I had every intention of re-reading The Giver (I read it a million years ago when I first started teaching) and then seeing the movie when it hit the theaters this summer. Neither happened. But, I was able to finally re-read the novel over the weekend. Now, I just need to wait for the movie to hit Red Box.
The Giver is a very powerful story that, I feel, every American student should be required to read prior to graduating High School. It's going to be required reading in my house even if it's not read for school. If you have ever wondered what life with zero individuality and zero emotions would be like, then you should read The Giver. And, if you ever need a reminder about how lucky we are to be granted the freedoms given to us as citizens of the USA, you should read The Giver.
The Giver is the story of Jonas and his family unit during the year he turns 12 in a community far, far, far (I hope) in the future. Jonas' community is free of pain, war, hunger, and poverty. And while this sounds lovely to some, the lack of emotion and love did me in. For example, families are created--adults apply for mates (who they never have a physical or emotional relationship with) and when they want children, they apply for those. Birth Mothers have the children. 50 children are born each year, no more, no less. Each family gets one girl and one boy. And, they are named when they are given to the families. "Parents" do not get to choose names. "New children" (babies) are cared for by Nurturers until they are placed with a family. There are various milestones children reach each year in this community, from wearing jackets, to hair ribbons, to getting bikes, and to finally being assigned a job for life at age 12. It is this ceremony that we get to read about in The Giver. Jonas is turning 12 and is "selected" to be the receiver of memories for his community. This is a job that requires much pain and anguish for the person who takes on this role. So, much, in fact, that the current Receiver is in too much pain and must pass the memories on to Jonas in order to ease his burden.
I won't divulge anymore of the story, because it's too good to spoil (and a very quick read at about 180 pages), but I will comment on how sad this story made me. Everything that I love about my life doesn't exist in Jonas' community. They feel no love, they see no colors, there are no seasons, people are "released" when they are too old or can't conform (and released does not mean that they are sent out to another neighboring community...you will have to read the book to find out what happens when people are released). It makes me sad. But, at the same time, it makes me so grateful for the life I have. I chose my husband, we made our girls together, we get to vacation, and to chose the jobs we have. I feel lucky to be able to make choices about every aspect of my life. I can't imagine living in Jonas' world and pray that I never have to.
Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie
Monday, September 29, 2014
Saturday, September 27, 2014
#42: Kiss and Make Up by Katie D. Anderson
Kiss and Make Up is an ideal novel for teenage girls (12-16 maybe). I read it because a friend of a friend wrote it and I thought perhaps my 13 year old daughter might enjoy reading it. After this post is done, I am going to leave the book in her room. It's a good one for girls to read.
Kiss and Make Up is the story of Emerson Taylor, a 16 year old girl with a unique gift--she can see into people's minds when she kisses them. With declining grades and the possibility of being forced to leave her private school because she's not doing well, Emerson decides to use her gift as a short cut to studying and begins kissing boys, and a lot of them, to improve her grades. Oh my!
About half-way through the book I really began to wonder if the story was ever going to make kissing boys for personal gain seem like the wrong thing to do and I was happy when Emerson's plans began to go awry. My fear, as a mother of two girls, is that I don't want my girls ever to think that it's OK to kiss a million boys. Emerson eventually learns very important lessons about both kissing and studying hard in school, which made the mom in me stand up and cheer!
On a side note, I absolutely loved the make-up tie in. Emerson's aunt (Arch, who is raising Emerson and her sister Piper) is a Stellar Rep (akin to a Mary Kay consultant) and as a result Emerson is very into make-up, particularly lip gloss (which works with her desire to kiss). By the end of the novel, Emerson has become a Stellar rep and is helping her friends reach their beauty potential. It's a cute side story and helps to round out Emerson's character.
I loved this adorable story and hope that Katie writes more!
Happy reading everyone!
:) Dodie
Kiss and Make Up is the story of Emerson Taylor, a 16 year old girl with a unique gift--she can see into people's minds when she kisses them. With declining grades and the possibility of being forced to leave her private school because she's not doing well, Emerson decides to use her gift as a short cut to studying and begins kissing boys, and a lot of them, to improve her grades. Oh my!
