Review: Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

From Goodreads: In the novel, Charlie Gordon is a 32 year old with an IQ of 68 who works as a cleaner & makes deliveries at Donner's Bakery. His uncle got him a job there 17 years previous so that he would not have to live in the Warren State Home. Wanting to improve himself, Charlie attends reading & writing classes at the Beekman College Center for Retarded Adults taught by Alice Kinnian, a young, attractive woman. Prof. Nemur & Dr Strauss of Beekman Univ. are looking for a human subject to test out an experimental procedure for increasing intelligence. The procedure has already been successfully carried out on Algernon, a lab mouse. Nemur & Strauss believe Algernon's increased intelligence is permanent. Alice recommends Charlie for the procedure & his motivation to learn makes him a prime candidate.
The procedure is a success Charlie's education & understanding increase rapidly until he's more knowledgeable than anyone around him, with an IQ of 185. Conversely, his relationships with people become difficult & he is fired from his job because his colleagues there are scared by him. Charlie also has a troubled romance with Alice. Even tho they develop strong feelings for each other, he is prevented from having a physical relationship by the spectre of a younger Charlie whom the older Charlie feels is always watching. Unable to get close to Alice, Charlie starts a purely sexual relationship with Fay Lillman, a vivacious & promiscuous artist. Charlie notices flaws in the theories that led Nemur & Strauss to develop their intelligence-enhancing procedure. Algernon starts behaving erratically. His intelligence fades. He dies. Charlie starts working on the project himself & discovers his own increased intelligence is also only temporary. As Charlie regresses intellectually, Fay becomes scared by the change & stops talking to him. Charlie finally attains sufficient emotional maturity to have a brief but fulfilling relationship with Alice. Despite regressing back to his former self, he still remembers he was once a genius & cannot bear everyone feeling sorry for him. Consequently, he decides to go to live at the Warren State Home where nobody knows about the operation. In a final letter to his friends he asks them to put flowers on Algernon's grave.

My review: One word: Heartbreaking. I finished this with an equal desire to erase all of my remembrance of this story from my heart and a desire to mourn for Charlie. I find it hard to write a review for this book because it was so raw and so innocent. Charlie was mistreated, abused, taken advantage of, and cast aside his entire life because of his handicap. He is a child trapped in his body, slave to emotions he can't control and understand he can't obtain. Yet, he manages and lives his life believing he is loved and likes when people laugh with him but what he doesn't realize is that most of those times, they are actually laughing at him.

His innocence is once again used by the Dr's to convince him to do the experimental surgery. It is explained in a dumbed down version without much consideration to his feelings, emotions or the fact that he is a human, not a test subject. As his intelligence soars and his past his slowly unlocked he begins to discover the harsh reality of his former life. He struggles with reconciling the old Charlie and the new Charlie because his inner fears had been so established that he can't quite let go of them. This manifests into physical reactions of nausea and passing out when he is in a romantic situation with a woman.

Throughout the story his relationship with Algernon grows and the become close companions until something changes. Algernon begins to regress, his behavior becomes erratic and he rapidly descends into a lonely and lost stupor. When Charlie finds Algernon dead in the laboratory, doubt and terror become Charlie's obsession. Charlie begins to follow Algernon's experience of returning to the population of the low IQ people of the world. His resignation to the end result is gut wrenching. Reading along as he discovers he can no longer read foreign languages or that he doesn't comprehend any of the scientific jargon he used in a report only months ago, I felt his desperation. In a way, returning to his former life was harder than living in it to begin with for he now knew how people viewed him - stupid.

I read this as part of my Ban This challenge and I am grateful I did because this book is an amazing view into how we treat people with handicaps and disabilities. They are people, with hearts and even though they may not comprehend the menace behind the abuse...isn't it abuse nonetheless?  

Grade: B

Per the ALA, this was one of the top 100 books challenged between 1990-1999. From what I could find online, it appears this is due to the sexual scenes. I think that it is a travesty that people can't see past the sex to see the big picture of what this book is about - love, tolerance and respect.

My Book Banning Rant

I have hinted on my feelings in previous posts but this is where I unload. You have been warned!

I don’t get banning/challenging…I just don’t. I don’t understand it as a reader, has a student or even as a parent. I probably understand it least as a parent. A book with “language,” a rape scene, teenage sex, drugs or any other hot-topic issue is the perfect tool to use for parent-child discussions. If the parent(s) and child read the book TOGETHER, they can talk about the characters, the situations they find themselves in and what the child would do in some of those. It is a great way to explain/discuss parental expectations to a child and to establish that open communication between child and parent. Show your child that you are in touch with the issues they are facing!

Many of the reasons for banning/challenging a book seems to stem from the desire to “protect” children (mostly high school students) from the realities of the world. How is that beneficial? These children could be faced with some of these exact situations and reading novels that include them could help them cope, react properly or feel less alone. Protection /= Ignoring. Drug use, teenage sex, rape and other situations recently in the news of challenges are NOT going to stop by banning a book. What does stop is the exposure to the nasty reality of drugs and the dangers of unprotected sex. Banning/challenging also fosters isolation for those emotional teens that need it most – rape victims, the victims of abusive relationships and shamed LGBT teens. These individuals NEED to access to books so they can relate and realize they are not to be swept under the rug.

