If you’re struggling with life, this is the book to read. Even though I’m young, I like to think that I’ve gone through a mid life crisis or two. This book help evaluate through life and give you guidance on how to live it to the fullest in my humble opinion.
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Summary:
Being overwhelmed with how his life has turned out, Mitch Albom revisits his favorite professor. Mitch feels like his life is on a boring cycle and can’t seem to get out of the funk. After his professor agrees to be interviewed, they create an undying bond that continues throughout the book. As Morrie continues to help Mitch decided what’s important, he also helps the reader with each chapter.
Reviews:
One of the reasons why this isn’t ranked higher is because it got really emotional for me. That’s not something I like to admit, but many people on GoodReads also think that this book is really good too. Here are some comments:
So i didn’t realise this book was actually nonfiction until after i’d just finished reading it.. and now my feelings are all over the place!! This was a beautiful story, I would definitely recommend reading it if you haven’t already.
I have never written a review like this before but this book truly inspired me.
I didn’t know this book was a memoir when I picked up this book. I wasn’t even consciously looking for this book. It’s one of the books in my sister’s collection. I picked it up because I needed some kind of motivation/inspiration to live life again with zeal. But what this book offered me was something I wasn’t expecting from it.
This book broke me. It was raw, thought provoking, heart breaking and real.
Loved it. So, so sad and yet so uplifting at the same time.
Tuesdays With Morrie definitely makes you look around and realise how lucky you are and that you should make the most of life while you still can.
Random Remarks:
Like previously stated, this is a memoir which means this book really happened. Pictured to the left is the author and main “character” of the book too. He has learned how to live his life to the fullest thanks to Morrie. He reflects on his past before and after in several videos and clips of him reading the memoir as well. If you’re seriously struggling to pick up a book or continue to push through life, please pick up this book.
These types of books are my top recommended novels for anyone to read. They are real life journals found written and nonfiction that have been turned into novels. They change the names in the novel so you cannot look up anyone mentioned to read about their life or get any medical papers. The medical papers are even included in the novel, but all important information is blacked out.
Summary:
A written diary from true life events, follows a girl named Ana who is struggling with learning how to control her life. An avid runner and sports player, she learns that the one thing she can control is her weight and her eating habits. This diary travels around what it is like to live with anorexia and how mentally draining it is to heal from learning that what you are isn’t good enough.
Reviews:
I love how raw this diary is and how accurate it can be. Although some people disagree with the accuracy, people have to remember that every case is different. Here are some reviews from GoodReads:
It was so sad. I couldn’t put it down because I kept anticipating the end, but I DIDN’T KNOW IT ENDED LIKE THAT!
Omg this story was just as amazing as go ask Alice. I read this in a span of five hours and was rooting for the main character the whole time. It’s a very disturbing realistic view into anorexia and how it is a disease that affects girls every day.
I had read Go Ask Alice a couple years ago and decided to try out another book from the other “Anonymous” author collection. I am so glad I did. Like Go Ask Alice, this is the main character’s journal, which started off as a food/feeling journal. It is interesting to see what she wrote, her weight changes, and the evolution of her disorder.
To be honest I don’t know where to start about this book. Just the fact that it was written by an anonymous authour just makes you so much more intrigued to read it. I myself have struggled with anorexia nervosa since the age of 11 and just seeing that what I felt and thought happens to a lot of people sure made me feel like I wasn’t the odd one out.
I thought this one was pretty good! It didn’t fully describe what I felt when I was going through anorexia and it didn’t really describe how I feel now but I think the ‘anorexia experience’ is different for everyone.
Anorexia is becoming a leading eating disorder in today’s society. With the beauty standards surfacing around social media, the one thought that passes a majority of young girls mind is to stop eating. It’s easy and it’s call restrictive type in the anorexia category. Most people attend a rehab clinic to help understand ways to become better, but you never fully recover and it’s something you have to deal with for life. It’s a constant battle that you have to overcome as you continue to learn how to deal with the diagnosis. You can read more about anorexia in Health Observation.
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Final Thoughts:
Although I loved this novel, it can be dangerous for young readers or anyone with a trigger. However, with the ending, hopefully it provides enough caution and awareness for young people to understand that it’s not a simple fix to fall in line with social media or life in general.
I actually read this novel for a class and it pointed out some serious issues that are present in our country. It’s a graphic novel which is probably why it’s not a perfect ten. I’m not a big fan of graphic novels personally but I know other people are.
This novel is beautifully written with an unexpected twist.
