I am Malala

 Malala is such a raw and powerful young girl, and hearing her discuss her hometown of SWAT made me want to go. It made me want to jump into her novel and see the water falls and mountains, It made me want to reread The Kite Runner because it gave me such an interesting parallel. I would think about how the boys in the kite runners time was right before Malala, and when the protagonist was in America that was then Malala's time. That gap that I had always wanted to see from that area was now given, but this time from a female protagonists whose rights were taken even more. Now I NEED to read A Thousand Splendid Suns. Because I am Malala is a nonfiction novel there wasn't great character development. That though cannot fault the book in anyway. It is based on true events so adding those literary elements would take away from the story overall and take away its passion that we read from her words. She is such a powerful writer and speaker that her best literary device was her rhetoric. Talking to herself about what she should do. Talking to God was a huge one. We just saw her constantly making decisions, but also that true aspect of questioning what you are doing something before you do it. It was just so powerful.
I think young adults love this book because it is someone their age who had their education taken from her. Something we don't even think about except mostly in a negative way. When I was younger I hated school. I never wanted to go. But the older I got the more I appreciated school--well specific classes. And now in college I love school. I am a schoolaholic. But to have that love for school at such a young age is something rare in the united states. I also think students are interested in the book because she was shot for wanted her education and standing up for education. That is the big thing. People are drawn to the dramatic, and being shot and living is as dramatic as it gets.
My one drawback is cause it read very young. Maybe it is because I was reading the YA version but it just felt young. I want to give it to my 12 year old cousin to read who absolutely detests school.
My rating: A-

Almost Perfect

Obviously Almost Perfect talks about a topic that people (young and old) are insensitive to and don't like to talk about it. I will admit that as a youth I was not sensitive to it. My sister and I would see a girl that was trans and snickered calling them "Hebeshebe" as we were exiting the store. Not friendly, considerate, or kind. But this was coming from a two young catholic girls, from a very white town that rarely saw diversity. My dad, to this day, when I talk about a friend that is trans or was reading this book was similar to Sage's dad in calling her a boy, enunciating it for me. 20 year old me gets mad and irritated at him for being so inconsiderate. But then I remember that that would have been me three years ago and he lived in a household where his mom was the picture perfect Catholic woman--she would have probably done the same thing. If it wasn't for my classes at WSU and for working with someone who is trans would my perspective on it start to shift forever. This book although from the perspective a straight person still shows the struggles people that are trans face (I am not sure if I am using the word trans in the right tense or grammatically; I am trying to not be offensive though). If the book was written from Sage's point of view I think the book would have been better and better represented of the people that face the issues she faces. But because we are seeing it from Logan's perspective we see only what he sees and his struggles with thinking he is gay and falling for a man--we are forced into the selfish head of Logan and I really wished I could have seen what was happening from Sage's point of view.
I think adolescents who are struggling with their sexual identity need books like the choice books we read. They need to see that what they are facing is not wrong or bad or odd. They need to know they are not alone. What is shown on media is mainly straight men and women who were born that way. That is the only thing they see and because of this they feel what they are feeling is wrong. Especially if family is pushing the idea aside and making them feel ashamed. These books teach and help people feel more considerate and learn about a topic that is not talked about. But, since I do not have this issue I didn't want to read it. I won't lie, I honestly didn't want to read the book. I didn't think it was for me and that part of younger me is still in the back of my head. I am so glad I did though. It helped me feel more considerate and really showed me what a pompous white privileged girl I was being and I was irritated with myself alongside being irritated with Logan. It was a really great book and I wish there was more out there for people that are struggling with this issue of feeling ashamed for feeling different. It also helped that two boys in the middle school class I visited over the break are going by girl names and don't want to be identified by gender names. One of two I did not meet. The teacher said he only comes in to class when it is convenient to him and when he is in class doesn't do anything. . .  This may be true, but it also may be true that he is struggling with who he is and maybe having problems at home? It's the same age Sage officially knew she was a girl. I think adults often forget that middle school is when students are realizing who they are, they aren't stupid.
My rating: A-