About half-way through the book I really began to wonder if the story was ever going to make kissing boys for personal gain seem like the wrong thing to do and I was happy when Emerson's plans began to go awry. My fear, as a mother of two girls, is that I don't want my girls ever to think that it's OK to kiss a million boys. Emerson eventually learns very important lessons about both kissing and studying hard in school, which made the mom in me stand up and cheer!
On a side note, I absolutely loved the make-up tie in. Emerson's aunt (Arch, who is raising Emerson and her sister Piper) is a Stellar Rep (akin to a Mary Kay consultant) and as a result Emerson is very into make-up, particularly lip gloss (which works with her desire to kiss). By the end of the novel, Emerson has become a Stellar rep and is helping her friends reach their beauty potential. It's a cute side story and helps to round out Emerson's character.
I loved this adorable story and hope that Katie writes more!
Happy reading everyone!
:) Dodie
Monday, September 22, 2014
#41: Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
Unbroken is one of those books that you see everywhere. I saw it first in stores and was slightly intimidated. It looked like one of those books I was not smart enough to read. Then, I saw my mother-in-law reading it and heard her raving about it. I saw it on my vacation to Hawaii, where I finally bookmarked it in my mind as a book I needed to read. Then, I saw a preview for the movie version of Unbroken that is coming in December so the book soared to the top of my must-read list. It has taken me weeks to finish this book, but tonight I have the satisfaction of saying that I finished it and am now well-versed in the amazing story of Loius Zamperini.
As a student, I never really learned about WW2. For whatever reason, each and every year, my social studies/history teachers always returned to the dawn of man and moved forward, stopping pretty much at the same place every year: WW1. I can't say that I even know that much about WW1 because any information taught about it was crammed in at the last minute when my brain had already checked out for the summer and was already sitting by a pool somewhere. I couldn't tell you anything about the Korean War, I know a little more about Vietnam (but not much), but WW2 I know next to nothing about. So, I have tried to teach myself by reading about this war (and visiting Pearl Harbor twice now in my lifetime) and learning as much as I can. Helping my girls study for their History classes have helped, too.
The funny thing is, reading Unbroken felt, at times, as though I was reading a book for a class. It is a slow read (which I read recently that reading slowly is good for your brain and your body, so hooray for that!) and you really do need to read every word (although I will admit that in some of the battle scenes, I did not read every word. I couldn't. Same for the parts in the camps. It was too hard to read every word). I found that the last 100 pages were turned very quickly. It was exciting to read how Louis' story turned out in the end. Read the epilogue. It is SO worth your time.
Unbroken is the true story of Louis Zamperini from his boyhood days to his final days, and everything in-between, with particular emphasis on his time as an Olympic runner and a WW2 Air Force Pilot. This memoir is written by Laura Hillenbrand, author of Seabiscuit, and it is superbly done.
However, it wasn't an easy story to read. Aside from the length of the story and the detail packed story that made for a slow read, the details are often so horrifying it's hard to read them. It's hard to believe that men were forced to live as Louie lived and forced to endure all that he did. My heart felt pain for these brave men and I felt grateful for their service and their sacrifices.
As I read, I only marked one section--a section dedicated to dignity:
Men subjected to dehumanizing treatment experience profound wretchedness and loneliness and find that hope is almost impossible to retain. Without dignity, identity is erased. In it's absence, men are defined not by themselves but by their captors and the circumstances in which they are forced to live. (pgs 188-189)
The idea of preserving one's dignity stuck with me as I read Unbroken and it seems to be true of any terrifying situation as well as being true of our daily lives: all we really want is to preserve our dignity. To move through life knowing who we are and to be proud to hold our heads high. When these brave men were forced into situations where their dignity was compromised, that's when the enemy began to win the fight. I will never again take lightly the privilege of walking through life on my own, making my own choices, and answering only to myself and my conscience. What an amazing privilege it is to be a free American.
Thank you, Louie, for sharing your story. It is a powerful one.
Happy reading everyone!
