The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth: Popularity, Quirk Theory, and Why Outsiders Thrive After High School by Alexandra Robbins
I thought I'd throw in a nonfiction read for those who like to read it. The fact that I prefer fiction is probably why I thought this was not only an informative read, but actually interesting. Robbins does a good job of telling her subjects' stories in narratives that read like fiction (there's dialogue, development, etc.). The book focuses on the school lives of six different people throughout the United States; these people are the "Cafeteria Fringe" or outsiders in their school/social communities. Joy is a new girl from Jamaica, Blue is a gamer, Eli is a nerd, Noah is a band geek, Danielle is a loner, Regan is a lesbian, and Whitney is a self-proclaimed popular bitch. All of these people face hardships in their social lives, even though they have different experiences and different places on the social spectrum. Robbins issues each subject a challenge during the school year that will [hopefully] change their social lives without forcing them to conform or change their own personalities in order to fit into a group.
Honestly, I think that this book should be required reading for any student attending school to be a teacher. It's not uncommon knowledge that middle and high school is hellacious for students who don't fit the social mold--are you rich enough/smart enough/thin enough/hip enough/athletic enough/vapid enough--but this looks into the problems that administrators and teachers have when it comes to allowing such behavior. Not all teachers and principals are guilty of protecting the social hierarchies established by teens, but some do grant favors or look the other way based on who is popular. I'm not naïve enough to think that reading a piece of literature will change one's ways, but perhaps it can influence one to stop and think about his/her actions.
Oh, and I loved how an entire section was devoted to why 7th grade is the worst year of school. Might I add that I really love my new job? :p
Target age range: adults
Friday, December 30, 2011
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Winter Garden
Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah
According to my Goodreads account, I've read over 60 novels this year. However, I'm rather disappointed in myself as of late because I've put reading aside in favor of technology (er, video games). What is the world coming to when a librarian does that? As my pre-New Year's Resolution, I promise to keep up with my blog as opposed to spending time with anything beginning with the word "Nintendo." If James Patterson can watch and then blog about movies on a regular basis while essentially writing a book a month, I can keep up with this. Besides, I got a Kindle Fire a couple of weeks ago, so (yay) technology can still be a part of my life.
Anyway, back to my current novel. Winter Garden started out a bit slow for me, but halfway through it, I was hooked. A blend of contemporary fiction, historical fiction, and fairy tales, this book takes readers on two sisters' journey to find their mother's love. Anya Whitson, mother of Meredith and Nina, has always rejected her daughters' attempts to reach out to her; it has happened so often in their lives, that they have stopped trying. However, after the death of her husband and much prodding from Nina, Anya begins to express herself through a powerful fairy tale she has not told her daughters since they were children.
The fairy tale takes readers to Russia in the 1940s during the siege of Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). Vera, an optimistic, dreamy girl in a time when dreams were questioned and crushed, is forced to grow up once her father has been taken by the Black Knight. She finds herself in love with a prince, and she takes many risks in order to raise a family with him. Anya tells the story throughout the book, stopping when she can no longer go on. As the story becomes far more detailed and specific than Meredith and Nina have ever heard it, the two begin to wonder if there is more to the tale than just fantasy.
So should you pick it up? Yes. I like to read Hannah's books because they always center around a female protagonist who has some sort of realistic struggle (in many of her novels, it's family-related). I like her books, but it's--how to put this?--easy reading. Maybe a better way to put it is they are 'light' reads. Winter Garden has some very hard parts to read. Hannah has created characters that readers can feel genuine sympathy towards, especially when one considers that it's based on something that really happened. I've also always been a sucker for historical fiction (does anyone remember when I spent the entire summer of 2007 reading novels and biographies about Tudor England and nothing else??), and once the WWII Russia part of the story kicked in, I devoured the book. And, hey, it's winter time. The title says you should read it right now.
Target age range: Adult
According to my Goodreads account, I've read over 60 novels this year. However, I'm rather disappointed in myself as of late because I've put reading aside in favor of technology (er, video games). What is the world coming to when a librarian does that? As my pre-New Year's Resolution, I promise to keep up with my blog as opposed to spending time with anything beginning with the word "Nintendo." If James Patterson can watch and then blog about movies on a regular basis while essentially writing a book a month, I can keep up with this. Besides, I got a Kindle Fire a couple of weeks ago, so (yay) technology can still be a part of my life.
Anyway, back to my current novel. Winter Garden started out a bit slow for me, but halfway through it, I was hooked. A blend of contemporary fiction, historical fiction, and fairy tales, this book takes readers on two sisters' journey to find their mother's love. Anya Whitson, mother of Meredith and Nina, has always rejected her daughters' attempts to reach out to her; it has happened so often in their lives, that they have stopped trying. However, after the death of her husband and much prodding from Nina, Anya begins to express herself through a powerful fairy tale she has not told her daughters since they were children.
The fairy tale takes readers to Russia in the 1940s during the siege of Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). Vera, an optimistic, dreamy girl in a time when dreams were questioned and crushed, is forced to grow up once her father has been taken by the Black Knight. She finds herself in love with a prince, and she takes many risks in order to raise a family with him. Anya tells the story throughout the book, stopping when she can no longer go on. As the story becomes far more detailed and specific than Meredith and Nina have ever heard it, the two begin to wonder if there is more to the tale than just fantasy.
So should you pick it up? Yes. I like to read Hannah's books because they always center around a female protagonist who has some sort of realistic struggle (in many of her novels, it's family-related). I like her books, but it's--how to put this?--easy reading. Maybe a better way to put it is they are 'light' reads. Winter Garden has some very hard parts to read. Hannah has created characters that readers can feel genuine sympathy towards, especially when one considers that it's based on something that really happened. I've also always been a sucker for historical fiction (does anyone remember when I spent the entire summer of 2007 reading novels and biographies about Tudor England and nothing else??), and once the WWII Russia part of the story kicked in, I devoured the book. And, hey, it's winter time. The title says you should read it right now.
Target age range: Adult
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