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Fahrenheit 451, written by Ray Bradbury, is about Guy Montag, a firefighter whose job is to set fires, not put them out. He is content with his life where he wakes up, goes to work, sets fire to books, and goes home. This is until he meets his teenage neighbor Clarisse. She helps him become more aware of the world around him. When he has to set fire to a house with the owner inside, he meets his tipping point. Montag then starts to see everything wrong with society and tries to fix it while his life collapses around him.

This book is definitely dystopian and has similar themes to 1984 by George Orwell. I enjoyed its political commentary on censorship and media due to its relevance today. Despite being written 72 years ago, the inventive technology written by Bradbury feels almost prophetic. The reading experience was enjoyable with a fast paced plot and exceptionally well written characters. One of the few things I found disappointing was the ending because I prefer novels that have a clear ending rather than letting you ponder.

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The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han 

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The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han 

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The Summer I Turned Pretty, by Jenny Han is a fictional book about a teenage girl named Isabel. Her mothers best friend, Suzannah owns a summer house on a beach. Isabel has been close with Suzannah and her two sons Conrad and Jerimiah who are the same age as her. She has known the Fisher family since she was born, and has become very close with them. At the beginning of the book, she has always wanted to marry Jerimiah or Conrad, but can’t decide who she wants to date. The summer house is her favorite place to be, the only place she feels comfortable. The flashbacks make the tone nostalgic, because Isabel has a longing for the past. The resolution of her choice between Conrad and Jeremiah creates the theme of first love.

The characters in The Summer I Turned Pretty are well explained, and their backstories reveal a lot about them as a character which helps to figure out why Conrad and Jeremiah are so important to Isabel. I found the way Jenny Han writes to be confusing sometimes because of the flashbacks to Isabel when she was little, but I understand why the author did this because it was necessary for the plot to advance. I did not like the plot of The Summer I Turned Pretty because the idea of not being able to decide between two boys was weird, and not a good role model for the reader. The Summer I Turned Pretty was a confusing book, and I did not like the theme because she is overthinking about her first love, and choosing to impress boys instead of focusing on herself.

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In the book, Don’t Turn Around by Michelle Gagnon, there are two main characters named Noa and Peter. Noa has a hard background and comes from multiple foster homes throughout her life. Peter, on the other hand, comes from a wealthier family in Massachusetts, but his parents don’t think Peter is a good enough son. I think this is part of Peter’s reasoning for doing some of the things he does throughout the book that his parents wouldn’t want him doing. When Noa finds herself on the operating table in a warehouse, she has to get away and find out what happened to her. As the book progresses, Noa and Peter find each other online and through hacking, but they’ve never met in person. Throughout the book, there is a theme of mystery, trust, and survival, which is shown when Peter gets kicked out and when Noa has to find her way out of the warehouse. As the book goes on, more similarities between Peter and Noa surface, and they learn they need to trust each other if they want to be safe. Overall, I think the author did a great job writing this book. There were so many twists and turns that made it very interesting, and how the characters led to being met up really kept me intrigued. There were many different POV’s between Noa and Peter which also kept the book fascinating. I would recommend this book to someone who likes a mysterious plot and a captivating storyline. I think the author did an amazing job writing this book.

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The book The Lost Men by Kelly Tyler Lewis is a book about the Ross Sea Party and their struggles Helping Ernest Shackleton cross the Antarctic. There are a lot of people who are involved with helping him. They buried supply depots so that he would have food and heat. There were many people that died or got severe frostbite trying to help Shackleton. There was even a guy who said that he would never go back to Antarctica that did to help Shackleton.

The Ross Sea Party walked over 1700 miles to help Shackleton. All of their dogs died while they were in Antarctica. Most of them were also suffering from scurvy. A man named Macintosh had a daughter a month before he left to help Shackleton and he ends up dying while he is in Antarctica. Shackleton never made landfall on Antarctica.

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The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

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The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

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The Scarlet Letter centers on Hester Prynne, a young woman who is publicly shamed for committing adultery after giving birth to an illegitimate child. As punishment, she is forced to wear a scarlet letter "A" embroidered on her chest, marking her as an adulterer and subjecting her to social stigma. While I thought it was kind of a chore to read because it was written in old English, the rich symbolism, complex characters, and examination of moral and social issues deeply explore human nature and society and I can see why it is a classic. I liked how the characters represented larger concepts and how their actions and motivations provide a look into human psychology, including themes of revenge, redemption, and guilt. It focused on sin and personal guilt as well as the judgment from society. It’s a good book to read about gender roles and societal expectations because, through Hester's experiences, the novel delves into the limitations placed on women.

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Foundation and Empire is a science fiction book written in the early 1950s. The main character, Bel Roise, is on a mission to expand and improve his home empire and learn more about other civilizations that might pose a threat.  On his journey, he visits many powerful people and learns great knowledge from them, along with learning many lessons in trust and deception. He encounters bandits and traders along with many other obstacles that create setbacks in his journey to gather information and uncover secrets, expanding and creating a better place for his home empire.

My overall opinion of the book is hard to be one hundred percent sure of. This is the second book of a series that has seven books. The book was hard to understand most of the time and I had to go back on many occasions to reread a section to understand it better. For someone who plans on reading the series or at least has read the first book it would be a really good option, this book has an intense and complex storyline that requires you to read the first book.

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A War of Gifts, by Orson Scott Card. This book is set in outer space. The main character Zeck is who the story is based around. Zeck helps the children train to be part of the military. Zeck and the others were all raised thinking that the bible is how they have to live. Children training for the military is a joke to some of the people, Zeck and one of the army chiefs think children arent ready for battle. Military school has lots of boundaries, like the religion, and beliefs, if you don't belive in god the school wont except you.

This book shows themes of diversity, and having your own beliefs. Zeck traveled to earth to get away from all of the diversity that was in space. The book also tells the reader about war and peace between civilizations, by showing the struggles of all the characters.

I think this book would be good for anybody who wants to read a fiction book that has a little bit of real life information. I thought this book was okay, I would only recommend this book if you find unrealistic war interesting

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LOCH is a very intriguing book that is based around the legend of the Loch Ness Monster. This book follows two kids, Loch Perkins and his sister Zaidee. Loch and Zaidee join their father Dr. Sam on an expedition to Lake Champlain. He is determined to find the existence of the creature.

While the team researches, they find the dangerous creatures that lurk in the lake. Loch and Zaidee find their way around the lake searching for clues to prove the existence of the creatures. They go through challenges that bring them closer together and the characters grow a stronger bond as the book goes on. They encounter the creature on multiple instances and the book ends chapters on cliffhangers keeping the suspense. Throughout the book, they find so many clues that bring them closer to proving the existence of the creature. It’s so rewarding to see them get closer and closer throughout the book They find people trying to hide the creature from the people trying to prove the creature. The book ends with a very action-packed climax.

The author has a fast-paced writing style that keeps the reader interested throughout the book. I recommend this book to anyone who likes science fiction and exciting books.

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Canada by Richard Ford details the dramatic turn Dell Parsons’ life takes after his parents are arrested for robbing a bank. After their crime, Dell is sent to live with strangers in Canada, leading him to navigate an entirely new life filled with challenges. This book captures Dell’s complex feelings as he comes to terms with the experiences he faces throughout the book.

I thought Canada was very good, but I did find the plot a little confusing at times, which made it hard to stay fully immersed. Richard Ford’s writing is very intricate, and he often spends pages giving unimportant details that make it difficult to follow everything that is going on in the plot. This book also had some disturbing scenes that I did not enjoy reading. People who prefer complex, detailed books over fast-paced books with lots of action would likely enjoy this a lot.

Overall, this book wasn’t for me, but I recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading long and detailed books.

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"Brave New World" is a novel that goes into themes of technology, society, and human nature. It takes place in a dystopian future, the book presents a world where humans are genetically engineered and conditioned for specific roles in society, leading to a seemingly perfect but ultimately dehumanizing existence. Huxley's vision is both awful and controlling , as he explores the consequences of sacrificing individuality and freedom for the sake of stability and control.

One of the elements I noticed of "Brave New World" is its building. Huxley carefully crafts a society that is both advanced and particular, where technological advancements have dictated disease and suffering but at the cost of peoples autonomy and emotional depth. The characters, from the conditioned citizens to the outsiders. Highlighting the stark contrasts between the controlled utopia and the raw, unfiltered human experience.

The book's relevance has only grown over time, as it raises important questions about the ethical implications of genetic engineering, the role of technology in our lives, and the value of individuality. The author, Aldous Huxley, did a wonderful job of writing this book, making "Brave New World" a must-read for anyone interested in the intersections of science, society, and philosophy. It serves as a powerful reminder of the dangers of losing our humanity in the pursuit of progress and the importance of preserving our individuality in an increasingly homogenized world.

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I enjoyed reading this book. This book had a good mix of magic and realism. This book is a poetry book. Every poem in this book has a different meaning to it. The theme of the story is survival. 3 siblings are trying to get away from people who are hunting them. The siblings are forced to leave and survive on their own. They are forced to leave their families to save themselves. The children and parents were Armenians which is a group of people that have different beliefs from the rest. This is why their town doesn't like them and they send soldiers to find all the Armenians in the town. This is why the kids are forced to leave.

The author did a great job with this book. The mix of magical working with making it into a real story. It is magical to have small birds watch over them going back to acting like the little siblings are birds and leaving their nest. But the author also puts it into perspective of having the birds leave the nest like having the kids leave home. With every poem in this story, he goes into depth detail and heartfelt messages on how people are feeling writing passages on how the character feels. This over was a great book and I think the author did a great job.

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Calculating the stars by  Mary Robinette Kowal

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Calculating the stars by  Mary Robinette Kowal

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"Calculating the Stars" is a novel that brilliantly combines historical fiction with a compelling alternate history. The story follows Elma York, a talented pilot and mathematician, as she navigates the challenges of becoming an astronaut in the 1950s after a meteorite strike accelerates the space race. This is also Where exploration and expansion play into this book. Elma becomes an astronaut because the Earth is an unstable place for humans to live. The radiation the meteor lets out when it hits the Earth is going to make the temperature globally rise in the next 50 years. The author, Mary Robinette Kowal, does a good job of creating a believable world, where the societal norms of the time are challenged by the urgent need for space exploration. Elma is a well-rounded and inspiring protagonist whose determination and passion for space is out of this world. The book tackles important themes such as gender equality and racial discrimination, making it not only an entertaining read but also a lesson. The attention to historical detail and the components of scientific concepts make "Calculating the Stars" a must-read for fans of science fiction and historical fiction.  It's a thrilling, emotional, and empowering story. I real liked this book and highly recommend it.

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The book Crater written by Homer Hickam is a story about a 16 year old boy named Crater Trueblood. The story is set in the year 2072, and the author uses science fiction to really point this out. Crater lives on the moon in a place called Moontown with his uncle and works as a helium-3 miner. Being a miner on the moon is a dangerous and strenuous job.

Crater’s boss, the Colonel, is in search of someone who is dependable and hardworking to retrieve a mysterious, top secret package.The package is on the other side of the moon and will take someone with a lot of courage and mental toughness to pull off the mission. The Colonel believes this person is Crater. Crater was not allowed to open this package under any circumstances. Crater develops as a person and matures greatly as he faces many challenging obstacles throughout this mission, along with making new friends and enemies. He proves to himself and others he is the right choice for the Colonel and this important mission.

If you enjoy science fiction this may be a book you would enjoy. However, I found it to be confusing and I did not enjoy the content it brought. While the story of Crater and his mission was exciting at times it still was hard to keep up and understand all of the futuristic and science terminology.

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I read Divergent by Veronica Roth. It is a fictional book that weaves a tale of bravery. The story follows the journey of Beatrice, who later becomes known as Tris. Beatrice is a 16-year-old girl living in a dystopian society divided into five factions: Abnegation, Dauntless, Erudite, Amity, and Candor. Each faction values different traits, and citizens are expected to choose the faction that is the same as their personality during a ceremony when they turn sixteen. The faction is similar to an empire having a kingdom-like establishment. Having factions run under one main system. Relates to the rulers of empires.

At the beginning of the book, Beatrice faces the daunting task of making a life-changing decision that will not only determine her future but also challenge her identity. She grapples with the expectations of her family and society, feeling a strong pull towards the bravery and excitement of Dauntless. In contrast, her family has always belonged to Abnegation, a faction whose main value is selflessness. This inner conflict sets the stage for her transformation that comes with dangerous challenges and uncovers crazy truths about her society. Despite the risks involved, Tris’s courage and determination to forge her path make this book very engaging and make you want to keep reading. I would 100% recommend this book.

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The Adventures of Buffalo Bill by Col. William F. Cody

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The Adventures of Buffalo Bill by Col. William F. Cody

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This book tells the story and the adventures of Cody, also known as Buffalo Bill. Throughout Cody's life, he had a lot of things to overcome. At just the young age of 11, his dad passed away, which pained him. After his dad passed, it became tough for his mom to run the farm by herself. She ended up owing 1000 dollars on the farm, and she couldn't keep up. Cody went to see if he could get a job as an extra at Russell Majors and Waddell to help his mom pay what she owed on the farm. This part of the book builds a lot of character for Cody which stays with him for his whole life. When Cody was older, he was in and out of jobs at companies fighting Indians. Cody was a very good fighter, one of the best in his time. Cody helped a lot in the western expansion and played a huge part in it. He saved many big missions with his smart quick thinking and would never turn down a challenge. Although he was one of the best Indian fighters of his time he felt like he needed to serve his country, so when the civil war broke out he enlisted to fight. He went on many missions during this time and was an awesome fearless fighter. Throughout his life, he was always one of the best fighters of his time and never gave up.

I would recommend this read to many people. It is a very action-packed book and extremely hooking right from the start. It has two sections to it, one about all of his adventures through his life which is told in first person and is extremely action-packed and very engaging. The second section of the book is told in the third person and it's more about his childhood and it goes into detail about his life not just his adventures. This book was a very good read and I would recommend it to anyone that loves action-packed books.

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Mark Watney is stuck on Mars with no communication with Earth, what will he do? Mark Watney, an astronaut who got left on Mars after his crew mates had to leave because there was a terrible storm. Mark didn’t have many supplies on Mars but lucky for him he was a botanist, which means that he could figure out how to grow food on Mars and try to live longer until he could get some help from Earth. I learned a lot about space and Mars-like there is no water and you can’t grow plants without your poop, that's how he had to make some of his food.  The book is also very intense because Mark gets put into situations where he has to make quick decisions and smart decisions to survive. Overall this book is very thrilling and inspiring, and when you think everything is impossible you can always overcome it.

