Book Review: Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan

 

I love it when someone recommends a book that really speaks to me. And this is one of those books, recommended to me by my daughter. 

This is a memoir of a new adult (early 20s) who starts struggling with her mental and physical health. Her body is getting weaker and twitchy, her moods are out of control, she can't focus, her grasp on reality is slipping away. 

Cahalan writes about her excitement for her job at the New York Post as a journalist. Her increasing struggle to get that job done, and then to get much of anything done. She shares the struggles of a month-long stay in a hospital and the support of her family and boyfriend during that stay. She talks about how she feels and what she experiences as a woman struggling with physical and mental difficulties. And she speaks about the medical professionals that cared for her through this struggle with a medical mystery. (Spoiler alert) It was not all in her head - which brings us to the hazy line between pyschology and neurology. 

This is an astounding book about struggle, fear, awareness, memory, illness, support, identity and the evolution of the medical field. 

I was going to say - if you are going into the medical field - read this. But I think that this is the type of book that everyone should read. 

You can find this book on the shelf at both South and NPL. You can listen to it through Libby/Sora if you are connected to NPL.

Book Review: The Four Winds / Kristin Hannah

In the author's note at the end of the book, Kristin Hannah writes, 

"As we know, there are lessons to be learned from history. Hope to be derived from hardships faced by others. 

We've gone through bad times before and survived, even thrived. History has shown us strength and durability of the human spirit. In the end, it is our idealism and our courage and our commitment to one another - what we have in common - that will save us."

In The Four Winds you will meet Elsa Wolcott - a young woman who is cast out of her birth family after conceiving a child. You will find a new family which hestitantly then wholeheartedly embraces her. You will experience plenty, then you will taste want when the soil in their Texas farm is blown away in the Dust Bowl. You will find sickness and health but mostly determination. You will find the courage to make hard decisions. You will find love, all types of love. And ultimately you will find hope. 

In her author's note, which Hannah wrote after she had finished this novel but in the beginning of this COVID pandemic, she draws the parralleles to the hardship that people endure in various points in history - the lessons that we can take from our forefathers and foremothers, which we can draw upon in current circumstances to move forward in our uncertain world. 

And that is the beauty of historical fiction. Reading about history in nonfiction books provides us the nuts and bolts of times gone by. However, my mom always told me that to understand someone you must walk a mile in their shoes. Historical fiction offers us that opportunity - a way to walk in the shoes of someone who has come before, to "experience" their hardship, and to learn from their experience.

The Four Winds can be found in Libby through the Nashua Public Library (or connect your South SORA account to your Nashua Public Library Libby account and get some one-stop shopping for digital ebooks and audio books!)

Book review: Barely Missing Everything by Matt Mendez

 

Sometimes you pick up a book because an author you respect is quoted on the front or back cover. That's the case for me and Barely Missing Everything by Matt Mendez. Jason Reynolds, the 2020-21 National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, is quoted on the front cover as saying "Sure to bring a quake to the literary landscape". He was right - this novel is powerful not only in the emotions that it stirs up but also in the perspective that it provides.

Best friends Juan and JD, and Juan's mom, Fabi, alternate narrating this story about life in a poor neighborhood in the southern U.S. border city of El Paso, Texas. Juan is a local high school hoops star, JD is an aspiring filmmaker and both Mexican-American young men want out of El Paso after high school. But no matter how hard they try, there are obstacles - some in their control, some not. Juan's mom, Fabi, is a struggling single mom who is wrestling with her past and uncertain about her future. 

This story is told from the perspective of young Hispanic people which is a perspective not often found in YA novels.  The three points of view give the story a great deal of depth and gives voice to the prejudices and discrimination against brown people. This is a book that will stir up emotions.

Guest Book Review: Kaylieh reviews Playing for the Commandant

Playing for the Commandant by Suzy Zail  is a thrilling book full of exhilarating moments. This is a book about Hanna, a Jew living with her sister, mother, and father. She loves playing piano. Until one day the Nazis come and take her family  to a camp where she is then separated from her father. Her mother is detached from the situation around them leaving only her and her sister to protect each other. They stay in the camp in horrible conditions until one day, the commandant is looking for Jews to play the piano. Hanna gets chosen and starts to play for the commandant but once the commandant's son, Karl walks in, she instantly picks up on his looks and slowly starts to fall in love with Karl. I loved reading this story and even had a hard time putting it down. This is a great book and one of the best books I've read. I would give this book a five out of five rating. It’s a great book to read in your free time, and It will make you want to come back for more. - Kaylieh

Guest Book Review: Isaac reviews Defiance by Nechama Tec

Defiance, by Nechama Tec, is a story based on a real event. This can make Defiance a true page turner, but in spots, can take a chill pill, and will slow down just to pick up in action the next chapter! This makes the story very clear and open and incredibly easy to read at a higher level of reading. The story itself is about a man named Tuvia Bielski and his experience through World War II. It takes place in the cold, cruel winters of Russia. The village in which Tuvia lives houses members of the Jewish culture. In the book, the Germans invade the country, and Tuvia needs to stand up and defy the brutal force incoming towards their village, and to stand up and protect the members of the village. But however, don’t let the thrill of war blind you. The story at first can be very difficult to get into, and can be difficult to follow in places. Since the book is based on a true story, the book itself is very long, and includes a lot of words per page. If I were to give Defiance a rating, I would rate it ⅘ stars simply because of how long it was, and sometimes it being demotivating to finish. However, if you are very invested into war stories, this book will be a perfect fit for you! - Isaac

Isaac read a copy of Defiance from a classroom library but the audiobook version can be found on Hoopla through the Nashua Public Library.

Book Review: The Witch's Hand (The Montague Twins book 2)

 

A dog found - and a reward collected (though not asked for)
A routine day - morning routines, a talk with their guardian, a request to be home for dinner.
Three teens, thrown together in their new family.
A bike ride to the beach...

A rogue storm
Weird visions
A found box

An old friend... dabling with magic... and the horror begins.

Find this creepy graphic novel on the shelves at South and at the Nashua Pubic Library. What a great read for the month of October when we love to experience thrill and chills...