For me, seeing a book banned/challenged in my state of Missouri (sadly, a lot of these have been happening lately!) drives me to spend my money on said books. Just last week I bought Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. I decided to buy these books even though my shelves are overflowing with unread books for me to read for two reasons:

1. I want to read the books that are making such an uproar for myself.

2. My daughter WILL have access to such books when she wants to read them. We will use them as parenting tools and means to connect with our daughter. Even if that means we have to have our own personal library here at home. I will not stand by passively and let someone else impose their uneducated, non-reality based opinion of what my child should be exposed to. Banning access to books with difficult subjects is not the answer, being an INVOLVED PARENT is the answer!

Here is a great link to some of the most controversial books in Kansas and Missouri from our city public library. Some of these make me extremely ashamed of my local citizens. Really, the dictionary people????

Review: A Separate Peace by John Knowles

From Goodreads: John Knowles' beloved classic has been a bestseller for more than 30 years and is one of the most moving and accurate novels about the trials and confusions of adolescence ever written. Set at an elite boarding school for boys during World War II, A Separate Peace is the story of friendship and treachery, and how a tragic accident involving two young men forever tarnishes their innocence.

My review: I seem to struggle with boarding school settings and I'm not sure why. I don't know if it is because I can't relate or if I just don't like the specific books I have read related to boarding schools.

However, I did enjoy (and could relate with) the struggles Gene had with identifying himself within the crowd and how he saw his relationship with Phinneas. This aspect of the novel connects with the struggles many teens have, abroad or at home, in finding themselves among a sea of friends and acquaintances. Adding in the war, the story grows thicker and more murky. Boys who are still youthful and immature are running off to war, only to find that war isn't always glory and it is never pretty.

Grade: D

According to the ALA, this book has been challenged in many school districts and high schools for allegedly offensive language and graphic language. Once again, I don’t understand the issue with such language since teens are saying and/or hearing it daily at school or on TV, in music lyrics and on video games. It is almost as if seeing such “graphic language” is harder to handle than hearing it on TV or in a lyric.

Local Area Banned Books Week Events?

I am noticing a lack luster representation from the closest big city, Kansas City MO, for Banned Books Week events. I found this event at UMKC downtown that I would love to be able to attend but work prevents me. I find it sad that even The Kansas City Public Library is doing anything (at least per their website) nor is my local suburb public library.

This brings me to wonder, how big is Banned Books Week in your area? I might have to become more active come summer next year to help organize something around here.

Review: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon

From Goodreads: Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions. He cannot stand to be touched. Although gifted with a superbly logical brain, Christopher is autistic. Everyday interactions and admonishments have little meaning for him. Routine, order and predictability shelter him from the messy, wider world. Then, at fifteen, Christopher’s carefully constructed world falls apart when he finds his neighbor’s dog, Wellington, impaled on a garden fork, and he is initially blamed for the killing.  Christopher decides that he will track down the real killer and turns to his favorite fictional character, the impeccably logical Sherlock Holmes, for inspiration. But the investigation leads him down some unexpected paths and ultimately brings him face to face with the dissolution of his parents’ marriage. As he tries to deal with the crisis within his own family, we are drawn into the workings of Christopher’s mind. And herein lies the key to the brilliance of Mark Haddon’s choice of narrator: The most wrenching of emotional moments are chronicled by a boy who cannot fathom emotion. The effect is dazzling, making for a novel that is deeply funny, poignant, and fascinating in its portrayal of a person whose curse and blessing is a mind that perceives the world literally. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is one of the freshest debuts in years: a comedy, a heartbreaker, a mystery story, a novel

My review: This book has been on my TBR shelf for a while as it is listed on the Rory Gilmore Book Club from the WB but recently I have seen this book recommended on goodreads and my online book club and realizing it has been banned and challenged, I decided I would tackle in my effort to read 7 banned books for the Ban This challenge. This story shows how tender a child’s heart can be, and how easily wounded it can become. Christopher is heartbroken when his neighbor’s dog is found dead, and he is blamed by the police and his neighbor after being found holding the dog. His logical brain sets out to find an answer to who killed the animal and he systematically checks off suspects and motives but as he digs deeper he comes face-to-face with the damage lies can cause and fear that causes him to act, and to freeze.

Not only did this book provide a different view on parental marital problems, it provides an eye-opening experience into living with Autism. I loved that Christopher explained his quirks with such logical, well-thought out and well documented reasons. He brought you into his world without alienating you or even making you feel sorry for him. I just accepted his personality as him. I loved the equations, diagrams and maps within the text that Christopher used as teaching/explaining tools.  

Grade:  B

This book has been challenged in at least one school district and one community. Both situations reference the number of swear words used within the book and the main characters

 belief and opinions on god and religion. In the Olentangy Liberty High School situation this book is listed on the 10th grade reading list. Do these parents/adults really believe their children aren't exposed to curse words and use them every day? Also, that their children shouldn't be exposed to different religious viewpoints?

