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This book is not for those who desire a happy ending. Translated from the original Danish version by Janne Teller, Nothing is basically an existential crisis that you can read. The characters are the age of American 8th graders, and are exploring our existence in way some people do. When one boy gets up in the middle of class one day, declares nothing matters, climbs into a plum tree and refuses to leave, his classmates become intent on proving him wrong. This book is very intense and contains happenings most will find disturbing, and leaves you with more questions and feelings than you had before starting. I love this book and I believe Janne Teller very adequately tackles such a large issue. It's hard to write about something so intangible and mind numbingly vast, but this book does it quite well. I recommend you read this book provided you can stomach a heavy topic of death, paired with a hopefulness that does not prevail.

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Brian Katcher brings gender and sexuality issues to light in Almost Perfect, an incredibly realistic and heart wrenching story of discovering yourself. I believed this book would exemplify all the cliches of coming of age stories and I dread reading it. I was wrong, and captivated before finishing the first chapter. The emotions are raw and uncensored, shedding light on what it's like to be confused about everything you once held to be true. The main character must reevaluate his beliefs and standards he holds himself to, when he meets a girl with a secret about who she used to be. This book is very well written as well as gripping and thought provoking. I recommend this book to everyone, you will find yourself identifying with the characters and questioning your own beliefs, no matter what they are.

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Neil Gaiman's book American Gods is a powerful novel following ideals of redemption, sacrifice, and faith. Gaiman endeavors to develop a world of brutality and surrealism, in which each choice has a consequence, and he completes the execution beautifully. With stunning dryness, Gaiman's central character, Shadow, narrates a war between representations of humanity's past values (such as Norse gods), and America's current fixations (notably Internet and Media). The book draws connections between opposing forces, but still marks distinctions between our origins, and what we have become. In the story, the progression from past to future is one of the primary themes, with Shadow realizing that remaining in long-gone days may repress regret and negativity, but to live as such prevents healing, and growing to his full potential. Overall, American Gods is a wonderfully-written story with fascinating characters. Moments may calm, but never dull; each is preceded and followed by pages of dramatic, fast-paced information and action.

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Louisa M. Alcott’s, Little Women, explores a typical role of a woman during the 1860’s. The book begins with four young siblings who begin with flaws, such as being too masculine and too shy. As the girls begin to grow, they change their actions in attempt to follow their role as a women, and eventually marry off and have children. I found this book generic, since it seems to follow the typical story. Although the characters change, they change basic aspects that all women at the time changed to become the “perfect” woman. Not only was this book mediocre, I also considered Little Women to be incredibly boring. It was never attention grabbing and did not leave me to pursue more to read, especially since all parts seemed predictable, such as the daughters futures. I would think that after the first chapter, one would find it a waste of time to continue reading. However, because the book is so long, I expected the book to become more interesting after reading further into the book.

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In Jump Into the Sky by Shelley Pearsall, the main character, Levi goes on a journey to find his father. Levi’s father serves in the U.S. Army during World War 2, and Levi’s aunt sends Levi to live with his father as the war is coming to a close. Levi journeys from Chicago to North Carolina to Oregon, and along the way, he learns of the discrimination black people face all around the country. Despite all these hardships, Levi keeps on going and eventually meets up with his father in Oregon. This book teaches the reader about persistence, determination and the importance of family.  I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in either Civil Rights or World War 2.

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The book, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith is a story written about a young girl, Francie Nolan, and her life as she continues to grow into a young women. Smith demonstrates how being a young girl in the early 1940’s differed from modern times, whilst explaining the sexism that occurred. A recurring theme is that of women persevering, while the men are portrayed as weak and unable to provide. Throughout the book, it is clear that Francie, while understanding the sexism around her, also manages to fight against it by getting a job in order to help her poor family. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn accurately represents growing up in Brooklyn as the ‘weaker’ sex and being able to still succeed, and how living in poverty helped build her character. Betty Smith captures a timeless story that will ring true even after sexism ends.