Book Review: This Was Our Pact / Ryan Andrews

It was the night of the Fall Equinox. The whole town gets together and lights lanterns which they float down the river. Each year a bunch of boys have wanted to see what really happens to the lanterns? Do they in fact become the stars in the Milky Way?

The boys have made a pact - No one turns for home, no one looks back. But slowly the boys drop out of their mission until there are only two left, and one of them is the town nerd, the guy no one wants to be seen with. 

On their trip they encounter some interesting characters, a bit of magic, and some unexected truths.

This graphic novel was a happy surprise. It connects to origin stories, science, friendship, and magic. Here you will find the gifts that are in each of us. I especially loved the connections to the milky way and to the stars and constellations.

Enjoy!

You will find this book on the shelves of Nashua High South and the Nashua Public library and also on Libby. Have you connected your Sora account with Libby yet?

 

Book Review: This Light Between Us / Andrew Fukuda

There are some times that I wonder why a book hasn't been written, or why people just don't talk about certain correlations.

In This Light Between Us, Alex and Charlie begin writing to each other through a school penpal program (even after Alex learns that Charlie is a girl.) They keep up the correspondence even after their classmates have stopped. And as they write, and deepen their friendship - war blooms in our world. The Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor, the Nazis begin their incidious work of "cleansing" the world of "undesirable" people. New laws come about that limit freedoms. People are transported to "camps." And Alex's experiences as a Japanese American and Charlie's experiences of a Parisian Jew overlap. The war continues. Alex is sent to fight the Germans, but his mind is never far from his friend Charlie. 

This is a book and a conversation that I have been waiting for. I am so glad that Fukuda wrote this story and drew connecting lines between these two experiences. 

This is a Flume nominee for the 2021/22 school year. You can find it (soon) on the shelves at South or an audio version is available through Libby at the Nashua Public Library.

 

Book Review: We Are Not From Here / Jenny Torres Sanchez

Sometimes I read a book because I don't want to live the experience, but want / need to know... This is one of those books.

Pulga (15 years old), Chico (13), and Pequeña (17) live in a barrio in Guatemala, a place where children are shot in their driveways, people are forced into gangs, parents are shot if a teen takes a wrong step. Pequeña finds herself pregnant after Rey forces himself into her life. Pulga and Chico are coerced to work for Rey's gang after witnessing a shooting in which Rey is involved. Their dreams are slowly destroyed by the impossibility of their situation.

But Pulga has been planning. He has a notebook tucked under his mattress with directions on how to make the trip to the United States, on La Bestia. It is filled with danger and uncertainty, but what are their options? 

The three leave their barrio without a word to anyone. They begin their journey North - and this novel is that story.

If you are looking for a happy book - turn around and walk away. This is a terrible story filled with impossible choices. But it is a story well told and one that needs to be read.

This is a Flume nominee for the 2021/22 school year. You will find it on the shelves at South and at Nashua Public Library. NPL also offers it in an audio format on Hoopla, and both audio and ebook via Libby. 

 

Book Review: Be Not Far from Me / Mindy McGinnis

What would you do if you became lost in the forest? Do you have the skills to save youself?

Ashley met up with a bunch of her friends for a night of drinking and partying deep in the Smokey Mountains. When she finds her boyfriend and his ex-girlfriend together, she gets angry punches him in the nose and runs blindly into the night. She runs into a boulder and badly damages her foot and, not being in a good place to deal with what she left behind - she falls asleep on the forest floor. 

When she awakes in the morning she realizes she is  alone, injured and in deep trouble. Her foot is badly broken, she has no shoes, and she doesn't know where she is. When she pulls herself together she discovers that all she has to help her survive is her underwear, bra, shirt and jeans. She also has knowledge from her father about hunting and lessons learned from an old camp counselor, Davey. Ashley is a doer - so she creates a crutch, uses her shirt to create a sling for her foot, and hobbles off on her journey through the woods. 

If survival stories are your thing, you might find this an intriguing read. It might also make you want to learn more about surviving in the wild. Who knows when you might make a wrong turn. 

This book is a Flume Nominee for the 2021/22 school year. You can find a copy on the shelves at South, or on the shelves of Nashua Public Library. You can also borrow an audio copy via NPL's Libby app. 
 

Book Review: Night by Elie Wiesel

I have read this book many times through my life, but this year I had the privilege of hearing Tom White, a historian (a guest of Jay Dufoe's) talk about the book. And what he had to say about this book made me read it with new eyes. 

In the preface of the book, Wiesel writes about why he wrote this book. It was originally written in Yiddish and was over 800 pages long. No one would publish it. I wonder if the holocaust was too raw, too new to read about right after WWII. But eventually it was published. And then republished and is now an important part of the curriculum in both high schools and colleges.

At one point Wiesel notes, 

"In retrospect I must confess that I do not know, or no longer know, what I wanted to achieve with my words. I only know that without this testimony, my life as a writer - or my life, period - would not have become what it is: That of a witness who believes he has a moral obligation to try to prevent the enemy from enjoying one last victory by allowing his crimes to be erased from human memory."

Night is a story told that breaks the heart, that calls out to that part in each of us that generates empathy. In the beginning of the book, Wiesel is a young person - an experience which each reader holds. He was young and idealistic and as time goes on he becomes less and less of himself and more and more a body just trying to get by. Humanity gets lost in this story because the Holocaust was so inhumane.

Words change meaning. Wiesel says (also in the preface) 

"How was one to rehabilitate and transform words betrayed and perverted by the enemy? Hunger - thirst - fear - transport - selection - fire - chimney: these words all have intrinsic meaning, but in those times, they meant something else." 

Tom White spoke about how Night is told in a series of short pieces - all strung together to tell the story. He shared that Wiesel had to share the story this way because living in a concentration camp is not something that you can truly understand unless you lived it. By providing the bits and pieces - paused by punctuation and glimpses of life in the concentration camps, Wiesel could give people a touch of the experience. White stated that there is a power in the silence, that the pauses and punctuation add the moments of silence that this story needs to get through to the reader. 

I hope that everyone who opens these pages leaves the book wanting to better the world and prevent things like this from happening again. I read this as Afghanistan was blowing up - both figuratively as one government steps down as the USA leaves Afghanistan behind and the Taliban steps in, and concretely as women there are stripped of their rights and bombs are blowing up in the airport. What are we to do for our fellow humans? How can we not turn a blind eye? Night is a story about witnessing and seeing - but it goes beyond the Holocaust  - it is a warning to pay attention and protect our fellow humans.