Wintergirls

I love Wintergirls. Like a lot of the books we've read I read this in high school, but I can't believe I did. I remember that her friend died but I forgot that you knew from the very beginning. I remember her working out for hours, but I don't remember her knowing every single calorie. I remember little things, but not much. For me, this shows that for teens just reading the book they may not pick up on the negative views towards anorexia. I just remember the book was about anorexia. I don't know if this says a lot about teens, or just about me (that I was reading so many books in high school this was just another one). This book creates such a dark and ominous mood that I was constantly having to take moments of pause while reading and really think about what just happened. It is a book that forces to think and see this disease as what it is, a disease. It is easy to see people with mental disorders and say that they just need to have faith and get through it, but its easier said then done. Anderson shows this in a darkly beautiful way. She uses all literary elements you can name, but for me the one that stood out the most would be her writing style. With having the words that haunt her I a different font. With having words crossed out. With the calories next to the food. We as readers were I Lia's mind and it was spooky. It was so beautifully done that it made me cringe. I have done a lot of research on anorexia because I have always been so fascinated with it, and everything she describes is to a tee--most of the things I only learned when I was in college. How hair starts to grow all over the body to help heat the body. The drawing how you see yourself on a poster board but then the doctors tracing around you to show you how you really look. These are all things that are done and are so true and high school students need to know. They need to know that these are the signs and that it is a disease. I have a friend that has some of these symptoms but she doesn't realize that she has these tendencies. She has no idea and that scares me. This book showed me that I was right and that scared me even more.
This book isn't very culturally responsive in how its about two upper class white privileged girls--a bit stereotypical. But I love this book so much I don't really care. Is it weird I love this book so much? I just love how much detail and style is put in this book. It's so different than other books I read and I just think Anderson is brilliant.
I honestly think every girl wants to be skinnier then they are. Every single one. Just every girls differs in how they go about it. I know for me I work out and try to eat more veggies. For teens I am worried this could give them ideas because when I try to lose weight some of these things I would think of after I had read it in high school. I wasn't anywhere near Lia's problem--I love food far too much and have too good of a life that I feel out of control. I would just think of them. If I was anorexic this is what I would do. Nah I'm hungry I need a burger now. I didn't have the mental disorder that had me act on them. But the fact that as a teen I thought back on this book, that is worrisome even if I didn't act on it. I think this is because this book wasn't taught, as well as once I hit high school I can't remember talking about anorexia or bulimia. We talked about it in middle school and watched videos, but now as much in high school. So I do think it could be worrisome for teens if they are reading it just to know how to do certain things. I could see girls, who do not know much about the disorder, wanting to be skinnier and reading this book to get answers. I think teens read this book because they are fascinated by the topic. They are fascinated by how it works and how the mind rationalizes things. These girls are mostly just trying to find control in their lives and this is the only thing they can control and it just snowballs from there. I'm fascinated by it.
I would rate this book an A+.

Unwind 2

It's funny after finishing the novel and thinking about the characteristics the novel has, Lev--the one character I disliked--was the character that had the most change. He starts out as this annoying goody-to-shoes who is sacrificing himself for God. But then when he's taken and realizes his pastor wants him to run away he starts to have a midlife crisis. But in the end he is the one character who has a climax and a conclusion. He could either clap, or save the people he cares about. It was just interesting to me that the one character that wasn't the most viewed protagonist and I'm guessing least liked, was the most interesting and intricate of characters. Besides having the dystopia theme of technology as destruction and war, it also had a huge theme of deciding between right and wrong. which are huge themes and I think so important for teens. Dystopia novels show teens that they can make a difference in the world and are important. What they do with their future decides how our world goes. Their decisions are huge and dystopia books show students what they don't want to become. That's what happens every time I read a dystopia book, I think "Shit I really hope that never happens. That would be horrible." It creates action in a more subtle way. This is why I think teens also would like this book. It is intriguing. Abortion is a huge topic and this book brings it up the idea of getting this happy medium between pro life and pro choice and how it got so intense. Obviously we are not even close to the same spot the people in the book were during the new war (thank God) but it is still a huge issue. This book answers the question, "what would happen if both pro life and pro choice had a happy medium." There are so many questions to ask but this is the one I think it biggest in the book.
My Grade for this book is an A- by the end

Unwind

While reading Unwind I think the thing that stands out the most (for me) is the different characters. I can tell how I feel about a character each time their chapter comes up. I like Connor and Risa--but for some reason I detest Lev. I find this interesting because in a moral sense Connor and Risa are the "bad guys" of the three and Lev is the "good guy". In dystopia books though we--the readers--love the characters that stand up against their society and are the outlaws. We see in countless times: Tris (Divergent), Katniss (The Hunger Games),  Hannah (Delirium), Thomas (The Maze Runner), Cassia (Matched), Tally (Uglies), Jonas (The Giver), Wanda (The Host--my favorite book of all time). I could list off more but then we would be here all day . . . and I want to save some info for my presentation. All go against what is expected of them from society because they do not agree with what is going on, or they are forced to go against society because they are different. We, as readers, are used to liking and rooting for the character that goes against the social norms and what is expected of them. This is the authors point. They are trying to get their readers to see how corrupt the society they have created is and by doing this, see how our society is corrupt and give us the strength to disagree. Dystopia novels are satirical and what I remember from my satire class is that satire is a big "what if . . ." for Unwind it is, What if we could abort children after they were born? We then see the chaos that goes behind it.
I think students are attracted and enjoy Dystopia novels because the protagonists are seen as heroes, even though they go against the adults. This is every kids dream, to break the rules and it be right. Dystopia novels do that--Unwind definitely does that.

