Blog # 2 Books 9-16

Thomas, A. (2017). Hate u give. New York, NY: Balzer + Bray.

The Hate U Give is about a sixteen year old girl who lives with her parents and siblings in Garden Heights, which is considered the “bad side of town”, but is privileged enough to attend Williamson a prep school. Starr is ashamed of her hometown of Garden Heights, she feels she is living in two different realms. She will soon see both worlds collide as they help fight for what is right. She meets up with a childhood friend Khalil “a gangster”, at a party, when a shooting takes place causing them to take refuge as they flee the party. Khalil and Starr find themselves driving away from the party and being pulled over an officer. Starr, unfortunately, she witnesses her childhood friend get shot by the officer. The shooting quickly makes nationwide news, as this is being considered a racial profiling situation. She is thrown into a different world as feels obligated to take a stance and bring light to Khalil’s wrongful death. Starr goes through many ups and downs as she takes a stand with the help of her family, boyfriend, friends, and others she wouldn’t have thought would help out, fight for Khalil’s unjust death. She realizes at the end it goes beyond Khalil, she feels there will always be someone to fight for and never give up or forget them. This is a touchy subject that young adults may be familiar with. I think it is important to shed light on this subject to give young adults the knowledge of the possibilities and the reality one may face. This book would be a great book to include on a book club’s list. In class The Hate U Give can be a beneficial book to discuss. Similar book is Dear Martin by Nic Stone. The book has been adapted into a motion picture. The following is a link to view the trailer: https://youtu.be/3MM8OkVT0hw.

King, A. S. (2013). Ask the passengers: A novel. New York: Little, Brown.

Ask the Passengers is about this senior in high school named, Astrid Jones. She must endure a family who is questionable to say the least. Astrid finds it difficult to talk to her younger sister as she feels they are completely different from one and other, her mother does not understand the true Astrid so ignores her instead, and her father is less connected to the family as opposed to Astrid herself. Astrid Jones spends time in her backyard picnic table asking questions about her situations and sends love to the passengers on different flights, as she feels her love is not wanted by her family or friends. Astrid is friends with individuals who are gay themselves and questions her sexuality. This all changes when she meets a girl she falls in love with at the place she works. Her new relationship with Dee forces Astrid to come out with her true feelings without caring about what other people think or say. The symbolism between Astrid and the airplanes is the freedom one gains when they are true to oneself. Young adults are faced with many questions and situations that arise as they grow up. Sexual orientation can be one of the many questions young adults are faced with, but with books such as Ask the Passengers, it gives them the assurance they are not alone and others know what they are going through. Other books like Ask the Passengers are: Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden and Crush by Carrie Mac.

 Crutcher, C. (1995). Ironman: a novel. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books.

Bo Brewster writes to Larry King, his favorite show to listen to in the mornings, as he promises he will soon be famous one day and be interviewed by him. As consolation he keeps Mr. King up to date and he writes his memoir as it is happening. Ironman is the nickname Bo Brewster is given by acquaintances, peers, and friends as he is trains day and night to compete in the Yukon River’s Triathlon. The road to this triathlon is like no other. He has a strained relationship with his father and feels they are at opposite ends all the time, causing Bo to feel angry. After calling his ex-football coach and current English teacher, Mr. Redmond, an a**hole, Bo finds himself attending the school’s anger management class. The teacher of the class, Mr. Nak is sure to help this individuals gain a clear understanding of where their anger comes from by asking questions and holding deep discussions.  Within the class is where Bo finds students like him, Elvis, Hudge, Shelly and Shuja, and figures out that although  they are very different from one and other, everyone one of these individuals have gone through similar situations dealing with anger.  He falls in love with Shelly as she supports Bo through his preparation for the triathlon. Over the course of time he comes across a mentor, Mr. S, who deeply cares about him and helps him through his ordeal, a group of college student who have bet against him they could beat him in the triathlon, and his father who throughout the book works against Bo and his triathlon. Bo beats the group of college students and begins to rekindle the father son relationship they should have by seeking counseling. There was a lot of cuss words within the book, but I thought about how the intended age group speaks and well, there you have it. I think without the words the tone of the book may not be the same. Young adults can benefit from reading this book. It shows that everyone has struggles to overcome in their life, but through dedication and determination anything is possible. This also gives athletes an option to read literature they may be familiar with. Similar books by Chris Crutcher is Deadline and Game by Walter Dean Myers. 