 

Book Review: Haatchi & Little B: The Inspiring True Story of One Boy and His Dog / Wendy Holden

I don't think that it will surprise anyone that I love dogs. Actually, I love many animals and observing the natural world. I also have a soft spot in my heart for people who struggle (and who among us doesn't struggle with something.) So when I entered into a Reading Challenge with Ms Currie's Beyond the Books book club, I knew that I wanted to add a book about dogs to my reading list. (We each selected 4 genres or topics to explore over the summer with an additional bonus book for those so inclined.) This seemed to be the perfect book.

Haatchi, a Anatolian Shepherd was left for dead on some railroad tracks when a train ran over him. The conductor saw something on the tracks and reached out for help resulting in Haatchi being rescued. Many people were involved in Haatchi's rescue.

Owen Hawkins was a little boy with Schwartz-Jampel syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that causes the muscles to contract. Due to this syndrome, Owen was constantly in pain and felt that everyone was always looking at him because he was different. (As of this writing he is 16 years old - Google him.)

A series of circumstances, along with the good will and help of many people, brought Owen and Haatchi together and they have become the best of friends. How they healed each other is this story.

In the documentary A Boy and His Dog you can meet both Haatchi and Owen. But this book fills in all of the details. 

You can find this book on the South library shelves. 

 

Book Review: You Should See Me in a Crown / Leah Johnson

This is one of the Flume nominees for the 2021/22 school year. The Flume award is a New Hampshire award in which teens in our state nominate books, a short list in created from those nominations, then teens vote for their favorite book. We have a display in the library of the nominees (though on August 25th many of the titles have yet to come in.)

I really liked this book a lot. Liz Lighty is black, poor, and awkward, but attends school in a mostly white, privileged community. She lives with her supportive grandparents and brother, her mother died when she was younger. Liz has a clear dream of her future - go to the college where her mother attended on a music scholarship, and study to become a doctor. She has an interest in hematology due to her brothers sickle cell anemia. And then she gets the letter from the school informing her that she didn't get the scholarship. Suddenly her life is thrown into disarray. How can she make her dreams happen without her grandparents selling their house to fund her education (which she knows that they will do if they learn about the missed scholarship and she does NOT want that to happen.)

Her friends rally behind her and they begin to scheme how she can become the Prom Queen which is attached to a $10,000 scholarship. However, this Prom Queen business is all about popularity and is a huge deal in her little town. There are petitions to get through, volunteer work to do, and she is one of those unpopular students on the edge of her school community. Toss into that mix that she has serious (vomit inducing) anxiety and she is learning that she is gay. 

This is a story about growth and learning, determination and grit, shedding one's skin to grow into a new person. 

Find You Should See Me in a Crown on the shelves at South. At Nashua public library you can find this book on the shelf, but also an audio version on Hoopla, and an ebook and audio book through Libby.

 

Book Review: Show Me a Sign by Ann Clare LeZotte

 

Mary, an 11-year-old deaf girl, lives on Martha's Vineyard in the early 1800s. Many of the people in this community are deaf and most of the residents sign using Martha's Vineyard Sign Language (MVSL). Being deaf in her community of Chilmark is not a disability but rather a difference - like having green eyes, or red hair. One day a scientist, Andrew Noble, comes to the island to study the origin of the deafness among the residents. Strangers are not usually trusted by this community but he has been sponsored by the pastor. Andrew soon starts alienating the island residents by his entitlement and lack of respect. He has been encouraged by other scientists to bring back to live specimen to be studied and he abducts Mary and takes her to Boston. 

This story is written for middle grade students, but don't be surprised if you find yourself being pulled into this story. Mary is young but has such a maturity and is really questioning a lot of what she sees in the people around her, especially in their relationships and prejudices of Native people. 

If you want to learn more about the Deaf in Martha's Vineyard or MVSL and its impact on American sign language, check out this article Reviving Sign Language on Martha's Vineyard from the Martha Vineyard times. 

Also, you can hear Ann Clare LeZotte share a little bit about this book.

I borrowed this book at the Nashua Public Library through Hoopla, but it is also available through Libby and they have a print copy. (I listened to the audio version - I am NOT good at listening to stories, but it certainly made my chores go by faster.)

I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did. 

Book Review: Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron

Let's start with the author's note at the end of the book:

"When I sat down to draft Cinderella I started with a few questions: What effect do the fairy tales we are told as children have on us? What happens to our view of the world when the characters in these stories don't look like us or love like us? When do we get to be the heroes of our own stories?"

The fun thing about fairy tales is that we can own them much in the way that Bayron owned this book. She put together a bunch of "what if" questions and then started playing her ideas in the context of Cinderella. Her story is a dark story filled with magic, evil intent, and greed. The society that she built in this book looks at the Cinderella story in a sacred way and uses it to strip women of their rights. Our main character, Sophia, just wants to love another woman instead of Prince Charming and this is where the story starts. Where it ends is with personal battles fought.

Just one more word - I found this an amazing story to read while Afghanistan's government fell and the Taliban is taking over the leadership of the country. Many are frightened that women will lose the rights that they have gained over the last 20 years. The Taliban is saying that they will honor the rights of women within the constraints of Islam Law.  I hope Afghanistan's story ends with - "and they lived happily ever after."

If you like fairy tales - try this book out. You can find it in SORA or in print at the Nashua Public Library.  

Book Review: Clap When You Land / Elizabeth Acevedo

I was able to visit the Dominican Republic this summer - at least within the pages of this book. It was a nice trip and I enjoyed it very much.

Camino lives in the Dominican Republic, her father spends every summer with her. 
Yahaira lives in New York City. Her father spends her school years with her.
Their dad dies in a plane crash.
The thing is, neither girl know about the others' existence. 

This novel in verse is about loss. But it is also about family, and love, opening one's heart to new truths.

You can borrow this book from the stacks in the Nashua South library, or from Nashua Public library - they have it in print, but also through the Libby app (both audio and ebook.)

