-plus,” said Ackerman. “There was also a space reserved for comments and the students weren’t shy about sharing their feelings.”

“I think I read more stories than anybody. I loved doing it so much,” said 10th-grader Lubia Carrillo.

“Not all of them were really good. Some didn’t seem like they would happen in real life. Some of them were really great, though.”

Lubia said she was particularly impressed by a story about a boy who lost his legs, causing him to doubt his worth. It reminded her of an aunt in Mexico with a similar disability and similar doubts.

“I think a lot of teenagers will want to read stories like this because it explains how they really feel inside,” she said.

The frankness shown by the students in their evaluations impressed Jack Canfield, who has collected the stories for the “Chicken Soup” books with Mark Victor Hansen.

“I really loved their candor. Adults tend to hedge what they say in politeness,” said Canfield. “If the kids don’t like a story, they say, ‘This sucks!’ ”

“They made very good comments about why a certain story worked or didn’t work,” Canfield said. “What emerged quickly was that if a story was great it would get universal 10-pluses. It it wasn’t so great, well, look out!”

“The students are so honest, so definite. They know exactly what they like and don’t like,” said Kim Kirberger, Canfield’s sister and the managing editor of the “Chicken Soup” books. “They were the deciding factor on what stories will be going into the book.”

Kirberger said the teens generally preferred stories about relationships and identity over stories about setting and achieving goals. So, while sections for both categories will be included in the final version, editors have decided to place a greater emphasis on relationships.

“When you read a book you don’t know what the process is that goes into making it,” said Jessica Lopez, a 10-grader at Kennedy who was so taken with the project that she submitted a poem of her own for consideration in a future “Chicken Soup” book. “This gave me a lot of insights into how it’s done.”

As the last few evaluations from Kennedy students trickle in, editors, teachers and the students themselves are calling the experiment a success.

Kirberger said she has received more than 100 letters from students at Kennedy thanking her for the opportunity to participate in the evaluation process.

“The kids really enjoyed it. They felt flattered that the publishers would want their opinions and they took the evaluations very seriously,” said Sheila Moss, an English teacher at Kennedy.

Canfield said the “Chicken Soup” staff is formulating plans to recruit another group of high school students, this time from several different schools, for a second book aimed at teens.

“It makes sense. We’re teenagers, so we know what we would like to read,” said 10-grader Richard Nino.