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The Lines We Cross by  Randa Abdel-Fattah

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The Lines We Cross by  Randa Abdel-Fattah

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The book The Lines We Cross by Randa Abdel-Fattah is a story that follows Michael, whose parents are founding members of an anti-immigrant group called Aussie Values, and a girl Mina is a Muslim Afghan refugee whose stepfather owns a restaurant. As they meet one another and cross paths, Michael and Mina are forced to open up about their own beliefs and biases, as well as those of their parents and friends. As the book progresses the two kids fall in love with each other which makes it hard for their parents to not find out and forces them to get Michael’s parents to understand why they have to learn immigrants and other religions are ok.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is ok with a book having racism, not that it's a good thing but this book is based on racism, but also the show of love and personal conviction. The book was written as a duo book, every other chapter would be one character's point of view and the others would be the second character’s point of view, some of the chapters would be sometimes super long and others would be super short, only one page. I liked how the author added detail into each chapter, even the super short ones. The author made everything so easy to understand, she also made it to that even if Michael’s parents didn’t like Mina that doesn’t change the perspective that Michael sees her.

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Empire by Orson Scott Card is a book set in future America. The country is on the verge of civil war. There are two groups: the government and the Patriots. The Patriots, a far-right group, seek fundamental changes to the governmental structure. I like the character development of Aaron, the main character of the book. At the beginning of the story, he is strongly on the side of the government. As the book progresses, he realizes how corrupt and ineffective the government is and switches sides to the Patriots' movement. I appreciate how Card builds suspense throughout the book by leaving cliffhangers every few chapters. There were times when I was ready to stop reading for the night, but I didn't want to end on a cliffhanger. I also like the way he uses dialogue from Aaron to help understand the story. The theme of expansion is shown throughout the book. The government and the Patriots want to expand and be the biggest and the best. This is significant because they fight over their desire to expand.

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In the book The Road by Cormac McCarthy, It follows the journey of two people, a son and a father, who flee from their home due to their house burning down months before. As they flee they run into many people who try to hurt them, but they stay strong and keep moving. As it gets colder and the winter storms start to hit, they struggle to stay warm. The loss of one of the characters due to illness adds a dramatic twist to the book, making the end all the more meaningful.

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a happy ending. Although there are tough obstacles along the way, it only makes the ending so much better. The book was written in an unusual way, which was hard to follow, but in the end everything made sense. I liked how the author gave detailed descriptions of surroundings, using sensory details and explaining how the characters felt in every situation. I also really liked how he kept the boy and the father unnamed throughout the entire book. I think it helped emphasize the bond between the father and son, and how much determination they had.

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Sophie is drawn to the sea. She loves sailing and knows a lot about it. Her uncles and cousins were going to go on a sailing trip for the summer. Sophie wanted to go but she was a “Girl” so the guys in the family thought she wouldn't be much help, but she went anyway. Throughout the book, there is suspense and mystery. You will figure out many things happened to Sophie during their exploration. The Wanderer was a good book, though I have a few complaints. Throughout the book, a lot is going on and it's hard to keep track of it. I didn’t understand why the author even put in some of the details she did. The author has two characters talking every other chapter but the names were so hard to find you never knew who was talking. During the book Sophie and her relatives went on a sailing trip and their desionation was to their grandpa in England. They explored many spots before getting to their desionation. I would recommend this book for anyone who is interested in the book setting in multiple places.

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Beyond the Mapped Stars by Rosalyn Eves is a historical fiction about the life of a young girl named Elizabeth trying to become an astronomer. Elizabeth’s journey is a story of determination and courage as she pursues her dream of exploring space despite her obstacles. Through her journey, the book continues about her trying to break free from her family's expectations to follow her aspirations. Elizabeth starts to feel like she's in a small world as her family doesn't seem to support her goal. But she doesn't let that stop her, her passion for astronomy pushes her even harder. The story also highlights Elizabeth's challenges, like overhearing other females deal with sexism from male scholars. But despite these challenges, Elizabeth fights harder because she doesn't want to give up her ambition of becoming an astronomer. The author uses a third-person point of view to engage readers about Elizabeth’s struggles and aspirations. Overall I think the book was fascinating, this book would be great for someone who likes historical fiction.

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Girl in Pieces was a phenomenal book. Charlie is one of the most relatable characters I've ever read about. Her thoughts, feelings, and friendships are all detailed and descriptive. She is a girl receiving help for her self harm. After a very hard young life, she struggles to see her worth and resorts to cutting herself. I was not bored once while reading this book. There were a few times when who was speaking was unclear, but in some ways, that made the story better and left things to be interpreted. The reality of Charlie's situation is part of the draw of the book. The setting of the mental hospital at the beginning really set the mood and added to the overall feeling this book gave me. Charlie is trying to find an outlet other than self harm, and the path she takes to get there is the journey in this book.

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In 1851, Maura O'Connell and her brother Patrick faced the destruction of their cottage due to late rent payments when the local priest arrived with a letter from their father, who had immigrated to America to provide for his children. The letter included tickets to Liverpool and then to America. This was significant because Ireland was suffering under England's rule; everyone was starving, and there was no work, making it impossible to afford rent. However, Maura and Patrick did not realize how difficult it would be to navigate Cork City and Liverpool alone since they had never left their town before. This book depicts people's struggles in Ireland, not only in their efforts to pay rent but also in their attempts to leave, as many in Liverpool were trying to take their money or tickets. Overall, I thought it was a very interesting book, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about Ireland during British rule and the journeys of those leaving for America.

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Hattie Big Sky is about a girl named Hattie who moved to Montana to fix up her uncle’s homestead. The story begins in Iowa, where Hattie lives with her unpleasant aunt and uncle. Hattie gets a letter from her uncle who had passed away, informing her that his homestead in Montana was being left to her. She packed her bags, said goodbye to her aunt and uncle, and got on the train to Montana. Throughout the book, we watch Hattie overcome everything that comes her way. Whether the issues were financial struggles, harsh weather, or proving to herself and others that she could manage the homestead, she faced them all with determination. Along the way, Hattie learns many new skills and makes lifelong friends, showing the importance of perseverance and her community. Overall, I enjoyed this book. I thought that some of the events that happened in it kept me reading, wanting to find out more about whether she would be able to keep her uncle's homestead. I liked the story’s setting and how her community helped her to accomplish what she hoped to. I also liked the story's ending and would recommend it to anyone else who likes an unexpected but good ending.

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32 people left Springfield, Illinois to travel to California in 1846. These 32 people were later classified by the Donner party. This book explains the hardships that the Donner Party had to undergo. The Donner Party's many challenges, like harsh weather, rough terrain, and false directions, took serious determination, resilience, and cooperation to overcome them. The author shows that the overriding theme of “The Donner Party” is the resilience and endurance of the human spirit needed to face the struggles that they face. For example, when they were stuck in the desert with limited supplies they had to have the endurance to power through and make it out of there.

The author's message to anyone reading her book was that no matter what adversity you are faced with, you can always find a way out of it as long as you have the determination and resilience to do it. I overall liked this book because the author did a good job explaining what happened and making everything understandable. The different points of view of various people during the book made it a little harder to take notes but it was good reading cause I could understand what was going on with other people and their outlook on the situation. I would recommend “The Donner Party” as it was my favorite book in a while and it showcases an interesting true story.

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Catch Me if You Can by Frank W. Abagnale Jr. and Stan Redding 

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Catch Me if You Can by Frank W. Abagnale Jr. and Stan Redding 

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This is the story of Frank W. Abagnale, a notorious con man who committed all his crimes under the age of twenty. He claims to have cashed over 2.5 million dollars in phony checks and has impersonated pilots, doctors, attorneys, and teachers throughout his crime career. He ran away from home at sixteen to New York City where he began cashing checks until his account was empty, but this didn't stop him. After cashing bad checks for a while he saw an airline crew leaving a hotel. This gave him the idea to wear a real pilot outfit so that everyone would accept his checks immediately without any double-checking. This led to his first impersonation of a pilot. He used this new identity to deadhead to locations around the country while still cashing out 🤬 checks. He went on to develop more schemes and impersonations, but you will have to read the book to learn about these impressive feats.

Catch Me if You Can was written by both Frank W. Abagnale Jr. and Stan Redding. I believe they were able to give an excellent tone to the story because it was unique and spirited. The character development was also fascinating since the authors did a good job showing how much Abagnale grew up during his short life of crime. As Abagnale was really still a kid, these early years of life on his own probably contributed a lot to the person he is now. The plot was very intriguing although confusing at times and sometimes far-fetched. One of my aspects of this book were the fun chapter titles which kept me guessing what might be in the next chapter. These are just a few of the unique author craft elements used in Catch Me if You Can.

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No Summit Out of Sight: The True Story of the Youngest Person to Climb the Seven Summits By Jordan Romero with Linda LeBlanc

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No Summit Out of Sight: The True Story of the Youngest Person to Climb the Seven Summits By Jordan Romero with Linda LeBlanc

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No Summit Out of Sight is written by Jordan Romero, a young mountain climber and inspirational speaker, and Linda LeBlanc, a mountain climber, world traveler, and writer. This book tells the story of Jordan Romero, the youngest person to climb the Seven Summits, a compilation of the highest mountains on each of the seven continents. Telling the story of Jordan's adventures as he pursues his goal of climbing the Seven Summits, this book starts by going into the background story of how he was inspired to pursue this immense challenge. Next, it describes the first mountain he had ever climbed and how he trained for it. The book continues to describe how Jordan trained for and climbed each of the Seven Summits, starting with Mount Kosciuszko and ending with Mount Vinson. This book’s true story holds themes of perseverance, teamwork, and support.

I enjoyed this book because it has engaging writing that made me, the reader, feel as if I was climbing the summits right alongside Jordan. I could almost feel the moments of Jordan’s successes and hardships as if I, too, was experiencing them in real life, which is a feeling most other books do not give me. Before I read this book, I didn't realize how complicated it is to climb tall mountains; however, after I read this book, I now know what a huge undertaking it is. Some of the taller peaks can even take over a month to scale. In addition, I found the description of the cultures that Jordan encounters on his travels incredibly interesting and entertaining. It is fascinating to learn about different traditions and ways of living. Learning about the adventures of Jordan Romero really inspired me, and I’m sure that anyone who reads this book will fall in love with his story and be encouraged to follow their dreams.

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Flight of Passage is the inspiring true story of the author, Rinker Buck. Born to an aviator father in a family of eleven children, he and his older brother were around airplanes their whole childhood. It makes sense, then, that this autobiography focuses on flying, and one extraordinary adventure that Rinker and his older brother Kern undertook: flying across the United States of America. Astonishingly, they did this in a Piper Cub airplane, which has no electricity or radio. They were fifteen and seventeen at the time. Starting in New York, they flew to New Mexico to cross the Rocky Mountains, then up to California. Along the way, they terrified bus drivers, fed prairie dogs, and threw avocados at new reporters, among other things.

What I enjoyed about this story is the sense of “I can do anything” that is prevalent throughout the book. It makes you want to challenge yourself, and see how far you can push yourself and your abilities. It is a tale of self-discovery, brotherhood, and a quest to become worthy in a father’s critical eyes.

The author did a phenomenal job describing the scenes, and it felt as if you could almost see what the book was describing. Additionally, Rinker Buck didn’t leave out or skip the parts he may not have liked, he told it truthfully and without incongruences, even if it shed him in a bad light to start. The autobiography was funny, informative, and immersive. I would suggest this book to anyone who likes planes and is slightly rebellious.

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Written by Eric Greitens himself, the memoir The Heart and the Fist starts with a bang, quite literally. After giving the reader a glimpse into the dangerous life of a Navy SEAL, the book transports you back into Mr. Greitens’s childhood, then gives the reader a peek into his boxing career, volunteer work overseas, and his pursuit of a higher education. The book then explains how Mr. Greitens became a Navy SEAL and the reader follows him throughout his training and to different chronological moments during his career. Eric Greitens is a humanitarian, Rhodes Scholar, author, photographer, and a Navy SEAL. He has won many awards for his books, essays, and photographs.

In my opinion, this book is written quite well. Mr. Greitens tells this story from a first-person point of view which makes sense because it is his story. When reading the book, I did get slightly confused in the beginning when the storyline jumped back into Greitens’s childhood and I believe that that section of the book could have been formulated better; however, the rest of the book was fine. Filled with so many facts and tiny details and supplemented by pictures, this book lets the reader step into Mr. Greitens's life. Throughout the book, the reader learns that sometimes you have to have strength so that you can do good. However, other times the inverse is true, to be strong, you must do good. If someone wants to rebuild a war-torn country, they cannot do it just by using force. They also have to interact with the locals, learn the culture, and show kindness to the people there to truly heal the country. I would not only recommend this book to anyone interested in serving overseas but also to people who are intrigued by different cultures and volunteering with refugees overseas.

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Among the 95 books you may find when searching for one written by Ozzy Osbourne, I Am Ozzy is undoubtedly the most celebrated and sought-after. The autobiography is admired by fans for many reasons, including the history, insight, and charming anecdotes Ozzy articulates within the memoir's impressive 416 pages. The book's premise is simple. Every sentence, paragraph, and chapter recounts his life chronologically, sparing no details. What every presumptuous detail adds up to is solely Ozzy's journey to ultimate success. He was born to a working-class family, with no other path to take than a manual, unimportant job in his hometown. Under unforeseen circumstances, his musical success spiraled upwards at an utterly unexpected rate. With his bandmate's help, Ozzy sparked an extensive transformation in the music industry, and his memoir narrates how he accomplished such a feat.

While Ozzy may not have written his autobiography solitarily, his influence on the book's language is undeniable. I thoroughly enjoyed the author's style of writing. While I read, it was easy to imagine Ozzy's voice reciting the words because the book was written as though he were speaking, including a plethora of profanities. Ozzy developed great characterization throughout the book, most of the autobiography consisted of anecdotes, that combined, lead to an almost complete retelling of his life.

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Everyone has heard about Hitler and what he did during the Holocaust and the massive World War II. But simply just knowing it is not enough, and that’s an issue. Many people in today's world are not focused on the turmoils of the past–too preoccupied with the development of the future rather than exposing themselves to vital events in history that teach how far human hatred and discrimination can extend to. The Holocaust proves to be something we should all be educated on, but when the basis of it is brought up, numerous people would not know the details captivating the terrifying fears the oppressed Jews suffered from. That’s why I think the novel Leap into Darkness is one step closer to spreading recognition of the specifics on what happened in this era.

Published in 1998 by one of the sole survivors of the Holocaust, Leo Bretholz, is an amazing memoir that will take you directly off your feet and hurtle you 76 years back in time, putting you in the shoes of the Jewish memoirist. With no promising future after the arrival of Hitler in his hometown, Bretholz escaped countless times from the Nazis in desperate grasps of regaining his freedom, having to forcefully expand his resolve across a span of seven years in battle scarred Europe. Peeking underneath “discrimination” and “scary,” is his first hand experience, exposing the gruesome reality of what the Holocaust was like that transcends the meaning of such simple words.

