Me Before You ~ Jojo Moyes

They had nothing in common until love gave them everything to lose . . .

Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl living an exceedingly ordinary life—steady boyfriend, close family—who has barely been farther afield than their tiny village. She takes a badly needed job working for ex–Master of the Universe Will Traynor, who is wheelchair bound after an accident. Will has always lived a huge life—big deals, extreme sports, worldwide travel—and now he’s pretty sure he cannot live the way he is.

Will is acerbic, moody, bossy—but Lou refuses to treat him with kid gloves, and soon his happiness means more to her than she expected. When she learns that Will has shocking plans of his own, she sets out to show him that life is still worth living.

A Love Story for this generation and perfect for fans of John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars, Me Before You brings to life two people who couldn’t have less in common—a heartbreakingly romantic novel that asks, What do you do when making the person you love happy also means breaking your own heart?

Book Review:

I laughed hysterically. I cried uncontrollably. I was conflicted. I didn't know who's side I was on. And I cried some more. The point of this book for me, wasn't the love story,  though it was adorable and very interesting; the point was that sometimes the meaning of one's life is different from person to another person, sometimes you have to let the person that you love the most go and make their own choices, sometimes you have to accept those choices, even if they are the most painful decisions in the world. 

Louisa kind of annoyed me at first. She had no idea who she was, she had no ambition, and she just seemed lost. I didn't understand her. I didn't relate to her. But as the story progressed, as she took care of Will, as she found her purpose and realized her potential, I began to really enjoy her character. Moving onto Will, I found him interesting from the very beginning. He was such an intelligent, motivated, adventurous, and lively human before his accident. He seemed to have it all until he stepped out in front of a motorcycle. He became depressed and angry and mean as a quadriplegic. I understood his anger and pain, I felt for him, I really did, but at the same time, I yearned for him to just suck it up and make the most of his life. I thought that he was beginning to do that with Louisa.

Will and Louisa's relationship wasn't founded typically. She was his caretaker, he was mean. At first, she couldn't even sit in the same room as him. But eventually, they began to banter and then they began to talk, really talk. It really was love, even before it was declared. It wasn't always romantic but you could still feel the chemistry. It was beautiful. 

************************SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT****************************

When it comes to choosing sides, I have never been good at that. I'm one of those people who tries to understand both sides before I make a decision. In this case, I did the same thing, and then I couldn't come to a decision. After a couple of weeks, I still haven't made up my mind.

Assisted suicide, it's a controversial topic, just like abortion, there is the pro-life side and the pro-choice side. In Will's case, he no longer wanted to be dependent on people, but he would never walk again, he would never be able to feed himself again, or change his own clothes, or bathe himself. He would never be able to do the things he loved again, like climbing mountains and skydiving. Nothing would be the same. His family loved him, and would do anything for him; and therefore, they felt that he should live his new life. Louisa loved him, she loved everything about him, she loved their relationship, and he loved her; but even their love wasn't enough to keep him alive. 

I really did hope that he was becoming happier, seeing the potential of his new life, seeing the potential of his new relationships, as he and Louisa went on all of their excursions; but in the end it wasn't enough. And I cried like a baby who just got a shot. I cried like I had never cried before. 

Favorite Quote:

“You are scored on my heart, Clark. You were from the first day you walked in, with your ridiculous clothes and your complete inability to ever hide a single thing you felt.”  

    

Goodbye President Obama, We Will Miss You.

Dear President Obama,

You were the first man that I was able to watch as a candidate on TV, to being elected, to being inaugurated, and everything since then. I barely remember your predecessor other than what I have read about him. For the past eight years of my life, since I was ten years old, you have been my president and the man that I have rooted for most often. I remember watching your debates in my history class; scared that you would loose to Romney before you were reelected. The things he said angered me but you always countered with such courage and modesty. You spoke the truth and that is why I was beyond happy when you were reelected. I tried to not think about what would happen when you could no longer be my president. Now I can no longer ignore that idea because soon it will be my new reality, and I am disgusted with this new reality.

You led this country with such pride, courage, intelligence, strategy, integrity, and most of all with the best interest of the people at your heart. You made such strides with the civil rights of all people. You wanted more for the health of this country and you did everything in your power to achieve it. You advocated for the future health of our climate. You found and demanded jobs for people without them.  You strengthened many of our international relationships. And you did everything to bring as many troops home as you could.

Not oinly did yoiu break the gkass ceiling as the first African American President, but that is not all; I watched as your family set the example for others. You are a feminist. You support the LGBTQ+ community. You and Michelle have never had a scandal and have been the epitome of a beautiful and strong relationship. And somehow, over the course of the past eight years, your entire administration, but  you and Biden, have been pop-culture sensations.

I thank you for listening to what we all have had to say about controversial issues. I thank you for letting us in and discussing the things that meant the most to us. Thank you for keeping an open mind. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. It will never beenoiugh but I don't know what else to say, so, thank you.

I will miss you so much,
Angel

Bad Feminist: Essays ~ Roxane Gay

In these funny and insightful essays, Roxane Gay takes us through the journey of her evolution as a woman (Sweet Valley High) of color (The Help) while also taking readers on a ride through culture of the last few years (Girls, Django in Chains) and commenting on the state of feminism today (abortion, Chris Brown). The portrait that emerges is not only one of an incredibly insightful woman continually growing to understand herself and our society, but also one of our culture.

Book Review:

I picked this book up because I was in the mood to read someone else's feminist perspective, as a feminist myself. I was anticipating a slew of feminist rhetoric, practically a history lesson on different feminist agendas, and kind of a how-to guide to be a better feminist. Now, I wasn't necessarily let down, but I wasn't blown away either. I learned a lot about myself, my ideas, and the movement in general. I was able to relate and put words to my feelings in a more coherent way. I really enjoyed much of the essays. 

Those that I found fell flat or weren't necessarily what I was looking for, were the complete and utter breakdowns of multiple bits of pop culture. I didn't necessarily find those interesting nor did I understand the ones that were about books and movies that I hadn't read or seen (the latter is my fault). Also, the bulk of the book dealt with racial issues, not the feminist agenda. Had I been looking for racial developments and ideas, I would probably have loved the book in its entirity. 

I whole-heartedly appreciate how Gay attempted to correlate her two agendas: feminism and racism. It did give an interesting perspective and I rather enjoyed some of those essays; I was just looking for more. Overall though, I really enjoyed the book. 

Pages: 399                                                                                                                          Rate: 3/5

Favorite Quotes:

“I believe feminism is grounded in supporting the choices of women even if we wouldn’t make certain choices for ourselves.” 
― Roxane Gay, Bad Feminist: Essays

“It’s hard to be told to lighten up because if you lighten up any more, you’re going to float the fuck away.” 
― Roxane Gay, Bad Feminist: Essays