L., & Reynolds, J. (2017). Long way down [Audio book]. New York, New York: [Simon & Schuster Audio].
            Long Way Down is about this young boy, Will, whose brother, Shawn, has just been shot and killed. Will can’t come to terms his brother is dead and feels it is his duty to find who killed his brother and do the same to that individual. As he keeps The Rules 1. Don’t’ cry, 2. Don’t snitch, and 3. Revenge he finds Shawn’s gun and has decided he will use it to get even with his brother’s killer. As Will heads down his apartment he gets into the elevator where he comes across ghosts that have great relevance to Will. The first one is Buck James who gave the gun to Shawn, then ghost girl, Dani friend of Will, who was shot and killed when they were small, followed by Uncle Mark who questions Will why he is there, then Will’s father Mikey Holloway who died from a broken heart who shot and killed the wrong person, next one Frank (Frick) who killed Buck as a mission to join a gang, then Shawn who killed Franck as revenge for killing Uncle Buck. In the end it is up to Will to decide whether avenging his brother’s death is the right thing to do. I enjoyed listening to this audio. The novel was like no other. There was many symbolism throughout the story: the yellow tape= death, gun= lives taken, elevator= coffin. The poetic form gave the ability of the story to flow easily. The language Reynolds used made the story easier to understand and the vivid language he chose to use provided me with great visuals of the story. More books by the author are, When I was the Greatest, All American Boy, and Look Both Ways.

Satrapi, M. (2004). Persepolis. New York, NY: Pantheon Books. 
             Persepolis is a memoir of a child named Maryjane Satrapi, who grew up in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution where the Pahlavi dynasty was overthrown. She learns about heroes in her family to ruthless and witnesses first- hand the cruelty some people endured throughout this time. Her father was a photographer who took pictures of the protests, which was dangerous. Her uncle was executed for being a Russian spy. Her parents were lived a modern lifestyle and allowed their daughter to live the same way where she was opposed to wearing the veil to doing many things that were against what the government did not tolerate such as hosting parties, wearing tight jeans, polishing fingernails, listening to music, hanging posters of musicians, wear jewelry, join demonstrations, and making and drinking alcohol. By this time she was not afraid of anyone or anything and became a bit rebellious and was expelled from school. For precautionary reasons her parents send Maryjane to Austria to attend school, with promises they will visit, but she has her doubts. Many children and families were torn apart. This memoir gives readers a lesson on another culture. The graphic form of this story allows the readers to visually see the story written out. It helps readers gain a clearer understanding of the events happening. Maryjane’s memoir continues with Persepolis 2 the Story of a Return by Maryjane Satrapi.

Alexander, K. (2013). He said, she said. New York, NY: Amistad, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers.

            He Said, She said takes place in South Carolina where on one hand you have Claudia, valedictorian, “goodie two shoes”, editor of the school newspaper and on the other you have Omar, a.k.a. T. Diddy (for all the touchdowns he made when he was younger) the good looking all star quarterback that the ladies love. They both attend West Charleston High where the school is feeling the effects of budget cuts as they decide to cut back on particular programs such as the fine arts and library hours. As a way to impress Claudia and to show her he’s “real”, Omar decides to start a student rally and petition against the cuts. The protest began with a ten minute silent protest, which calls the attention of the principal, who is not impressed with the stint they pulled. Principal cancels Omar’s press conference where he was going to give his verbal intent to play football at the University of Miami in Florida. As Claudia finds out more about the real Omar she slowly falls for him. With the school behind them they decide to meet at the school’s administration building where they begin another protest in hopes of bringing back teachers. The Governor of South Carolina found out about the protest and willfully reinstated the teachers and programs at the school. A good teaching point within using this book could be point of view. We can see the views of the students and how the cuts affect them, while we can also argue the school board and principal’s views on the budget cuts. This book proves that through unity, standing up for what you believe in, and speaking up, things can change for the better. Similar books like He Said, She Said are Swing by Kwame Alexander and Mary Rand Hess, Take the Mic by Bethany C. Marrow, and The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas.

Green, J. (2017). Turtles all the way down. New York, NY: Dutton Books.