:) Dodie
As a student, I never really learned about WW2. For whatever reason, each and every year, my social studies/history teachers always returned to the dawn of man and moved forward, stopping pretty much at the same place every year: WW1. I can't say that I even know that much about WW1 because any information taught about it was crammed in at the last minute when my brain had already checked out for the summer and was already sitting by a pool somewhere. I couldn't tell you anything about the Korean War, I know a little more about Vietnam (but not much), but WW2 I know next to nothing about. So, I have tried to teach myself by reading about this war (and visiting Pearl Harbor twice now in my lifetime) and learning as much as I can. Helping my girls study for their History classes have helped, too.
The funny thing is, reading Unbroken felt, at times, as though I was reading a book for a class. It is a slow read (which I read recently that reading slowly is good for your brain and your body, so hooray for that!) and you really do need to read every word (although I will admit that in some of the battle scenes, I did not read every word. I couldn't. Same for the parts in the camps. It was too hard to read every word). I found that the last 100 pages were turned very quickly. It was exciting to read how Louis' story turned out in the end. Read the epilogue. It is SO worth your time.
Unbroken is the true story of Louis Zamperini from his boyhood days to his final days, and everything in-between, with particular emphasis on his time as an Olympic runner and a WW2 Air Force Pilot. This memoir is written by Laura Hillenbrand, author of Seabiscuit, and it is superbly done.
However, it wasn't an easy story to read. Aside from the length of the story and the detail packed story that made for a slow read, the details are often so horrifying it's hard to read them. It's hard to believe that men were forced to live as Louie lived and forced to endure all that he did. My heart felt pain for these brave men and I felt grateful for their service and their sacrifices.
As I read, I only marked one section--a section dedicated to dignity:
Men subjected to dehumanizing treatment experience profound wretchedness and loneliness and find that hope is almost impossible to retain. Without dignity, identity is erased. In it's absence, men are defined not by themselves but by their captors and the circumstances in which they are forced to live. (pgs 188-189)
The idea of preserving one's dignity stuck with me as I read Unbroken and it seems to be true of any terrifying situation as well as being true of our daily lives: all we really want is to preserve our dignity. To move through life knowing who we are and to be proud to hold our heads high. When these brave men were forced into situations where their dignity was compromised, that's when the enemy began to win the fight. I will never again take lightly the privilege of walking through life on my own, making my own choices, and answering only to myself and my conscience. What an amazing privilege it is to be a free American.
Thank you, Louie, for sharing your story. It is a powerful one.
Happy reading everyone!
:) Dodie
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
#40: Anything He Wants by Sara Fawkes
Reading this Fifty Shades of Grey want-to-be novel was a total and complete waste of my time.
Don't waste yours.
Happy reading, of something other than this book.
:) Dodie
Don't waste yours.
Happy reading, of something other than this book.
:) Dodie
Saturday, August 23, 2014
#39: The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais
Rarely do I see a movie based on a book before I read the book. Rarely. But I did this time. Last weekend, Rob and I went to see "The Hundred-Foot Journey" and I fell in love with the amazing adaptation of the movie version of the book. It made me so excited to read the book to see how the stories might be different, or if the movie was true to the book. Oh my, how these two are different stories. Like night and day. So, for those of you who might have read the book first and don't want to see the movie, please know that the movie is sweet and wonderful and, in my opinion, more truly captures Hassan's gift of food. And, for those of you who think that once you've seen the movie you don't need to read the book because you've got the whole story, you are mistaken. The movie covers only a brief period of the time that elapses in the book. The movie and the book of this brilliant story are two totally different works. Totally different.
For those of you who have no idea what this story is even about, let me fill you in briefly. The Hundred Foot Journey is the story of Hassan Haji, an Indian boy with a gift for cooking. His story takes him from Mumbai, to London, to Lumiere, and finally to Paris (and then back to Lumiere in the movie version) as he learns and grows as a chef. The movie focuses on three other characters: Hassan's father, Madame Mallory (who owns the French restaurant 100 feet across the street from the Haji home/restaurant), and Margaret. These characters, along with a cast and crew of many others, are in the book, which details a much longer period of Hassan's life than in the movie. It is a beautiful story of love and food and encouragement to fulfill your destiny, sometimes with an angel or two on your shoulders.
