All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin

     I may be "done" with the series of All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin.

     Great cover art!  Created by George Mayer, the cover is what attracted me to the book. I’m also familiar with Zevin from Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac.

     Anya Balanchine is a strong, female character, which is wonderful to encounter.  However, she could be a strong character on her own or without such a focus on a romantic relationship. 
      Anya has been dealt an unlucky deck of cards, and she continues to be dealt cards that don’t work in her favor.   As a chip off the Balanchine crime family, Anya has to face the reality of what is happening in her extended family and the attempt to remove her and her siblings from the lineage. Of course, she’s only 17.
      A student of mine made the comment about too many books with weak female characters or storylines of strong female protagonists that always involve a romantic relationship with a guy.  Good point! As a result, it lingers in my mind whenever I read reviews or books. 

    This was all I could think about when I read this book – Anya is struggling, while being forced to be the foundation of and for her family.  I would have liked to see the focus remain on her strength of character as personal development, and how she handles her immediate and extended family, especially when ethics are involved and she could, or be forced to, follow in the footsteps of her father and take leadership role.  While some of the relationship is realistic, it distracts from the potential of Anya, and what may not happen in the real lives of readers.

Separate the parts, is there still a whole? Unwind by Neal Shusterman

     Shusterman has hit a bulls-eye with Unwind. The reason I attempted to read it for a 2nd time was due to the rave reviews of students.  What a book for adults to read, too!   
     Shusterman poses questions about advances in technology & medicine, right & wrong & grey areas, the "essence" of a person, life & death, and role of government and authority. There may be more, too, that I've forgotten!
    Connor - the Akron AWOL, and runaways Risa and Lev are teens who are destined to go to the Chop Shop - they will serve the needs of others by "donating" their body parts.   However, upon stumbling upon the help of an underground support system, they fight the forced end to their lives, and it's no easy task.
     Together, they influence each other to think for themselves, stand-up for their individual rights, and help each other to do what is right, even if there is potential for failure or loss.
     Like so many other novels and authors, Unwind defies the stereotype of literature geared towards 15-22 year olds.
     I have encountered many people in the world of education who consider young-adult literature to be "less than" - not high-quality, well-written material that challenges students vocabulary, belief systems/philosophy, ability to think abstractly, analyze and synthesize, or material to which young-adults can relate.
     This novel could be used in a myriad of ways, engaging higher-order thinking, questioning, and writing, and relating to many facets of "real life" for students. 
     May this book get in the hands of many students and adults.

   

What did you read during the summer?

There are many lists published and posted of good books to read during the summer.

Then, there are those books that were recommended by someone, sitting on a table, or with a cover that caught your eye - in physical or electronic form.

What did you read, and how would you rate it?

Once a Jarhead, always a Jarhead by Anthony Swofford

     Variety, Honesty, and thought-provoking are three words/phrases that come to mind to describe Jarhead: A Marine's Chronicle of The Gulf War and Other Battles by Anthony Swofford.  Swofford kept me engaged from page 1 with his storytelling that changes topics from chapter to chapter. Because the chapters are not necessarily tied together, he is able to move between people, events, and time, and he does not get bogged-down in details, as is the case in other books on the "experience of war." This variety keeps the pages turning and the stories "easy" to read; I was curious what the next chapter would bring.    

     I thought I would learn about the experience of a Marine, which I did; however, there was so much more than the work of the scout/sniper.  It's the humanity versus politics of war; the waiting, needing, and wanting out of war; the front lines, enemy, and death of war.  The insight and honesty commands understanding and respect.

     Swofford shares some of his experiences in boot camp, and when leadership can take one's power too far; the discipline developed through the Marines, yet the unexpected habits developed in order to handle the job; the personal conflict between knowing one's job is to serve and potentially die, yet when in war, really not wanting nor ready to die; how the Marines distinguish themselves from the other branches of the military, yet the politics that exist means that not everyone is cut for the job; the psychological war towards the enemy, leadership, and oneself.

     Now, if only Swofford could answer all the questions I have written in the margins! 

Library of Congress Exhibit "Books That Shaped America"

A new exhibition from the Library of Congress website:

Books That Shaped America

June 25–September 29, 2012

Books That Shaped America marks a starting point—a way to spark a national conversation on books and their importance in Americans’ lives, and, indeed, in shaping our nation.

This exhibit will overlap with  the National Book Festival on the National Mall—September 22–23, 2012

"The titles featured here (by American authors) have had a profound effect on American life, but they are by no means the only influential ones. And they are certainly not a list of the “best” American books, because that, again, is a matter of strong and diverse opinion. Curators and experts from throughout the Library of Congress contributed theirchoices, but there was much debate—even agony—in having to remove worthy titles from a much larger list in order to accommodate the physical constraints of this exhibition space. 

Some of the titles on display have been the source of great controversy, even derision, yet they nevertheless shaped Americans’ views of their world and often the world’s view of the United States. As you go through this exhibition, we hope the books you see will inspire you to think of other “books that shaped America” and that you will share your choices for future lists at www.loc.gov/bookfest. Please tell us how you think your book shaped America."

See the list of all 88 books at the Library of Congress' website and vote for your three favorites.

Mental Bind

    The Double Bind by Christopher A.Bohjalian meshes reality with "imagination" and contemporary characters with the story of Jay Gatsby of The Great Gatsby. And weave an interesting story is what Bohjalian does in this novel. 

The story is woven around Laurel who works at a homeless shelter where she met Bobbie Crocker. When he dies suddenly. he leaves behind a collection of photographs, which captures not only an initial interest of Laurel, but eventually an intense curiosity or obsession.  She is on a mission to solve a mystery that she senses lies within  the photographs.

This is realistic fiction with a few twists. An engaging read; however, I was left with a sense of confusion, though, and felt like I missed something along. I felt like I just read a fiction version of A Beautiful Mind.