 

Book Review: Black Flamingo by Dean Atta

"This book is a fairy tale in which I am the prince and the princess. I am the king and the queen. I am my own wicked witch and fairy godmother... I am the fairy finding my own magic."

These are a few of the words from the prologue of Black Flamingo, a novel in which a mix-raced, gender-nonconforming teen works to define his place in the world and find his people.

Michael makes it to college before he is able to find a world big enough to find his place. He feels loved as a child and supported by his mom. But he just doesn't quite fit anywhere. In college he finds among the clubs the Drag Society and his heart finds a home. 

I love that this story describes drag so beautifully - as a performance art. A place to speak your story or spread your message.

This is a fun novel in verse that can be found in the stacks at Nashua South and via Hoopla (audio) and Libby (E and Audio.)

 

Book Review: What Unbreakable Looks Like by Kate McLaughlin

The top of the fly leaf states:

        "Lex was taken - trafficked - and now she's Poppy."

And this is how it starts. Poppy lured by a predator then locked into a hotel room, being told to do unspeakable things with men. Surrounded by other teens who have also been renamed after flowers. Finding comforts in pills to numb her mind and disassociation to get out of there. And then the police raided the hotel.

Poppy ends up in a hospital and starts the healing process. Physically she must overcome the bruises and scars from abuse and the devastating impact of drugs and addiction. Mentally she needs to find herself again. She needs to reconnect to her former self, Alexa / Lex. She needs to redefine herself and learn that there are trustworthy people in this world, and that she isn't broken. 

Though I have read about trafficking before, this book starts where trafficking leaves off. And while the subject is a heavy one, there is hope woven into this story. 

Read this if you want to learn more about the toll of human trafficking and can handle the stark realities that are involved. 

You can find this book in print in the South library or through Libby at the Nashua Public Library.

 

Library News: New Carpeting and getting ready to roll!

The library is looking pretty empty right now. All of the furniture was moved out over the summer to install new carpeting. Our 2021/22 school year will start without any unraveling carpet. Here is hoping that our new school year stays woven rather than unraveling like the last two school years. I am looking forward so seeing old faces, and meeting new students. 

See you soon!

Book Review: Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas

 

"Roses can bloom in the hardest conditions." This is a sentiment that Mr. Wyatt shares with Maverick in this novel. 

And yes, Maverick is both a rose and living in difficult conditions. His father is in jail, presumably for gang-related activity (he was the "crown".) His mom can barely pay the bills. He is in a gang and selling drugs. AND then one day he is asked to join a girl at the hospital where a DNA test is being run on her 3 month old son. That is the day he is thrown into the life of fatherhood when the girl leaves the hospital without the baby. Maverick is thrown into a life of sleepless nights, exploding diapers, and of forehead kisses. This new responsibility brings up all kinds of questions, such as how is a 17 year old boy supposed to support a son.

No, life for Maverick doesn't get easier from here. And this is not a novel that is tidy. Maverick struggles with decisions that will impact his family for years. Sometimes there are no easy answers. 

This is a story of fatherhood, of family, and of friendship. It is a story of responsibility, and consequences for actions, and struggling to figure out what the next steps in life. This is also the prequel to The Hate You Give.

As far as I am concerned, this is a five star novel.

Find it on the shelves at South or the Nashua Public Library. NPL also has both audio and ebook copies through Libby. 

Book Review: Clean: The New Science of Skin / James Hamblin

 

We all want to be healthy and we want to look our best. Advice on how to achieve these goals comes from every avenue. What do our hygiene practices have to do with health and beauty? That is what this book is all about.

James Hamblin, a doctor and journalists, helps us get answers (or mostly more questions) about how our hygiene practices impact us and our largest organ - our skin - which is impacted by the world around us. This book lets us consider questions such as:

Are we too clean?
Should we be using antibacterial soap?
What products should put on our skin? our hair? under our arms?
How does our skin microbiome impact our health?
Should we eat a pound of dirt before we turn one?
What kinds of regulations are in place in the beauty industry vs the health industry? Does it matter?
Why do some beauty products work on some of us and not on others?
What are the most important things to do to stay healthy?

So many questions, and so much food for thought in this book that begins with the sentence, 

"Five years ago, I stopped showering."

And ends with:

"From pharmaceuticals to soaps and other personal care products, Americans are clearly overpaying for - and overusing - products and services that are supposed to make us healthier. The pattern of consumption is unsustainable, and much of it may be doing more harm than good. The greatest advances were those basic gestures at exposing people to nature - letting us have space to move, clean air to breathe, people to socialize and build relationships with, and plants, animals, and soil that bring us the microbes we evolved to be covered and sustained by." (page 251)

 Finally, the last chapter shares a lot of information about the history of city planning and outdoor spaces including a mention of conditions in the tenements in New York City. For this reader, that included checking out the digital displays in the Tenement Museum. (Note that not all of the links were working but I found that I could skip around those links to read these historical stories.)

This book was found in print at the Nashua Public Library

Book Review: The House in the Cerulean Sea / TJ Klune

I must share that this fantasy story is one of my favorite reads of this year. Here you will find a story about kindness, about magical beings, about hope, personal growth and moving beyond. AND it is LOL funny.

The characters are beautifully drawn - Linus, basically an orphanage investigator / Department in Charge of Magical Youth caseworker who is rule centered and thorough. Arthur - the father figure. And then there are the kids - each a magical being. The really cool thing about this book is that each character is more than the sum of their parts. Both individually and as part of the story. For example, one of the children is Lucy, the Antichrist (but we do NOT use that word) who is six years old and speaks in dark words and thoughts. BUT he loves to help in the kitchen and go on adventures. Arthur truly believes that nurture can overcome nature and is working with Lucy to overcome his evils. Linus want to protect the children.

This book has met with some controversy. Klune had the threads of this story running through his mind but then learned of the Sixties Scoop, in which Canadian indigenous children were placed into government sponsored facilities with the goal of adopting them out to white families - and this story gelled for him. (You can read his interview here.) Some people are angry believing that Klune co-opted a story that was not his to tell. But I do not fell that to be the case.  Note that the sixties scoop is not that only time that children have been torn from their homes and placed in government facilities, this has happened in other times and places. Note The House in the Cerulean Sea is not about that experience. Note that it isn't even hinted at. And note that this book is about kindness and hope. Finally note the words of Mark Twain, 

“There is no such thing as a new idea. It is impossible. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope. We give them a turn and they make new and curious combinations. We keep on turning and making new combinations indefinitely; but they are the same old pieces of colored glass that have been in use through all the ages.”