            Aza attends White River High School in Indianapolis,where her mother is a 9^th grade math teacher, and suffers from over compulsive disorder. Aza is best friends with Daisy who writes fan fiction and Michael, an artist. Aza has a special love Harold, a 16 year old Toyota Corolla which was her father's’. Her father has since passed away. Aza’s mother is worried about paying for her college as she knows it is expensive. Daisy shares the news about Russell Pickett who is a missing fugitive billionaire. There is a $100,000 reward with any information that helps with finding Pickett. Daisy remembers that Aza attended summer camp with Russell’s son Davis, which may lead to helpful information or clues on finding Pickett and get their hands on the reward money. Aza does remember a night vision camera in Pickett’s backyard, which leads them to check it out. They get caught by security, but are let go and are reunited with Davis. Aza and Davis rekindle their friendship in the midst of obtaining information on his missing father. Davis knows they found a picture from the night vision camera and gives them 100,000 dollars so they can forget about his father. They split the money in half. All the while Ava is tormented with the feelings and swirling thoughts that hinder her friendships. She believes she is not real, causing her to dig deep on her finger so that she can feel pain reassuring she is and is skeptical about medication prescribed from her therapist not working for her. Daisy and Aza get into an argument which causes their car accident. After some recovery time, Daisy tells Aza about a joke giving Aza a clearer understanding of how she is feeling; she is desperately trying to find a turtle at the end of a pile of turtles but can’t because it’s turtles all the way down. They attend Michael’s art show in the underground sewer system which leads them to discover where the body of Pickett may be. After many fail attempts at loving each other, Aza and Davis say goodbye for now. Police recovered Davis’s father’s body and have decided to move to Colorado where his little brother Noah will attend a boarding school. Aza has come to terms with taking medication to rehabilitate her and although the uncertainty of the future is unknown, that everything will be okay. Great book to discuss mental illness. The book is a great conversation starter to get young people talking these issues. John Green has other books that deal with the realities of life. They are our and our young people’s life truths. Similar books are The Fault in Our Stars by John Green and Kissing Door Knobs by Terry Spencer Hesser. 

Quintero, I. (2014). Gabi a girl in pieces. El Paso, TX: Cinco Puntos.

            Gabi: A Girl in Pieces gives the readers insight of her thoughts as she writes in a journal through the span of her senior year of high school. Gabi is an intelligent, “chubby”, caring, daughter, best friend, girlfriend, who considers herself a non-practicing catholic and is Mexican American who also loves food. She sustains somewhat of a relationship with her drug addicting father who is not reliable and randomly shows up at home some nights, in the end she just wants to feel loved by him. Gabi experiences her best friend, Cindy’s, pregnancy, which she learns later on she was raped, along with her mother’s, a surprise to everyone. Her other best friend Sebastian has come out gay. She has several crushes throughout the year and dates a boy Eric, and a boy named Martin. Gabi goes through periods of uncertainty as she battles the issue of skin color, her weight, and being a female. She understands that there is a double standard when it comes to dating and initiating the first move as opposed to being a male. Gabi feels oppressed knowing that her Mexican culture has defined what and how a girl should act/ behave in today’s world. Gabi’s mother is reluctant to let her leave for school using the excuse of her helping care for her newborn baby brother, but understands that opportunities like these are once in a lifetime, so lets her go. Her dream to attend Berkeley has come true as she was accepted and decided to attend in the fall along with her boyfriend. Quintero does a great job with similes and metaphors throughout the story. I feel the issues and topics (sexual orientation, weight, race, sex, drug addiction) discussed within the story are tough to talk about, but are greatly needed as it provides insight to readers (young adults) they are not alone in the way that others are going through the same thing. Another great book to discuss first person point of view. Similar books are Korean Girl in America by Hope Kim, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez.  