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Summary:
This graphic novel written by Gene Luen Yang, follows three storylines in one completed piece of work. You have Jin Yang a young Chinese American student moves to a new school, noticing that he is the outsider. He gets bullied everyday for not being a white American, but he feels like it gets worse when he falls in love with an “All-American” gal. In attempt to fit in he has to overcome the racism he faces each and everyday.
In storyline two, you follow the Monkey King and his journey through life. It derives from an old Chinese fable that the author was told growing up. He struggles with greediness and power, trying to prove himself in superiority compared to all the other elders and gods. Ultimately he tries to become the one and only greatest of all gods.
Storyline three follows a teenager named Danny who’s cousin Chin-Kee comes to visit. Chin-Kee represents the ultimate worst Chinese stereotypes wrapped into one character. Essentially things like his accent, intelligence, and even clothing makes Danny feel like his life is quickly being ruined. As you continue the novel, you see how these three storyline eventually fall in line with each other.
Many people believe that this graphic novel has a resounding and loud message behind each page. You can read multiple ratings on GoodReads, but I will list a few below:
A unique message and vivid writing – I loved how he was able to weave together three stories in such a short story!
And for once in my life I was pretty happy about being awake in the early morning hours because I realized rather quickly that American Born Chinese is one of the best graphic novels I’ve read so far.
Both books are about the immigrant experience, a topic difficult to write about in ways that are (more or less) politically correct but not too obvious and predictable.
Quite a quirky book, but it benefits from it. It does it’s own thing and completely does it well. The themes were powerful and well delivered: I loved seeing the three different stories comment on racism, but more than that, self acceptance.
Man this hit me in the feels. This would have been a momentous book for me as a pre-teen. I totally identified with Jin Wang and in him recognized the need to fit in as a second generation Asian surrounded by a majority of white peers and the undercurrent of Asian stereotypes that still bubbled to the surface from Long Duk Dong to William Hung. It is a coming of age story that explores this overwhelming need to fit in while wresting with a larger cultural identity.
Apparent Themes:
This graphic novel focuses on racism and self-acceptance. The systematic racism that has dripped through generation after generation has not disappeared over the years. In fact, racism towards Asians has increased dramatically over the last year or so. Due to some of the things that our former President, Donald J. Trump, said made people believe that all Asians were the root of the pandemic.
Hate crimes towards Asian have skyrocketed recently, but not all of them are being labeled hate crimes. According the The NY Times, prosecutors and police claim that there is usually not enough evidence to prove racist motives, but there is for attempted murder or murder in general.
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You can look up any petitions or fundraisers being held to stop the hate crimes that are on the monumental rise.
Final Thoughts:
This novel was a whirlwind, but an excellently written one. In fact, there were multiple points that have occurred to me in my lifetime too. Although I am not of any Asian decent, I was born in Japan and lived there for a couple years. Growing up in a small town, once people heard that news, they would make snide racist remarks, pull their eyes so they would stretch, and mock the culture. It was painful growing up at times and I was white American. I cannot begin to imagine how painful and confusing it can be for Chinese Americans to be bullied and harassed for their culture.
This book was brilliantly crafted, but one of the things that ranked it lower was the confusion in beginning. That confusion caused me to put the book down for a long time and not pick it back up. I hate doing that with books. This book actually peaked my interest because of the way it blew up on social media.
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Book Summary:
This novel follows four kids who all vacationed to a family house on the water each summer. They call themselves The Liars. It is never fully explained why, but you can tell that all the kids don’t really get along with their rich family members. They prefer to adventure on their own. The main character, Cadence, has a terrible accident resulting in a traumatic brain injury. She is diagnosed with retrograde amnesia and cannot remember the events of the injury without enduring a migraine. But what happened the night of her accident? And why is no one telling her?
Reviews:
The twist in this book is amazing, but it took awhile to build up into it. For me, I don’t think I would read again because I already know the “shocking” ending. However, even though the book is not my favorite, it touches on topics that I hold in my heart. On top of showing what it is like to have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), the author also teach valuable lessons about kindness and being in control of your future.
Here are some other people’s reviews on GoodReads:
This book has almost no plot. It is full of odd sentence structures and purple prose.
It’s true what they’re saying: you’re better off if I tell you nothing about this book.
This was, without a doubt, one of the most powerful and well-crafted books I have read in a really long time.
sobbing. sobbing. sobbing. so much love for this book, and its perfect, perfect ending.
This story left me defeated, but its tragedy was paired equally with an unconventional beauty. It gripped me instantly to the point where I couldn’t stop thinking about its mystery…
You can tell from the reviews that the book has some pretty mixed reviews. People either love it or hate it and there’s not much room in-between.
