The Hate You Give ~ Angie Thomas

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.

Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.

But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.

Book Review

There is a lot of hype around this book right now, much of it due to our current Political Climate and the Black Lives Matter Movement that this book gives an interesting and new perspective on; therefore, I was hesitant to pick it up. Usually when there is such a hype around books, I get nervous about reading them. Are they going to live up to the expectations that social media has planted into my head? Are they going to have those same tropes like other YA novels that have become boring to me? Is it going to be as mindblowing as I need it to be? Although, I was nervous, I was also very excited. This is a debut novel by Angie Thomas and personally, I find debut novels to be a great incite into the talent of an author. Also, the plot line has such a strong sociopolitical dynamic to it that I just couldn't resist. 

I took an immediate liking to Starr. She is so strong even though she has a lot of internal conflicts. Her relationships with her family is so realistic but sweet at the same time. Throughout the book, she has to come to terms with who she is while living two different lives. On one hand, she is an ex-gangster's daughter in the middle of the ghetto. On the other hand, she is one of the very few black kids at a very prestigious school in a ritzy neighborhood. Her friends and boyfriend from school don't understand her life at home, they don't understand the culture, and they really do not understand how racism impacts her and her family on a daily basis. 

Now, as if the internal identity issues weren't enough, you throw in the fact that she watched a police officer kill her unarmed friend in front of her. She has to deal with the uprising in her community due to his death, as well as a gang war, and having to make an eye witness testimony against a police officer. Throughout this novel we watch Starr stick to her morals and values, which I find to be very empowering. In a lot of YA novels, we deal with a character who is struggling with doing what his or her peers are doing or going their own way, but this gave that trope a very realistic, powerful, current, and new outlook.   

After I finished reading this novel I wanted to pick up something similar. This happens a lot of me. For example, in middle school, after I finished the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer I began reading the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead. But this style of writing is very unique. The plot is very unique. Trying to find another YA novel with a strong sociopolitical plot is and was difficult. But Angie Thomas has made this style a new favorite for me.

Pages: 464                                                                                                                                 Rate: 5/5

Favorite Quote:

“At an early age I learned that people make mistakes, and you have to decide if their mistakes are bigger than your love for them.” 

milk and honey ~ Rupi Kaur

this is the journey of

surviving through poetry

this is the blood sweat tears

of twenty-one years

this is my heart

in your hands

this is

the hurting

the loving

the breaking

the healing

- rupi kaur

Book Review

Over the years of reading, I have gone through different phases; sometimes, I really like poetry; other times, I really don't. Recently, I have been trying to get back into reading it as I love listening to Spoken Word poetry. So, since I have only heard good things about it, I picked up Milk and Honey. So worth it!

Very quick read, obviously. But the blatantly truthful poems coupled with the sketches made the perfect combination. It was incredible. Now, parents, if you are trying to get your adolescent into poetry, pick something else. There are some poems in here that contain situations that I wouldn't have been comfortable reading at a younger age. 16+ is what I would age this book for. But nevertheless, it was incredible. 

I loved the style of her poems. I loved that everything is lowercase and punctuation isn't proper. I loved that she separated in the book into sections: the hurting, the loving, the breaking, the healing. I could really resonate with the fact that the poems weren't happy or hopeful. As a mediocre poet myself, all of my poems come from painful experiences, so I could really understand that. 

Pages: 204                                                                                                                              Rate: 5/5

Favorite Passage:

you tell me to quiet down cause

my opinions make me less beautiful

but i was not made with a fire in my belly

so i could be put out

i was not made with a lightness on my tongue 

so i could be easy to swallow

i was made heavy

half blade and half silk

difficult to forget and not easy 

for the mind to follow

Everything, Everything ~ Nicola Yoon

Risk everything . . . for love.

What if you couldn’t touch anything in the outside world? Never breathe in the fresh air, feel the sun warm your face . . . or kiss the boy next door? In Everything, Everything, Maddy is a girl who’s literally allergic to the outside world, and Olly is the boy who moves in next door . . . and becomes the greatest risk she’s ever taken. 
My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla. 
 
But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He's tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.
 
Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.