Banned Books Week - Blog Bling

Check out the ALA's website for free resources to make your blog sparkle with Banned Books Week paraphernalia!

This one is my favorite!

On My Wishlist (6)

On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. I list a few of the books I desperately want but haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming.

In honor of Banned Books Week - This Saturday and next Saturday will feature books on my wish list that have been banned or challenged. I am all about getting the word out there that censorship is an ugly perverted means of control. This week's focus is on childrens books. Having a young child at home, we are always looking for books that provide conversation points and demonstrate lifestyles that aren't our own. Both are in an attempt to show and teach that differences are wonderful!

In 2008 His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman was #2 on the top 10 challenged books. I have actually read this series and my mom owns it but I want to obtain a copy for our house. This way our daughter can grow up reading about such a strong female character. We actually considered naming her Lyra after the main character in this trilogy!

The reasons cited in challenging this trilogy include: political viewpoint, religious viewpoint and violence.

I guess I just don't understand the principle of forbidding fiction (hello? It's not-true) that gives a counter religious point. If you are supposedly so strong in your faith, why should a fiction book cause concern? I'm not a murderer and I am still not a murderer after I finish reading a fiction book about a murder!

And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson - In 2008 this was #2 of the top 10 most challenged books. Reason for challenging - homosexuality. Seriously, I just don't get it! Do people really think that reading a book about a family with two same-sex parents will turn their children gay? I really feel like this type of challenging is what first happened with relationships/families of different races or ethnicity's. Move on people, let love be love! Especially in this context - this is a true story of two animals...how can you argue with reality?

Review: Claire de Lune (Claire de Lune #1) by Christine Johnson

From Goodreads: Claire is having the perfect sixteenth birthday. Her pool party is a big success, and gorgeous Matthew keeps chatting and flirting with her as if she's the only girl there. But that night, she discovers something that takes away all sense of normalcy: she's a werewolf. As Claire is initiated into the pack of female werewolves, she must deal not only with her changing identity, but also with a rogue werewolf who is putting everyone she knows in danger. Claire's new life threatens her blossoming romance with Matthew, whose father is leading the werewolf hunt. Now burdened with a dark secret and pushing the boundaries of forbidden love, Claire is struggling to feel comfortable in either skin. With her lupine loyalty at odds with her human heart, she will make a choice that will change her forever?

My review: I won this book from a contest from Super Librarian and have been dying to get to it as it has been mocking me from my bookshelf. As soon as I started it I was so glad that I managed to fit it in.

I really enjoyed the story and the characters. Claire is one of those 16 year-olds who don’t get a car for their birthday. You know, the girl that is dying to drive and spend her summer free and fun? Well, her hopes are dashed when her Mom once again has to leave on business and she still has no car. To make matters worse, her town is being terrorized by a rouge werewolf and that fear ruins her birthday party and sends her best friend away. She does manage to form a relationship and have some fun during the lonely summer until the werewolf danger lands in her lap.

Matthew and Claire both feel very differently than their parents, which I think demonstrates generational differences that is happening in reality currently. They are both stubborn enough to voice their opinion with their parents, even knowing that it probably won't do much good. I liked that they were both strong characters, rather than the overdone one party of the relationship needs boosting up.

I really enjoyed the world Christine Johnson created with her werewolf community. The formation of the pack and focus on women was a nice twist on the paranormal popularity. I am eagerly, not-so-patiently waiting for the release of the next in the series, Nocturne.

If you are a member of the twitter world, check out Christine Johnson’s twitter. She is funny and shares great views into the world of an author.

HP Trailer #2

I CAN'T wait for this November!!! I got chills and tears while watching this!!!

Top 100 Killer Thrillers

Kennedy posted this this compiled via NPR of the top 100 Killer Thrillers. While checking out the books she has read on the list I decided to post mine here. The underlined books I have read and the bolded books I have here to read. I used to read a lot of thrillers but I am now more of a scaredy cat so I read them less often. Although, this list makes me want to read more!

• 1. The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
• 2. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larrson
• 3. Kiss the Girls by James Patterson
• 4. The Bourne Identity, by Robert Ludlum
• 5. In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote
• 6. The Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown
• 7. The Shining, by Stephen King
• 8. And Then There Were None, by Agatha Christie
• 9. The Hunt tor Red October, by Tom Clancy
• 10. The Hound of the Baskervilles, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

• 11. Dracula, by Bram Stoker
• 12. The Stand, by Stephen King
• 13. The Bone Collector, by Jeffery Deaver
• 14. Jurassic Park, by Michael Crichton
• 15. Angels & Demons, by Dan Brown
• 16. A Time to Kill, by John Grisham
• 17. The Andromeda Strain, by Michael Crichton
• 18. Mystic River, by Dennis Lehane
• 19. The Day of the Jackal, by Frederick Forsyth
• 20. Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier

• 21. Eye of the Needle, by Ken Follett
• 22. It, by Stephen King
• 23. The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas
• 24. The Girl Who Played with Fire, by Stieg Larsson
• 25. Jaws, by Peter Benchley
• 26. The Alienist, by Caleb Carr
• 27. Red Dragon, by Thomas Harris
• 28. Presumed Innocent, by Scott Turow
• 29. The Maltese Falcon, by Dashiell Hammett
• 30. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, by Stieg Larsson

• 31. No Country For Old Men, by Cormac McCarthy
• 32. Gone Baby Gone, by Dennis Lehane
• 33. Gorky Park, by Martin Cruz Smith
• 34. Rosemary's Baby, by Ira Levin
• 35. Subterranean, by James Rollins
• 36. Clear and Present Danger, by Tom Clancy
• 37. Salem's Lot, by Stephen King
• 38. Shutter Island, by Dennis Lehane
• 39. The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, by John Le Carre
• 40. The Poet, by Michael Connelly

• 41. The Boys from Brazil, by Ira Levin
• 42. Cape Fear, by John MacDonald
• 43. The Bride Collector, by Ted Dekker
• 44. Pet Sematary, by Stephen King
• 45. Dead Zone, by Stephen King
• 46. The Manchurian Candidate, by Richard Condon
• 47. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, by John Le Carre
• 48. The Talented Mr. Ripley, by Patricia Highsmith
• 49. Tell No One, by Harlan Coben
• 50. Consent to Kill, by Vince Flynn

• 51. The 39 Steps, by John Buchan
• 52. Blowback, by Brad Thor
• 53. The Children of Men, by P.D. James
• 54. 61 Hours, by Lee Child
• 55. Marathon Man, by William Goldman
• 56. The Woman in White, by Wilkie Collins
• 57. 206 Bones, by Kathy Reichs
• 58. Psycho, by Robert Bloch
• 59. The Killing Floor, by Lee Child
• 60. Rules of Prey, by John Sandford

• 61. The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins
• 62. In the Woods, by Tana French
• 63. Shogun, by James Clavell
• 64. The Relic, by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
• 65. Intensity, by Dean Koontz
• 66. Casino Royale, by Ian Fleming
• 67. Metzger's Dog, by Thomas Perry
• 68. Timeline, by Michael Crichton
• 69. Contact, by Carl Sagan
• 70. What the Dead Know, by Laura Lippman
• 
  
• 71. The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
• 72. The Cabinet of Curiosities, by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
• 73. Charm School, by Nelson DeMille
• 74. Feed, by Mira Grant
• 75. Gone Tomorrow, by Lee Child
• 76. Darkly Dreaming Dexter, by Jeff Lindsay
• 77. The Secret History, by Donna Tartt
• 78. The First Deadly Sin, by Lawrence Sanders
• 79. Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson
• 80. The Brotherhood of the Rose, by David Morrell

• 81. Primal Fear, by William Diehl
• 82. The Templar Legacy, by Steve Berry
• 82. The Hard Way, by Lee Child [tie]
• 84. The Last of the Mohicans, by James Fenimore Cooper
• 85. Six Days of the Condor, by James Grady
• 86. Fail-Safe, by Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler
• 87. Strangers on a Train, by Patricia Highsmith
• 88. The Eight, by Katherine Neville
• 89. The Lost Symbol, by Dan Brown
• 90. Goldfinger, by Ian Fleming

• 91. Bangkok 8, by John Burdett
• 92. The Kill Artist, by Daniel Silva
• 93. Hardball, by Sara Paretsky
• 94. The Club Dumas, by Arturo Perez-Reverte
• 95. The Deep Blue Good-by, by John MacDonald
• 96. The Monkey's Raincoat, by Robert Crais
• 96. Berlin Game, by Len Deighton [tie]
• 98. A Simple Plan, by Scott Smith
• 99. Child 44, by Tom Rob Smith
• 100. Heartsick, by Chelsea Cain

Review: American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon Meacham

From Goodreads: Andrew Jackson, his intimate circle of friends, and his tumultuous times are at the heart of this remarkable book about the man who rose from nothing to create the modern presidency. Beloved and hated, venerated and reviled, Andrew Jackson was an orphan who fought his way to the pinnacle of power, bending the nation to his will in the cause of democracy. Jackson’s election in 1828 ushered in a new and lasting era in which the people, not distant elites, were the guiding force in American politics. Democracy made its stand in the Jackson years, and he gave voice to the hopes and the fears of a restless, changing nation facing challenging times at home and threats abroad. To tell the saga of Jackson’s presidency, acclaimed author Jon Meacham goes inside the Jackson White House. Drawing on newly discovered family letters and papers, he details the human drama–the family, the women, and the inner circle of advisers–that shaped Jackson’s private world through years of storm and victory. One of our most significant yet dimly recalled presidents, Jackson was a battle-hardened warrior, the founder of the Democratic Party, and the architect of the presidency as we know it. His story is one of violence, sex, courage, and tragedy. With his powerful persona, his evident bravery, and his mystical connection to the people, Jackson moved the White House from the periphery of government to the center of national action, articulating a vision of change that challenged entrenched interests to heed the popular will–or face his formidable wrath. The greatest of the presidents who have followed Jackson in the White House–from Lincoln to Theodore Roosevelt to FDR to Truman–have found inspiration in his example, and virtue in his vision. Jackson was the most contradictory of men. The architect of the removal of Indians from their native lands, he was warmly sentimental and risked everything to give more power to ordinary citizens. He was, in short, a lot like his country: alternately kind and vicious, brilliant and blind; and a man who fought a lifelong war to keep the republic safe–no matter what it took. Jon Meacham in American Lion has delivered the definitive human portrait of a pivotal president who forever changed the American presidency–and America itself.