Leap into Darkness is such a great place to start learning about the Holocaust because it has so much more to give than just information. It dives past the subjects of strength and courage and touches base on the elements of sacrifice for those around you, to be in unimaginable moral dilemmas, and shows how human nature is capable of both corruption and love. As a picky reader, Leap into Darkness surpassed my expectations. I loved the characters so much and how insightful the book was. It felt like my eyes were opened for the first time. To anticipate Bretholz’s development and then see his mindset turn from innocent to a weariness beyond his years was engaging, but also heartbreaking. Every setting was depressing and inhumane. I found the book hard to read due to the many unfiltered and harrowing scenes, but at the same time that factor kept me occupied and on my toes. You could really imagine yourself being there amidst the cruel, armed Nazis, hear the painful cries of mothers being separated from their children, and feel the hesitance of Jews to even take a step out of their hiding.

Not only did it touch my heart, but the way the book’s sentences flowed made it incredibly easy to follow, with even real life photos that correspond to the text. It’s easy to know what’s going on, making it perfect for learning history. I believe everyone should educate themselves on what happened during the Holocaust, and I know for a fact that the autobiography Leap into Darkness offers exceeds that.

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The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream

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The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream

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The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream is a memoir novel written by former Senator and U.S President Barack Obama in 2006. The premise focuses on, as the title suggests, reclaiming the American dream. This is slightly misleading, because the “American dream” is an ambiguous term, however he details an advanced, reformed, functional and practical government. Really, it serves as a guide to politics. It touches on many subjects, such as healthcare, the government, foreign policy, and even family. Obama’s first claim is that the United States Congress has strayed away from its original purpose, that it functions in a way that does not necessarily follow the path which the Founding Fathers intended. He argues that our politicians prioritize debating with each other and therefore reach no conclusions. Ergo, the people remain displeased because their leaders are stubborn and don’t show an interest in their beliefs. He says that Washington delegates have been elected by their people to carry out the wishes of the majority population, however they tend to act only in personal interests, or perhaps they are only carrying out the will of their party. Obama claims that both sides of the aisle took radically opposing views during the 1960s and that the culture of Washington since then has been that the congressmen are required to disagree with their opposing party’s counterparts. This alone only covers a couple of chapters. He claims that our children are poorly educated, sometimes their teachers are poorly educated, and that America must find ways to improve the people’s education and overall lifestyles in order to ensure itself a prosperous future. Another stance of his is that the healthcare system, during the time he wrote this, that is, must be overhauled entirely. His opinion is that it was broken, that Medicare and Medicaid were functionally debilitated and did not improve one’s life, as they were meant to do. He also believes that we need to put resources and effort into researching renewable energy. The book is laid out fairly well; chapters are named based on what they are about, for example, the section about politics is called “Politics” and the section on family is called “Family.” He doesn’t use overly sophisticated language, so to speak, but uses simple language which can be understood by the average reader. Personally, I think that the ideas in his book are not terrible, but that they are outdated and do not completely apply to the modern world. For the most part, the issues of now are different then they were some eighteen years ago. Yes, we still have terrorism, and yes, we still have poorly educated children, but the information we know about renewable energy now is far more detailed than it was almost twenty years ago. Yes, our politicians argue all the time, and yes, they take forever to get anything done, but we aren’t facing the same issues in Congress we were then. Our politicians aren’t nearly the same, either, albeit some politicians have been in Congress since then. So overall, I think the book is good, and I think it would be good to use it as a base for your political ideologies, however I would not find it wise to consult The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream for solutions to modern problems.

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Becoming by Michelle Obama is a memoir about the life and career of the former first lady of the United States. The book shares many stories about her young life, such as memories from home, school, and piano recitals. It details her college life from her studies to her friends, and the beginning of her job at a law firm. There are chapters about when she met Barack Obama, her husband who would go on to become the 44th president of the United States. It was a very well-written book with many original thoughts, ideas, and stories. There was never a dull moment because every part of the book connects very well and is relevant to the overall story. The word choice is amazing and makes her experiences feel very relatable and real.

My favorite aspect of the book was probably when she explained how busy her and Barack’s life had become. It was amazing to learn about all the duties and responsibilities the first lady and her family had. Her fears about the safety of her daughters were scary, and they added a layer of risk and uncertainty to the mood of the book. I particularly enjoyed the beginning and middle of the book, but as I neared the end the excitement fizzled out. This memoir informed and entertained me even though I am not very interested in politics and law. I think that it would be great for anyone to read, regardless of prior knowledge on those two topics.

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“Me Talk Pretty One Day” is a collection of stories told by David Sedaris. In this autobiography, Mr. Sedaris talks about his experiences with different situations in life, that most people would find normal. Unlike many autobiographies that talk about more compelling and life-changing experiences like climbing Everest, or flying a plane halfway across the world, Mr. Sedaris made it effortless to be able to connect with the memories being expressed. I bet you remember being interested in a hobby, just to find you that you were really bad at it, and quit. I bet you remember hating a certain concept or technology for no reason other than you just didn’t like it. I bet you have had a time in your life when you have felt out of place. These are all topics that were relived by Mr. Sedaris. “Me Talk Pretty One Day” displays themes of family, love, and support from the people around you.

I found it to be easier to read and relate to because of Mr. Sedaris’s way of writing. At times I found myself dozing off and being unmotivated to want to read this book, but that showed me how simple and boring life can be. All of the stories shown in this book were ones that I could see myself experiencing. Reading books about crazy accomplishments can make someone feel the need to make some remarkable discovery to have people enjoy their life story, but David Sedaris’s book takes the pressure off of people and gives them a place where they can listen to stories that they can get a laugh or a cry out. The relatability gave me a sense of comfort because I wasn’t having to read about a revolutionary event. I could read about the simple life that I am experiencing right now. Mr. Sedaris has a unique way of writing, and I often found myself confused about the chronology of events that were happening. He would bounce around to different topics without finishing and resolving problems. “Me Talk Pretty One Day” isn’t a book to read if you are looking for a problem-solution plot, rather it is a group of stories that make you feel a certain way.

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During South Africa's Apartheid, it was illegal for men and women of different race to have children. in Trevor Noah's Born a Crime, he describes his experiences growing up as a mixed child in a time where he was resented for even existing. He tells about his struggles, being different from everyone else, living in near poverty, like most others did in the Apartheid, and struggling to find who he was in a world that always told him he would amount to nothing in the end. Even through all that, Trevor is inspired by his mother who taught him that there is more out there for him than just being some worthless laborer, working for mere pennies. He learns many valuable life lessons in the streets of South America as a young man, leading to him leaving to find his own place in the world.

Born a Crime is a very interesting and informative book. Since Trevor Noah has experienced everything he wrote about, he is able to give a full scope of his encounters as a young man. I feel that the story was a bit convoluted and moved a bit too quickly, like jumping from one topic to another in the span of a page. I wish he expanded a bit on more topics, like his time in prison or the beatings he endured from his stepfather. Besides all of that, I really enjoyed the different stories and experiences he had to tell about his life. I thought this book was a great memoir that encapsulated what it must've been like growing up in the Apartheid as a person of mixed race in a place that disgraced his creation and being. I would definitely recommend this story to anyone who enjoys Trevor's work and want to learn more about the Apartheid.

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The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls was an inspiring, heartbreaking tale about her struggles as a child and how she had to grow up quickly to ensure that she would live a fulfilling life, a subject in which her parents had failed. When Jeanette was young, her family moved around a lot due to her father’s mistakes–he would always make up a new story about how the FBI or police had finally tracked him down, but it was usually because he was unemployed or had lost while gambling. Her mother was destined for failure as well, not because things went wrong by coincidence, but because of her own choices. When she finally landed a good teaching job, she would refuse to get out of bed to go, and when she eventually did, the children ran wild around the classroom as she had mental breakdowns in the corner. She chose a life of misery and failure for herself, and she never tried to get herself out of that rut. Because of how stubborn her parents were, Jeanette and her siblings had to be in charge of their parents and help their family stay afloat. When they finally realized that changing their parents' ways was impossible, they tried to escape as soon as they could so that they could live a life free of their parents and start anew.

In her memoir, Walls described the gruesome and hard times in her life in acute detail, which made it far more engaging than if she had skipped over those parts, and it makes the reader root for her all through the book. One scene in particular I really liked was when Jeanette was over at a friend’s house and she offered to carve their chicken for dinner. The friend’s family was amazed at how Jeanette could get every scrap of meat off of the carcass, and how quickly and skilled she could do it. That scene stuck with me because even though it seemed inconsequential it showed how she had to mature early and that she could be independent in the real world. Including that part of her life in the book showed a lot of character development, and I really enjoyed reading it. I also loved how the scenes would flow, and the language that the author would use to describe her newest house or her father’s next big business venture. I did have to stop reading at times, though, because of how repetitive it could be. It was the same story every time: all full of hope, the family would move to a new town, her father would promise to keep a job and provide for his family, but then everything would go downhill, and before long they would have to pack up and go on another “adventure” in their newest rusty old car. Though it could be a bit boring in the middle of the book, I really enjoyed The Glass Castle, and I would recommend it to anyone who is ok with having their heart broken and wants to look at the world a bit differently after the book is finished.

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Katniss is a seventeen-year-old girl who lives in Panem, a country of 12 districts that supply the center capital with everything it needs. She lives in the 12th district with her mother and sister. Last year, she had to participate in the 74th annual Hunger Games, a game devised by the capital to keep all the districts in line. A boy and girl tribute are selected at random every year to enter these games. Katniss went into the 74th Hunger Games along with a boy named Peta. there can only be one survivor, but when Katniss and Peta both make it out alive, it is seen as the best Hunger Games ever by some and defiance against the capital by others. They only made it out together because of their pretend romance. This is where our story picks up. Katniss is now one of the legendary victors of the games, but she soon receives a visit from President Snow. An evil man who lets her know of the rebellion starting in some districts because of her. To protect her family and friends, Katniss must convince President Snow of her undying love for Peta on the victory tour of all the districts that every victor must take. This is not all though. When she returns from her tour, the Quarter Quell, a special Hunger Games that happens every 25 years with a unique twist, will be announced. In the 25th Hunger Games, the people of the district had to vote on who would enter the games, and on the 50th, there were two tributes of each gender from every district. What could happen this time and will Katniss be able to convince President Snow of her love for Peta? Read the book to find out!

Suzanne Collins, the creative author of the Hunger Games series, perfectly creates Katniss's first-person point of view. When we see through Katniss’s eyes, we can really feel everything that happens to her instead of receiving the information from a narrator. A narrator can only talk about what happens, but a book is correctly written in the first person you go through everything that the character goes through and feel everything they feel. In such an emotional book like this one, the first person works fantastically. Another crucial element of the author's craft is the symbolism used. There are many instances of symbols. For example, the Mockingjay is probably the most important representing both Katniss and the rebellion, there are some others as well including the clock shown to Katniss by Plutarch Heavensbee, the head game maker, representing the Quarter Quell arena. Imagery is another element Collins is exceptionally good at writing. In every part of the story, word choice is perfect. This is one of the reasons this book is so hard to put down and so enjoyable. These are just a few excellent elements of Collins's unique writing style that make her work fun to read.

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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been a staple in American literature since its publication in 1885. For 140 years, Mark Twain's classic novel has transported kids and adults alike to the fictitious town of St. Petersburg, Missouri, and taken readers on a journey with Huck Finn and his acquaintances down the Mississippi River. The story is told through Huck Finn, the main character's perspective, and written as though Huck wrote it.

Firstly, Huck Finn's drunken father manages to steal his son from Huck's adopted family and holds him captive in a cabin deep in the woods. As soon as he is able, Huck escapes by faking his death. He plans a journey, a rafting trip down the Mississippi River to escape from society, and invites a runaway slave, Jim, to join him. Huck and Jim may not have completed their ideal journey, but they learned many lessons.

Mark Twain wrote the novel and dialogue to be accurate to approximately the 1830s to 1840s. Because of the accuracy of his writing, Mark Twain's classic can be challenging to comprehend, but trying to understand the heavy Southern accents makes the book more fun to read. At first, understanding the language can be a little strenuous, but once further into the story, deciphering the language becomes much more effortless. Mark Twain included lots of imagery and descriptive phrases that make even somber scenes seem intense. The only part of the story I didn't enjoy was the ending. The ending felt incomplete, and I needed a more conclusive, action-packed final scene.

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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

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The main character of the book Furia is a teenage girl named Camila. She has to face the struggles of keeping her soccer skills a secret, so her abusive dad and tired mom won't find out. She lives in Rosario, a city that is conflicted on how to feel about women soccer players. Camila’s team and career are controversial with the public and in her household. Dealing with being in the shadow of her brother, a famous soccer player, and having to keep the biggest part of her a secret, she searches for something to help her feel good about herself. Diego is a famous soccer player who plays for a team in Italy, but he is also Camila’s childhood best friend. After reuniting with each other, they rekindle a spark they thought was lost. Now Camila is facing struggles with trying to balance her relationship, soccer, and family issues.

Furia was a challenging book to read due to the absence of action throughout the book. While the book is about soccer, an interesting and contact-heavy sport, the writer focuses more on the small details in Camila’s life rather than her main interest. I thought this was a different way of telling the story because it stretched the book out and made the plot hard to follow. Camila’s character wasn’t consistent in her value throughout the whole book so that also played into the book being hard to follow. The book was written in first person through Camila’s eyes. It was nice to see her version of all of it because she had a lot of secrets, and there were a lot of points in the book where you thought she would get caught. It would have been nice to see Diego’s version of all that happened because he was one of the main characters in the book besides Camila. Yamile Saied Mendez is good at making metaphors, so a reader can see more clearly what she is trying to say. Throughout the book, Mendez also ties in a lot of Camila’s culture through dancing, food, the setting, and the characters that were developed. In all, I gave this book a two because the author chose to make the book more complicated than it had to be, and it made the book hard to follow.

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The Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

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The Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

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The Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero is about a teenage boy named Jason working together with two other kids named Leo and Piper on their journey across North America. The book follows the three as they battle formidable opponents, meet long lost family, and regain precious memories. The group experiences loss and turmoil, but also gain and triumph, as they fight their way through the giants army to save the queen god Hera, and prevent the king of the giants from rising once again.

To start, I thought the three separate viewpoints made it hard to pay attention to what was really going on in the story. The constant switching between them and their different personalities was definitely a struggle to keep attention to. I also thought as much that i enjoyed the action and how well written it is, I do think there is too much. there was not a lot of rest time for the characters to have time to expand upon themselves, and I find myself having difficulty remembering what happened when in the story. Overall, I thought The Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero was a great, well written book, with its own fair share of flaws imperfections.

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Written from multiple viewpoints, Salt to the Sea tells the story of four characters during the Russian invasion of Germany in World War ll. A young Prussian man, Florian, flees after stealing a miniature amber swan, one of Hitler’s favorite war spoils. Joana, a surgeon’s assistant and Lithuanian, hopes to escape the country after the invasion. A Polish girl of the name Emilia fights for the survival of herself and her fatherless baby. Alfred is a sociopath who is only interested in becoming a hero in the eyes of Germany and Hitler’s Nazism. Together, they give a glimpse into the tragic story of countless people who fled from Russia’s invasion. In the book, Florian, Joana, Emilia, and other refugees flee towards the promise of salvation, the Wilhelm Gustloff, a ship loaded with evacuees and ready to cross the Baltic Sea, away from the turmoil of war. The book talks about the ruthlessness of the invading Russians and highlights many lesser-known horrors. For example, the book mentions how six hundred Russian babies were born in Stolp in one month.

