Skim (aka. Kimberly Keiko Cameron) is many things. She is a student at an all-girls Catholic school. She is possibly depressed. She is at least half Asian (Japanese, perhaps) She is a practitioner of Wicca and possibly a lesbian. She has a broken arm for the majority of the book. Her nickname is because she is not wafer thin, but a little plump.
At the beginning of this story, Katie Matthews' ex-boyfriend, John Reddear, kills himself. This launches the school into efforts to "Celebrate Life". Skim doesn't want to participate in these events, to the dismay of the school counselor and some of the other students. As it turns out, Katie doesn't care for the efforts either.
Skim's relationships change a great deal through the book. At the begininng she is friends with Lisa (a fellow Wiccan), but they grow apart, for better or worse, throughout. Skim falls in love with her English/drama teacher, Ms. Archer, who then moves away. Strangely, Skim becomes friend with Katie, a popular type, because they bond over their hatred for the Girls Celebrate Life group and similar attempts to lift the spirits of the student body at their school.
Skim is a quick read (it took me maybe an hour) and is worth the time. It raises questions of love (heterosexual and homosexual) and death. Many of the characters grow in the 143 pages and handle death and love in different ways.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
I have not yet read Looking for Alaska, but I've heard great things about it. This book, by the same author, was published in 2006 and follows a high school students named Colin Singleton through the events following the end of his 19th relationship with a girl named Katherine.
After the most recent break up, Colin and his friend, Hassan, decide to go on a road trip from their home city of Chicago. They end up in Gutshot, TN, befriending a girl named Lindsey Lee Wells and the boys do some work for Lindsey's mother, Hollis.
The heart of Gutshot is a textiles factory that employs the majority of the population. Hollis is in charge of this factory but is making some strange decisions, according to Lindsey, such as selling a piece of their family land to a subdivision contractor.
While recording some information for Hollis, Colin also finds time to work on his theorem (since he is/was a child prodigy) regarding the trajectory of any given relationship.
Will Colin solve his theorem and make a lasting impression or will he fade away as a former child prodigy? Will Hassan finally do something more than watch Judge Judy and eat Hardee's Monster Thickburgers? Why is Hollis so secretive regarding the hours she works from home?
Green's text is a quick read and very interesting. It is riddled with existential questions regarding fame, brilliance and legend.
ISBN # 0525476881
After the most recent break up, Colin and his friend, Hassan, decide to go on a road trip from their home city of Chicago. They end up in Gutshot, TN, befriending a girl named Lindsey Lee Wells and the boys do some work for Lindsey's mother, Hollis.
The heart of Gutshot is a textiles factory that employs the majority of the population. Hollis is in charge of this factory but is making some strange decisions, according to Lindsey, such as selling a piece of their family land to a subdivision contractor.
While recording some information for Hollis, Colin also finds time to work on his theorem (since he is/was a child prodigy) regarding the trajectory of any given relationship.
Will Colin solve his theorem and make a lasting impression or will he fade away as a former child prodigy? Will Hassan finally do something more than watch Judge Judy and eat Hardee's Monster Thickburgers? Why is Hollis so secretive regarding the hours she works from home?
Green's text is a quick read and very interesting. It is riddled with existential questions regarding fame, brilliance and legend.
ISBN # 0525476881
Friday, January 1, 2010
Feed by M T Anderson
Feed was published in 2002 by Candlewick Press. The story is placed in a future where everyone has the feed implanted in their head shortly after birth. The feed plays videos in the individual's eyes so it seems they are staring at nothing. Products are offered through the feed based on the individual's environment.
While vacationing on the moon, the main character, Titus, and his friend meet a girl named Violet. As it turns out, Violet had the feed implanted later in her childhood, so it did not integrate correctly with her biological system. Violet doesn't quiet fit in with Titus and his friends, but Titus finds himself attracted to her. As things unfold, Violet's system begins to fail.
The book is well placed in our contemporary American society since the onset of smart phone like the iphone and droid. These days, we can find people glued to their phones at a party or dinner table instead of interacting with the people around them. The book raises a number of questions regarding the future of technology and its impact on society.
Feed would compliment the reading of texts such as Brave New World and 1984.
Awards:
Finalist 2002 National Book Award for Young People's Literature
Winner 2003 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Fiction
Winner 2003 Golden Duck Awards Hal Clement Award for Young Adults
Nominee 2005–2006 Green Mountain Book Award
While vacationing on the moon, the main character, Titus, and his friend meet a girl named Violet. As it turns out, Violet had the feed implanted later in her childhood, so it did not integrate correctly with her biological system. Violet doesn't quiet fit in with Titus and his friends, but Titus finds himself attracted to her. As things unfold, Violet's system begins to fail.
The book is well placed in our contemporary American society since the onset of smart phone like the iphone and droid. These days, we can find people glued to their phones at a party or dinner table instead of interacting with the people around them. The book raises a number of questions regarding the future of technology and its impact on society.
Feed would compliment the reading of texts such as Brave New World and 1984.