Book Review:

The premise of a girl, who is allergic to the world, falling for the boy next door... yeah I am in! It a Sarah Dessen novel mixed with a John Green novel. I was sucked in from the synopsis. 

I am so glad that I picked it up. I could not put it down! I flew through it in 3 days. I had so much hope for the characters. I really resonated with Maddy's personality. And what girl doesn't fall for the dangerous boy at least once? There is just something so appealing about the thrill seeking, mysterious, seemingly dark boy, who you always believe has a good heart that he is hiding from the rest of the world. Now Olly, wasn't that to a T, but he was a thrill seeker and his entire existence was basically a danger for Maddy. 

Now, I won't go into too much detail, but all I will say is that I was skeptical to believe how serious Maddy's situation was. Mainly because I wanted her to have a happily ever after.... I wanted her to see the world that she had been daydreaming about her entire life. I wanted her to be able to love Olly. I wanted a lot...

I am so excited for the movie!!!!!!

Pages: 322                                                                                                                                 Rate: 5/5

Favorite Quote:

“I was trying so hard to find the single pivotal moment that set my life on its path. The moment that answered the question, 'How did I get here?'

But it's never just one moment. It's a series of them. And your life can branch out from each one in a thousand different ways. Maybe there's a version of your life for all the choices you make and all the choices you don't.” 

Nine of Us: Growing up Kennedy ~ Jean Kennedy Smith

In this evocative and affectionate memoir, Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith, the last surviving child of Joe and Rose Kennedy, offers an intimate and illuminating look at a time long ago when she and her siblings, guided by their parents, laughed and learned a great deal under one roof.

Prompted by interesting tidbits in the newspaper, Rose and Joe Kennedy would pose questions to their nine children at the dinner table. "Where could Amelia Earhart have gone?" "How would you address this horrible drought?" "What would you do about the troop movements in Europe?" It was a nightly custom that helped shape the Kennedys into who they would become.

Before Joe and Rose’s children emerged as leaders on the world stage, they were a loving circle of brothers and sisters who played football, swam, read, and pursued their interests. They were children inspired by parents who instilled in them a strong work ethic, deep love of country, and intense appreciation for the sacrifices their ancestors made to come to America."No whining in this house!" was their father’s regular refrain. It was his way of reminding them not to complain, to be grateful for what they had, and to give back.

In her remarkable memoir, Kennedy Smith—the last surviving sibling—revisits this singular time in their lives. Filled with fascinating anecdotes and vignettes, and illustrated with dozens of family pictures, The Nine of Us vividly depicts this large, close-knit family during a different time in American history. Kennedy Smith offers indelible, elegantly rendered portraits of her larger-than-life siblings and her parents. "They knew how to cure our hurts, bind our wounds, listen to our woes, and help us enjoy life," she writes. "We were lucky children indeed."

Book Review:

I picked up this book as soon as I saw that it was written by one of Kennedy siblings about their personal lives. I have always had an obsession with the Kennedy's, from the Golden President JFK to the hidden sister, Rosemary. I have always been intrigued by their dynamic and I really wanted to understand more. 

This memoir was a great insight. I learned so much about the time period: the politics that surrounded the family as they grew up (which obviously shaped JFK); the disability that surrounded the family with Rosemary; the guilty conscience of organizing the procedure that would destroy your already vulnerable daughter; the noble death of the eldest son; JFK's campaign and personality;  the tight-knit relationships between the siblings; the heart of the Golden family. 

As far as memoirs go, this is the only one that I have read about someone who isn't a pop culture sensation. Therefore, I wasn't expecting it to be light and silly (which is wasn't) or even all that interesting, but it was! I did not want it to end. I wanted more details about everything from the littlest most insignificant stories to the big and monumental ones. I wanted more pictures. I just wanted more. It was overall, magnificent. 

Pages: 272                                                                                                                                 Rate: 5/5

In Honor of Women's History Month

I have seen that a few libraries and book stores have turned all of the books, written by male authors, so that the pages face out, not the spine. I decided to do that with my main bookshelf at home. So here are the results:

From this...

To this...

So, I must say that I am rather pleased as the majority of the books that I turned around were by a singular author, James Patterson. So it doesn't appear that I am reading more male authors than female authors, just that I really enjoy James Patterson.   

