62 pages • 2 hours read
Buzz WilliamsSpare Parts
Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 2004A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Introduction
Teacher Introduction
Spare Parts
- Genre: Nonfiction/Autobiography
- Originally Published: 2004
- Reading Level/Interest: Adult/college
- Structure/Length: 10 chapters; approximately 313 pages
- Protagonist and Central Conflict: Following the death of his brother, Buzz Williams enlists to join the Marine Reserves. When he is unexpectedly deployed during Operation Desert Shield, he struggles to become more than a “spare part” as a Marine Reserve in active military duty.
- Potential Sensitivity Issues: Graphic depictions of war violence; racism; PTSD
Buzz Williams
- Bio: Marine Reserve combat veteran; former National Teacher of the Year; secondary school administrator with Harford County Public Schools in Maryland
CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Guide:
- Education
- Seeking a Sense of Belonging
STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Teaching Guide, students will:
- Gain an understanding of the historical and social contexts surrounding the US Marines and the Gulf War, both of which shape Williams’s experiences.
- Study paired texts and other brief resources to make connections via the text’s themes of Education and Seeking a Sense of Belonging.
- Review and partake in a physical challenge inspired by the US Marines’ own physical fitness requirements to develop a stronger understanding of Williams’s experiences.
- Examine and appraise the author’s purpose and techniques to draw conclusions in structured essay responses regarding how Williams’s Marine life co-exists (or clashes) alongside his civilian life, how Lenny’s legacy impacts Williams, and other topics.
