![]() This book begins in 1690 in Western Africa when Doro, a man in appearance but with extraordinary powers, finally tracks down Anyanwu, a woman who is almost equally as supernatural. Together, they travel to Doro's colony in the New World where he "collects" people like them, people with special abilities. However, things take a turn when Anyanwu learns she is not as special to Doro as she believes she is. I really admire Butler's novel Kindred and so this other novel of hers seemed like a natural reading selection. Interestingly, I began reading Wild Seed back in February, and then left it at school when the building closed on March 13th... it was only a week ago that I was allowed back in the building and could finish the story! I want to like this book more than I do. I see a lot of important themes rushing forward alongside the narrative, but I wish there was a fmore compelling plot to structure the whole thing. As it is, Anyanwu is a formidable protagonist and I would say Wild Seed is worth the read!
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![]() In this book, artist and writer Mari Andrew describes "the loop-de-loop zigzagging journey to adulthood" that she is still on. Andrew is a visual artist and many of her most humorous or relatable pieces are sprinkled throughout the book. More than sprinkled actually. It is probably 70% drawings and 30% writing about her life and how she got here. A couple of my friends had read this book and one let me borrow her copy. I loved it and read it in a few hours. Andrew is empowering, relatable, funny, and smart. Even if you are not yet trying to be an adult, I think you will find this book comforting and fun! ![]() Bess Kalb writes this cutie book in the voice of her grandmother, recently passed away. The reader hears about Grandma Bobby's mother, her childhood, her children, and even the author herself. Interspersed in the narration are actual voicemails and phone calls from Grandma Bobby to the author, Bess Kalb. There is a lot of heart in this book and some very relatable grandmother-granddaughter moments. It is that last point that endears me to this book. I see both of my own grandmothers in Grandma Bobby and I treasured celebrating them as I read. I think this book was recommended on a weekly newsletter I get, and so I patronized Nicola's Books to get ahold of it. A quick read, this book was lovely and I will pass it along to as many others as will read it! ![]() This book is a collection of articles from Vanity Fair. Each piece profiles a prominent woman and was written by a woman, hence the title. Edited by Radhika Jones, the profiles span time and social space, from Grace Kelly to Lena Waithe, Emily Post to Michelle Obama, and Frida Kahlo to Lady Gaga. All of the women are exceptional in their fields but the pieces vary as much as the subjects. This book was a birthday gift from my sister this year. I really enjoyed learning about some of the subjects whom I had not heard of, or simply am intrigued by. The piece on Barbara Bush was a highlight as she is a woman I know peripherally, and I believe the piece portrayed her honestly rather than only spewing praise. Two other similar favorites were the pieces on Meryl Streep and Cher. I like learning about people I like! ![]() Elsa and Granny are best friends. They share secret stories and jokes and they cause trouble as a pair. However, when Granny leaves the story, Elsa has to navigate her reality with a thick layer of fairy-tale spread across it. She meets monsters and princesses, she eats dreams and chocolate milk. Elsa learns how to say goodbye as things end and to welcome new beginnings. Ms. Deacon loaned this book to me because we share a love for this author's other books, Beartown and Us Against Them. I appreciate the imagination in this book and how different the writing style is from the aforementioned books. However, I had a difficult time making the connections the author seems to have intended, which I believe may be due to the text being translated from Swedish to English. Regardless, it was a lovely read with some nicely illustrated lessons and unique characters. ![]() From award-winning author Margaret Atwood comes the thrilling modern classic, “The Handmaid’s Tale”. Set in a dystopian future in which the president was shot, Congress was massacred, and the Constitution suspended, the human population has drastically fallen below replacement level due to pollution and nuclear accidents. To repopulate, the republic of Gilead has designated certain fertile women as “handmaids”, young women who are society’s last chance. Dressed in blood-red, they each undergo training to forget their past lives as regular women, wives, and mothers. They serve only one purpose now - bear children or die. Offred, a handmaid, tells a first-hand recount of her harrowing experiences as she tries to comprehend the now commanding patriarchy. Simultaneously, she reminisces about her old life with her daughter and husband. Filled with captivating language and sinister plot twists, “The Handmaid’s Tale”, like George Orwell’s “1984”, is a haunting warning to humanity and its future. I had heard about this book from numerous sources, most often by reference to the TV show available on Hulu. However, I never had the opportunity to read it until the Pioneer Reads book club chose it as the Science Fiction/Fantasy book of the year. There were several raving reviews that went along with the descriptive words “dark” and“graphic”. I dove into its pages and was surprisingly quite disappointed. I found it to be a jumble of narratives, most of which were monotonous and seemingly irrelevant to the plot. I felt that there was hardly any character development generated by Offred herself and that the ending was inadequate. The sequel, “The Testaments”, was recently released, but I do not plan on reading it in the near future as I predict it will be very similar in structure and writing style, which was definitely not my favorite. It is possible that after reading “1984” in 7th grade, I now find it harder to be shocked by dystopias. Honestly, I think I was simply expecting more from the story. -KT, grade 10 ![]() In this book, famed radical activist Abbie Hoffman lays out how to live free in America in the 1970s. Chapter topics range from getting free food and entertainment, to how to start an underground newspaper, to how to construct a smoke bomb. Hoffman is so deeply against The Man to the point that he would rather you steal his own book than pay for it (unless you patronize a small independent store). I do not remember where I heard about this book, but I was excited to get my hands on it. Hoffman's philosophy is loud and clear in the guide book and I really learned a lot about the systems in America. As of my reading on 2019, it was vastly clear how much culture and structure has stayed the same since 1970 and how much has changed (for example, Hoffman explains how to get free airfare by discreetly slipping into the line to board the plane and flashing an empty envelope to the gate agent... as if that would get you a seat on a flight today). This is a good book for radicals of all ages, though not for the faint of heart. ![]() This memoir from Patricia Lockwood tells the story of the author and her husband moving back in with her parents due to some financial struggles. Uniquely, Lockwood's father is a Catholic priest who was ordained after marriage and five kids, but even more peculiar is his personality. Lockwood writes with the scathing love of a feminist daughter to her conservative father, sprinkles her stories with her mother's adorable -isms, and includes tales of her childhood and even larger issues of Catholicism she has pondered. A friend recommended this book to me and told me it was funny. So I got it from the library and promptly did not laugh through the first third of the book, followed by some chuckles in middle the third and some serious consideration in the final section. Lockwood's voice is clear and odd. She does revels in the outlandish and wholeheartedly loves to write. Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend. ![]() Former First Lady Michelle Obama's memoir starts with her life in South Chicago and takes the reader all the way to her last days in the White House. She tells vivid stories with tremendous heart. While there may still be some secrecy and discretion about some things political, this memoir feels wholeheartedly authentic. This book is on everyone's radar. After a few people told me they read it, I got on that AADL waiting list in the 400th position. Thankfully, my cousin-in-law had a copy I could read so I didn't have to wait a year at the library. I loved this book. I loved the first two sections about Michelle Obama's childhood-young adulthood and then the early years married to Barack Obama. I found her so relatable, inspiring, and powerful. She nearly brought me to tears a number of times throughout the book and I know I will be thinking and talking about this one for quite some time. ![]() In this book, legendary basketball coach Pat Summitt details her Definite Dozen beliefs for success. Those beliefs are:
I knew I wanted to read something from Coach Summitt in this sports psychology independent study. I first learned about this incredible woman from Jane Nixon back when I was on the PFH team. Jane would share Summitt's words with us to help guide our thinking, and so I just had to go to the source. It was quite the experience to read this book twenty years after its publication, as well. Definitely recommend! |
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June 2020
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