Girl Online: Going Solo ~ Zoe Sugg a.k.a Zoella

The third novel in the New York Times bestselling Girl Online series by the award-winning YouTuber and blogger Zoe “Zoella” Sugg.

Penny’s life is back to normal.

As Penny starts the school year she’s ready to face the world—alone. Noah has gone off the radar after ending his world tour early, and no one, including Penny, knows where he is. So when she accepts Megan’s invitation to visit her performing arts school, it seems like an opportunity to make some new friends.

Helping everyone else seems to be the right remedy—Elliot needs her friendship more than ever, and she meets Posey, who she can really help with her stage fright. But is charming Scottish boy Callum the right kind of distraction? And can Penny truly move on when Noah’s shadow seems to haunt her around every corner?

Book Review:

So, it has been about a month since I finished this book, I just haven't had time to blog anything really. College is so crazy. 

Anyway, the book was a great ending to the trilogy. Sugg, ended it beautifully, it made my heart flutter. The book was a bit slow going at first, it took me a bit to really get into. For some reason, I felt that I couldn't really resonate with Penny as much as I previously had in the first two books, but that just displays her character development. I missed the old banter between her and Elliot, there wasn't as much, but when it did show up, I was so happy with it. 

As this is the last installment in a trilogy, it is hard to say much without giving anything away, but I will go my best. The character development for Penny is phenomenal. She is so much more confident in herself, she knows what she wants and she goes for it. She is okay with being independent and she is even helping other people. I see a lot of Sugg's personality within Penny. I really love that. I really did miss Noah and you could tell that Penny did as well, so his reentrance was incredible. I loved how their storyline ended. Sugg did a brilliant job!

Pages: 352                                                                                                                          Rate: 4/5

After You ~ Jojo Moyes

“You’re going to feel uncomfortable in your new world for a bit. But I hope you feel a bit exhilarated too. Live boldly. Push yourself. Don’t settle. Just live well. Just live. Love, Will.”
 
How do you move on after losing the person you loved? How do you build a life worth living?
 
Louisa Clark is no longer just an ordinary girl living an ordinary life. After the transformative six months spent with Will Traynor, she is struggling without him. When an extraordinary accident forces Lou to return home to her family, she can’t help but feel she’s right back where she started.
 
Her body heals, but Lou herself knows that she needs to be kick-started back to life. Which is how she ends up in a church basement with the members of the Moving On support group, who share insights, laughter, frustrations, and terrible cookies. They will also lead her to the strong, capable Sam Fielding—the paramedic, whose business is life and death, and the one man who might be able to understand her. Then a figure from Will’s past appears and hijacks all her plans, propelling her into a very different future. . . .
 
For Lou Clark, life after Will Traynor means learning to fall in love again, with all the risks that brings. But here Jojo Moyes gives us two families, as real as our own, whose joys and sorrows will touch you deeply, and where both changes and surprises await.

Book Review:

I was skeptical of this sequel. I wanted to know how everyone handled the aftermath of the events in Me Before You but I didn't want my ideas of the characters to be ruined either. I was worried that resentment towards Will's ultimate decision was going to overpower the beauty of the time that Louisa had with him. I was worried that Louisa would loose her purpose again. I was just so scared that the beauty and magic of Me Before You would dissipate.

At the beginning, I thought that I was going to hate the entire story. I thought that I was going to not like Louisa again. And I thought that the magic had really disappeared. But I kept on reading anyway. Eventually, I began to like it. Now, by no means do I think that it as good as its predecesor but it still holds its own. Louisa had lost her purpose again, as I expected, but she found it again in unexpected places. Now, I won't say much for fear of spoiling the surprise, but all I'll say is Will left behind a whole new purpose for Louisa.

Favorite Quote:

“You learn to live with it, with them. Because they do stay with you, even if they’re not living, breathing people any more.
It’s not the same crushing grief you felt at first, the kind that swamps you, and makes you want to cry in the wrong places, and get irrationally angry with all the idiots who are still alive when the person you love is dead.
It’s just something you learn to accommodate.
Like adapting around a hole. I don’t know. It’s like you become … a doughnut instead of a bun” 

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