This book is absolutely devastating, raw, and over the top emotional in its effort to shine a light on the cycle of familial gun violence and youth in America. This was my first YA novel in verse, and I gobbled it up in a day. Reynolds has this talent where the words he writes in verse set the speed and tempo for everything that happens page to page. This book will leave you feeling haunted and hurt in the best way a book possibly can, BUT this story is also the reality for many youth in America, and it's so important that it's told.
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This book is absolutely devastating, raw, and over the top emotional in its effort to shine a light on the cycle of familial gun violence and youth in America. This was my first YA novel in verse, and I gobbled it up in a day. Reynolds has this talent where the words he writes in verse set the speed and tempo for everything that happens page to page. This book will leave you feeling haunted and hurt in the best way a book possibly can, BUT this story is also the reality for many youth in America, and it's so important that it's told.
Butler is one of my favorite sci-fi writers because her thinking is experimentally progressive and delightfully surprising. In "Parable of the Sower," written in 1993, Butler writes about the 2020's in America. Her world is much more brutal than ours, thankfully, but the places our worlds touch are insightful. One of these places is climate change and the instability both socially and environmentally that it causes. Another provocative exploration is the religion Earthseed, whose main tenet is God is Change. With Earthseed, Butler explores philosophy/truth and human nature in action. Somehow the thinking through of Earthseed eases the difficult moments throughout the book. Warning: this book contains violence and brutality. It is not gory but can be emotionally intense.
Children are recruited to train as soldiers in the event of another alien attack, and Ender is the best of them all. I first read this book as a teenager and was completely hooked. I reread it recently and still felt the same way. Try this book even if you think you don't like science fiction.
Malcolm Gladwell looks at the world differently. In "Talking to Strangers," he describes real life situations where as humans, we are terrible at judging people we do not know and how that can affect our lives, our security, social justice, and history. Insightful but sometimes hard-to-read case studies and news stories.
Is it possible to be both feminist and funny? Stand-up comedian Lindy West tackles delicate issues with honesty and wit while providing an intimate look into her life both past and present. (She also narrates the audiobook version, which is a treat to listen to!)
"Into the Wild" tells the true story of Christopher McCandless, a recent college graduate who rejected his privileged upbringing and job prospects to live a solitary life traveling the American West. What Chris lacks in experience and humility, he makes up for in determination and foolhardiness. His insatiable desire to find meaning and value in life eventually leads him to the Alaskan wilderness, where seemingly innocent mistakes are magnified by the harsh conditions. Though I love this book for its romanticism of America's last frontier, Jon Krakauer's knack for narrative nonfiction ultimately kept e coming back for more.
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Julian recommends Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
03/30/2020
Boulder Library
poetry,
teen,
teen fiction,
lived experiences,
.Julian's reviews,
BIPOC,
Black
This book is absolutely devastating, raw, and over the top emotional in its effort to shine a light on the cycle of familial gun violence and youth in America. This was my first YA novel in verse, and I gobbled it up in a day. Reynolds has this talent where the words he writes in verse set the speed and tempo for everything that happens page to page. This book will leave you feeling haunted and hurt in the best way a book possibly can, BUT this story is also the reality for many youth in America, and it's so important that it's told.
Jacob's life is quite ordinary, even boring on most days--until the night his grandfather is murdered. The police dismiss the case as an accident, however, Jacob can't help but feel that something is missing and follows clues that his grandfather left to another world inhabited by children with spectacular abilities. As he pieces together his grandfather's legacy, he must choose between the old world he left behind and protecting the new one he's discovered. A truly thrilling and fantastical read from start to finish--this is a fantasy novel you don't want to miss!
Butler is one of my favorite sci-fi writers because her thinking is experimentally progressive and delightfully surprising. In "Parable of the Sower," written in 1993, Butler writes about the 2020's in America. Her world is much more brutal than ours, thankfully, but the places our worlds touch are insightful. One of these places is climate change and the instability both socially and environmentally that it causes. Another provocative exploration is the religion Earthseed, whose main tenet is God is Change. With Earthseed, Butler explores philosophy/truth and human nature in action. Somehow the thinking through of Earthseed eases the difficult moments throughout the book. Warning: this book contains violence and brutality. It is not gory but can be emotionally intense.
Children are recruited to train as soldiers in the event of another alien attack, and Ender is the best of them all. I first read this book as a teenager and was completely hooked. I reread it recently and still felt the same way. Try this book even if you think you don't like science fiction.
Malcolm Gladwell looks at the world differently. In "Talking to Strangers," he describes real life situations where as humans, we are terrible at judging people we do not know and how that can affect our lives, our security, social justice, and history. Insightful but sometimes hard-to-read case studies and news stories.
Imagine an alternate 1890s America where hippos run rampant in the swamp lands of Louisiana--now imagine the sorts of rugged, can-do wild west characters who might wrangle said hippos. Yep, this book has it all. This is a great, quick read that practically begs you not to take it too seriously, while still offering a high-stakes narrative complete with inclusive love stories and daring capers.
Is it possible to be both feminist and funny? Stand-up comedian Lindy West tackles delicate issues with honesty and wit while providing an intimate look into her life both past and present. (She also narrates the audiobook version, which is a treat to listen to!)
When I began reading this, I was on high alert, trying to figure out which character was going to turn out to be a scumbag, and how. Fridlund doesn't make it that easy, of course, and takes you on a narrative roller coaster that leaves you questioning every character and reeling from the cult-like beliefs that in some way affect them all. You're going to want justice at the end of this book, but most of all, you're going to want a sequel.
"Into the Wild" tells the true story of Christopher McCandless, a recent college graduate who rejected his privileged upbringing and job prospects to live a solitary life traveling the American West. What Chris lacks in experience and humility, he makes up for in determination and foolhardiness. His insatiable desire to find meaning and value in life eventually leads him to the Alaskan wilderness, where seemingly innocent mistakes are magnified by the harsh conditions. Though I love this book for its romanticism of America's last frontier, Jon Krakauer's knack for narrative nonfiction ultimately kept e coming back for more.
03/18/2020
Boulder Library
This book has everything I think makes "a good book": a story with multiple cultural viewpoints, women as central characters, authored by a woman, unique and skillful writing, and art/creativity as a foundational subject. I loved this book so much that I had to set a limit for myself so that I could savor it (I could only read one chapter per day). Evaristo explores the complex intersections of age, race, gender, sexuality and class through multi-voiced, interlinked, familial short stories with a play as the sun of the text. It is for good reason(s) that Evaristo won the 2019 Booker Prize.