Awards:
Finalist 2002 National Book Award for Young People's Literature
Winner 2003 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Fiction
Winner 2003 Golden Duck Awards Hal Clement Award for Young Adults
Nominee 2005–2006 Green Mountain Book Award
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Alexie's text is hilarious and heartbreaking. This is the story of Arnold Spirit (aka. Junior) and his life on an Indian reservation in Spokane. (I use the term "Indian" here, instead of Native American, due to its use in the text itself.)
In high school, Arnold's teacher, Mr. P, tells him he needs, to leave the reservation. Arnold takes the advice, leaves the reservation school of Wellpinit and enrolls at Reardan, a "white" school just outside the reservation. For this, the Indians of the reservation practically disown Arnold. When Arnold starts playing basketball for Reardan, he get shunned and abused by the members of the reservation community during a game at the Wellpinit high school.
Although he was never popular, Arnold struggles to maintain his friendship with Rowdy, who he tries to convince to attend Reardan with him. Strangely, Arnold seems to be more accepted by the Reardan students than the students at Wellpinit. He says he succeeds at basketball because the others at Reardan expect him to succeed.
Arnold has to dead with the deaths of those close to him due largely to alcohol. In one case, a beloved member of his family is hit by a drunk driver. In another instance, someone close to him is shot in the face by a friend after they had both been drinking. Finally, a member of his family dies when their home burns because "[she] was too freaking drunk to feel any pain when she burned to death!" (205)
Alcohol abuse, poverty and violence are central themes in this novel. The Indians of the reservation seem to be perpetually drunk and brawling. Arnold notes that the families are often hungry (which makes food taste better) and parents beating their children is an everyday occurance.
Towards then end of the novel, Arnold seems near a breaking point:
"But I was crying for my tribe, too. I was crying because I knew five or ten or fifteen more Spokanes would die during the next year, and that most of them would die because of booze.
I cried because so many of my fellow tribal members were slowly killing themselves and I wanted them to live. I wanted them to get strong and get sober and get the hell off the rez.
It's a weird thing.
Reservations were meant to be prisons, you know? Indians were supposed to move onto the reservations and die. We were supposed to disappear.
But somehow or another, Indians have forgotten that reservations were meant to be death camps.
I wept because I was the only one who was brave and crazy enough to leave the rez. I was the only one with enough arrogance.
I wept and wept and wept because I knew that I was never going to drink and because I was never going to kill myself and because I was going to have a better life out in the white world."
Although the content is difficult to digest, the text ends on an overall optimistic tone. I enjoyed this book and think you will too.
Published September 2007
ISBN # 0316013684
In high school, Arnold's teacher, Mr. P, tells him he needs, to leave the reservation. Arnold takes the advice, leaves the reservation school of Wellpinit and enrolls at Reardan, a "white" school just outside the reservation. For this, the Indians of the reservation practically disown Arnold. When Arnold starts playing basketball for Reardan, he get shunned and abused by the members of the reservation community during a game at the Wellpinit high school.
Although he was never popular, Arnold struggles to maintain his friendship with Rowdy, who he tries to convince to attend Reardan with him. Strangely, Arnold seems to be more accepted by the Reardan students than the students at Wellpinit. He says he succeeds at basketball because the others at Reardan expect him to succeed.
Arnold has to dead with the deaths of those close to him due largely to alcohol. In one case, a beloved member of his family is hit by a drunk driver. In another instance, someone close to him is shot in the face by a friend after they had both been drinking. Finally, a member of his family dies when their home burns because "[she] was too freaking drunk to feel any pain when she burned to death!" (205)
Alcohol abuse, poverty and violence are central themes in this novel. The Indians of the reservation seem to be perpetually drunk and brawling. Arnold notes that the families are often hungry (which makes food taste better) and parents beating their children is an everyday occurance.
Towards then end of the novel, Arnold seems near a breaking point:
"But I was crying for my tribe, too. I was crying because I knew five or ten or fifteen more Spokanes would die during the next year, and that most of them would die because of booze.
I cried because so many of my fellow tribal members were slowly killing themselves and I wanted them to live. I wanted them to get strong and get sober and get the hell off the rez.
It's a weird thing.
Reservations were meant to be prisons, you know? Indians were supposed to move onto the reservations and die. We were supposed to disappear.
But somehow or another, Indians have forgotten that reservations were meant to be death camps.
I wept because I was the only one who was brave and crazy enough to leave the rez. I was the only one with enough arrogance.
I wept and wept and wept because I knew that I was never going to drink and because I was never going to kill myself and because I was going to have a better life out in the white world."
Although the content is difficult to digest, the text ends on an overall optimistic tone. I enjoyed this book and think you will too.
Published September 2007
ISBN # 0316013684
Your Own, Sylvia: A Verse Portrait of Sylvia Plath by Stephanie Hemphill (2007)
This text is a collection of poems from Plath and from the perspective of those in her life. There are poems by her parents, teachers, school mistresses and lovers. I learned more about Plath than I ever expected. The text begins with Plath's parents, writing about Sylvia's birth, follows her through school and her love life, and finally her suicide. Photos from Plath's life are included as well.