This book gathers the threads of various ideas and weaves them into a new and different story that is fun, funny, and heart warming. AND a little bit Harry Potterish as it weaves realistic fiction and fantasy together. 

There are lessons in this book about how we treat each other and how we treat ourselves. Here is one of my favorite quotes, 

"Humanity is so weird. If we're not laughing, we're crying or running for our lives because monsters are trying to eat us. And they don't even have to be REAL monsters. They could be the one we make up in our heads."

If you want a treat, if you want a reality check steeped in fantasy, if you want to laugh - read this story.

(It is available through the Nashua Public Library in both print and as an ebook) 

 

Empower: What Happens when Students Own Their Learning / Spencer and Juliani

What happens in teachers' minds over the summer? Yes we try to relax and do the things that we can't do during the school year. And of course, I for one, like to read some adult books over the summer (I tend to read a LOT of young adult books during the school year so I can help students). BUT we also keep learning how we can do our jobs better.

Empower is not the only professional development book that I read this summer, but it is certainly the most fun and thought provoking. This book is all about student choice and the process of learning and stoking the fire of learning excitement within students (and consequently in teachers.)

I love to learn. I love to share the love of learning. I am excited about the seeds that this book has both planted (new ideas) and watered (ideas that I already had that have been reinforced.) 2021/22 will be a great school year. I can just feel it. See you in a bit.
 

Book Review: Patron Saints of Nothing / Randy Ribay

Each year I create a book challenge for myself. I do this because it keeps me reading outside of the types of books to which I naturally gravitate. I love books that are set in places I haven't been. I like learning about new things - so I might have borrowed this book without a recommendation, but I am glad that Mike Linehan pushed me to read this intriguing story. 

Honestly, Patron Saints of Nothing has many things that I love to find in a book:
* I have never visited the Philippines and knew nothing about it.
* There are interesting characters in this book - some fully formed but some intentionally vague
* There was a connection to life as I know it. Patron Saints centers around the drug war in the Philippines and the politics behind it. In the USA we have the "War on Drugs" which has shaped our society in ways that make me uncomfortable.
* And thinking about uncomfortable - I spent a lot of time feeling uneasy about characters and how they were acting in this story.
* There was character learning and growth - the majority of this book took place over the course of the week and during that time Jay, the main character, grew from a teen to a man.

This book took me so long to read because I had to keep stopping to Google stuff:
* A recipe for Sinigang soup
* The poem, "A Litany for Survival" by Audre Lorde
* Images from and information about the Philippines - both the country and the slums
* News about the Philippine drug war - both current and past
* Background on President Duterte
* And the list goes on

Finally - the most interesting character in this book is Jun - though he is no longer alive. The memories and flashbacks of this character pushed me to think about the bigger questions in life. And that is always a good thing.

Don't pick up this book unless you want your mind to be challenged to think in new ways. 

 

Book Review: What I Carry by Jennifer Longo

What an amazingly beautiful cover and a great story. 

Muiriel was born into the foster system when she was abandoned at birth. The nurses in the John Muir named her after the John Muir Medical Center where she was taken as a foundling. And this was the beginning of her strength.

The story opens as she leaves another foster placement. Her social worker, Joellen, is taking her to an island outside of Seattle where she will live with a foster mom who decided to take one last foster placement - a teen (though prior to this she has only fostered little ones). Muir takes pride in "packing lightly" and depending on no one but herself. But this island and the community there challenges her beliefs about herself and about her world. 

Jennifer Longo wrote this book (as stated in the Author's Note at the end of the story) because her daughter, who was born into the foster system, noted that she often doesn't find herself represented in books. Longo listened to a number of kids who live or lived in the foster system and this story came out of those voices. 

Longo states: "Voices of adults, well intended or not, overwhelmingly drive the myopic, adult-centric false narrative of foster care and adoption in America, talking over those of the kids in foster care who are screaming and no one is listening."

At the end of this story there are several resources listed for more information. One of these resources is Aging Out Institute. There are others listed in the book.

You can find a copy of this book on the Nashua South shelves (as soon as I donate this copy!) 

Thanks for the recommendation from Valerie a guidance counselor from Londonderry.

 

Book Review: Jackpot by Nic Stone

My mother always told me to not judge someone, that we must walk a mile in their shoes to understand what they are going through. And this is a story about that and about how hard that can be.

Rico works in a convenience store - making money to help pay the bills at home - to put food on the table and a roof over her family's heads.

Zan is the school rich boy - the guy with the "perfect life" with a silver spoon in his mouth - nice clothes, huge house, great car. 

(Here you need to imagine the sound car tires make when you hit the brakes suddenly)

But the truth here is that we need to understand each others' stories before we can understand each other. 

Circumstances throw Zan and Rico together after Rico determines that she sold a winning lottery ticket to an old woman who visited the store. The ticket hasn't been cashed in and Rico thinks that the woman's dementia is standing in the way of riches. Rico offers to help trace the old woman. 

As they work to find the woman, Zan and Rico learn more about each other -- slowly. And their preconceived notions begin to fall away. 

Assumptions are a perilous trap and one that we all occasionally fall into. You are young, I am old. What assumptions do you have about me? What assumptions do I have about you? How can we take off those blinders, learn each others' stories, and make our world feel like a safer place to be?

 

Book Review: Brown Girl Dreaming / Jacqueline Woodson

This is a memoir -- in verse -- of the evolution of an author -- who happens to live in brown skin. How can a book get any better than that?

This book is so gently written. It will take you back to the 1960s and early 1970s when Woodson was just beginning her life. She was born in Columbus, Ohio - but spent most of her early life between places, the north and the south: Brooklyn, NY and South Carolina. And while the stark different between her grandparents red stone house with a porch for sitting and a yard big enough for gardening and playing AND living in Brooklyn where there is only one tree, people are crowded together and the air smells of city - the biggest difference was how a brown person had to walk so differently through each of these places. There was a freedom in NYC to walk through the neighborhood (though not past a certain street) that was different from the back-of-the-bus life in South Carolina. The vestiges of Jim Crow still colored the world in the mid sixties.