Issues Evident in the Novel:
The novel touches base on racism and classism with the Grandfather of Cadence. A man who really own cares about money and position of power. But for me personally, I think the book does an amazing job on touching bases on PTSD. Out of all the mental disorders, PTSD seems to be one of the most ignored in larger communities. It can be evident in anyone that has gone through a traumatic experience, and is especially heavy in military veterans.
PTSD effects everyone differently and the symptoms have a pretty varied range. According to the Recovery Village, PTSD effects approximately 3.5% of the population, which would equate to around 8 million people in the United States.
PTSD is one of the leading reasons as to why there are so many homeless veterans. Although PTSD can vary between people, treatment remains practically the same. It mostly focuses on cognitive behavioral therapy treatments to meet the best outcome. The scariest part about PTSD is sometimes you don’t always know you have it until one word or action send spiking triggers in your brain, resulting in sometimes erratic behavior.
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Final Thoughts:
People enjoy plot twists, in fact I think they live for them. This novel obviously struck a chord with the population, especially during quarantine, and that was one of the reasons why it took off so fast. Even though it was published in 2014, its fame didn’t arrive until covid came along with it. The one thing I can leave you with is; if you ask me about the ending… just know I’ll lie.
You’re not dead, but you’re not alive. You’re a wintergirl…
Laurie Halse Anderson
Once again, Laurie Halse Anderson did not let this reader down. Truly another poetic, diary entry style novel that invokes emotions from every aspect. I think it would be safe for me to say that Laurie Halse Anderson is my favorite author, so perhaps my rating is biased.
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The main character, Lia, describes herself as a wintergirl as she struggles with anorexia. Her best friend Cassie died and now she feels irrelevant as her mom is flooded with work, her father is away on work, and her stepmom could care less. Lia not only struggles with anorexia, but her identity too as she feels like a ghost stuck in someone else’s shadow.
Several people have left very similar reviews to mine. Some of them said:
The writing in this book was incredible. Everything flowed together perfectly and it was more like reading a masterpiece than just reading a book. I’m extremely impressed with the way the author was able to capture all of Lia’s experiences with the perfect words, words that fit together so flawlessly it’s impossible for them to be described any other way.
They are Lia and Cassie. Cassie is a pretty girl who started battling bulimia at a very young age, and at the beginning of our story was found dead in a motel room. Lia is her former best friend who is still battling anorexia, and has to deal with getting weighed weekly by her well-meaning step mother, and also has the guilt constantly in her mind knowing that Cassie had called her. 35 times. Right before she died. Can’t get more powerful than that.
I have no clue how to begin. I don’t think I ever read a book that left me so lost, for lack of a better word. I’m numb and astonished and a heap of other feelings I can’t even try to begin to explain. I felt physically uncomfortable while reading it and I felt so so sad throughout it. Just, simply put, an overwhelming feeling of sadness and helplessness was always with me.
In a world riddled with made-for-tv, paint-by-numbers eating disorder cliche, Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson separates itself from the pack
Of course there are several more reviews and some disagreeing with the previously listed one, but Anderson’s style is not for everyone. To read more information, visit this blog. It’s set up nicely and easy to navigate. This story touches base on a serious topic that can make some people too uncomfortable to continue reading. However, it’s important to notice how serious eating disorders are in today’s world.
Eating Disorders are a psychological abnormality located on the DSM-5 diagnosis chart. They are a serious disorder that seems to be taking over the population rather quickly, especially because of the pressure on women through social media today. There are six different eating disorders located on the chart: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating, pica, rumination disorder, avoidant/restrictive eating disorders. They all effect the body differently, but eventually they can all lead to death if it’s that serious.
To learn more about eating disorders, click here. It’s important to educate yourself on such a serious topic and learn ways on how you can help.
This is by far one of the best books I have ever read. I very quickly accumulated a liking for this book when it was removed from the high school curriculum in my hometown. This story is a beautifully written piece based on a true story. Laurie Halse Anderson, the author of “speak,” actually grew up near where I lived. I feel like that added to the connection I felt with this novel.
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This novel follows the life of Melinda Sordino, a high school freshman, chronicling her life in a diary format. As the story unfolds, so does Melinda’s depression. Melinda spends a majority of her time hanging out in a janitor’s closet as she avoids the eyes of a specific senior. This senior, Andy Evans, is Melinda’s sexual assaulter. At a party before school, Andy rapes a rather drunk Melinda and in the midst of sheer panic, she runs and calls the cops, leaving with guilt feeling like it is all her own fault.
This novel excellently portrays the mental struggle that victims face everyday. The writing style is jumbled and spazzy just like Melinda’s thoughts. That is what makes it feel so real.