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What truly happened to the American Indians in the midst of the American Revolution? Was the sad fate of Native Americans contributed majorly by the events from the Revolution? Against the Iroquois by Fon Boardman, although fiction, attempts to document the military campaign of Major Gen. John Sullivan in 1779, when Native Americans in New York State were attacked and killed. These Native Americans belonged to the Iroquois tribe, who'd been representing the British, and had a military strong enough to partially counter American forces. Boardman displays his unique writing style when he recounts battle scenes, which are  personal and stimulating,“Sullivan could feel drops of sweat creeping down the side of his face as the entered the forest”(Boardman 47). It is this personal detail that Boardman incorporates into his storytelli, that makes the real life facts more digestible to the reader. This novel is noteworthy because it explains the aggressive motives of the US Military, which had been pushed further by a fear of loss(as seen in the previous quote), one of the many interesting themes in this novel that makes it a must-read for any reader.

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Many people think they know what happened in the past. However, most of the time, the “facts” are bias to a degree, depending on factors such as nationalities, ethnicity, and perspective on the events. The book 1776 gives Americans a different perspective on the American Revolution than what they’re used to learning in schools. Unlike , the perspective of the story telling in 1776 is fairly neutral. The book really changed my opinions on the Revolutionary War, mostly because the perspective  it’s written with. I saw the significant difference between stories told by different perspectives, even if they’re about the same event. Last, if a person wants to be more knowledgeable about the 1776 time period with a neutral perspective, here is a great book for you. However, I would not recommend the book unless you’re really into American history.

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Salem, 1692, a time when the darkest of qualities, hysteria, lies, and betrayal cover every ounce of light. When one could not trust or be trusted, as brother turned on brother, mother on daughter, neighbor on neighbor. During the Salem Witch trials, about two hundred people were accused of witchcraft, and through her novel, The Witches: Salem, 1692, Stacy Schiff masterfully traps readers in the 17th century, allowing them to see how a community, devoted to a Heavenly afterlife, is consumed by characteristics of the devil. Schiff  reveals the minds of the accused and the accusers. As the accusers incriminated their neighbors or family as witches for financial reasons, for self-protection, or for self-pleasure, Schiff displays how, in the end, humans only look out for themselves. This alternative view on the Salem Witch Trials and the human mind, draws readers into  the world of psychological thriller.

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Devil in the White City

Erik Larson

Erik Larson’s Devil in the White City tells the story about two men: Daniel H Burnham and H.H. Holmes. Burnham was responsible for the construction of and during the great Chicago World Fair, and Holmes was a serial killer disguised as a women-charming pharmacist and doctor. As head of the construction and just about every department involved in the fair, Burnham had to overcome and complete a lot in a short period of time. While creating a whole new experience for others so they may be entertained and feel joy, Holmes was busy destroying families and creating unhappiness and great sadness for them. There were about twenty-seven cases of murder and 200 deaths during the time of the fair. It was a kind of eye-opening realization that any kind, helpful person could actually be a ruthless murderer, killing children, women and even elderly people. The main point that Larson expresses is that Burnham’s creation of celebrating life and joy was an opportunity to find and kill victims to the killer.

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Gillan Flynn’s mystery thriller novel Gone Girl that tells a story of a complicated relationship between husband and wife. It’s Amy and Nick’s 5th wedding anniversary on a summer day in Missouri when Amy goes missing. All signs of foul play and possible murder point to Nick, but is Nick capable of murder? Flynn’s novel shows the power of public influence and how love can be portrayed in unexpected ways. This bizarre novel will keep the reader constantly thinking and second guessing the truth; can we even trust the character’s thoughts? The bombshells dropped throughout the book makes Gone Gi
rl  impossible to put down, perfect for for anyone looking for a mystery and drama novel with many twists and turns.

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A Journey Through al-Qaeda’s Motives

Lawrence Wright’s The Looming Tower explains Osama bin-Laden’s past and the events that led up to 9/11. He analyzes the motives of al-Qaeda and attempts to explain why they committed their acts of terrorism. The book follows bin-Laden’s story through Afghanistan and provides insight on how the FBI and CIA were looking into him. I really liked the way that Wright uses 2 points of view, because he provides two different viewpoints, one from America, and another from across the world. Wright also explains how Osama’s motives were not in the name of Islam. I had assumed this as fact, however, bin-Laden had always hated a deep hatred for America, since they supported Israel in the fight against the Palestinians. Anyone interested in deepening their knowledge of the events that lead up to the attack of 9/11, or are just looking forward to a great non-fiction story would greatly enjoy this book.