The telling of this story was slightly confusing due to the four separate viewpoints, and at times I was lost as to who was talking or had to reread a section. Alfred, one of the characters through which the story is told, is rather mentally unsound and more than a bit insane. In the book, he is constantly writing mental letters to his half-Jewish “sweetheart” who he had (spoiler alert) betrayed to the Nazis. This seems unnecessary and makes it slightly weird. Beyond that, I feel as if the writing style was pretty good, but by no means fantastic. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes drama and historical fiction; however, I wouldn’t read it again.

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White Fang, by Jack London, is an adventurous fiction novel published in 1906. It follows the narrative of an intelligent wolf, White Fang, who is born into the world of wildlife and freedom, testing his curiosity by exploring, fighting, and learning from his errors. But living in the cold and harsh Canadian woods of the Gold Rush period, not everything is fun and games. After experiencing the threats of famines, lethal encounters with aggressive animals, and the loss of his father, White Fang and his mother are dejected. Their last resort is to be taken into civilization, hoping for security–only to discover instead this way of life proposes its own hardships. White Fang grows up isolated and persecuted by the rest of the dog pack, unaccepted because of his wolf heritage. He is raised in an abusive environment where he even learns that the human hand offers only the lashing of whips, the hurling of stones, and the fists of fury, with selfish demands expecting absolute obedience. Losing all hope for a better life, he forgets what love and comfort means. Being tested until his adulthood, White Fang must ultimately let his past go and forge a new understanding of what affection and faith are; all through unfamiliar warm touches and kind-heartedness. This book documents the journey of repairing White Fang’s relationship with humans and being domesticated.

I enjoyed reading White Fang because it teaches the reader what trust is, how it’s broken, and what can restore it. It is such a wholesome story dissecting White Fang’s stages in life and how he changes his perspectives on people. You will definitely notice the character development through the exquisite writing quality that combines a broad vocabulary of words, flowy sentences, and the uncompromising conditions of the winter cold. I can also see how the book can be relatable to some people, in the aspects of betrayal, neglect, and emotional detachment. It’ll open your eyes both because of the physical tears the book impels, but also how we as individuals look at the world unlike another depending on our upbringing–whether you’re human or not. If you enjoy classics with deeper meanings, and uplifting stories, or just want to feel reconnected with nature, I’d for sure recommend this book, as it perfectly encapsulates these profound topics.

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Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder

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Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder

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Mountains Beyond Mountains is the biography of Dr. Paul Farmer. Farmer was an expert on infectious diseases and a world-renowned doctor, anthropologist, and global health visionary. He worked to provide treatment for deadly diseases like tuberculosis (TB), multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), AIDS, and HIV all over the world. His patients, however, did not often pay him. His office, for the majority of the time, was not an expensive, fancy hospital with first-class technology, no, it was in the poverty-stricken areas of Haiti, the shanty towns in Peru, and the prisons in Russia. It was anywhere where there were people who did not have access to the medicine and the doctors they needed. In 1987 Pual Farmer, Ophelia Dahl, Thomas J. White, Todd McCormack, and Jim Yong Kim started a non-profit organization called Partners in Health (PIH) that provides care to those who need it most but live in areas that do not offer it. Most of this book plays out in Haiti where Dr. Farmer built a hospital that he named Zanmi Lasante meaning ‘Partners in Health’ in Creole. This book also follows Farmer’s quest to provide treatment for MDR-TB in Peru and later in Russia. His work included lowering the costs of the second-line drugs that treat MDR as well as establishing a modification or ‘plus’ to the original TB treatment plan that was already supported by the World Health Organization that also addresses MDR-TB. In the midst of all this, he still was providing specialized treatment to patients and working on hundreds of cases at once.

Told through the eyes of the author, Tracy Kidder, Mountains Beyond Mountains will capture the reader’s attention with its wonderfully written account of Paul Farmer’s life and will leave them with a yearning to follow in his footsteps. Tracy Kidder was born on November 12, 1945, and is a renowned nonfiction writer who has won many awards for his works including the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the Robert F. Kennedy Award. This first-hand account of Pual Farmer’s legacy is so enthralling to read and paints a picture of Farmer's beliefs and life goals. In my opinion, Kidder does a wonderful job of telling the story in first person and his writing style is very fitting for the book. In the book, Farmer mentions how he dislikes some other works about poverty-stricken areas and states that they let the reader have a ‘way out’ of the tragic realities. Tracy Kidder has done a beautiful job of not providing a ‘way out’ for the reader and letting the reader see just how bad things are for some people. The plot was slightly confusing to me in the first part of the book; however, after the flashback to Farmer’s childhood, the clarity of the plot gets much better. This book speaks volumes about how much good one selfless person can do in the lives of others.

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If Only I Had Told Her by Laura Nowlin was a story about three different character’s inner journeys and overcoming their trauma and other day-to-day issues. The plot wasn’t very dynamic and the story mostly revolved around character development, which sounds pretty boring, but it showed me how to overcome trauma and work on self-improvement through an interesting, emotional roller coaster kind of way. The book is told from three different perspectives, which made it very fun to read because I got to know those three characters individually. One of the characters is Finn, and he tells his sob story about loving his best friend Autumn from afar, which is quite depressing because it turned out that she felt the same way, but they only had one day together after realizing this before it was too late (I hate to give spoilers, but I can’t explain the plot of the book without it). Finny’s portion of the book ends with the scene of his death, and the book promptly transitions to Jack’s perspective. The next two parts of the book (told from Jack’s and Autumn’s voice) are about how Jack and Autumn learn to cope with Finn’s death, and how to live their lives without their best friend. Jack goes off to college to try to get a change of scenery, and after weeks of strict routines and trying to keep his head above water, he finds someone who shared a similar experience, which helped put his situation into perspective. Autumn’s journey is a bit different because she has to figure out what to do about a recently developed pregnancy, and she has to try to raise her child without its father there to help her. She gets very overwhelmed, but as she moves away from her more toxic friends and finds a couple people that understands her struggles and know what she’s going through, she starts to dig her way out of the hole that she had dug for herself. If Only I Had Told Her is a beautifully written novel that perfectly captures grief in all of its forms, and I would definitely recommend it.

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The book “The Life of Pi” by Yann Martel is about a boy named Pi who's immigrating to Canidia. However, there are plenty of obstacles in his way. He gets stranded in the ocean with a tiger because his ship tragically moves into a large storm and sinks. The only person who survived this was Pi, along with a few animals, an orangutan, a tiger named Richard Parker, a hyena, and a zebra. While on the ocean Pi encounters many challenges such as food, and water, but the main one is probably living on a tiny boat with a tiger. After being on a boat together over 200 days the two form an amazing bond. Along with this, the story also talks about Pi exploring different religions like Christianity, and Hinduism. I thought this book was really interesting at times but it was a little bit confusing at some point, so I didn't really like it that much.

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Doctor Zhivago follows the life and lamentations of doctor Yurii Adreievich Zhivago. It narrates his whole life, from when he was a young man to after the Russian Revolution and Civil War, and ends right before Lenin’s death. Throughout this time, Yurii Andreievich experiences turmoil, loss and depression and yet also unity, love and liberty, all while in the midst of a not so glamorous social revolution.

To begin, I think Boris Pasternak could have done away with many of the details he added in Doctor Zhivago. First, he added very long descriptions of people, often covering what seems like their whole lives in a few paragraphs. This is helpful, but it was only really applicable to anything when I approached the latter half of the book. In a roundabout way, the narrative does come around, but it feels dry at times regardless. The writing style utilizes such descriptions, as well as telling the story mostly with paragraphs and not with dialogue.

This can be negative and positive; for example, when Pasternak explains the Zhivago family and Yurii Zhivago’s failing heart, his depression, and the poetic scenes of Russian wilderness, it works quite well. On the other hand, when he is trying to convey a sense of emotion, or provoke thought, it sometimes falters, and when describing emotion, it is usually more effective to use dialogue as opposed to writing third-person view points. In one such instance, Zhivago and Lara Fyodorovna Antipov, often simply just Lara Fyodorovna, have found each other in Yuriatin, and, in a way, fall in love with each other. Zhivago explains his unyielding passion for her, and she replies similarly, however it was all conveyed via dialogue, which brought a realistic and understandable effect to the scenario, which could not be achieved through using narration. Pasternak's writing style prioritizes context and background information, with the intent to bring things back around later on.

This is especially true when concerning major characters, because it is necessary to understand where they came from before knowing what they will do. An obvious example of this is when Pasternak explains Zhivago’s journey from his youth to attending the Medical Institute and becoming a physician; it would be confusing as to how he became a doctor if the reader wasn’t made aware of his previous education. We, then, if his youth weren’t covered, would not know what happened to Zhivago’s family, which is crucial to the plot. Separately, Pasternak uses several poetic devices, most commonly similes and metaphors, but he also will use biblical words such as “thy,” “thou,” and “thee.” However, he does expertly use characters to display emotions within Yurii Zhivago.

For example, Lara, represents his loss, his depression, and yet she brings him hope. Tonia, his first wife, brings to him a guilty mindset, the personal feeling of irresponsibility; the fact that he couldn’t even bring stability to his own family. Marina, his third and final wife, arouses from within him an air of hope, of spirit, but of which is yet again taken from him. Such convictions are the core of Doctor Zhivago, because the purpose is not for reading about the Russians, or communists, or the Tsars, but the havoc and dismay that is brought upon War’s victims and how they recover, and how they sometimes do not recover. Wars have been romanticized for the last century or so, but Doctor Zhivago does just the opposite; there is love, yes, but there is also hate, grief, and destruction.

Pasternak used the Russian Revolution and Russian Civil War as a background, which I find worked quite well. He didn’t just use it as a backdrop, he also utilized it for character development just as well. Zhivago, most primarily, is forced to adapt to post-war circumstances. For example, before the wars, he lived a well-off life in a house in Moscow. Then, during the Russian Revolution and Russian Civil War, he evacuated to Siberia to avoid the White and Red armies, and still, was captured by the Soviet partisan army. He was then let go later on, and made his way from Yuriatin to Moscow, which was comparable to a slum or ghetto at that time. The communist legislature also imposes a mandatory poverty status upon him and all other peoples, despite the fact that he is not poor (the Soviet government basically forced everyone to be poor in order for them all to be equal.) This included sharing an apartment with rats, forcing yourself to retain a diet of mostly potatoes, and other conditions of this nature.

And above all, such a literary work provokes one to ask themselves this question: “Are there really any winners in war?” In all, I believe that the story does improve as one reads further. It begins quite dry, but during and after Zhivago’s military service and capture in the Russian Civil War, more emotions are brought into the picture, and it gives an extended view and intrigue to the story. He was married, but his wife, Tonia, was deported, so he “married” Lara, but he tricked her into escaping Siberia so as to not be arrested and thrown in a gulag, and when he returns to Moscow, he reunites with an old friend. Through this connection, he “marries” his friend’s daughter, Marina, and even then, he abandons her to consult himself in solitude, to face his depression for the loss of Lara and Tonia, alone. Doctor Zhivago requires patience and interest to read, but it is nonetheless still a phenomenal work of literature. I would recommend this novel, however, it would be helpful if the reader has any interest in history whatsoever. This allows the reader to digest the material more effectively, and to also not be entirely bored of it at the halfway point.

So overall, this book is excellent in its own right, and I would recommend it, but it'd be helpful if you had any interest in history at all; a large portion of Doctor Zhivago is history-based.

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If You Could Be Mine is a book about an Iranian girl named Sahar and her forbidden love affair with her best friend, Nasrin. Eventually, Sahar finds out that Nasrin is getting married. Since Iran sees homosexuality as a sin and transgenderism as natural, the only way Sahar could be with Nasrin would be transitioning into a man. Throughout the book, Sahar struggles with the decision of marrying Nasrin with the stipulation of being in a body she does not belong in, or never being with her. This book is extremely interesting and thought-provoking, with aspects of life in Iran being a main focus. Reading this book taught me more about Iranian culture and the hardships women and LGBTQ+ people face by simply existing as they are. The characters in the story are well-developed, making you want to keep reading to understand their motives and actions. Overall, I enjoyed this book and believe people could learn a lot from it.

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Every Falling Star By Sungju Lee & Susan Elizabeth McClelland 

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Every Falling Star By Sungju Lee & Susan Elizabeth McClelland 

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“Every Falling Star” by Sungju Lee & Susan Elizabeth McClelland is an autobiographical of a teenage boy who is living in North Korea, his name is Sungju Lee. Sungju was only 12 years old and was living in North Sungji’s father was in the military for 3 years and came back after Kim Il-Sung died in 1994, once Sungji’s father came back he and his parents went on a “vacation” to Gyeong-Seong even tho Sungji knew it wasn't just a vacation, but Sungji didn't know it was a punishment for his father after losing his job. While they were living in Gyeong-Seong it was one of Sungji’s many dreams that he would work in North Korea’s armed forces, this caused Sungji and his parents to play with little military action figures while outside eating lunch, they would play behind bushes and rocks like the real military men would do.

A few years passed and Sunji went to his aunt’s house who lives in a different town tryin to find Young-🤬, his best friend from when he was younger, but instead of finding his best friend Sungji figured out his grandmother had passed. During this time North Korea had missile transfer to Iran and North Korea had continued to fire nuclear bombs. A few weeks or months go by and he forms a street gang to be able to survive in any conditions he may go through, Sungji’s gang was going through a rough place of traveling while trying to escape North Korea, and during these travels, his best friend has died, they find their way to a farmer’s home and ask if there is a place where they can bury his best friend Young-🤬, they send him with a few words of respect and make their way back to trying to escape North Korea, while they were traveling Sungji experiences grief from the lost of his best friend. After a few more days of traveling, they were by a potato farm, and guards came chasing after them out of nowhere, the gang lost the guards and finally made it to the border of North Korea, they all had fake passports, but before they could even get out of north korea they were stopped and interrogate the group, they realized they were all from North Korea Defector and sent them all to an organization that helps them, this organization was in South Korea, once Sungji was sent into the organization Sungji was reunited with his father.

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Imagine you live in a small town called Burruga, Australia. Everyone knows everyone, where they live, what their job is, nothing is kept secret. This was the life of Eddie, Sally, and Larry, three teenagers whose lives got turned around by the death of their friend, Colleen. If I were in their shoes, I’d probably just leave town and never return. Colleen being Larry’s love interest, he was confused and heartbroken. The town is left in panic, while one sheriff and the town news reporter try to solve this mystery.