My review: In my mind, Andrew Jackson was not a highly instrumental United States President when I started reading this biography, but by the time I finished I had a different opinion. Jon Meacham, like David McCullough writes non-fiction biographies as if they are fiction. He tells a story through the facts and details rather than just listing them. His transitions are well placed and he introduces additional characters or background in a manor that is supportive rather than obtrusive. While reading, I felt that I was along for the ride of Andrew Jackson’s presidency rather than reading about the days long in the past.

Andrew Jackson was a man on a mission. He tackled each thing he wanted to do or thought to be right with passion and importance. He was not one to back down on a statement or a goal which made him hated by many and loved by some. He spent his years in the White House without immediate family and instead surrounded himself with friends that became his family. His love of children was evidence of a deep and kind heart.

Even more than his personality, I finished this book with a deeper understanding of how the United States came to be. His passion landed on the task of removing the Native Americans from the settled United States and thus he made it his mission to have them removed. A process to which I knew was brutal; this book provided a deeper understanding of the political landscape surrounding this decision. In addition, I discovered more in the details and judgments made by people and politician’s alike against the Native Americans. Yet, there were those that saw the forced move as barbaric treatment of those individuals who lived on the land long before it was settled by Puritans. It brought questions to my mind about how we celebrate Thanksgiving and the images taught to children of Native Americans and Americans all sitting down to eat a large meal together.

Grade: B

Review: The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent

From Goodreads: Martha Carrier was one of the first women to be accused, tried and hanged as a witch in Salem, Massachusetts. Like her mother, young Sarah Carrier is bright and willful, openly challenging the small, brutal world in which they live. Often at odds with one another, mother and daughter are forced to stand together against the escalating hysteria of the trials and the superstitious tyranny that led to the torture and imprisonment of more than 200 people accused of witchcraft. This is the story of Martha's courageous defiance and ultimate death, as told by the daughter who survived. Kathleen Kent is a tenth generation descendent of Martha Carrier. She paints a haunting portrait, not just of Puritan New England, but also of one family's deep and abiding love in the face of fear and persecution.

My review:  I have always been intrigued by the witch trials and how mass hysteria played a part in such horrific occurrences and a trip to Boston and Salem a few years ago just raised my interest even more. I went into this book hoping for a personal account of the trials and experiences and that is what I read but not until the latter half of the book. It wasn’t that the first half was poorly written but I kept waiting for the witch trial drama to start building but it just didn’t. Instead of a slow build up that reached into mass hysteria it just sort of started. There were hints when characters would talk about the rumors from one town over but I expected more.

The actual portions of the book that involved the trials were interesting. I enjoyed the unique viewpoint from a child involved in the drama. It made it more raw and tender for me. There just wasn't enough of this portion of the story for my preference. I would have loved to have much more.  The ending seemed rushed with the summing of how the affected parties were now living. I wanted more of how the events played out in the character's emotions and relationships throughout the rest of their life. 

Grade: B

Drool Worthy

Daydreaming of a new house, one that will have a better layout to include better bookshelves lead me online to these beauties!

 

Credit here for these two

 

I would love one of these in a future playroom or bedroom for Sammie:

Review: Stolen Innocence: My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride, and Breaking Free of Warren Jeffs by Stolen Innocence: My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride, and Breaking Free of Warren Jeffs by Elissa Wall, Lisa Pulitzer , Lisa Pulitzer

From Goodreads: n September 2007, a packed courtroom in St. George, Utah, sat hushed as Elissa Wall, the star witness against polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs, gave captivating testimony of how Jeffs forced her to marry her first cousin at age fourteen. This harrowing and vivid account proved to be the most compelling evidence against Jeffs, showing the harsh realities of this closed community and the lengths to which Jeffs went in order to control the sect's women. Now, in this courageous memoir, Elissa Wall tells the incredible and inspirational story of how she emerged from the confines of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) and helped bring one of America's most notorious criminals to justice. Offering a child's perspective on life in the FLDS, Wall discusses her tumultuous youth, explaining how her family's turbulent past intersected with her strong will and identified her as a girl who needed to be controlled through marriage. Detailing how Warren Jeffs's influence over the church twisted its already rigid beliefs in dangerous new directions, Wall portrays the inescapable mind-set and unrelenting pressure that forced her to wed despite her repeated protests that she was too young. Once she was married, Wall's childhood shattered as she was obligated to follow Jeffs's directives and submit to her husband in "mind, body, and soul." With little money and no knowledge of the outside world, she was trapped and forced to endure the pain and abuse of her loveless relationship, which eventually pushed her to spend nights sleeping in her truck rather than face the tormentor in her bed. Yet even in those bleak times, she retained a sliver of hope that one day she would find a way out, and one snowy night that came in the form of a rugged stranger named Lamont Barlow. Their chance encounter set in motion a friendship and eventual romance that gave her the strength she needed to break free from her past and sever the chains of the church. But though she was out of the FLDS, Wall would still have to face Jeffs—this time in court. In Stolen Innocence, she delves into the difficult months on the outside that led her to come forward against him, working with prosecutors on one of the biggest criminal cases in Utah's history, so that other girls still inside the church might be spared her cruel fate. More than a tale of survival and freedom, Stolen Innocence is the story of one heroic woman who stood up for what was right and reclaimed her life.