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A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a coming of age story of a girl named Francis Nolan who lived in a poor tenement in Brooklyn, NY. The novel simply follows the journey of the Nolans as they experience the highs and lows in their lives. Through the eyes of an innocent child, Smith portrays a different perspective on serious issues such as social inequality, alcoholism, poverty and the importance of education in a compassionate way. Overall, this novel gives people insight on the city’s poor at the turn-of-the century, and has an apparent purpose to show to audiences of all ages.

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While David McCullough’s marquee novel 1776 takes place during the war for independence, the narrative isn’t just a blatant history of the American Revolution and its timeline. McCullough achieves the true spirit of the narrative by centering the plot on George Washington himself. Furthermore, the author transforms the telling of a nonfiction story as 1776 offers fresh insights into the lives and character of the primary actors. 1776 achieves this by marveling Washington’s heroic efforts in the battlefield, furthermore summarizes his life, marriage, and personal interests. Washington’s personality comes through, not just in his exploits, but also in his personal dealings with his officers and men. Finally, unlike many histories that gloat on the Continental Congress’ establishment of the ideals of “freedom” and “liberty”, as this book transports the reader right to the trenches following each of Washington’s battles with his militiamen who were completely unfit to fight for America’s freedom under the hands of King George and his British monarchy.

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“Nobody knew who the witch was. Nobody felt safe.” Ann Petry’s Tituba of Salem shows readers how unsafe anyone who was or might have been accused of witchcraft felt.  Tituba, Parris’ maid,  was accused of being a witch after Reverend Parris’ girls began to have fits. After being accused of witchcraft, anything Tituba did was often seen as a sin and it made  everyday life extremely stressful. Petry exemplifies the irreconcilable side of the witch trials that is not usually told. The novel describes how the trials came to be, unlike any other story that has been written about the trials. This book exposes the truth and the reader develops a connection with each character, more than in The Crucible. In addition the reader almost begins to feel bad for the accusers!

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The same old conflict that has been plaguing humanity since the beginning of our evolution “Who are we?” People have been trying to answer this question through science and philosophy, but so far, none have been successful. The Namesake, written by Jhumpa Lahiri, beautifully demonstrates the conflicts of identity, but at the same time shows several different aspects of humanity’s own failings as the main protagonist changes his identity. Identity is something we can never change despite many attempts to prove otherwise. The amazing use of Pathos gives the reader a sense of connectivity since the main protagonist goes through a number of horrible situations after he changes his name. This made me feel pity on him since all he wanted to do was to find a name that he liked but ended up in the dumpsters when he did. Several people, like those who have criminal backgrounds or DID, should read this book as it can help them find some ways to cope.

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Ann Petry’s Tituba of Salem Village is about an African-American slave in Salem, Massachusetts around the time of the witch trials. The book takes on Tituba’s perspective as she journeys from Barbados and is sold to Samuel Parris in Salem. The novel unfolds Tituba’s heartbreaking story as she is accused by Parris’s daughter of practicing witchcraft and is put on trial. Though some parts of this book were melancholy, Petry’s use of real events that took place during the Salem witch trials encompasses all the factual details and tragedies of the time, while creating a story that provokes great sympathy from the reader for the helpless Tituba. This book would interest anyone who wants to learn about the hysteria behind the Salem witch trials, especially from the perspective of an accused African woman.

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A pure American tale, Little Women is a coming of age story set in the Nineteenth Century that revolves around four sisters Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy March. Readers experience the drama, love, and hardships within their family. The author created characters that the readers would find relatable . Jo, seemingly, would fit into today’s society, but back in that time, she seemed childish and immature for believing in her modern views. The morals embedded within each chapter come across as a redundant educational lesson, however, Alcott makes the plot move. The religious references fit accordingly to the Nineteenth Century, and the Father represented that norm. He also seemed as the strict father that even girls today can relate to. Even though it is sort of unnecessary to have a 800+ page book on four sisters’ character development since some passages are filled with boring letters and plays of the girls, readers will identify with the sisters’ strong bonds and their efforts to fix their mistakes. Overall, adolescent girls and women especially would find the novel entertaining as it will most likely pertain to their lives. Readers desire to read text that will attract them to the plot and understand the characters in depth. In fulfillment of that, Alcott wrote Little Women for adolescent girls and women in particular.