If you like murder mysteries with some new culture included, then this is the book for you. I liked the book quite a bit, and thought the way the author included the different speech, like the Australian accent used in words like house, and railway, food, like the common meal of sardines for breakfast, and settings like the bar being called a pub. was a great idea. I loved that it was in a poetic form, and how well the author defined the characters so nicely. If I were to recommend this book to a specific personality, it should be someone that doesn't have a weak stomach, it gives a lot of detail about Colleen’s death and the crime scene. I like how the story explains Eddie and Larry’s lives before the murder, and how they built their house on their own.

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The book "I must betray you" by Ruta Sepetys is about a teen age boy named Cristian Florescu. The book takes place in Romania during the oppressive regime of Nicolae Ceausescu in the 1980s. When Cristian is blackmailed by the secret police he becomes an informer, which goes against everything he stands by. Cristian has to face betrayal, trust, and loyalty.

The book had a lot of potential and good ideas but I don't think the author captured it right. The book felt very rushed. Which didn't leave much time for the characters to develop through the story which made them seem flat and uninteresting. the book also was very predictable the betrayal felt very obvious, like they hinted too much at it. Overall I think the book lost its meaning in the end. It was just too covered by all the drama to get the real excitement of it.

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We Share the Sun by Sarah Gearhart is about the fastest runners to ever run in Kenya and compete for the country of Kenya. The story of these runners takes place in Kenya and the author does a good job of painting the picture of the country and the conditions for the runners. The runners were made up of world record holders, Olympic gold medalists, and former Olympians. The runners faced a lot of obstacles, like Covid,  but always tried to train together because they all ran long distances. One of the main characters is Patrick Sang. He was a young talented runner,  who acquired a full-ride scholarship to a college in Texas. He accepted the offer immediately. Not only was he a runner but he was also a coach. After running in college, Sang went back to Kenya and had the chance to train some of the most decorated Kenyan runners. Amongst the runners was a man named Kipchoge. He would run a mile to Sang’s house so Sang could give him workouts and training schedules every week. Sang was able to train Kipchoge, and other runners, to win multiple medals in competitions as big as the Olympics. Sang took coaching very seriously and if you asked his trainees they would say he was more than just a coach to them. He taught them things like the three aspects of training, speed, endurance, and strength, but also taught them to be mentally strong. As he quotes, “The why pushes one to be better every day.”  In the book, We Share the Sun, Patrick Sang helped make the runners be the great athletes they are today and this story takes the reader along that journey.

If you like running this may be the book for you. However, even though I like running I found the story to be moving too slow. The details about Kenya got a bit boring and some seemed unnecessary. On the other hand, I liked the content this book brought. It was interesting to read about their many accomplishments and record-breaking runs. I also enjoyed the inspiration from Patrick Sang as a coach.

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Chris Kyle is a true son of the South. The blood that flows through his veins glows crimson red. Chris has done everything a true American would dream of doing. He started as a bull rider, but the abuse his body took was too much, so he pursued his dream of being a cowboy. Luckily, a local cattle rancher needed a hand. At a young age, he was roping cattle and living the life of a cowboy. His love for everything country made him a perfect candidate for the military. He was raised to have his brother's back and not step down to anyone which is ideal for a young man who would soon join the military.

Anyone who likes true stories of a young man who faces many obstacles while finding who he is as a person and as a husband would really enjoy reading “American Sniper”. The journey Chris Kyle takes while finding what he wants in life is truly inspiring and sheds light on the struggles that members of the United States military face every day.

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"Life of Pi" by Yann Martel follows the tale of Piscine Molitor Patel, nicknamed Pi, a young boy from India who embraces multiple religions, studying Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam from a spiritual perspective. His life takes a crazy turn when his family decides to emigrate to Canada, their zoo animals come with along on a cargo ship. Tragically, the ship drifts into a harsh storm and sinks, leaving Pi as one of the only survivors aboard a lifeboat, accompanied by a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker, a zebra, a hyena, and an orangutan.

As Pi struggles for life in the Pacific Ocean, he confronts the hard realities of nature and the challenges of living with a predator. Over 227 days, Pi learns to coexist with Richard Parker, forming a crazy bond that helps him maintain hope and sanity. The story explores thoughtful questions about faith. I believe that if someone likes reading they would love it. This particular book I did not like because it was difficult to follow and hard to read continuously.

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The book Girl In The Blue Coat written by Monica Heese takes place in Amsterdam during world war 2.

The main idea of this book is a girl named Hanneke Bakker, who sells items illegally on the black market, and one day she went to deliver items to one of her clients, Mrs. Janssen.

Hanneke thought it was just a quick stop to drop off her stuff, but what she didn't know was that she would be asked a life risking question.

Mrs. Janssen was hiding a girl named Mirjiam, after her whole family's hiding spot was raided. Mirijam was able to escape, but the rest of her family was killed.

One day, Mrs. Janssen went to visit  one of her friends across the street, and when she came back Mirjam had disappeared out of thin air. So that's when Mrs. Janssen had asked Hanneke to find Mirjiam.

This can seem exciting and interesting, but it isn't. This book is super slow paced, and not something I would read again. When I pick up a book, I look for something exciting, something that makes me not want to put the book down, and with this book, I did not find either of those.

If you are into world war 2, or historical stuff, this book is probably something that would interest you, but if not, i do not recommend this book.

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Number the Stars by Lois Lowry is a story that shows the bravery of a young girl during World War II. The protagonist, Annemarie Johansen, is a ten-year-old girl living in Copenhagen, Denmark, who finds herself involved in a dangerous mission to help her Jewish friend, Ellen, escape the Nazis. The writing is both easy to read and has great story telling, making it easy for all readers to understand with the characters and the historical context. The novel's focus on trust, courage, and the importance of standing up for what is right makes it a good read.

The book also does a good job of telling the harsh realities of war through the eyes of a child, without losing a sense of hope and humanity. The detailed descriptions of the efforts of ordinary people to protect their Jewish neighbors provide for Annemarie's journey. The storytelling is both fun to read and educational, less known aspect of World War II history. Overall, Number the Stars is a thought giving novel to reflect on the themes of bravery, sacrifice, and the power of friendship.

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I read the book A Long Walk To Water this book is about a boy named Salva he is eleven. One day at his school they heard gunshots from the war that his country was fighting. There is a girl who we first meet, her name is Nya she is eleven. She walks to get water for her family every day. Those are the two main characters.

I personally liked the book. one of the things I liked about the book was all the people Slava met. I really liked the old lady at the beginning because she let him stay in her barn. Another reason I liked the book is it shows us how good we have it here. thats why i liked the book. I think the theme of the book is perseverance. A reason I think the theme is perseverance is he worked hard to complete his goal of finding his family.

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I read the book Escape from Chernobyl. I thought this book had interesting historical facts and taught me about the nuclear power plant. The main characters in the book worked at the power plant and went through many tough struggles trying to leave and get out of Chornobyl. The 2 siblings were forced to leave their friends and family to escape. This book doesn’t talk about what it was like during the explosion and I would have liked to read more about that after seeing everything they went to just to leave. I think the theme of this book is that even leaving behind the people you love to help and save yourself will help you in the long run. I feel that this is the theme because the 2 siblings and their parents all had to leave their friends and loved ones behind to help themselves get to a better place. I would recommend this book to people who like history and are looking for a good story about the Chernobyl incident.

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The Weaver's Scar: For Our Rwanda by Brian Crawford 

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The Weaver's Scar: For Our Rwanda by Brian Crawford 

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The Weavers Scar: For Our Rwanda by Brian Crawford is a story about a young boy named Faustin who experiences the Rwandan genocide. The book shows what Faustin has to go through, like trying to survive the mass killings and find hope with all the death in his life. He has to run away from his home and leave his mother and father behind, but Faustin is an excellent runner, so he can run for a long time without getting tired. The book is all about Faustin and his friend running away from home and trying to find a safe place.

Overall the book was pretty good, but at the beginning of the book, it can be confusing if you don't understand the meaning of different words so I had to look up some words to understand the story better. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes an adventure-type story and characters overcoming challenges.

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"Hiroshima Notes" is a collection of essays by the author Kenzoaburo Oe. It is written after he went to Hiroshima. The book talks about the people and their experiences after the bombing.

The book is divided into multiple different essays all talking about different struggles of the aftermath of the bombing.

The author's writing makes you feel for the people of Hiroshima by discussing his interactions with them and their stories.

Oe discusses people's physical and mental struggles and focuses on their resilience. This book raises questions about whether is it good to use nuclear weapons in war. Oe makes it clear of the importance of remembering the bombing in Hiroshima to prevent future nuclear disasters. He says the story and memories of the survivors should be remembered and honored.

Kenzaburo Oe's writing is critical along with being compassionate. He will write about the politicians and the decisions they made that led to the events of the bombing.

"Hiroshima Notes" is a moving book about the human suffering and cost of nuclear warfare. This book shows how strong the human will and is a reminder of the consequences of war.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in history and the different aspects of war.

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Reef is about a boy named Triton who becomes a servant in the household of a marine biologist named Mr. Salgado. The book takes place in Sri Lanka, an island country. The story shows Triton and some of the other people's personal growth as characters. It also shows the ups and downs of people’s relationships and how changes in politics and society affect their lives. It shows us Triton's daily life and the big changes that are happening around him. The story also shows loyalty through Triton’s dedication to Mr. Salgado. Although there are some challenges they face, Triton remains a loyal servant and chef, always trying to please Mr. Salgado. For example, Triton carefully prepares a Christmas feast, showing his dedication and cooking skills, which impresses Mr. Salgado and his guests. Reef is a story of personal growth, loyalty, and the impact of societal changes on individual lives. Overall, I didn’t really like this book, and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone else. I thought that in the beginning, it was good. It had a cool storyline and was interesting, but a lot of the same thing was just repeated throughout the rest of the book, so it got boring.

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The Beekeeper Of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri

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The Beekeeper Of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri

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"The Beekeeper of Aleppo" is a historical fiction novel written by Christy Lefteri, set in Aleppo, Syria. The narrative centers on Nuri, a beekeeper, and his wife, Afra, an artist. Nuri is deeply proud of his beekeeping and his family. However, their lives are disrupted by the outbreak of war, forcing them to flee their home country. During this dangerous journey, Afra suffers from blindness resulting from trauma, while Nuri experiences hallucinations. They travel through Turkey and Greece with the hope of eventually reaching England. The story is touching and heartbreaking, yet it conveys resilience and hope throughout their battles.

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Making Bombs For Hitler by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch

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Making Bombs For Hitler by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch

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Making Bombs For Hitler takes place in Germany and Ukraine during World War 2. This story tells you about a young girl named Lida who was taken from her grandmother by the Nazis. Shortly after the Nazis took Lida and her sister, she got separated from her sister, which pained her. When she arrived at the work camp, it was brutal, cold, and miserable. After a while at the camp, she gets used to the harsh and horrible conditions. When she finally got comfortable doing her job, she got transferred to making bombs for the nazis.  When the war was over, Lida was in and out of refugee camps for many years with her friend Luka. When still going back and forth from camps, she still had hope that she would find her sister one day.

Overall, this book was enjoyable. It was a short read that jumped right into action from the beginning. I would recommend this book to people who would like to learn more about what the kids' lives were like during World War 2.

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Sabotage takes place in Norway during World War 2. The point is that the Norwegian resistance is on a mission to destroy a hydroelectric power plant. The Germans are using Vemork to produce heavy water, a key ingredient in making a nuclear bomb. Once the mission is set, they go to London to train for the mission.

Once they return to Norway, they wait in the Vedda, a frozen 350,000-square-mile area that is mainly home to hunters and skiers, and a place that the Germans avoid because of the dangers. They wait and plan for the right time to attack. Overall I recommend this book to anybody who likes a quick and true read. The challenges that they face make this a great book.

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Snow Falling In Spring by Moying Li

In 1966 Moying Li thinks she will be set for life after being invited to a prestigious language school. But then a student-run organization starts taking control of the school and publicly beating the headmasters and teachers. Eventually, they begin making confessions to the teachers about things they didn't do. After Moying comes out of her dorm to find her headmaster hanging from a tree in the courtyard she runs home to her family to find her house taken apart by more Red Guards. More challenge she had to face was when she was living with her father and he got taken away to a labor camp and she could only see him once every couple of years. This book shows the struggles and heartbreak many families and communities experienced during this time in China. The government was very controlling during this period in China.

Overall I enjoyed this book because I had never really learned about China and I never knew they had a Cultural Revolution. I would recommend this to anyone interested in learning about the Cultural Revolution in China.

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Girl In the Blue Coat is about this girl Hanneke who is a black market deliverer. She delivered items illegally because they hid from the German patrol and didn't want to get caught. Hanneke was a part of the Dutch Resistance club. Hanneke was asked to find a missing Jewish girl Mirjam, but it was a life-threatening decision because at any time Hanneke could get caught by the German patrol and get put into a Nazi camp. One of Hannekes's clients who she sold black market items to asked her to find this missing girl. Many things happened to Hanneke during her adventures some could have been deathly and she took many risks. If Hanneke was late to curfew there would be a chance she would of got caught which was a risk whenever she stayed out trying to figure out where Mirjam was.

If you like books set in Amsterdam during World War 2, this book is for you. I did not like this book as much as I thought I would. I enjoyed learning about the Holocaust in middle school and learning about that period but this book wasn't for me. This book had a lot going on so if you like busy books and can understand everything going on I recommend this book.  If you are a slower reader and books are harder to comprehend you might want to choose a different book because this book has a lot you need to comprehend and it was harder to enjoy because of that factor.

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I Have Lived A Thousand Years  Growing Up In The Holocaust by Livia Bitton-Jackson

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I Have Lived A Thousand Years  Growing Up In The Holocaust by Livia Bitton-Jackson

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I Have Lived A Thousand Years Growing Up In The Holocaust was written by Livia Bitton-Jackson. Elli is a 13-year-old girl who was living in Hungary during the holocaust. The book shows Elli’s experience in her Nazi-occupied Hungary and her struggles with concentration camps like Auschwitz. Elli and her mom had to spend almost the entire book separated from all her other family members. Throughout the book Elli and her mom have hope and try to survive the brutal pain they go through.

Overall the book was alright. If you like holocaust books I think you would like it, It was only alright for me cause I'm not the biggest fan of holocaust books. The book has a lot of killing and can be pretty disturbing, so if you are sensitive to stuff like that I would not recommend this book.

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I Have Lived A Thousand Years  Growing Up In The Holocaust by Livia Bitton-Jackson

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F. Scott Fitzgerald, born on September 24th, 1896, is a famous American novelist and essayist. He is best known for his novels displaying the vibrant and vivacious times of the jazz age. Growing up in the city of New York through the 1910s-1920s, he experienced many of the things he wrote about in his novels. during his life, he wrote and published a total of 4 novels, 4 story collections, and 164 short stories. Many of his works were only critically acclaimed after his passing, and he is now recognized as one of the best writers of there early 20th century.