So far I would give this book a B+, we'll see what happens in the second half.

All American Boys

This book mesmerized me the same way the video we watched in class where the authors discussed the book. I felt like I was there and I was all in. I wanted to read every word and know what was going on. I had no other option. I had been inveloped by the story. Tears would prick the edges of my eyes while I was reading (similar to when I was watching the video). I started to see my life for what it is, a place a can simply sit back and relax. I have no worries, no serious worries that matter. Both the book and the video made me think critically about my white privilege. It is easy to feel guilty, but that doesn't do anything. Instead I would say these authors make me want to take action. I don't just want to stand idly by and let these racial injustices keep occurring. The best way I can do that is in my classroom. To teach my students about the racial injustices and not let it me a topic I shy away from in fear--similar to the teachers and coach in the book who say leave that stuff at the door. I will not leave it at the door because that is not where it will get fixed. Ignoring the problem doesn't do anything. It helps no one. It doesn't help me, my family, my community, my students, our world. This book brings up these issues and parallels two young boys to evoke emotion. They are not adults. They are not different. The only thing that makes them different is the color of their skin, and because of this they have two extremely different life situations and lives in general.
JP brought up something in class on Thursday as Chris and I were walking out. He said how if it was a female where a short skirt people would be talking about what she was wearing. But because Rashad was a male we were standing up for the fact that it doesn't matter what he's wearing. I disagree with this. I think people still think that because of the way African Americans dress they are asking to get shot. They think that the fact they dress "hood" is a way of them asking for it. I definitely do not agree with this, but I think it is the case. There is a hierarchy: white male, white female, black male, black female. Because of this I think white girls are seen as more pure and innocent then black males when something bad happens to them. Society will be more willing to get on what an African American male wears then a white female. I am not saying that females are not degraded because this is definitely not the case. But I don't think that in this instance you can compare a white female to an African American male because that is not what the book is about. It is not bringing in women--this is not the place to bring in that information. Other books, yes. Eleanor and Park? Yes. Gabi a Girl in Pieces? Yes. The Absolute True Diary of a Part Time Indian? Yes. Not this book. This is about something I see as almost bigger and a bigger issue at the moment. That may not be right, but that is my opinion.
There are so many sections of this back that I know I can teach. I can't teach the whole book because of the language and sexual references, but there are sections I know I can pull out of it and teach to my class. Have a day where we don't read the book but go over sections of the book, compare it to history and what is going on today. The book references parts of history and I think it would be interesting to go into detail about those instances and then compare it to the book and now. I would obviously have to be cautious while doing this but I also think it is imperative that we don't shield our students from this information. I also got Andrew to read the book and watch the video because I think he could teach this book and it would be really successful.
This book interests teens because it is about young boys. It is talking about current issues that are so prevalent and that isn't being talked about. Like Jason said in the interview we watched, kids don't want to talk about this issues. They see it in front of them, but they are not willing to talk about it. They don't want to face the reality of it. But it is so important to talk about because (also like Jason said) they are not going to be the ones that change things, we are. Our students are. They need to learn about it. They need to read this book and have a pit in their stomachs and have this need to change things, because we need to change things. It starts with our students and it starts with us. We must take action. This book brings that need to take action out of its readers because it is so powerful.
My rating for this book is an A+

The Absolute True Diary of a Part Time Indian

I loved this book. I think Alexie is brilliant with what he did with his novel The Absolute True Diary of a Part Time Indian. He was able to have a novel that is incredibly satirical and that interests young adults. They laugh and find it humorous, and maybe think deeper about what Alexie is trying to say. Junior goes through constant character development. Trying to understand who he is and where he fits in. The biggest scene for the novel was the basketball against his old high school (the second game). After Junior's team wins he has a realization that I think was huge to the plot overall and shows that the book is a satire--he starts to think about how yes, his team won . . . but his team would always win. They had scholarships for college. Their parents had money. But his peers that he won against don't have that, this was the one thing they had. Junior analyzes that one game and it really speaks for the book as a whole and what he's been noticing. I was going to say that the book doesn't bring up strong women but then I realized that was wrong--it doesn't bring up young white strong women. Junior's mom, grandma, and sister were all strong women, things just didn't always go right for them.
This book is great for adolescents. I think they would really respond to the humor and the problems that go on in the novel. All students go through struggles of trying to figure out how they are, but what Alexie does that is unique is also critique racism and peoples views on Native Americans. He does it in a way though that could be dangerous if students believe the stereotypes and instead of learning from it start to believe the stereotypes. I think this book would be great to teach 8th graders (because they are about to go into high school and are around the same age as Junior) or 9/10th grade. This book is good for younger students but still has enough touchy subjects that a high school student or older middle school student should read. The teacher would need to make sure they touch on Native American history and make sure students see the satirical aspects of the novel and don't take it only at face value. But I do think it would be an important book to teach.
My rating for this book is an A.