It's called my personal library.

Tag: ratings

Dear Martin

Picture Received from: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/534050/dear-martin-by-nic-stone/9781101939499

There are not enough words in the human dictionary to describe how amazing, raw, and truthful this story is. This book has so many messages that no one wants to hear. The fact that Nic Stone can portray systematic racism so well in a fictional story is mind boggling. Let alone expose how biased the media and court system are in today’s society.

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This novel follows the life of an Ivy League student, Justyce McAllister. After being racially profiled when trying to help his girlfriend, he decides to start a project labeled “Dear Martin.” This project entailed writing letters to Martin Luther King Jr. after dealing with racist comments from people at school. The constant question asked is “What would Martin do?” which makes the story plot even more interesting.

This is a novel filled with amazing characters of all different backgrounds and viewpoints. It adds an interesting element that most books discussing similar issues tend to leave out. This author is making a stand for something, trying to encourage a movement, and writing is the truth. This novel is something I will cherish for life and always keep in the back of my mind as I continue my own life journey. This is one of the reasons why it receives a perfect score. I thought this would be the best first book to review.

I am also not the only person who feels this way. The Students News Source of Iowa City West High say that Dear Martin “is a brutally honest, captivating novel that expertly discuss and portrays racism in our society.”

Some other statements written in the website that portray the novels integrity are:

  • thoroughly impressed by the way she simultaneously skirted through themes of racism and ethnic profiling while also creating raw, believable characters
  • well-crafted dialogue
  • each character feels like a real person from society, and they are all reflective of the attitudes people of all walks of life contain today
  • the letters were able to draw parallels between what is going on today and how it is not that different than what happened while MLK was marching for rights
  • this book is a must-read for everyone because of its powerful messages and demonstrations; while the book specifically talks about racism in America, its themes can also apply to many other injustices in the world

“They need to believe you’re a bad guy who got what he deserved in order for their worlds to keep spinning the way it always has.”

Doc (151)

This quote is one of my favorites from the novels, also given by one of my favorite character. It helps explain so much when it comes to the real world. This simple statement shows why there was such a harsh contrast between the sides of the George Floyd murder and especially the trial. Even after the autopsy report, people made George Floyd out to be the worst man in the world versus noticing the racism evident in the whole murder. The quote given from Doc helps further the explanation why some people do not want to see the truth because it disrupts the normal patterns they have always lived with.

This book is an excellent read that feeds information even if it doesn’t feel like it. Dear Martin throws you into a different world that helps the readers understand how serious this issue is today. If you’re a teacher I would highly recommend adding this to your curriculum. I not only ask you to please check out the book, but to also take a stand!

First Blog Post

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.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/oct/15/neil-gaiman-future-libraries-reading-daydreaming

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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