But this is more than living and growing as a person of color. Here Woodson shares her evolution as a writer. Her love of words and her different way of learning to read. She shares her love for her family. And finally, she draws a verbal picture of growing up in the Church of the Latter-Day Saints. Here you will find a life filled with double dutch and fireflies, friends and bullies, family joys and sorrows, living between two worlds, Christianity and Islam, words, words, words. 

One of my favorite quotes: 

"If someone had taken
that [picture] book out of my hand 
said, You're too old for this 
maybe
I'd never have believed
that someone who looked like me
could be in the pages of the book
that someone who looked like me
had a story."

You can find a print copy of this book in the South library. Nashua Public Library also has print copies and you can borrow the audiobook from Overdrive.

Nancy Drew: The Palace of Wisdom / Kelly Thompson

Nancy Drew has been around for a LONG time. My mother read both the Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys mysteries as a child. She shares how she couldn't wait to get the next Nancy Drew book. Her brother was gifted the Hardy Boys books. They would each read their book and then they would trade. I can imagine my mom snuggled under her covers reading these books. There was no heat in the upstairs of her home so she would hold the book in one hand and when that hand got too cold, she would switch hands. 

The first Nancy Drew book was published in 1930 which was even before my mom was born. The Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books were all authored by ghost writers. Over time, Nancy Drew has changed to meet the changing culture and tastes of more current readers. There are also The Nancy Drew Files which include a touch of romance (gag). I wish I still had one or two of my mom's Nancy Drew books so that I could compare the old titles to the new editions. I really want to see the differences. 

And all that leads to this book right here. Now we have a Nancy Drew graphic novel. The story was interesting and engaging. There is totally danger, mystery, friends working together (and some kissing). This is the first in the series and I can't wait to see what the next issue offers. 

This book is offered in print in out school library.

 

Book Review: Ordinary Hazards / Nikki Grimes

Nikki Grimes begins her memoir like this:

"Cards on the table:
I have a PhD in avoidance,
which kept me running from
the past for years.
I was particularly fond of 
parroting Scarlett O'Hara:
"I'll think about it tomorrow."
But now my need
for light and truth is greater than
my fear of murky memories.
Time to grab my flashlight
and step into the tunnel."

In this memoir in verse, Nikki Grimes tells the story of her growing up with a mother who was an alcoholic and had mental illness. Nikki's mom would stop taking her medications and start drinking then Nikki would find her mother talking to people who were not there. Eventually the mental illness played a part in Grimes entrance into the foster care system. The constant crisis that defined Grimes childhood robbed her of her childhood.

Nikki also had a sprinkling of adults in her life that cared deeply for her. Her father, a musician who was unable to raise her, also fed her books, took her places, introduced her to artists and encouraged her. There was a period of time with one foster family that offered her an oasis of calm and belonging. A teacher nurtured her reading and writing.

Through all of this Nikki Grimes had a love of words and read and wrote constantly.

This memoir in verse was a joy to read, despite the abuse and hardship. This is a story of survival.

My favorite quote:

"Library Card

A magic pass
I used to climb into
other people's skin
any old time
I needed."

You will find this book on SORA through both Nashua South and through Nashua Public Library. I am looking forward to borrowing this from Hoopla through NPL to hear Grimes read her own story.

Book Review: All The Things We Never Knew / Liara Tamani

 

A friend just asked me for a beach read - and this is a story that will fit that request. Today I grabbed All the Things We Never Knew , went onto the back deck, and enjoyed the sun, the gentle breeze (and tried to ignore the pollen - achoo!)

Anyone who knows me - knows that I am not a fan of love stories - at least love stories that aren't deeper than luv. But this story is more. Here you will certainly find love: love for a boyfriend/girlfriend, for a friend, for family. You will visit that love in all of its complications, lies, misconceptions. And you will see truth and the impact of that truth. 

What else does this book offer? Basketball. Lots of basketball - girls teams, boy teams and pickup ball. 

And you will find art. Collage to be specific: Now I want to make a collage. I guess I will put it on my ToDo list for the summer. Check out MyModernMet for some inspiration.

And here you go - I love the beginning of this book:

"Nobody ever warned me about love. Nobody ever warned me that when the greatest thing in the world hist you too hard, too fast, the blast can crush the organs in your belly, send heat flying up the right side of your face, and make your heart forget how to beat normally."

You can find this book on the shelves of the Nashua South Library.

Book Review: Almost American Girl / Robin Ha

Sometimes we fall into reading a book by happenstance. This book is incredibly well rated and on many lists of good books to read. Consequently, I purchased two copies for the library - one in print and a second in SORA. However, when I went to put the print copy in the catalog - I didn't know where it should go so I read it. (Also, Paling's class is doing a memoir assignment which this book is perfect for so I had to hurry up.)

Robin Ha's graphic memoir is a fun read and really connects with both the teen and the immigrant experience. Ha shares her teen years when her mother moved her from Korea to the United States (her mom told her they were going for a visit and they ended up staying.) I loved how the author shared the feeling of not understanding a new language - the speech bubbles were full of squiggly lines for the words that Ha had not understood. Some speech bubbles are all squiggly lines, others have some words in them that she understood but there would be a word that was mystifying to her and she illustrated that word with the squiggly lines. But language was not the only difficulty in the immigrant experience - everything was new - food, clothing, pop culture and of course all of the new people and experiences. I think that we each feel this "newness" of a situation or a place (like going to high school for the first time or enrolling in college) but maybe not as acutely as an immigrant who is immersed in both language and cultures that is very different from what they are accustomed to.

The other part that felt very true to me was that, as a teen, Robin Ha, had very little control of her life. Her mother was making decisions for her that were not necessarily the decisions that she would make for herself. Ha did a really great job of sharing how this impacted her, and at the same time, how she still needed her mom's support both for her physical needs but also for mental support.

Finally, I love all of the Korean culture that this book shares. 

This book is a little gem and a really fast read. 
 

Book Review: Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You / Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi

"To know the past is to know the present. To know the present is to know yourself." (Ibram X Kendi in the introduction of this book)

Why do we need to know about history? 

