Hidden Girl by Shyima Hall
Another book that I bought earlier this week. I was intrigued by the cover, so I read the back, and then I knew I had to have it. This is a memoir of a girl (now grown woman) who was sold into slavery when she was eight years old.
Shyima was the seventh of eleven children, growing up in poverty in Alexandria, Egypt. When she was eight, one of her older sisters, who worked for a wealthy family in Cairo, stole from her employers. Rather than call the authorities, the wealthy family decided that Shyima could work off her sister's debt. They treated her terribly, slapped her, and called her stupid. After about two years, they relocated to the United States, and took Shyima with them. They continued to treat Shyima badly, and then, one day when she was approximately 13, she was rescued. She went into the foster care system in California, and was eventually adopted.
Obviously, the book goes into more detail than that, but that's all you need to know going in. My heart broke for this girl, but then cheered when she was rescued. It opened my eyes to human trafficking and slavery in a way that I might never have known about if I hadn't read this book.
Friday, July 31, 2015
Thursday, July 30, 2015
Summer Reading #24
Forever by Judy Blume
I received my first Judy Blume book when I was nine years old, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. I was going into fourth grade, so my parents thought it would be cool for me to read about a kid my age. I fell in love with the characters, so Superfudge, and Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great were naturally on my reading repertoire. I was grown with two kids when I read Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret because I'd never gotten to it as a teen. Needless to say, I am a fan. So, when I saw this on the shelf at the bookstore the other day, I knew I would be buying it.
Written in 1975, this was ahead of its time, as far as young adult lit is concerned. Now, in 2015, the things Blume writes about in Forever are fairly commonplace. Somehow, though, this book and its content, are timeless.
Katherine is a senior in high school. She meets Michael at a New Year's party, and although they don't hit it off in the first hours of their acquaintance, it doesn't take long (less than a day) for Kath to be swept up in all things Michael. Kath has dated before, but the way she feels about Michael is far more than she has felt for any other boy, and she thinks it's love. She's a virgin, and Michael is always pressuring her to have sex, which seems pretty typical.
They do finally have sex, and Kath, responsible girl that she is, gets herself on birth control. She is convinced she'll be with Michael forever, hence the title. The summer after senior year, they both get jobs that will keep them apart. This is not necessarily a choice on Kath's part, as her parents force her to get a job at a summer camp. They write letters, but, gasp, Kath meets a man that she develops feelings for. She is confused about her feelings because she still loves Michael, but she likes this other guy too. Michael doesn't like this much, and breaks up with her.
What I got from this, as a grown, middle aged woman, is that we are stupid when it is first love. We are willing to give up everything just to spend time with this one person. We are more easily coerced when we think we're in love. First love makes us more naïve than we might normally be.
I received my first Judy Blume book when I was nine years old, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. I was going into fourth grade, so my parents thought it would be cool for me to read about a kid my age. I fell in love with the characters, so Superfudge, and Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great were naturally on my reading repertoire. I was grown with two kids when I read Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret because I'd never gotten to it as a teen. Needless to say, I am a fan. So, when I saw this on the shelf at the bookstore the other day, I knew I would be buying it.
Written in 1975, this was ahead of its time, as far as young adult lit is concerned. Now, in 2015, the things Blume writes about in Forever are fairly commonplace. Somehow, though, this book and its content, are timeless.
Katherine is a senior in high school. She meets Michael at a New Year's party, and although they don't hit it off in the first hours of their acquaintance, it doesn't take long (less than a day) for Kath to be swept up in all things Michael. Kath has dated before, but the way she feels about Michael is far more than she has felt for any other boy, and she thinks it's love. She's a virgin, and Michael is always pressuring her to have sex, which seems pretty typical.
They do finally have sex, and Kath, responsible girl that she is, gets herself on birth control. She is convinced she'll be with Michael forever, hence the title. The summer after senior year, they both get jobs that will keep them apart. This is not necessarily a choice on Kath's part, as her parents force her to get a job at a summer camp. They write letters, but, gasp, Kath meets a man that she develops feelings for. She is confused about her feelings because she still loves Michael, but she likes this other guy too. Michael doesn't like this much, and breaks up with her.
What I got from this, as a grown, middle aged woman, is that we are stupid when it is first love. We are willing to give up everything just to spend time with this one person. We are more easily coerced when we think we're in love. First love makes us more naïve than we might normally be.
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Summer Reading #23
YOLO Juliet by William Shakespeare and Brett Wright
This in no way is a replacement for actually reading Romeo and Juliet, but by putting it in text speak, it helps to give the reader a better understanding of the play. I mean this in terms of plot. Everything is there, plot-wise. What's missing? The beauty of the language. All the paradoxes, imagery, oxymorons, and everything that makes reading R&J an experience.
So yeah, this was a cute read, but make sure you read the real thing.