My review: I finished this book feeling heartbroken. Knowing that there are children raised in these situations just makes me sick. Elissa’s story is different than many of the other FLDS stories I have read in that she wasn’t the individual married to the much older man. Instead she was forced to marry at 14 (!!) to a young man who was older than her by a few years. The resulting marriage was one of immaturity because, what child is ready for marriage at 14! She rebelled after trying time and time again to get someone to listen to her that the idea was not good and later that the marriage had turned abusive. Elissa included foresight into her stories, showing and explaining how those within the community wouldn’t have questioned the obvious power play in action by Warren Jeffs. I found that her explanations provided insight into the way the FLDS residents viewed things on the big picture demonstrated how instrumental fear was (and still is) running the community. I did feel a slight amount of hope after finishing this because one more survivor overcame that fear to escape, make her own life and tell her story to others.

Grade: B

On My Wishlist (5)

On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. I list a few of the books I desperately want but haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming.

This one just sounds really interesting and dangerous!

No Angel: My Harrowing Undercover Journey to the Inner Circle of the Hells Angels by Jay Dobyns, Nils Johnson-Shelton


Here, from Jay Dobyns, the first federal agent to infiltrate the inner circle of the outlaw Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, is the inside story of the t ...more Here, from Jay Dobyns, the first federal agent to infiltrate the inner circle of the outlaw Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, is the inside story of the twenty-one-month operation that almost cost him his family, his sanity, and his life.

Getting shot in the chest as a rookie agent, bartering for machine guns, throttling down the highway at 100 mph, and responding to a full-scale, bloody riot between the Hells Angels and their rivals, the Mongols–these are just a few of the high-adrenaline experiences Dobyns recounts in this action-packed, hard-to-imagine-but-true story.

Dobyns leaves no stone of his harrowing journey unturned. At runs and clubhouses, between rides and riots, Dobyns befriends bad-ass bikers, meth-fueled “old ladies,” gun fetishists, psycho-killer ex-cons, and even some of the “Filthy Few”–the elite of the Hells Angels who’ve committed extreme violence on behalf of their club. Eventually, at parties staged behind heavily armed security, he meets legendary club members such as Chuck Zito, Johnny Angel, and the godfather of all bikers, Ralph “Sonny” Barger. To blend in with them, he gets full-arm ink; to win their respect, he vows to prove himself a stone-cold killer.

Hardest of all is leading a double life, which has him torn between his devotion to his wife and children, and his pledge to become the first federal agent ever to be “fully patched” into the Angels’ near-impregnable ranks. His act is so convincing that he comes within a hairsbreadth of losing himself. Eventually, he realizes that just as he’s been infiltrating the Hells Angels, they’ve been infiltrating him. And just as they’re not all bad, he’s not all good.

Reminiscent of Donnie Brasco’s uncovering of the true Mafia, this is an eye-opening portrait of the world of bikers–the most in-depth since Hunter Thompson’s seminal work–one that fully describes the seductive lure criminal camaraderie has for men who would otherwise be powerless outsiders. Here is all the nihilism, hate, and intimidation, but also the freedom–and, yes, brotherhood–of the only truly American form of organized crime. (less)

Review: The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama

From Goodreads: Barack Obama's first book, Dreams from My Father, was a compelling and moving memoir focusing on personal issues of race, identity, and community. With his second book The Audacity of Hope, Obama engages themes raised in his keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, shares personal views on faith and values and offers a vision of the future that involves repairing a "political process that is broken" and restoring a government that has fallen out of touch with the people.

My review: I always find myself in awe when I am reading words that a President has spoken, especially when those words are from a current President. When reading Dreams of My Father I was intrigued by the stories of Barack Obama’s life before politics and his worldly experiences of travel. While reading The Audacity of Hope I found myself floating along the prose of his text, getting caught up in a fervor of political passion and utmost respect for the Founders, their decisions and their courage. Some of my enjoyment might correlate with my views that match the President’s but this wasn’t true through the entire book, so I’m not sure that can be a blanket explanation. This book is basically his thoughts on different aspects of politics in the United States, as well as, his thoughts on the hot button issues of the time. It was nice to see things written out and explained rather than the usual one or two liners that come out during election time. Of course, this was written with the impact well studied but I still found it refreshing to have pages and pages of comments on race, the constitution and gay rights, among other topics.