Many people left similar reviews to my own. Here are some examples:
“I’m happy I did because this was one of the best books that I have read lately. Speak was very well paced and I never found the story to be dragging or boring. I loved the character development and Melinda’s voice throughout the story.”
“I didn’t think I’d be so gripped by this book but the author captures the pains and troubles of everyday high school life with such honesty and raw emotion that I couldn’t help recognizing half the characters from my own high school days. “
“Speak, to me, is taken more as a lesson than just a book. A lesson worth reading and worth analyzing every little detail, no matter how the writing is and no matter how repetitive it can get.”
“This is such an important book for the content and message it presents. The writing was fantastic and Melinda was such an interesting character to read.”
“I did really enjoy this book, even though the writing style was pretty simple… the plot more than made up for it. It’s such an important topic and I love that the reader only gradually grows to understand what has happened (mirroring Melinda’s memory).”
Now let’s rewind to my earlier statement: this novel was removed from the high school English curriculum because it was inappropriate. Is learning not one of the main reasons behind going to school? Why not focus on a beautifully written honest piece of work that will educate everyone about such an important topic? Perhaps if this remained in the core curriculum and students were exposed to the real world with the help of this novel, then rape cases may not be as high as they are today.
According to statista, in 2019 there were 98,213 forcible rape cases recorded in the United States. The year 2019 actually saw a drop as rape cases were on the rise for the last five years prior. Yet, no matter how much the students at my school retaliated, the answer was always the same: NO. It was always profound and they would sometimes cut us off before completing. If I’m being honest I don’t think they found the content inappropriate, but I think it is so honest that it made them uncomfortable.
Sexual assault, including the incidents above, can have a devastating impact on its victims. Although it can take years or decades for victims to begin to address the trauma and come forward to report the incidents (as we are currently witnessing), the rumors and whispers may begin the following day at school, in the hallways, and over lunch—even when some of the participants were too drunk to remember anything. The underreporting of sexual violence has been documented by researchers extensively. According to a 2017 report from the Justice Department, only 23 percent of all sexual assaults are reported to the police.
NAN D. STEIN & BRUCE TAYLOR
To read more about the above quote click here. This website takes a psychological and a criminological viewpoint on sexual assaults within school environments. The researchers from CDC from Youth Risk Behavior Survey say that “10% of high school students were sexually assaulted in 2017.” Out of that 10%, “females, 15%, experienced higher rates than males, 4.3%.”
With the use of social media, several movements have been made so victims can be heard. One of the biggest movements is the #MeToo movement that took off around the world. It allowed women from all over to feel like they were not alone and that people could finally understand them. To learn more in depth about why some victims stay silent, click here to further educate yourself on how toxic rape culture has become in today’s society.
This novel is a culture shock that exposes the world to how serious sexual assault has become in today’s world. The best part about this book is that, like previously mentioned, it is based on true events. These events belonged to the author. After seeing her novel take off and receive the support it did, Laurie Halse Anderson published a book a couple years ago about her own story. My hope is that as support grows for this book, that it can one day be used in high school education again, to ensure that this topic is not being hidden.
For me personally, this book is not very memorable. I am not a huge fan of poetry, but I thought it I would try it out anyway. With the poetry mixed in with changing point of views, it felt like a Walmart version of Jodi Picoult and Laurie Halse Anderson.
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This story is told from seven different perspectives: Violence, Cami, Rand, Ashlyn, Silas, Daniel, and Noelle. Don’t get me wrong, it is an intricately written novel with a huge message. But the way the author hypes up her own ending really threw me off once I read the last page.
The novel starts with a man accidentally shooting his wife, thinking she was an intruder. So the man sells the gun without a second thought, not caring about who bought it. The question posed throughout the whole novel is “The gun will fall into who’s hand?”
Will it be:
Silas – the member of a teenage white supremacist group
Ashlyn – Silas’s girlfriend who helps hunt immigrants in the white supremacist group (yes you heard me, I said hunt)
Cami – who is a teenage mother married to Rand selling weed on the side to make extra money
Rand – Cami’s husband who works day and night to support his family but has a dark childhood secret
Daniel – who has a stepmother who hates him after his mom gets sent back to Honduras and constantly lives with resentment towards everyone
Noelle – who now suffers with epileptic seizures and depression after watching her best friend’s dad get shot in the head over a road rage incident
After learning about all their pasts, it adds a bit of suspense and was extremely intriguing. I felt like Hopkins wrote nicely, but there wasn’t enough of a punch to her viewpoint. She hyped up the ending to be bigger than it truly was in my opinion. I felt like there were way to many questions left unanswered and a lot of fluff that wasn’t needed in the middle. I would have scored it lower if I didn’t agree with the overall message.