This in no way is a replacement for actually reading Romeo and Juliet, but by putting it in text speak, it helps to give the reader a better understanding of the play. I mean this in terms of plot. Everything is there, plot-wise. What's missing? The beauty of the language. All the paradoxes, imagery, oxymorons, and everything that makes reading R&J an experience.
So yeah, this was a cute read, but make sure you read the real thing.
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Summer Reading #22
I Kill the Mockingbird by Paul Acampora
I went to Barnes and Noble today to spend $70 in gift cards, which allowed me to get eight books-seven for me, and one for my daughter. I really had no clue what I wanted, so I was perusing every title in the young adult area. You'd think this wasn't my third trip there in two weeks the way I was checking out all the books. Ha! Anyway, I saw this, and it sounded pretty good.
Lucy, our narrator, Elena, and Michael are finishing their eighth grade year, and are given a summer reading list with 6-8 books on that. They are disappointed because their previous teacher, who died some months before, promised them they would only have to read To Kill a Mockingbird. All three kids had read the book, and it is Lucy's favorite. The kids thought everyone should read the book, and they set about finding a way to get people to read it.
They go to various bookstores and libraries in their state, and move copies of the book to different locations in the stores. Their logic is that if people think there is a limited supply for the book, more people would try to buy it and read it. They set up a website and several social media accounts, and people from all over the place start moving/stealing books too.
I thought it was cute because it is rare these days for kids to be so passionate about books that they would go to these lengths to get people to read.
I went to Barnes and Noble today to spend $70 in gift cards, which allowed me to get eight books-seven for me, and one for my daughter. I really had no clue what I wanted, so I was perusing every title in the young adult area. You'd think this wasn't my third trip there in two weeks the way I was checking out all the books. Ha! Anyway, I saw this, and it sounded pretty good.
Lucy, our narrator, Elena, and Michael are finishing their eighth grade year, and are given a summer reading list with 6-8 books on that. They are disappointed because their previous teacher, who died some months before, promised them they would only have to read To Kill a Mockingbird. All three kids had read the book, and it is Lucy's favorite. The kids thought everyone should read the book, and they set about finding a way to get people to read it.
They go to various bookstores and libraries in their state, and move copies of the book to different locations in the stores. Their logic is that if people think there is a limited supply for the book, more people would try to buy it and read it. They set up a website and several social media accounts, and people from all over the place start moving/stealing books too.
I thought it was cute because it is rare these days for kids to be so passionate about books that they would go to these lengths to get people to read.
Summer Reading #21/Fall Required Reading
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
In the last year, I have learned that it's ok to give up a book if the reader isn't into it by page fifty. If this hadn't been required reading for the upcoming semester, I may have given up long before page fifty. Luckily, at page fifty, this book picked up, and a part of me wanted to read it. I hesitate to say that I liked this book, but it held my interest enough that I was able to finish it
Todd Hewitt is the last boy in Prentisstown, a settlement on New World, which is suspiciously Earth-like, where there are no women. All the males on New World can hear the thoughts of each other all the time. This is referred to as the Noise. There is something about Todd that is important to the Mayor, and after much argument, Todd leaves Prentisstown with his dog, Manchee.
Not long into his journey, Todd runs into the first female he has ever seen. Her family has died, and she joins Todd on his mission, which is to warn the other New World settlements about Prentisstown. He is unsure why the mayor and his men are hunting him, or why he needs to warn the other settlements. Todd and the girl, Viola, find that they need to get to Haven, the largest of the settlements, because only they are large enough to stand up to the army of Prentisstown.
**Spoiler Alert**
During the course of the whole book, there is a crazy priest out to get Todd. No matter what happens, he doesn't seem to die. He even kidnaps Viola. Even though Todd rescues Viola, he has to make a choice, Viola or Manchee, and Todd chooses Viola. Manchee dies a violent death. Any chance of me liking this book ended with the death of the dog. It made me mad, and I ended up reading the rest of the book just to see if the dog died in vain.
Also, the ending angered me. It angered me enough that there is no way I'll read the rest of this trilogy. The ending came out of left field, and is abrupt. I realize that this is the first book in a trilogy, and there is some expectation that the book will just leave the reader hanging, but usually, there is some kind of closure. Not this one. No closure.
In the last year, I have learned that it's ok to give up a book if the reader isn't into it by page fifty. If this hadn't been required reading for the upcoming semester, I may have given up long before page fifty. Luckily, at page fifty, this book picked up, and a part of me wanted to read it. I hesitate to say that I liked this book, but it held my interest enough that I was able to finish it
Todd Hewitt is the last boy in Prentisstown, a settlement on New World, which is suspiciously Earth-like, where there are no women. All the males on New World can hear the thoughts of each other all the time. This is referred to as the Noise. There is something about Todd that is important to the Mayor, and after much argument, Todd leaves Prentisstown with his dog, Manchee.