Blog # 1 Books 1-8

Anderson, L. H. (1999). Speak. NY: Penguin. Speak introduces the readers to a young girl who has experienced an unfortunate event, being raped by the “popular guy” in school, during a party in the summer leading to her freshman year. As the story progresses, readers are taken on a journey of the main character, Melinda, as she refuses to speak for almost the entire school year. Many events throughout the school year cause her to become a “selective mute”, from having to deal with her parents who are not around and show a lack of interest as far as her personal life goes, with the loss of her best friend and others due to repercussions of calling the police at the party, which gets her best friend’s brother into trouble. Melinda is dealt with having to heal on her own as she feels she is alone and can’t talk to anyone about what happened that summer night, not even her parents. Her art teacher has given Melinda’s class an assignment as they are to draw a word of an object they have selected. In this case she is to draw a tree, which helps her find peace. She is confronted once again in the same situation with the same individual, but this time she prevails. She over takes Andy and reports the incident. It is at this time in place she feels she is ready to let her parents know she was raped that summer night.The readers of Speak gain a deeper understanding how and what students of late middle school and high school students endure on a day to day basis. Not only do they face with up keeping with those amongst them, but making choices that could change their future. Because of the sexual nature content of this book, it has been challenged and on banned lists in previous years. Laurie Halse Anderson book Shout is similar in context to her book Speak, where she gives a voice and courage to those who feel like they can’t or afraid to speak up.

Behar, R. (2017). Lucky broken girl. NY: Delacorte. Ruthie has emigrated from Cuba to New York during the sixties. Her parent have immigrated to the states to live a better life. Ruthie has finally been approved to become a part of the regular class and has been named the “Hop Scotch Queen of Queens” as she is incredible at hop scotch, until one evening when tragedy hits Ruthie. She has endured a severely broken leg from a car accident coming home from visiting friends of the family.  She has to be put in a full body cast leaving her without mobility to do the things she once could and enjoyed doing. Ruthie becomes angry at times and feels as if she could never forgive the boys who took their parents car without permission and caused the accident. As a year goes by she endures a number of events from losing a friend who fell out of a window by accident, to losing her friend, Ramu, who moves back to his original country of India. She befriends a neighbor who visits her frequently, and has given her the ability to dream of her future, all the while she recollects the meaning of life and accepts the reasons behind forgiveness. As the body cast is removed, then is switched over to a leg cast, then finally is removing the cast entirely, is when she can honestly forgive the boys and appreciates the life she was given. Even though she endured a year without many things such as hopscotch, going to school, eating extra treats, she feel she is lucky to be alive and feels blessed she is able to continue to live. The irony of the title Lucky Broken Girl gives the young adult readers something to contemplate. How even though you may feel broken (not only physically) there are still things we should be grateful for, even if it means we have to dig a little deeper to find out exactly what those things are. Similar books such as Lucky Broken Girl are In the Country of Queens by Cari Best and City of Orphans by Avi.

Myers, W. D. (1999). Monster. NY: Harper. Steve Harmon, a promising student who has a future career in film directing finds himself in a middle of a courtroom as he is being tried as an accomplice for a murder he says he did not commit or have involvement in. As the trial begins the prosecutor calls Steve a monster, which he begins to believe and it is when he portrays this time in his life as if he were in a movie. The book is written as a script which gives the reader a better sense of how Steve views the next few months of his life. While going through the trial he is behind bars and must endure jail life as men beat each other up, take things that do not belong to them amongst other things. Steve is not like Mr. Evans who is currently in jail for selling drugs and Mr. King, who are being tried for the murder of the business man. He has loving parents that care about his well-being and hoping and praying he is not found guilty. The question of judging people comes in to play as Steve is acquainted with these individuals. Some people would think Steve is just like these two men. Question of morality comes into play. The following books are similar to Monster, Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds and The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo.

               Harris, R. (1994). It’s perfectly normal: changing bodies, growing up, sex and sexual health. Boston, MA: Candlewick Press. It’s Perfectly Normal is a nonfiction book that covers all the basics of how our bodies change, the reality of growing up, the differences between the word sex and sexual health. Throughout the book there is a bird and a bee that help with the information throughout the book. It helps readers understand the anatomy of our bodies and provide detail illustrations. They go into detail about the male and women sex organs and what to expect when we go through puberty. We should care for our bodies during this time because we are experiencing different things. They continue and share information on families and babies. They describe the process of giving birth, genetics, and alternatives to getting pregnant such as in vitro. There are many ways to practice safe sex with birth control pills, spermicide, or even a cervical cap. Many diseases can be transmitted such as HIV and AIDS. There are rules and laws when abortion comes into place. Sexual abuse can occur and must know what this looks like and must respect one’s decision and must report any abuse to someone that will listen. Books that are similar by the same author are, It’s So Amazing and It’s Not the Stork. 