I found his respect towards politics, the constitution and even his fellow politicians to be enlightening and uplifting. I heard him profess such sentiments during his campaign and I am curious to know if they carried over into application now that he has the Oval Office. His desire to return to the days of focusing on the common good instead of the back and forth of politician against politician was hopeful. Yet, I find myself thinking that those are truly days of the past but then I wonder, were those days ever actually reality. From my reading exposure including John Adams by David McCullough and American Lion by Jon Meacham it sounds as if there has always been some level of backhanded and negative interactions during elections and legislative times. Maybe the emotion that we carry within us can’t be fully bottled when it comes to law and politics.

This is a very interesting book regarding politics, especially when read under the author’s Presidency. If he shall act and preside in the manor he presents, the future only knows but to read his words at a time when he holds a position of such national, and global power, the words provide an insight that can’t be found anywhere else. 

Grade: B 

Review: Breathless by Dean Koontz

From Goodreads: #1 New York Times bestselling author Dean Koontz delivers a thrilling novel of suspense and adventure, as the lives of strangers converge around a mystery unfolding high in the Colorado mountains—and the balance of the world begins to tilt….In the stillness of a golden September afternoon, deep in the wilderness of the Rockies, a solitary craftsman, Grady Adams, and his magnificent Irish wolfhound Merlin step from shadow into light…and into an encounter with enchantment. That night, through the trees, under the moon, a pair of singular animals will watch Grady's isolated home, waiting to make their approach. A few miles away, Camillia Rivers, a local veterinarian, begins to unravel the threads of a puzzle that will bring all the forces of a government in peril to her door. At a nearby farm, long-estranged identical twins come together to begin a descent into darkness…In Las Vegas, a specialist in chaos theory probes the boundaries of the unknowable…On a Seattle golf course, two men make matter-of-fact arrangements for murder…Along a highway by the sea, a vagrant scarred by the past begins a trek toward his destiny…In a novel that is at once wholly of our time and timeless, fearless and funny, Dean Koontz takes readers into the moment between one turn of the world and the next, across the border between knowing and mystery. It is a journey that will leave all who take it Breathless.

My review: I have been reading Dean Koontz books since I was in high school. I loved Intensity, Velocity and Hideaway. They terrified me, thrilled me and freaked me out. I loved Dean Koontz and his disturbing yet intriguing version of science fiction blended with mystery and murder. All of that caused Dean Koontz to hold a special place in my heart and well, he is losing ground fast. The last few years have left a lot to be desired when it comes to his novels. The high stakes weirdness and mystery is gone, replaced with animals, primarily dogs. A lot of dogs. Oh, and dog lovers. I am not a pet person, nor a dog person, but even more than that these stories just get boring now. There is so much interaction and conversation about the dog and between the owner and pet that I find myself bored rather than intrigued.

This specific story was random, full of short chapters with a narrator/character changes that made it hard to follow along. I usually enjoy chapters that switch narrators but these were so short it felt choppy instead of increasing suspense. Two of the minor characters had very similar names which I found confusing and had to keep reviewing which person was which. The actual resolution was too short and abrupt. After all the build up to the main characters and their internal struggles the situation just fizzled rather than leaving with a bang, which I remember older Koontz work doing. In all, I was disappointed. The only real joy I had after finishing this book was that I borrowed it from the library rather than buying it.

Grade: D

Finished: 2010 Count: 85

SuBC = Finished!

I finished the SuBC (Summer Book Challenge on my online book club) yesterday at lunch! 36 books read for 35 different tasks starting July 1st! I am stoked that I was able to finish this year after falling short last year. I love how this challenge broadens my book exposure, bringing me into different books that provide hours of interesting reading. I am glad that I can now read whatever book I want without limiting my selection to what will fit in my spreadsheet (even though I am a spreadsheet nerd!) which is why I usually only participate in these seasonal challenges once a year.

Since I was the 5th finisher I won the chance to pick one of the 25 point challenges for the Fall Book Challenge. I have a few ideas but am trying to narrow them down. What would your 25 point challenge be?

Review: Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

From Goodreads: Audrey Niffenegger's spectacularly compelling second novel opens with a letter that alters the fate of every character. Julia and Valentina Poole are semi-normal American twenty-year-olds with seemingly little interest in college or finding jobs. Their attachment to one another is intense. One morning the mailman delivers a thick envelope to their house in the suburbs of Chicago. From a London solicitor, the enclosed letter informs Valentina and Julia that their English aunt Elspeth Noblin, whom they never knew, has died of cancer and left them her London apartment. There are two conditions to this inheritance: that they live in it for a year before they sell it and that their parents not enter it. Julia and Valentina are twins. So were the estranged Elspeth and Edie, their mother. The girls move to Elspeth's flat, which borders the vast and ornate Highgate Cemetery, where Christina Rossetti, George Eliot, Radclyffe Hall, Stella Gibbons and Karl Marx are buried. Julia and Valentina come to know the living residents of their building. There is Martin, a brilliant and charming crossword-puzzle setter suffering from crippling obsessive compulsive disorder; Marijke, Martin's devoted but trapped wife; and Robert, Elspeth's elusive lover, a scholar of the cemetery. As the girls become embroiled in the fraying lives of their aunt's neighbors, they also discover that much is still alive in Highgate, including - perhaps - their aunt.