ISBN 0440239680
Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble
ISBN 0440239680
Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble
American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang (2006)
This graphic novel was a finalist for the 2006 National Book Award and won the 2007 Printz Award. It has also been recognized by the National Book Foundation, a first for graphic novels.
Yang tells three stories that finally combine in the end. The text begins with the story of the Monkey King, a famous legend in China. The second story is that of Jin Wang, a second generation immigrant (an American born Chinese). The third story is of Chin-Kee, a Chinese cousin of Danny, an American. These three stories are told in turn until the point where they blend at the end.
In the beginning, Jin moves from Chinatown to the suburbs where the only other Asian is a Japanese girl. The elementary school students decide that Jin and Suzy Nakamura belong together, due to their ethnicity. Wei Chen moves in from Taiwan and Jin ironically finds himself wanting to beat him up. In the end, Wei and Jin become friends because they both like Transformer toys. As they grow up, Jin is told by a white male student that he can't date a white girl. The racism and transformations in this story can be subtle at times, but come ot a head in the end, when the three stories intertwine.
In the third story, Danny is living a seemingly average American life when Chin-Kee comes to visit. Chin-Kee is an often grotesque stereotype of a Chinese man (consider his name). He tests the tolerance of Danny and his classmates until, again, the three stories intertwine.
The ending of American Born Chinese is very interesting and I hope I haven't given too much away. The text is a very quick read and would be a great accompaniment to a unit on immigration or the like.
ISBN 1596431520. Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Yang tells three stories that finally combine in the end. The text begins with the story of the Monkey King, a famous legend in China. The second story is that of Jin Wang, a second generation immigrant (an American born Chinese). The third story is of Chin-Kee, a Chinese cousin of Danny, an American. These three stories are told in turn until the point where they blend at the end.
In the beginning, Jin moves from Chinatown to the suburbs where the only other Asian is a Japanese girl. The elementary school students decide that Jin and Suzy Nakamura belong together, due to their ethnicity. Wei Chen moves in from Taiwan and Jin ironically finds himself wanting to beat him up. In the end, Wei and Jin become friends because they both like Transformer toys. As they grow up, Jin is told by a white male student that he can't date a white girl. The racism and transformations in this story can be subtle at times, but come ot a head in the end, when the three stories intertwine.
In the third story, Danny is living a seemingly average American life when Chin-Kee comes to visit. Chin-Kee is an often grotesque stereotype of a Chinese man (consider his name). He tests the tolerance of Danny and his classmates until, again, the three stories intertwine.
The ending of American Born Chinese is very interesting and I hope I haven't given too much away. The text is a very quick read and would be a great accompaniment to a unit on immigration or the like.
ISBN 1596431520. Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Angry Management by Chris Crutcher
I've written before about Chris Crutcher, but I can't stop reading his books! This text contains three novellas, each dealing with characters from his earlier books. If you have read Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes or Whale Talk, you will love Angry Management. The novellas are organized around Mr. Nakatami's "Angry Management" group, so each of the characters are part of his group.
The first story is about Angus Bethune and Sarah Byrnes at the time when they meet. Crutcher's characters are amazingly memorable, starting with their names. Angus (like the cow) is overweight and Sarah Byrnes ("burns") was left terribly scarred by abuse at the hands of her stepfather. Angus and Sarah find a much needed friend in eachother and together, they attempt to find Sarah's mother, who abandonded her after she was scarred.
The second novella involves Montana West, who writes provactive articles for her school newspaper. Montana often frights censorship from her adoptive father, who is the head of the school board. From medical marijana to runaway children, this novella is charged with emotions and controversy.
Finally, there is the story of Marcus James, a gay, African American student who finds a pink noose on his locker left by the school's athletic stars. His only advocate is Mark Miller, who tells the truth because, "what would Jesus do?" This tale is truely surprising, enraging, heart-breaking and heart-warming. I cried while reading for the first time in years.
I think it would be best to read Angry Management after reading a few of Crutcher's other texts. While it stands alone in its own right, I believe the reader will be more involved with the characters with prior knowledge.
ISBN: 9780060502478
Avalible at Amazon and Barnes & Noble
The first story is about Angus Bethune and Sarah Byrnes at the time when they meet. Crutcher's characters are amazingly memorable, starting with their names. Angus (like the cow) is overweight and Sarah Byrnes ("burns") was left terribly scarred by abuse at the hands of her stepfather. Angus and Sarah find a much needed friend in eachother and together, they attempt to find Sarah's mother, who abandonded her after she was scarred.
The second novella involves Montana West, who writes provactive articles for her school newspaper. Montana often frights censorship from her adoptive father, who is the head of the school board. From medical marijana to runaway children, this novella is charged with emotions and controversy.
Finally, there is the story of Marcus James, a gay, African American student who finds a pink noose on his locker left by the school's athletic stars. His only advocate is Mark Miller, who tells the truth because, "what would Jesus do?" This tale is truely surprising, enraging, heart-breaking and heart-warming. I cried while reading for the first time in years.
I think it would be best to read Angry Management after reading a few of Crutcher's other texts. While it stands alone in its own right, I believe the reader will be more involved with the characters with prior knowledge.
ISBN: 9780060502478
Avalible at Amazon and Barnes & Noble
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