The Great Gatsby is a novel set in the late 1920s about a man named Nick Carraway, who moves to Long Island, New York and meets a mysterious billionaire named Jay Gatsby who spends his days obsessing over his lost love, Daisy Buchanan. during his time on the east coast, Nick meets Daisy, who is his cousin, and her husband Tom Buchanan, on many separate occasions. Nick learns of Tom's affair he's having with another woman, named Myrtle Wilson. One night, Nick receives an invitation to a party being thrown by his millionaire neighbor, Jay Gatsby. He soon meets Gatsby and becomes good friends with him before learning of his desire to reunite with his past lover, Daisy Buchanan.

The Great Gatsby has been banned or challenged multiple times throughout the years. The novel depicts both sides of a married couple having an affair on the other through out the story, and it contains two cases of murder. In my honest opinion, these do not seem like very valid reasons for a book to have been banned. I feel it should be important for people the learn and understand the impact that cheating can have on people and what it may lead to in the aftermath.

The main value of this story is that many dreams are simply unattainable. Jay Gatsby spends most of the novel chasing after Daisy Buchanan and trying to rekindle the past love they had together. In their younger years before gatsby joined the military, they were both deeply in love. after he returns from his time in the army and at Oxford University, he learns that Daisy had given up on him and settled down with Tom. He then proceeded to spent years accumulating his wealth just to purchase a home across the bay from hers. Throughout the book, they meet multiple times, but near the end of the novel the two of them have a massive falling out and the illusion Gatsby spent so many years of his life chasing fell to pieces.

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Born in 1903, in India, George Orwell always resonated with being around the truth rather than dishonesty. During the Spanish Civil War of 1936, Orwell was surrounded by political propaganda–one party against the other twisting reality to fit their own needs to gain jurisdiction and popularity. As his disapproval of totalitarianism and the Soviets grew, he expressed his condemnation through Animal Farm (1945), discussing how overthrowers become worse dictators than their original parasitic tyrants.

Animal Farm is about the animals of Manor Farm who are fed up once and for all. After years of labor working for humans without receiving any reward or good treatment in return, Old Major, an elderly pig, delivers a touching speech that completely morphs the livestock’s outlook on life. With a new hope to hold onto, the animals decide to plan a rebellion against their master, Mr. Jones, and create a government of equality and freedom for each individual. Although life is initially peaceful, the leading pigs become more power-hungry. In short, they rise as dictators through propaganda, manipulation, and taking advantage of the other livestock’s gullibility.

Animal Farm is banned partially because it’s a representation of the Russian Revolution, but also because the material mocks and throws accusations toward the communist government. It argues that no matter what kind of government is ruling, ultimately, no one will remain equal. It encourages rebellion by painting a picture of how higher authority feeds off citizens, getting stronger and richer while the poor residents are overlooked and perish. It also dissects the methods by which leaders exploit and create fallacies to better suit their personal needs, and use fear tactics to submit people into obedience.

One example of manipulation shown in the novel is when the pigs claim, “‘…We pigs are the brainworkers…It is for your sake we drink milk and eat apples… If we pigs failed in our duty… Jones would come back!’” They state false evidence and bring terror to intimidate their "friends," similar to allegations of how we are puppets to the government.

To summarize, Orwell’s tale threatens those who wish to maintain control over their oppressed subjects. This is because his story empowers the ideas of revolutions and fights for liberty for people with declining equality. To prevent the reveal of unspoken grievances from happening, Animal Farm is banned in a variety of countries–mainly in North Korea, for a short period in Russia (1945-1980s), and from an assortment of African countries.

In conclusion, Animal Farm's merit is truly abstract; greed and materialism can escalate to maliciousness and injustice without one even anticipating it. The main idea behind the text also warns its readers no matter how well-intentioned a political system is, they will be susceptible to corruption and selfishness, where many of their motives are to do things not in a desire to benefit their society but themselves. This writing is very valuable and will unbox your judgment.

If you enjoy novels with deeper meanings while preserving conciseness and clarity, or aren't comfortable with explicit content, you'll be very invested in this book's suspense. Animal Farm is so thought-provoking and unique, written for everyone to read. Please check it out for yourself!

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The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie 

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Sherman Alexie was born in Wellpinit, Spokane Indian Reservation on October 7, 1966. He is a popular Native American author of poetry, short stories, and novels. When Alexie was 6 months old he underwent surgery because he suffered from congenital hydrocephalus, a nervous system disease which gave him seizures when he was a young child. Luckily this didn't affect him very much once he got to high school where he became an honor student and class president. He got a scholarship to Gonzaga University where he studied for two years and later graduated from Washington State University. He published his first book, I Would Steal Horses, in 1992. Fifteen years later on September 12, 2007, he published The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.

This story is about a Native American boy by the name of Arnold Spirit Jr. who decides to move to an all-white school after being suspended from his all-Native American school on his Native American reservation. Junior as he likes to be called, quickly realizes that all his previous friends have become enemies because they feel betrayed. His best friend, Rowdy, has become his worst nemesis. At his new school, Reardan, he finds it even more difficult to make friends in this new prejudiced environment. Will Junior be able to make some new friends and stay enrolled in this unfamiliar school, read this emotional rollercoaster of a book to find out.

Though I enjoyed this book greatly, it was easy to see why it could have been banned for many reasons. First of all, there are countless times that alcohol abuse is referenced in this work. For example, at the very beginning, on page 16 it says, “His father is drinking hard and throwing hard punches, so Rowdy and his mother are always walking around with bruised and bloody faces.” This book may have also been banned because of the racial slurs mentioned, especially when Junior first gets to Reardan. The final and probably biggest argument to get this story banned is the multiple mentions of sexual content. I have decided not to elaborate on this topic.

The main value of this book is to teach students not to give up no matter the hardships they going through. Junior could even be seen as a role model to someone who is struggling because he shows that perseverance is key to success. I would recommend this book to a more mature audience that can handle repeated swearing and racial comments, as well as, sexual content.

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The absolute true diary of a part-time Indian

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Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930), a British novelist, received a master’s degree in surgery, wrote ten books, twenty-two novels, and two-hundred and four short stories. Published in 1887, A Study In Scarlet, his first novel, follows the trail of a neophyte detective, Sherlock Holmes. A murder has been committed, and the word Rache, German for revenge, is painted in blood upon a wall. During a lengthy flashback, the book takes you to Mormon-controlled seventeenth-century Utah, where you learn the motive of the antagonist.

A Study In Scarlet was banned because of its derogatory view of Mormons. As Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s daughter later admits, A Study In Scarlet’s Mormons are based on anti-Mormon books by former Mormons and are grossly inaccurate. In the book, Mormons are consistently described as violent, strict, and polygamous people. For example, in the novel, no one could exit Salt Lake City without a written pass from Brigham Young, the Mormon leader. If they did not have said pass, armed guards would shoot them. In real life, Mormons are a whole lot less authoritarian.

Banning a Study In Scarlet is illogical. Despite the inaccuracies, this novel should be at least an option for students to read, if not mandatory. It is the first book of the revered Sherlock Holmes series, and it is a spectacular novel and should be treated as such. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had a stroke of genius when he created the infallible Sherlock Holmes. Perhaps, if people are concerned about the book’s view on Mormons, schools should only offer it to middle and high school students, as they are old enough to decipher fact from fiction and take everything with a grain of salt.

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Orson Scott Card, the author of Ender’s Game, was born in Richland, Washington. Having won many awards for his books, Card is best known for writing in the science fiction genre. Ender’s Game, one of his bestselling science fiction classics, was originally published in 1985.

Set on a futuristic version of planet Earth, Ender’s Game follows the story of a young boy named Ender. At six years old, Ender is recruited to go to Battle School. This so-called school is located on a space station and trains new officers for the war against Buggers. Named for their bug-like features, these aliens have tried to invade Earth twice. Now, Earth is preparing for a mysterious third invasion. Humans are outnumbered and without someone to mastermind the war against the Buggers, humankind is in danger of being wiped out. All hope is riding on Ender.

Most of the controversy surrounding this book is that it is pornographic. Throughout the book, there is nudity and some mentions of genitalia; however, that is the extent of the matter. This book was banned in some places because of racial comments in the original version. I am glad to say that these parts of the book have now been rewritten to exclude the racist mentions.

This book is worth reading because it encourages people to think. Pondering about the morals of killing for self-defense and how different people may have different perspectives on the subject is beneficial. In addition, the book encourages contemplation about child manipulation and abuse both physically and mentally. By deeply embedding these ideas into his book, Card has done a wonderful job encouraging people to think outside the box and be creative. Ender’s Game can start great discussions about important topics and inspire people to be imaginative and consider things from other perspectives. For these reasons, I believe Ender’s Game should not be banned.

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Alice Walker found her love of writing while she was a child after her mother gifted her a typewriter, and has created stories that inspire many through her descriptions of American culture. Her most popular novel, The Color Purple, was published in 1982, and though she had written and published many other books and poetry collections, The Color Purple has stayed a fan favorite.

The Color Purple is a book that is full of tragedy and the horrors of Celie’s everyday life. I knew from the second paragraph why this book was banned; it started off with scenes of sexual assault and incest, which continued to show up throughout the book.

The main character, Celie, discovers who she is and finds her identity because of the terrible abuse she had to endure, and even though life gave her a hard time, she stayed true to herself no matter what. Celie’s journey really started when she lost her sister and married Mr._____.

Throughout the entire story, Celie tried to find happiness along with someone who truly loved her, since her sister was the only one who cared for her. When all hope for happiness seemed lost, she met Shug Avery, a woman who had always astounded her. As Celie and Shug get closer, Celie discovers who she is, and who she wants to be. After many ups and downs, Celie discovers that she doesn’t need others to make her feel happy, and that her happiness is a journey she needs to embark on on her own.

The Color Purple was banned for many reasons that were quite obvious, in my opinion. There are scenes with incest, both sexual and domestic abuse, masturbation, and LGBTQ+ scenes. I can see why certain people would want to ban a book like this, but I think that it’s a very important book that highlights a lot of very controversial topics from an interesting perspective.

In my opinion, The Color Purple is important because it is very down to earth and doesn’t smear over the terrors of life. During that time period, black women endured many hardships, but a lot of people sugar coat what they went through to make themselves feel better about it. Celie’s journey, on the other hand, is described in excruciatingly horrific detail, and the author shows readers what life was really like then. I learned a lot from this book, and I think that everyone should read it at some point so that they can further educate themselves on the topic of human relationships, and so they can further understand how to find out if people are sugar coating history.

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Although George Orwell was a pen name, it became one of the most well known names in literature. The author of popular novels such as Animal Farm and 1984, George Orwell had different political views than those around him, which drove him to write about his ideas regarding the state of the government.

Original Date Published: 1949

1984 is a word of warning about what the world could look like under a totalitarian government. In Oceania, there are two kinds of people: the Proles and the Party members. The Proles are the average people who believe every lie the party feeds to them. The Party members are the people who have an education and the average desk job. The main character, Winston Smith, is a member of the Outer Party. He knows that the Party lies to the citizens of Oceania, and he knows that they erase the events in the past that they do not like. He and his lover, Julia, join a rebel group after gaining this knowledge, but not everyone is telling the truth. 1984 is a novel full of deception and control with an extraordinarily eerie ending.

1984 is probably banned due to the ideas regarding politics, sexual scenes, and violent scenes. The idea of a dictator was likely very scary in the year that it was written, due to the fact that WWII had recently ended. Sexual scenes were and still are frowned upon in literature, and 1984 has plenty of scenes that fall into a category of inappropriate and sometimes unnecessary content. There are plenty of violent scenes all throughout the novel, including scenes of torture and mentions of murder.

Reading 1984 is important for the same reason as learning history. It is important because you can learn from the mistakes that were made and not make them yourself. It also shows very eye opening fears from the 40’s, such as controlling governments and dictators. The writing poses many questions about sense of self and individuality, and it prompts you to reflect on who you are and what you believe. Like most other banned books, 1984 is banned because it talks about important but uncomfortable topics. People ban books because they are afraid of the ideas and beliefs that the words will spark in the reader. That is exactly why banned books should be read.

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Stephen Chbosky was born in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, 1970. He is an author, screenwriter and director and has written two novels including the infamous, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, published February 1, 1999, and has been one of the most banned and challenged books in the past century. He wrote the book during a rough breakup, when trying to find himself, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower reflects that, with every character he created, growing, changing, and finding themselves over the period of just one year. He both screen wrote and directed the movie adaptations for his most famous novel, The Perks of being a Wallflower, Wonder, and the musical Dear Evan Hansen.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky, is told through letters written by Charlie, an introverted teenage boy. The letters recount the experience of his first year in high school, meeting new people, experiencing new things, and his attempts at being involved. Once Charlie encounters two seniors, Sam and Patrick, Charlie's horizons are broadened. Sam and Patrick take him to his first party, acquaint him with his first girlfriend, and embrace him, adopting him into their friend group. Though Charlie's traumas forbear him at times, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is about more than just Charlie's high school experience; it is the story of how Charlie found himself and where he fits in the world around him.

Many topics covered in The Perks of Being a Wallflower are highly controversial. Themes like underage alcoholism, mental health, sexual violence, drug use, suicide, and homosexuality are some of the many reasons why the book is one of the most challenged books in the past century. Censorship has existed since the beginning of writing. Novels considered tendentious tend to be the most challenged or banned pieces because of the mature themes included in them. Many contentious subjects written about in The Perks of Being a Wallflower are more common than you might think. The relatability of mature topics discussed in the novel is why the book has been highly challenged and debated by parent groups from towns across the country. The book covers topics that seem misleading for teenagers but, in reality, are very understandable for many.
The value of "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" lies in its ability to inspire readers with its valuable lessons. Despite his past traumas, the main character, Charlie, learns about the importance of friendship, self-acceptance, and living life to the fullest. These lessons resonate with many readers and encourage them to reflect on their lives.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower's suggested audience is primarily teenagers. The book covers heavy topics that teenagers could easily relate to, so it might be difficult for younger kids to understand. Of course, older generations would understand the themes in the book, but they wouldn't relate to the characters, who are teenagers in 1999, because high school was a much different time, even a few years prior.

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Ernest Hemingway was born in Oak Park, Illinois, in 1899. He was an ambulance driver during the First World War, which would be the inspiration for A Farewell to Arms in 1929. A Farewell to Arms tells the story of a young American named Frederic Henry, referred to often as Tenente, who joined the Italian Armed Forces in order to serve in World War I. He is responsible for transporting those who have been wounded to the nearest medical site, which is in Gorizia. It also follows the romance of he and a Scottish nurse named Catherine Barkley.
In 1929, Bostonian authorities outlawed the June edition of Scribner’s Magazine because it contained an excerpt from Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms. Also in 1929, the Italian government banned the publication of the novel because it brutally described the retreat of Caporetto. In 1939, the Irish government chose to remove the book from their shelves because of its sexual content. Six years earlier, in 1933, Nazi-Germany blacklisted the novel because it made the Germans look like hounds and Italians look like cowards. The Nazis were close allies with Fascist Italy.
Despite these considerably unorthodox displays of literacy, it is necessary to allow A Farewell to Arms be unbarred. Hemingway’s realistic depiction of World War I, while many find it horrid, is a valuable writing. A written description is just as important as a verbal testimony to the War, and Hemingway served first-hand. You, nor I, understand precisely what it was like during that time. Those of the Lost Generation are mostly gone, or dying, and likely do not remember the details so accurately. Therefore, regardless of stubborn authorities, works such as A Farewell to Arms must remain in distribution.