Why are social studies classes important?

Why do we pay attention to the social sciences?

I am sure that there are many answers to these questions, but for me I want to know about history so I can do my part in preventing history from repeating itself - at least in the ways that people in power have made choices that harm others. Also history gives us perspective on how we have arrived in today's world. And our social sciences lend a pathway into peoples' minds and realities.

Right now we are hearing a lot about racism and antiracism. Again here are some words from Ibram X Kendi, "A racist idea is any idea that suggests something is wrong or right, superior or inferior, better or worse about a racial group. An antiracist idea is any idea that suggests that racial groups are equals." 

In today's world we hear about the school to prison pipeline, we hear about black people being killed or maimed in disproportionate numbers to the percentage of people of color living in our society. We hear about people of color worried about driving-while-black or walking-while-black and parents of black children teaching their youth how to respond to police officers when they are approached. As a white person, this was never a part of the conversation in my home when I was growing up.

What can we do to make our world a better place for everyone to live? How can we make sure that we all feel safe? How can we learn about how we got to where we are today? How can I walk in the world with an antiracist presence?

Stamped is a great place to start. Here Reynolds and Kendi break things down so we understand the history that led to our present. This book is perspective changing, and Reynolds writing style is personable and enjoyable to read (no dry text book here!)

Try it and let us know what you think.

 

Book Review: White Rose by Kip Wilson

 Super Heroes come in all shapes, sizes and eras. In this historical fiction, novel in verse, you will meet Sophie Scholl and her family and friends. These new adults banded together to resist the Nazis in Germany during World War II  - this is the story of White Rose - this is their story.

Sophie and some of her family and friends created  White Rose, a group that resisted the Nazis in Germany during WWII. They used their words to fight, spreading anti-Nazi sentiments and truths through leaflets. Nazi Germany only allowed one story to be told - their propaganda - White Rose worked to make sure there that there was a counter argument to this propaganda.

Why do I recommend this book?

First -  It begs the question - What would you do? What would you be willing to sacrifice if you saw the world around you turning into a place that you don't agree with - where people are getting killed, where people are judged by their religion and their heritage rather than their humanity. 

Second - It offers an in between perspective - where two opposite things are true and there isn't a satisfactory resolution. Sophie's boy friend is fighting in the German Army and she fears that he will be harmed. AND Sophie doesn't want the Nazis to win because of their atrocities. - This provides such conflict. 

The story of Sophie and the White Rose does not end well. BUT Germany did lose the war. However, it can be said that we all lost in something precious in WWII.

For more information on Sophie and White Rose check out this website: https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/sophie-scholl-and-white-rose

This book is owned by our Nashua South library as well as NPL.

Book Review: Never Caught: The Story of Ona Judge: George and Martha Washington's Courageous Slave Who Dared to Run Away / Erica Armstrong Dunbar and Kathleen Van Cleve

 

Have you ever read a book and loved the story but hated how it was written? This was that book for me.

Ona Judge was a remarkable woman - she was one of the dower slaves of Martha Washington. A dower slave is inherited and is retained by the family of someone who died, in this case, Martha Washington's first husband died without a will and Ona became the property of Martha Washington and her family. This is the story of her slavery, but woven into this story is the changing beliefs concerning slavery in revolutionary America. It seems that Martha Washington felt no qualms about owning slaves, but George Washington was stuck between some discomfort concerning the practice and a need for free labor to keep Mount Vernon running. 

When Ona learned that she was going to be gifted to Eliza Custis, a woman with a nasty temper, Ona decided that she must escape. She fled, likely with the help of people in Philadelphia, and landed in Portsmouth, NH where she lived (in poverty) until her death. 

What did I love about this book - the story. There was so much to learn here. What did I dislike about the story - There was so much conjecture and suppositions between these pages (Ona might have..., George Washington must have... - Meh) that I felt uncomfortable. 

Read more about Ona Judge here at the Mount Vernon website: https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/ona-judge

While you are on the Mount Vernon page - "visit" this historical site. You can check out the different parts of Washington's estate and see how both the Washingtons and their slaves lived. 

I borrowed this book from the Nashua Public Library.

Book Review: Grown / Tiffany D. Jackson

Trigger warnings all over the place - This book is about abuse - specifically the abuse of a 17 year old girl by a 28 year old man. This is an important book to read but makes my skin crawl.

Enchanted Jones is a lot of things. She is a swimmer for her private high school, she takes care of her younger siblings because her parents are over busy. She is a member of Will and Willow (an organization for black kids that centers around leadership, service, and civic duty). But mostly, she just wants to break into the world of singing. And then she connects with Korey Fields, a pop star who takes a special interest in her. But the interest becomes romantic and controlling - can you spell Child Trafficking? 

This book illustrates:
Men who are allowed to behave badly and excused for their behavior
Women who are not believed when they speak out about abuse
Especially black men and women

Also:
Child abuse
Human Trafficking
The sneakiness that child abusers use to groom their victims
What an appropriate relationship looks like - and what it doesn't look like

Want some more information on Human Trafficking? Visit the New Hampshire Task Force on Human Trafficking

 

Book Review: Under the Tulip Tree / Michelle Shocklee

This is a book that the Tusitala Teachers, our teacher book club, read. I think that I have mentioned before that I often go down rabbit holes when I read a story. I listen to the music and taste the food. This story took me down rabbit holes of learning. I spent some time reading slave narratives and then investigated the Contraband camps (which I had never heard of) - more about that shortly.

In this novel, Lorena, who turned 16 on the day that the stock market crashed, ended up with a job through the Federal Writers Project (FWP) interviewing slaves. One slave in particular caught her heart and she made many trips back to Frankie's house listening and recording her past.

I knew about Roosevelt's WPA (Works Progress Administration) through which unemployed people were employed to build parks, schools, roads... I had heard of the Federal Writers Project and the recording of slave narratives, but I had never really looked at them. This story acted as a catalyst to read some of those stories held at the Library of Congress. Check out the Slave Narratives here.

I also love when I learn about a part of history that is totally new to me. I had never heard about the Contraband Camps that were established during the civil war to house slaves who were escaping from servitude to confederate soldier or were swept up by Yankee Soldiers. The slaves were considered property, thus the name Contraband camps. This link from the Tennessee Encyclopedia shares some information about the camps where a part of Frankie's story is set. 