             Ness, P. (2008). The knife of never letting go. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.Todd Hewitt is a twelve year old boy who will soon turn 13 years of age and will be considered a man. He lives in the New World where  everyone can hear everyone's thoughts due to a Noise germ that also wiped out all females, or at least that is what is told to the people of Prentisstown. One day Todd along with his dog, Manchee must leave their town of Prentisstown in order as protection against the mayor. As they escape through the swap they discover a girl, Viola. Not long enough some men from Todd's town comes after the girl, the preacher named Aaron, which Todd suspected they would be after her so they run and get away. To their surprise once they think they have left everyone behind Aaron comes back and takes Viola. As an even trade Ben gives himself over to the President of the New World as a peace offering in letting Viola go. This concludes  book one, but other books are to follow, The Ask and the Answer and Monster of Men. Science fiction Fantasy, a subgenre, can engage non readers to read such books as The Knife of Never Letting Go. There is a book out there for everyone. 

                 Gephart, D. (2016). Lily and dunkin. NY: Delacorte. Tim was physically born a boy, but knows he was meant to have been born a girl. She has since renamed herself, Lily. She is finding her true self, in addition to dealing with a father who is having a hard time coming to terms that his son wants to desperately be a girl and a group of boys, “The Neanderthals” (Lily has nicknamed the group) who are constantly bullying Lily because of her decision on wanting to be girl. Lily is wanting to physically change to a girl and deals with sticking up for what she believes no matter the outcome. One day Lily crosses paths with Dunkin, a new kid who has moved from New Jersey and is bipolar. They are both dealing with issues of their own as they try and find a true friendship. Dunkin is not able to come to terms his father has passed away and feels his medication to control his bipolar issues are a waste. Dunkin befriends the “Neanderthals” as he tries to fit in, but sees wrong with the things his “friends” do to Lily. He does not have the courage to speak up and defend Lily, knowing he may lose friends. Lily on the other hand has always had Dunkin’s back. For instance, after failing to take his medication over sometime, Duncan messes things up for the basketball team and causes his team the game. Lily stood by Duncan giving him a thumbs up while everyone else booed and heckled Dunkin. These little snippets of support and kindness prove to Dunkin that even at his lowest points, Lily is always there. One night as Lily is trying to save Bob the tree her grandfather and family spent many times at, is going to be removed, Lily divulges her top secret to Dunkin. This makes Dunkin rethink who his true friends are and those who mean the most to him no matter the circumstances. In the end Lily father shows admiration for her bravery for staying true to herself.  Students like Lily and Dunkin walk the halls of our schools, unnoticed. This book gives them a voice and realization for others around them. There are many challenging issues students are faced with and was the reason for this book. Another book by this author similar to Lily and Dunkin is In Your Shoes.

Garden, N. (2008). Annie on my mind. Retrieved from https://play.google.com/store/audiobooks/details/Annie_On_My_Mind?id=AQAAAACLAUkB0M&hl=en_US. Lizzie, an aspiring architect and a senior in high school, falls in love with another girl, Annie, she meets at a museum. At first their relationship starts off as a friendship, but as the story continues they fall in love with one another. They are from two different worlds as Liza attends a prestigious school and Annie attends a public school, but seem to find common ground and compassion for one another. Liza and Annie begin to spend many afternoons and weekends in town, at parks, and at each other’s houses. Eventually they come to terms with the true meaning of their relationship, but keep it a secret from everyone else, until one evening. As a favor to a couple of Liza’s teachers, she agrees to feed their cat as they are away on vacation. When one night Liza and Annie are found out about by another student and administrator. Liza’s fate hangs in limbo as the school board decide whether to kick her out of school or not. During this time she goes through questionable looks and questions of those around her. She is able to stay in school and graduate high school. After leaving for their first year of college, they become estranged for a bit until Annie comes to terms with the love she has for Liza. They agree to meet up on break from school and continue their relationship with one and other. They stay true to their feelings for each other not letting anyone around them break them apart. Students at this age are going through many things in life especially “love”. This book provides young adults the ability to view the struggles one may be faced with such as keeping their relationship a secret or to stick up for what you believe in. As one the first LGBTQ book published in the 80s, was banned by many schools and even burned in Kansas, but has earned the Margaret A. Edwards Award in 2003. Other titles related to Annie on My Mind are Keeping You a Secret by Julie Anne Peters and Kissing Kate by Lauren Myracle.