My review: Spooky and borderline creepy, this novel is full of twists and turns, unknown aspects and secrets, all of which dive into the deepest parts of the main characters. Julia and Valentina were aimless twins who appeared to do everything together. They made decisions as an entity, appearing to become one rather than two individuals coming to the same conclusion or decision. With such a dysfunctional relationship, the freedom that comes from inheriting their Aunt’s (that they have never known) apartment in London can only bring problems and discord. As the story progresses you realize  the twins have a lot more in common with their mother and aunt than they ever knew possible. You also learn that people (or ghosts!) are never exactly who they seem to be. They are full of secrets, surprises and emotion.

This was a great story with an unexpected ending. Audrey Niffenegger weaves a wonderful tale of desperate desire, love and human impulses all set within the spooky ground of a cemetery. This novel was much different that The Time Traveler's Wife, but still carried the weight of emotions left unspoken and hearts left in pieces. I recommend this to anyone looking for an emotional yet captivating and spooky novel. 

Grade: B

Finished: 2010 Count: 84

Review: Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

From Goodreads: Kurt Vonnegut's absurdist classic Slaughterhouse-Five introduces us to Billy Pilgrim, a man who becomes unstuck in time after he is abducted by aliens from the planet Tralfamadore. In a plot-scrambling display of virtuosity, we follow Pilgrim simultaneously through all phases of his life, concentrating on his (and Vonnegut's) shattering experience as an American prisoner of war who witnesses the firebombing of Dresden. Don't let the ease of reading fool you! Vonnegut's isn't a conventional, or simple, novel. He writes, "There are almost no characters in this story, and almost no dramatic confrontations, because most of the people in it are so sick, and so much the listless playthings of enormous forces. One of the main effects of war, after all, is that people are discouraged from being characters..." Slaughterhouse-Five (taken from the name of the building where the POWs were held) is not only Vonnegut's most powerful book, it is as important as any written since 1945. Like Catch-22, it fashions the author's experiences in the Second World War into an eloquent and deeply funny plea against butchery in the service of authority. Slaughterhouse-Five boasts the same imagination, humanity, and gleeful appreciation of the absurd found in Vonnegut's other works, but the book's basis in rock-hard, tragic fact gives it a unique poignancy–and humor.

My review: I have always heard this was a great novel of anti-war sentiments. I guess I could agree, because if soldiers come back from war with such a loose grasp on reality, involve themselves in time travel and believe they were abducted by aliens and taken to a new planet, well I don’t think we should ever go to war again. The text of this novel was a free flowing, rambling story full of choppy, short sentences. “So it goes” is written on what feels like every page, or at a minimum, every other page. The story is very matter of fact, without emotion even in context of the Dresden firebombing. Billy seems emotionless most of the story, appearing as a disconnected character watching the movie play. By the end of the book I was just ready for it to be over.

Per the ALA this is a frequently challenged book for explicit sexual scenes, violence and obscene language, and has been called vulgar and offensive.

First of all, the book is about war and a soldier’s experience so of course the language is going to be vulgar and there is going to be violence. War is violent and most often vulgar. To challenge/ban/burn a novel about war because of violence is ridiculous. That would be extreme sugar coating that would minimize the drastic impact war can have on a people, land and on an individual soldier.

Grade: D

Finished: September 3, 2010. 2010 Count: 83.

On My Wishlist (4)

On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. I list a few of the books I desperately want but haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming.

With the Hubster, Brett, being a Firefighter/Paramedic, anything to do with fireman or fire families is practically an automatic move to my TBR shelf. This sounds intriguing from a fireman’s wife perspective and it has the Southern fiction aspect I have been loving lately.

The Fireman's Wife: A Novel by Jack Riggs

It’s June 1970. As the low country of South Carolina burns in a seven-month drought, Cassie Johnson longs for escape: both from her husband, Peck, the town’s newly promoted fire chief, who seems more interested in saving everyone else’s life than in living his own, and from the low country marshes where Cassie has never quite felt at home. But as Peck and Cassie drift apart, their teenage daughter, Kelly, finds herself torn between her parents and her desperate need for normalcy. It will take a tumultuous journey back to the North Carolina mountains before Cassie can begin to understand the complicated love that resides, unrecognized, deep in her heart. From a masterly voice in Southern fiction, The Fireman’s Wife is an emotionally bare and moving novel about one woman’s struggle to do what’s right–for her family, for her love, and for herself.

Bookish Jewelry

I was playing around on etsy the other day and found a bunch of goodies that I would love to must have! Anyone willing to buy me any of these, just send me an email for my address! ;) I mean, seriously...aren't they dreamy?!

From sparkeez8z1d:

From jetaimeboutique:

From jetaimeboutique:

From MDsparks

From heatherboyd