Although my rating is low, some people disagree which is totally okay. Some reviews given were:
“Absolutely incredible. Hard to read at times because of the subject matter, but absolutely necessary.”
“I’m always so incredibly impressed with Ellen Hopkins’ ability to emotionally wreck me. She is seriously one of my favorite writers. She always writes about something relevant and hard to read, always writes for the education and betterment of people. And she does it so well.“
“This was a really interesting commentary on gun violence in the United States. I liked reading from the different perspectives (only because it provided somewhat of an insight into the minds of real people with similar beliefs) of the characters and I enjoyed how they were all distinct from each other but connected as well.”
“Wow. She never fails to astound me”
However, an abundant of people did agree with me. Pretty much all the “negative” reviews do say that it is written beautifully, but there is something missing. Here are some examples of the reviews:
“Wow, what a let-down. “
“Thanks, I hate it.”
“Ellen Hopkins always writes beautifully. This was no exception, an interesting combination of both story and verse about race and violence. I’ve read almost all of her novels, but this one didn’t impress me, nor grab me like her other ones.”
“Before I got sick I finished People Kill People by one of my favorite authors ever (Ellen Hopkins) and I am just going to get this out of the way right now I was really upset and disappointed with this book and that is a totally new feeling for me with one of her books.”
I think the main reason why so many people picked this book up was because it focused on such a controversial topic. I congratulate Ellen Hopkins on taking a risk that some others would much rather avoid.
To read further on the statistics of Americans viewpoints on gun control, click here.
The controversy of gun control is something that has been argued about for years in the United States. This books demonstrates just how easy it can be to attain gun today, but tries to portray that the gun isn’t always the problem. I’m not entirely sure how I feel about this aspect, but I can’t say I can blame the author. Pew Research says, “Similarly, a majority (70%) says that most or some types of guns should be legally available for sale in the U.S.; just 20% say almost all types of guns should be legally available, while only 10% say almost no types should be available.”
The other aspect of gun control is mental illness. I think that’s what makes this story so uncomfortable because some of the characters viewpoints are extremely crazy to me.
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Although this may not be my favorite novel, it was interesting to read. It was easy to get through word wise, but really makes the other think throughout the whole thing. However for me personally, it will not be a book that I pick up again.
Hi there and welcome to my first blog post! I hope you stick around to keep reading my updated posts each week. The purpose of this blog is to discuss books that correlate with issues happening in society today. I will also be passing my judgement and ratings, so stick around to see if there is a new book you can add to your summer reading list!
you can read more about literacy rates on this website: https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/piaac/doc/us-piaac-skillsmap_summary.pdf
Literacy rates in America are vastly skewed and could lead to problems with education in the future. All the red states in the image above are the bottom 25% of literacy rates. It is very evident that most are in the south which poses questions about legislation and perhaps differences between the north and south in the education system. Reading is a great way to learn information to carry with you into adulthood.
Reading is not as popular today because of all the new technology that has come out. The enjoyment of reading has decreased greatly since adults and children stick to social media, televised news, and entertainment through the tv too. However, I have been in contact with several small business book stores when they were able to open back up. I asked them how their business is doing after the quarantine lightened enough for them to open. They said that the quarantine actually helped them profit. People were becoming bored with technology entertainment and were beginning to go back to old school. So how do we keep this trend ticking upwards?
People believe that fiction writing is used primarily for entertainment and never really holds a true meaning behind the words or story. Neil Gaiman, the author of several books including “The Wolves in the Walls,” “The Graveyard Book,” and “Coraline,” believes that libraries and readings need to stick around for future generations. He says that reading provides information in all forms, even if it is fun fiction, for people to educate themselves without feeling like they are doing so. He describes fiction as “a gateway drug to reading.”
Here are some points that Gaiman brings to light:
There is not a bad book for children.
Adults forcing children to read specific books will ultimately ruin the fun of reading. Hence, ruining their future reading enjoyment in adulthood as well.
Fiction builds empathy.
Fiction exposes the reader to different environments they might never have been able to experience without the use of that novel.
Reading fiction allows you to become content with the life you live.
You can read more about Neil Gaiman’s views on literature and libraries at the link down below.
My main purpose with this blog is to educate. Some of the books that I will breakdown and digest focus on heavy topics that some people want to hide under a rug. Censoring important novels is not something I condone since reading is a look into the universe. The books could revolve around gun control, Black Lives Matter, mental health, or sexual assault and violence. Sure there may be a book or two that I would like to discuss because of how they took off in the media world, but ultimately exposure will be the main thing for this blog.
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