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In this book Thomas Erikson categorizes behaviors and labels them based on their natures. The colors correspond with the natural emotion and character they embody, reds are typically more dominant and hotheaded, while blues are detail oriented and calmly focused on topics at hand. Erikson introduces each color and mentions their instincts and actions in different situations. He details every feature of these colors and responds by unveiling their attitude behind it and possible outcomes along with ways to resolve these situations and conflicts. Erikson provides problems in many different spaces and creates quick calm reaction with a steady reply to ease any social environment and cool the idea of an argument or further disruption. Another thing He mentions is body language, how to create a reaction which will make them feel comfortable and help to have a brighter experience in the future and work towards a closer relationship. Erikson includes examples of people in His life that embody colors greatly and uses them to further advance His points and create a more natural idea in His work which is backed up. At the end He even adds a quiz filled with questions regarding colors in work and social situations with an answer sheet.

I think this book is something everyone should at least take a peak into, whether you read it fully or just pay attention to categories that peak your interest, your bound to learn great information and give yourself the tool of identifying others to help you greatly in the future. I thought it was a 10\10 and influenced my ability to sense other attitudes and work better around the problems in the road that may become a problem in future or current situations whether its work or school based.

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Lightbringer by Pierce Brown (Red Rising book 6)

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Lightbringer by Pierce Brown (Red Rising book 6)

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After the loss on Mercury to the Society dictators, Darrow is planning his escape to Mars. Before he can get there, a video of his friend being captured is intercepted and Darrow goes to rescue him. Darrow fails miserably, but manages to escape with his friend thanks to their escape plan. An assault on Phobos is launched by the Society. While the Rising lose Phobos, they gain a non-aggression pact and had killed the Society's best swordsman. Lysander brings his fleet to support the Rim against Volsung Fa's raids but…

The first half of this book was great, the rest (excluding the ending) felt like a waste of time. The Battle of Phobos was incredible and felt like the earlier books, but the needless reiteration of events made the book a chore to read. Though this book had very high highs, the lows make it a 4/10.

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Joans Taylor is a scientist who studies prehistoric creatures specifically the Megalodon which he has become obsessed with finding down in the Mariana Trench as he believed it was what killed his crew years ago on that navy vessel. Jonas was discharged believing it was his fault those men were killed but he still pushes on to prove to the world he is not insane. One day while Joans is giving a talk on a panel about Megalodon a strange woman confronts him with a deal she works at Tanaka Industries an industry designed to detect systemic activities to help with Japan's earthquake problem. They want Jonas to dive into the Mariana Trench with them to help their research but while down there some things should have just been untouched. One of the researchers loses his life to a giant male Megalodon. The rest of the researchers got out safely but megalodons followed the blood trail of a deceased male that got tangled up in cables. Now it is Janas and Tankas Industries' job to kill these creatures before the waters become a Prehistoric playground for these 60-foot monsters.

I loved reading the Meg I have a personal bias though this book its all the soft spots for me. It is a lot different from its movie counterpart and the story is more fleshed out. The idea and concept are great adding some scientific reasoning to make this story feel like something that could happen in the real world. What is terrifying is that only 5% of the ocean is explored these creatures like these Megalodons could very well exist in the deep parts of the ocean. This adds to the horror aspect of the book the words are used to the author's advantage making it feel very realistic. After reading this book I would safely give this book a 9.5/10 a very enjoyable read but there are better books out of this series.

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Set in the 2010s, young teen Starr Carter lives in a poor neighborhood. She attends a fancy white prep school. The scene has been set. Everything seems “nice”. Until “the night”.

Her best friend has been shot. By the police. For no reason. Khalil was pulled over because he was a young black guy. When the officer asks him to step out of the vehicle, the officer sees a “gun”. This gun was a hairbrush. The white cop assumes Khalil is going to shoot him, even though he is nowhere near the “gun”. So the cop shoots Khalil. Starr has to figure out why, and how to cope.

This shows the modern and future issues of racial profiling and discrimination. Even though it is a sad topic, each chapter delves into a new aspect of Starr’s life. Even though The Hate U Give might seem long, at 464 pages, it will be a quick read with you not wanting to put it down. It is a real-life perspective on what is happening today, and unfortunately, probably in the future.

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Doctor Stone (Vol 4) by Riichiro Inagaki 

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Doctor Stone (Vol 4) by Riichiro Inagaki 

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Imagine if the world as we know it suddenly turned to stone. Well, that is what happens in the book Doctor Stone series. 3,700 years later a science genius named Senku Ishigami awakens from his stone state and realizes the world is nothing like it used to be. Thousands of years without human intervention have led cities and other man-made structures to crumble and become lush forests. It looks like he is the only human left, but then as he is exploring the land he meets a girl named Kohaku. There is one mystery though, she has no idea about the petrification. Senku follows her home and it turns out there is a whole village of people who have survived for years. After meeting him most of the village doesn't trust Senku but Kohaku does. Senku hears about how her sister is sick and if she doesn't get better soon she will most likely die. Senku makes it his mission to save her to win the village's trust. There is one problem though, modern medicine has pretty much been erased making healing her much more difficult. Senku sets out to make medicine using his knowledge and the resources around him but will it be enough to save Kohaku’s sister?

(Spoilers in review)

Doctor Stone is a great series thus far and I love where the author is going with it. The way that the story tackles what was once the simplicity of modern medicine to now having to make an over-the-counter medicine is well done. It does it in a way that is interesting and shows the struggle to get there but doesn't make it feel boring or hard to follow. For example, to get to making sulfonamides they first need to mix other chemicals but to do that they need something that can withstand heat so they need to make glass. This all happens through many chapters but to keep it from getting boring they add side plots and other character interactions throughout to keep the reader engaged while still showing how tedious glass-making can get. Another thing this book brings up that got me thinking is what if our modern conveniences we take for granted were gone? For example, if I'm feeling sick I would just go to the store to get some medicine, but what if you couldn't just go to the store?   This book highlights how we take this for granted and how little self-reliance we have.  However it gives up hope by showing us that it is possible to still thrive on your own, it just takes a lot more than just going to the store.

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Over 20,000 years in the future Caladan is a planet filled with vast resources and water. Paul Atreides lives on Caladan as a privileged son of royalty he also can see little glimpses of the future. Duke Leto Atreides who is Paul's father rules over Caladan with his army the Sardaurker. In Dune spice is an important thing it has many uses such as fuel, health benefits, and slight glimpses into the future. To get spice people have to go to a desert planet by the name of Arrakis but there are challenges to get such materials as wherever spice is around giant sandworms will be near. By the order of the Emporer, he sent the Duke and his army with his son to govern the spice trade on Arrakis which was a ploy for the Harkonens one of the empires known for their brutality and selfishness. The Harkonnens are in an alliance to take down the house of Atreides by doing so they attack the Duke throwing a dinner party the Harkonens surprise attack them.

I liked Dune.. when I understood it. It is pretty confusing with different things getting introduced every chapter, like a Gob Jabbar or a Crysknife. It requires slow reading I recommend watching the movie first to get a visual image of the world of Dune. The books and the movies are similar but they cut out some parts (like a dinner scene on Arrakis). The world-building and the characters are well crafted and the characters interact well with each other. The fight scenes even though you are just reading them are a delight to the eyes. People have these shields that can take fast attacks but when slowly stabbed or attacked they can hurt the person. As the book says every fight is like a chess game deciding every move very slowly as it could cost you your life. Reading Dune Book 1 was a fun experience and has convinced me to read the other novels and keep up with the movies.

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This story tells the life of a young man named Christopher McCandless who ventures into the Alaskan wilderness, abandons all sense of identity, and disappears from society. Krakauer details Chris's journey and the background he had, before deserting his college dorm and family forever. The book continues to tell the lives of many different explorers and young men who were also as intrigued by nature as much as Chris. Krakauer finds and explains the similarities he notices when analyzing Chris's story to other adventurers to try and find out why they were suddenly disappearing from the world. Lastly, Krakauer and his friends venture into the wild and follow Chris's path to get a perspective and maybe an understanding as to why he might have done what he did.

This book often frustrated me and made me question the characters' actions and choices. I would recommend reading Into The Wild if you are interested in exploring since Krakauer executed this book's language and description well. The detail and effort Krakauer put into the mysteries of why nature allures people and the natural human curiosity to go into the wild gives the book a clear understanding.

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It is an average high school day with Senku Ishigami, a brilliant young scientist following his dreams to one day reach the moon. His best friend, Taiju Oki, is less smart than Senku, but makes up for it with loyalty and strength. Out of nowhere, a green light appears and turns all of humanity to stone. No one is dead, but in a state of hibernation, and the stone is like a shell that they cannot break free of. Time goes by, day after day, and everyone is still as stiff as a statue–until 3,700 years later when a miracle happens. Somehow, Senku’s and Taiju’s stone state starts to crack and they are freed. It turns out they haven’t aged one bit. As they look out at the world, they soon realize that it is just a fragment of what it used to be. Unlike them, the rest of the world did not freeze, and all human creation turned back to lush forests. All human technology has been lost. Now Senku and Taiju must figure out what caused this petrification and how to bring humanity back.

(Spoilers in this review)

This fabulous book is part of a 26-part series, which is a lot, but promises to keep improving.  The storyline is flawless with no holes in it. I’m enjoying the way the author goes about showing evolution. For example, after they find the cure to stop the stone state of humans, they decide to recruit a fellow high school student for help. He turns out to have disparate ideals than Senku; they split and become enemies. Gunpowder is the first step in their fight for the upper hand. The characters in this story are well done but they fall into the classic tropes like the smart cocky one, the dumb but strong one, and the villain who has twisted ideals and wants to fix the world, which brings down the book a little bit. The pacing is pretty fast, which I enjoyed, but if you prefer those slow-building stories you might not be able to get into it. The art story world-building and writing are stellar, though, so if you like adventure manga or adventure books in general, I would recommend the Dr. Stone series.

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On Earth, a catastrophic climate change crisis—a giant tsunami—led to the realization that humans might need to relocate. This sparked the idea of The Olympus Project, the process of human expansion to the Moon. Set in a dystopian future, Gaia Enterprises, a large corporation, chooses the smartest humans—Xavier, Xanthe, and Troy—to lead the expedition and prepare for their moon trip. The leaders of Gaia are disagreeable about who will make up the rest of the team. This causes issues later on.

The first few introductory chapters were a bit long, and there were a few confusing parts, but other than that it was an enjoyable page-turner. At around 420 pages, this book looked long at first but sped by in a flash. The Olympus Project gives an interesting perspective on what might happen in the future for humankind.

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Humanity has been split into social classes based on the color of their skin and transformed into new species specialized in certain job sectors. Reds do menial labor, while Golds are the masters of a dictatorship. In the four Core planets of our solar system, Darrow defends against the invasion of Mercury led by the Society. On Mercury, the war turns into complete chaos and many people meet their end. Ephraim is trying to escape the hold of the Obsidians with Darrow's son as a new foe enters the equation. Due to the chance of a gas attack by the Society on the Darrow's remaining holdout, a fighter sets in motion a plan to quickly end the invasion to save lives. Ephraim finds a way to get Pax away from the Obsidians but promptly gets into trouble as they try to save Lyria.

This is a long book: 750ish pages. On the other hand, the book is a page-turner with enjoyment furthered by reading the first four books. With all the twists and turns this book takes, and the more actions-conscious events, it's reminiscent of Game of Thrones with a new and deep setting.

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I have been reading Girl In The Blue Coat by Monica Hesse. Girl In The Blue Coat takes place in Amsterdam in January 1943 and is about this girl, the main character Hanneke Bakker, who works as a black market deliverer which is someone who finds black market items that you usually wouldn’t be able to get (such as perfume, lotion, sausage, lipstick, smokes, etc.) and deliver them to the customer that ordered those supplies while hiding it from the germans that patrol Amsterdam. When she’s on her way to deliver goods to one of her regulars, Mrs. Janssen when Mrs. Janssen begs her to look for this Jewish girl she was hiding in her house, Mirjam because she’s all Mrs. Jannsen has left after her 3 sons left the house and her husband died. When Hanneke finally accepts to look for Mirjam, she journeys on this long voyage attempting to look for Mirjam before the Germans find her and throw her in a Nazi camp, or worse.  On this expedition, she finds out more secrets than she was originally pleased to, investigating every inch of Amsterdam hoping to find Mirjam.

I personally really liked Girl In The Blue Coat but I did feel that there was a lot happening near the end of the book that the author could have spread out throughout the book a little bit better. And the secret we found out about Hanneke’s dead boyfriend's brother was kind of just thrown in there. The author could have put more leading up to that so that it made a little bit more sense or the author could have just not added it at all, but overall the book was quite good, I definitely recommend it to those who love non-fiction books with a lot of juicy secrets, as long as you don’t mind the fact that it is about world war 2. It’s also great if you have little to no knowledge about world war 2 because it is easy to understand without knowing anything about world war 2.

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The Spy and The Traitor by Ben Macintyre

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The Spy and The Traitor by Ben Macintyre

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The book is called The Spy and The Traitor by Ben Macintyre. It takes place during the cold war and the main character’s name is Oleg Gordievsky. He is a man who was born and raised in Russia. His father, Anton Gordievsky, was a KGB, the Russian intelligence organization. However, his grandmother was secretly religious and his mother silently disagreed with communism. Because of this Oleg Gordievsky got to see multiple perspectives of the world. His older brother is also a KGB officer. Oleg joins the KGB too, but throughout the book, you see Oleg’s perspective slowly change until he decides he does not agree with the KGB’s way of life. Read the book to find out what he does to try and stop them from winning the Cold War.

I liked the plot of the book and the fact that it is a true story makes it better. However, one thing I did not like about the book is anytime it introduced another person into the story it would have a couple of paragraphs about that person's life. This made it sort of difficult to keep track of and hard to remember the story in much detail. However, if you are interested in the Cold War or just spies in general I do think that overall The Spy and The Traitor was a good book worth reading.

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Half-Life: A Novel by Jillian Cantor is a spectacular book about the first female Nobel Prize winner, Marie Curie. Circa 1934, Marie Curie is bedridden and blind. She has no concept of days and needs clarification of everything.