Not long into his journey, Todd runs into the first female he has ever seen. Her family has died, and she joins Todd on his mission, which is to warn the other New World settlements about Prentisstown. He is unsure why the mayor and his men are hunting him, or why he needs to warn the other settlements. Todd and the girl, Viola, find that they need to get to Haven, the largest of the settlements, because only they are large enough to stand up to the army of Prentisstown.
**Spoiler Alert**
During the course of the whole book, there is a crazy priest out to get Todd. No matter what happens, he doesn't seem to die. He even kidnaps Viola. Even though Todd rescues Viola, he has to make a choice, Viola or Manchee, and Todd chooses Viola. Manchee dies a violent death. Any chance of me liking this book ended with the death of the dog. It made me mad, and I ended up reading the rest of the book just to see if the dog died in vain.
Also, the ending angered me. It angered me enough that there is no way I'll read the rest of this trilogy. The ending came out of left field, and is abrupt. I realize that this is the first book in a trilogy, and there is some expectation that the book will just leave the reader hanging, but usually, there is some kind of closure. Not this one. No closure.
Thursday, July 23, 2015
Summer Reading #20
Somebody I Used to Know by David Bell
I liked the title when I saw it at the bookstore on my 39th birthday the other day. I flipped it over, read the blurb, and knew this was going to be my next read. It's lived up to my expectations.
It starts out with Nick at the grocery store. He sees a beautiful redhead who has all the mannerisms of his ex-girlfriend. His ex-girlfriend who died in a house fire twenty years ago. He tries to talk to the girl to see if she is in any way related to the family of his ex, but she bolts. Later, Nick gets a visit from the police because the grocery store girl was found dead with his address in her pocket. That all happens in the first twenty pages, and I really thought I had the whole thing figured out. I was about half right.
The death of this girl brings Nick back to the love he lost in a fire, and he finds himself searching for the girl's killer. He learns some truths from the past, but it doesn't necessarily help.
This was an edge of your seat, I had to make myself stop reading at 2am so I could get some sleep type of book. I loved the suspense, and didn't want it to end. I will definitely be checking out some og this guy's other books.
I liked the title when I saw it at the bookstore on my 39th birthday the other day. I flipped it over, read the blurb, and knew this was going to be my next read. It's lived up to my expectations.
It starts out with Nick at the grocery store. He sees a beautiful redhead who has all the mannerisms of his ex-girlfriend. His ex-girlfriend who died in a house fire twenty years ago. He tries to talk to the girl to see if she is in any way related to the family of his ex, but she bolts. Later, Nick gets a visit from the police because the grocery store girl was found dead with his address in her pocket. That all happens in the first twenty pages, and I really thought I had the whole thing figured out. I was about half right.
The death of this girl brings Nick back to the love he lost in a fire, and he finds himself searching for the girl's killer. He learns some truths from the past, but it doesn't necessarily help.
This was an edge of your seat, I had to make myself stop reading at 2am so I could get some sleep type of book. I loved the suspense, and didn't want it to end. I will definitely be checking out some og this guy's other books.
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Summer Reading #19
We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach
I was drawn to this book because of the cover. It's all black, with an asteroid at the top, and five teenagers at the bottom looking up at it. It was simple, and I was intrigued, so I read the front flap. The blurb on the flap indicated that this book would be about an athlete, a slut, a slacker, and an overachiever. Sounds similar to a movie from the 80's that I love, so I knew I'd eventually get it.
There are ten main chapters, counting down from ten to zero, and within those main chapters, are subchapters, each told by one of the characters. The premise of the book revolves around an asteroid that is passing very close to Earth, with a 66.6% chance of wiping everything out, and the way the lives of these four teenagers change over the course of ten weeks.
One wants to fulfill their dream of being a singer. Another doesn't want to die a virgin. One more wants their life to mean something. The last one just wants to believe in something. None are really friends at the beginning, but they somehow come together during all this craziness.
It was a pretty good read, and considering this is the author's first published book, I think we can look forward to more interesting reads in the future.
I was drawn to this book because of the cover. It's all black, with an asteroid at the top, and five teenagers at the bottom looking up at it. It was simple, and I was intrigued, so I read the front flap. The blurb on the flap indicated that this book would be about an athlete, a slut, a slacker, and an overachiever. Sounds similar to a movie from the 80's that I love, so I knew I'd eventually get it.
There are ten main chapters, counting down from ten to zero, and within those main chapters, are subchapters, each told by one of the characters. The premise of the book revolves around an asteroid that is passing very close to Earth, with a 66.6% chance of wiping everything out, and the way the lives of these four teenagers change over the course of ten weeks.
One wants to fulfill their dream of being a singer. Another doesn't want to die a virgin. One more wants their life to mean something. The last one just wants to believe in something. None are really friends at the beginning, but they somehow come together during all this craziness.
It was a pretty good read, and considering this is the author's first published book, I think we can look forward to more interesting reads in the future.
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