In borrowed this book from the Nashua Public Library through Hoopla.

 

Book Review: Last Pick by Jason Walz

Aliens have invaded the world in this graphic novel and left behind only the old, the young, and the disabled. Occasionally the aliens return to gather those who are no longer young. Sam and Wyatt were left behind - an now, as the aliens return, they need to rely on each other to start a revolution and bring hope to those left behind on Earth.

Consider - What exactly does it mean to be disabled? Don't we all have strengths AND things that challenge us? Why are some people labeled with a "disability" and others are not? Can a human characteristic be disabling in one situation while being enabling in another?

Can we mix together our strengths together to make our world a better place? To create different better solutions to our problems? To enrich our environment?

Check out this graphic novel from our library or from Nashua Public Library. Then try the sequels. You will be glad that you did.

 

Book Review: The Lightning Dreamer / Margarita Engle

Set in Cuba starting in 1827, this a story about Gertrudia Gomez de Avellaneda, a young poet who hid her abolitionist messages in her poetry.

Meet Tula (the childhood name of Gertrudia), her bother, her mother, and the woman who though free still took care of the family

Imagine what it would be like to watch slaves walk by your home.

Imagine being "sold" into an arranged marriage at 14 years of age.

Imagine not being allowed to go to school, to read, to write.

Imagine dreaming of a world where gender and race do not dictate who you may become.

Mix that all into a novel in verse and you have the magic of this book.

"I think of my feather pen
as something magical
that still belongs 
to a wing.

All I need
is paper, ink,
and the courage
to let wild words soar."

 

Book Review: Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America (edited by Ibi Zoboi)

First - let me say that today was an amazing day - April 10, 2021 and it was lovely, sunny, and warm. Lot of dog walks and some time to read - which is a good combination for an anthology. I need some time between each story to absorb its truth.

So about this specific book...

This is an amazing group of authors.
The stories are varied and all are good.
This is a fabulous way to try out the writing of different authors to see who you like.

The best way to share what this book is about it to share Ibi Zoboi's words, "What are the cultural threads that connect Black people all over the world to Africa? How have we tried to maintain certain traditions as part of our identity? And as teenagers, do we even care? These are the questions I had in mind when inviting sixteen other Black authors to write about teens examining, rebelling against, embracing or simply exsisting within their own idea of Blackness."

I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did. (And it is always nice to have a reading partner.)
 

Book Review: Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

 

    Sometimes the reason you choose a book is because of the cover. This is one of those instances for me. When I came across this book, I first noticed the old-fashioned nature of the dress. Then the sickle in her hand and her "don't mess with me" glance over her shoulder. Being a lover of historical fiction, I thought this might be a story of the slave experience. Boy was I wrong - sort of.

    Dread Nation is set in an imaginary America in the years after the Civil War. But in this story, the North and South unite against a new threat - zombies. Okay - stop right there! Zombies? Not my thing. At all. I almost took a hard pass on this book but since I am trying to be open to new genres, I decided to give it a try.

    In this imaginary America, these "undead" rise up from cemeteries and attack the living. They are encroaching the previously safe cities of the East. Jane is a student at a combat school for Negro girls where she learns how to fight the undead and has proven herself to be extremely skilled in combat. Upon completion of her training she will be assigned as an attendant to a high society white woman to protect her from the zombies. However, when the sister of Jane's friend and other families go missing, Jane becomes involved in finding these people which leads her to a fight against not just zombies but some very powerful people. 

    While this is not the story of the actual slave experience, this perspective is very much present. Each chapter begins with excerpts of letters between Jane and her mother - the wife of a plantation master. Through these letters, Jane's background and early years are revealed to the reader. The hierarchy of society in this story falls in line with our country's true history and oppression of Blacks and Native Americans of the Civil War era. Jane is not a slave but she is trained to be a type of servant, against her true desire. Blacks and Native Americans are re-educated in the art of combat against zombies which demonstrates that their lives are considered expendable by the powers that be. 

    Like The Walking Dead? I highly recommend this book. Not a fan of zombies? This book is for you too and I encourage you to give it a chance. The story is full of action and tension, imaginative yet rooted in truth and has a kick-butt main character. This book is available in our library. The Nashua Public Library has this book and it's sequel in all forms - print, ebook and audiobook. 

Book Review: Above All Else / Dana Alison Levy

Tate and Rose have been best friends FOREVER. They have enjoyed climbing and challenging themselves to difficult climbs for nearly as long. And now they are on a trip of a lifetime, a trip to summit Mount Everest in Nepal.

But things don't go as planned, the characters learn about themselves, their worlds get broadened, and they kiss A LOT. 

Why am I blogging about this book? (You all know that romance isn't my gig!) This book made me think about priorities. Dana Alison Levy really jumped into the research about summiting Mount Everest and there is a lot of information here that I had never thought about. For example, many of the people in Nepal are poor. On the other hand, it costs more than $60,000 to summit Mount Everest. Such a contrast. Sherpas moving up and down the mountain and often owning little while catering to men and women who can pay that amount of money to suffer for days to see how they will fair when faced with such acute adversity and huge challenge. And that was just the beginning of the thinking.

If you love the outdoors. If you love to challenge yourself. If you love to read about kissing (skim it if you don't) read this book.

You will find it in print in our library.

 

Book Review: Stolen Girl by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch

First let me mention that I dislike this cover - it just doesn't seem to represent the book. So ignore it.

When I read Elie Wiesel's book - Night - I was taken back by a Holocaust story that I hadn't heard before. I had read about the Nazi concentration camps and the extermination of Jews, Romani, homosexuals and others. All of that hurts my soul. In Night, I read about the death marches. And was again shocked at the depths that people can stoop to.

Stolen Girl is another book that surprised me. Just when you think that you have heard all of the horrible things that people have done...  but I don't want to say more - no spoilers.

Just let me say - the protagonist in this story, Nadia, has fragments, dreams, and flashbacks about her life during  World War II. This is the story that pieces those together in a way that shares another atrocity coming out of Nazi Germany. 

Read this book. We need to understand history so we don't repeat it.