Flashback to her youth, 1891: Manya’s mother and sister die of tuberculous, and she is depressed and stuck in Russian-controlled Poland where women are not allowed to have an education. She plans to move to Paris with her older sister and follows through after declining a marriage proposal from the “love of her life” Kazimeirz Zarowski. He begs her not to leave, but Mayra continues to France and changes her name to Marie to start a new life. She attends a university in France, the Sorbonne, as the only woman in her class. The men are intimidated by her and cruel, but Marie doesn’t regret her decision one bit.

She falls in love and marries her lab partner, Pierre Curie. Marie visits her father in Poland and upon return gives birth to her first child with Pierre, Irene. She soon returns to her lab to discover radium. Marie and Pierre write to the French Academy of Science about their invention allowing for the element’s isolation and are told they do not have enough evidence.

Marie becomes pregnant again and soon after finds out her father has died. She returns to Poland for the first time in three years, where she contracts the flu and subsequently has a miscarriage.

Upon her return to Paris, they receive a call saying they have been chosen for a Nobel Prize in Physics for their discovery of radium and will have to go to Sweden for their acceptance speech. In June of 1905, they travel to Sweden to receive their prize. Pierre is admitted into the Academy of Science as a professor and Marie has their second child, Eve.

Soon after Marie attends a conference in Brussels and upon her return finds newspaper articles about her claiming her husband's fame. A year later she receives a Nobel Peace Prize in Chemistry.

Summer of 1914 she returns to Paris where a war has broken loose. She continued to create X-Ray machines that were used on battlefields in the war.

1934, Marie continues in her lab until she cannot walk. Her last moments were relived in her glory.

I loved this book. I usually stay away from longer books like this one, but once I started into the book more I enjoyed it. The author capitalized on Marie’s love for science and her life events. The author looks into expansion by talking about Marie's life in Russia-controlled Poland.

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Has something horrible happened on the first few days of a trip that you’re sure will ruin everything? Because that’s the case for Mark Watney, a botanist, mechanical engineer, and one of the first people to walk on Mars. On the 6th day of a two-month trip, a powerful dust storm causes evacuation and nearly kills Mark, while the rest of his crew blast off believing him to be dead. Now stranded on the red planet, alone, and without means of communication, Mark must use his wits, will, and a lot of duct tape to survive this harsh environment. Even with these impossible odds, Mark isn’t going to give up that easily, using his botany and mechanical skills, he hatches a bizarre plan to stay alive and even contact NASA back on Earth. Overcoming obstacles around every corner gives Mark a glimmer of hope, but Mars still has a few tricks up its sleeve.

The Martian was a great read filled with twists and turns. It was suspenseful, humorous, and full of scientific knowledge. The book switches POV between Mark’s log entries, the staff back at NASA, and Mark’s crew heading back to Earth. So if you don’t prefer multiple points of view then I wouldn’t recommend this book. The Martian also uses technical terms backed up with real knowledge, so if you would prefer just a story rather than reading about math and astronomy then I definitely wouldn’t recommend this book. Overall The Martian was an incredible story that I would read over and over again, and I strongly recommend it.

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The Beekeeper of Aleppo By Christy Lefteri 

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The Beekeeper of Aleppo By Christy Lefteri 

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Peaceful beekeeper Nuir, his wife Afra, and their son Sami live in a city in Syria. Nuri takes pride in his bees and beautiful family. Shoots fired. War broke out. Something tragic and unexpected unfolds ripping their prideful family apart. Afra goes blind due to the trauma, and  Nuri feels for her. The Syria war breaks out, affecting the family greatly, They decided its time to leave. They're going to England. They set out on a wild and thrilling adventure, to hopefully find safety. After many near-death experiences, they lose each other. Will they ever find each other again? And will they ever make it to England?

This story follows the danger, and the threat of escaping the country, and how it can be beautiful yet heartbreaking. How war can break people's relationships, but travel can bring people together.

This is a heart-throbbing story but told beautifully. If you like adventure, thrill, and always being on the edge of your seat, but a beautiful, and descriptive story I would highly recommend this book.

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Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier 

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Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier 

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Girl With a Pearl Earring is a historical novel by Tracy Chevalier that takes a famous painting of an imaginary girl and gives it life.  It tells the story of sixteen-year-old Griet living in Delft, Holland, during the 17th century. Griet comes from a poor, Protestant family of tradesmen who make tiles. To provide for her family, Griet becomes a maid for the painter Johannes Vermeer and his wife.

As Griet ventures to the Vermeer home in the Catholic part of town, she feels nervous knowing she will spend six days a week in a new and unfamiliar religious environment. In time, however, Griet becomes more comfortable with the family, and her interest in Vermeer deepens. Her duties include serving the mistress of the house and tending to the studio of the mysterious painter. No one but Griet is allowed to clean the studio and that instills a level of intimacy she wasn’t expecting. There are times when Griet will be tidying the studio, and she finds herself absorbed in the painting Vermeer is making. She learns about the creation of each piece of art and each pigment from around the world that adds life to the piece.

As the story unfolds, there is a hidden impression that Vermeer’s view of Griet has changed. She is no longer the invisible maid in the corner, but a young woman given pearls and a face. The anonymous maid becomes the Girl With a Pearl Earring, the subject of one of Vermeer’s most famous paintings.

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The Whydah is a nonfiction book about the most feared pirate ship in the 1700s. The Whydah was initially built as a passenger, cargo, and slave ship, but ended up getting captured by the feared pirate Captain Samuel Bellamy also known as  “Black Sam.”  The pirate stole and captured more than 50 ships during their time and even some people from the other ships joined the pirates to help steal from different ships. In 1717, the pirates wanted to sail to Maine to “plunder more prizes.” Little did they know, when they were sailing through the treacherous Cape Cod waters, they were not as familiar with the dangerous waters as they would need to be. Will the Whydah safely find their way to treasure and fame, or will they be swept away by the harsh waters, read this story to find out!

Usually, I'm not a big fan of non-fiction books, but this book used facts to tell an extremely interesting story that makes you ponder what it must have been like back then. What I enjoyed about this story is how they introduced every ship and crew member. The descriptions of them made me feel like I knew what roles they played on the ship. The photos in the book also were a nice touch to give you visuals about the story that I enjoyed. I would give this book a five out of five-star rating and I believe that if you are like me who doesn't read non-fiction, to read it because some of the stories told about the pirates in this book feel like they came out of a fiction book.

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1945 Germany: Three years ago, a girl named Zofia and her brother Abek were the only members of their family that were sent to the right, away from the gas chambers. Everyone else–her parents, her grandmother Baba Rose, and her aunt–they went left.

Zofia’s last words to her brother were a promise that she would find him and finish their alphabet. Abek to Zofia. A to Z. The book is about her journey to fulfill that promise. She travels from Germany to Poland and ends up in a displaced persons camp. At the camp, she meets other people trying to grow from their broken pasts and piece together their futures. After taking a day trip to a children’s orphanage, Zofia learns that a young boy with the same description as Abek had arrived a few days before. However, he had left in the middle of the night. Zofia is now determined to find Abek and bring him home.

They Went Left is a work of historical fiction and mystery. Monica Hesse captured what life would have been like for a broken young woman after losing her family. Zofia has to navigate Poland, a new and unfamiliar area for her. She is learning to explore this post-war world while being a shell of her former self. There are many gaps in Zofia’s memories and the reader is unaware of the real truth. Hesse did not reveal many key details until the final chapters. I was on the edge of my seat and always excited to turn the page to find out what would happen next. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a deeper dive into the life of emotional recovery after World War II.

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It started in the war, the Loyalists and the Patriots the time of letters back and forth, letters that contained either news of happiness and fortune or the worst thing you could possibly imagine. But that wasn't the way it was for Peggy and Hamilton, they were writing to each other with the hopes that Hamilton would be able to eventually be with Angela, but the letters start to transform into love between Hamilton and Peggy a love that was flirtatious and romantic, but it could never work. Peggy doesn't believe she is good enough for anything, she has never been the center of attention and she kind of liked it that way. She felt safe, and that was her position in life until she wanted more, more for herself. Peggy’s sisters were both very smart and very beautiful but Peggy didn't think that she was either of those with the war that was growing quickly she wanted to help but not behind her sisters, in her own way. She is right in the middle of the war because her father was a general in the war and she was in close contact with Hamilton throughout the period of the Revolutionary war. The book has expansion throughout it because it is based on a war. The war is constantly pushing people out on both sides so the book has some good examples of expansion. Overall I thought the book was really interesting because the author added a lot about the war but also incorporated a level of personality because of the incorporated letters back and forth between Hamilton and Peggy. I would recommend this book to people who want to learn more about the Revolutionary war but from a more personal perspective.

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The Year of the Flood by: Margaret Atwood

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The Year of the Flood by: Margaret Atwood

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The story I read is The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood. It is from the point of view of Ren and Toby. It starts in the present and they are both in different buildings, you learn that something they call “the waterless flood” has swept through and, as far as they there is no one else alive except themselves. Then, for most of the book, it goes into the backstories of both Ren and Toby and you find that they did at one point know each other. Finally, it goes back into the present where they are both eventually forced to leave the safety of their building, due to lack of food, and venture off into the city and try to survive. I really enjoyed the story and even though it was difficult to understand what exactly was happening it made more sense as I read on.

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The Diary of a Young Girl: Anne Frank, Edited by Otto Frank and Mirjam Pressler

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The Diary of a Young Girl: Anne Frank, Edited by Otto Frank and Mirjam Pressler

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Anne's family moved to Holland after the war started, but then Germans start arriving in Holland and threats start to fly. Jewish rights are taken and Jews are required to wear a yellow star of David. Anne starts to address her diary which she got for her birthday as “kitty”. In the midst of this happening, Anne's father explains that they will have to go into hiding soon. Three days later Anne's sister, Margot,  tells her that her father got a call from the SS. Later, Margot says that it was actually her that got the call and not their father. The day after, they leave to go into hiding. Their hiding spot is a secret annex above where Mr. Frank was working.

Later in her diary, she says living in the annex is like a vacation. She talks about looking forward to the arrival of the Van Dans. The Van Dans are the other family that is staying with them in the annex. Anne and her family grow more into conflict as the time in the annex goes on. Anne feels like her father is the only one who understands her. Anne struggles with her identity. The Franks have a stone set of rules. As the war proceeds, they begin to hear gunshots outside, but Mr. Frank believes the war will end soon. Air raid sirens begin to start as the anxiety in the annex grows. It left Anne and her family wondering what their fate was.

I loved this book. I could really see the character development as Anne spent time in the annex. I also loved the incorporation of religion in this book because it allowed for a detailed view of  how Jews were treated during the Holocaust.

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The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder

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The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder

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On July 20th, 1714, the “finest” bridge in Peru collapsed and sent five travelers into the water below. The five victims were Doña Maria and her maid Pepita, Esteban, Uncle Pio, and Jaime. Thousands of people had trekked across the bridge for years before, so this begs the question; why these five? A monk visiting Peru, Brother Juniper, devotes his life to exploring the manner of lives these five people led. He believes and knows that the collapse of the bridge was a sheer act of God. He writes an enormous book of research about the bridge breaking, but this book is later publicly burned in the great square.

Each chapter of The Bridge of San Luis Rey is dedicated to one of the five killed in this casualty. When I first started reading this book, I thought it was non-fiction, but is it actually realistic fiction. Thornton Wilder used outside sources to add realistic attributes to the story. For example, Wilder stated that the last copy of Brother Juniper’s novel was tucked away at the University of San Maraco, which led me to believe the research and Brother Juniper were real. I enjoyed reading The Bridge of San Luis Rey, however, it was written almost one hundred years ago, and some of the paragraphs are difficult to understand. This book had a powerful and effective message that was cleverly woven throughout the chapters. Wilder did a stupendous job writing this novel and I strongly recommend everyone read it.

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Siddhartha by Herman Hesse tells you the story of the search for self-realization (Nirvana) by a young Brahman, Siddhartha. Throughout the story, he finds many different paths to take on his journey to Nirvana. He wanders constantly, searching for everything and anything to learn from. On his journey of enlightenment, he stumbles upon a city with a beautiful woman by the name of Kamala. She rules over the people there since she is rich, but treats them with respect. Siddhartha believes that her eyes hold wisdom and ask for her to teach him how to live a good life. She teaches him to start dressing like a rich man, put perfume in his hair, and gamble away money. They soon both fall in love while he is being taught by her. After a while of living this lifestyle, Siddhartha soon starts to hate this version of himself and flees the city walls to become a wanderer yet again.

I enjoyed Siddhartha because the story kept me captivated and I liked how it wasn't predictable. I highly enjoyed how the story is worded, you can tell it was written long ago with fancy words and the style in general. It really makes you wonder what happens after the book and is very easy to read. I would recommend this book to someone who would enjoy philosophical fiction and twists in their story.

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In 1953 Charles, a history buff go-getting man, and Lily, a smart strong headed woman go to college. Charles finds faith, Lily swallows in the grief of her parents, Charles falls in love with her, and Lily can stand him a little bit more than the rest, but she doesn't believe in god, and he doesn't care. They get married.

James, a smart strong-headed, and a few daddy issues men, and Nan, a kind and beautiful preacher's daughter get sent to college. James finds a solution to the world in faith, Nan finds the love of music. They both fall deeply in love and get married.

In 1963 Charles and James get a calling to New York, and they instantly connect, Charles James centers strong personality and James brings a little more peace to the world. Lily and Nan on the other hand don't connect so well. This is where their faith is tested and life goes for a spin.

This is a beautiful story about these two couples' lives and struggles through faith or lack thereof. It is a true representation of how religion can affect someone's life and change it for the better or worse. I loved this book and if you don't mind it being a little slow at the beginning of the book you really get into it and appreciate this story.

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The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas, written by: John Boyne 

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The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas, written by: John Boyne 

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Berlin, 1942. Nine-year-old Bruno is swept from his beloved home and relocated to Poland to live in a dark house called “Out-With”. While exploring his new room, Bruno peeks out his window to see huts and people dressed in “striped pajamas” surrounded by a fence.

As his curiosity gets the better of him, Bruno follows the fence until coming across a boy with a shaved head and a small, weak body dressed in dirty, striped pajamas. Like Bruno, Shmuel is nine years old. Bruno returns to the fence day after day to learn more about the strange boy on the other side. He is confused that Shmuel can’t play with him and that they must each remain on their side of the fence. The boys form a curious friendship that at first seems innocent, but as Bruno becomes more involved in Shmuel’s life, and Shmuel becomes less timid about sharing what happens on his side of the fence, it is a friendship that leads them down a path of heartbreaking consequences.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas illuminates the terrible events of the Holocaust through the unknowing eyes of a child. It explores the evolution of human relationships as Shmuel becomes ever more real for Bruno while at the same time, Bruno realizes how two-dimensional his parents are to him, and how they try to shield him from life’s evil and suffering.

By exploring the holocaust through the eyes of a child, Boyne’s novel highlights both the power of religion and the vulnerability it brings to many people’s lives. I would recommend this novel to those who enjoy reading historical fiction and like to understand serious topics from different viewpoints. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a beautiful book that has a powerful message hidden behind every word.