Many say that you need to be a "foodie" to appreciate this story. Well, I am no foodie, and I adored it. So don't be turned away if you are no "gourmand." I do admit, once again, that I prefer the movie version of this story because I do think that the movie was able to more accurately convey, because movies have the means to evoke senses in a way that books sometimes can't, Hassan's gift for cooking and "knowing" foods. It was brilliant.
This is a great story. And don't miss the movie!
:) Dodie
For those of you who have no idea what this story is even about, let me fill you in briefly. The Hundred Foot Journey is the story of Hassan Haji, an Indian boy with a gift for cooking. His story takes him from Mumbai, to London, to Lumiere, and finally to Paris (and then back to Lumiere in the movie version) as he learns and grows as a chef. The movie focuses on three other characters: Hassan's father, Madame Mallory (who owns the French restaurant 100 feet across the street from the Haji home/restaurant), and Margaret. These characters, along with a cast and crew of many others, are in the book, which details a much longer period of Hassan's life than in the movie. It is a beautiful story of love and food and encouragement to fulfill your destiny, sometimes with an angel or two on your shoulders.
Many say that you need to be a "foodie" to appreciate this story. Well, I am no foodie, and I adored it. So don't be turned away if you are no "gourmand." I do admit, once again, that I prefer the movie version of this story because I do think that the movie was able to more accurately convey, because movies have the means to evoke senses in a way that books sometimes can't, Hassan's gift for cooking and "knowing" foods. It was brilliant.
This is a great story. And don't miss the movie!
:) Dodie
Friday, August 15, 2014
#38: Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman
I don't particularly enjoy the color orange and I have a fear of ever having to pee in front of people. As a result, I am terrified of ever having to go to jail/prison. Terrified. I wouldn't last a day. I think it was this fear that drew me to Kerman's memoir which I devoured over the last two days. And, while her book doesn't make me want to run out and commit a crime as some people have done because her book has glorified orange jump suits causing the number of prison inmates to be on the rise, it did make me see prison and inmates in a very different light.
I found Kerman's book to be both inspiring and alarming. Inspiring because the women Piper met over her year in prison, and Piper herself, are some strong ladies. I am still sad that Piper ever had to do time in the first place, but she handled a bad choice like the adult she is, did her time, and returned to her life and continues to move forward. She is what the government hopes will happen when inmates leave prison. But, I am also alarmed because the system of helping these ladies return to society is horribly inadequate and not everyone turns out like Piper. Not everyone has a friend who will give you a good job with benefits after you've done time in a Federal Prison. Not everyone had family and friends sending them letters and books and taking the time to come visit each week. Not everyone gets helped when they are out. Which is why they return. It makes me sad. Really sad.
I wonder how many sociology classes will use this book as a text? Or are already doing so. It's a brilliant piece of work and I am so glad that Piper found yet another way to make a bad situation have a positive outcome.
This is a good read.
Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie
I found Kerman's book to be both inspiring and alarming. Inspiring because the women Piper met over her year in prison, and Piper herself, are some strong ladies. I am still sad that Piper ever had to do time in the first place, but she handled a bad choice like the adult she is, did her time, and returned to her life and continues to move forward. She is what the government hopes will happen when inmates leave prison. But, I am also alarmed because the system of helping these ladies return to society is horribly inadequate and not everyone turns out like Piper. Not everyone has a friend who will give you a good job with benefits after you've done time in a Federal Prison. Not everyone had family and friends sending them letters and books and taking the time to come visit each week. Not everyone gets helped when they are out. Which is why they return. It makes me sad. Really sad.
I wonder how many sociology classes will use this book as a text? Or are already doing so. It's a brilliant piece of work and I am so glad that Piper found yet another way to make a bad situation have a positive outcome.
This is a good read.
Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
#36 and #37: If I Stay and Where She Went by Gayle Forman
I wanted to read If I Stay before seeing the movie that opens next week because I always like the read the book before seeing the movie made from the book. I'm just that sort of person. Knowing that this book deals with the death of a family, I also needed to make sure that I could handle watching the movie. I am bringing my big purse to the theater for this one--not to hide snacks, but to transport my jumbo sized box of tissues. I am going to need it. And I will probably need to share with the people around me.
So, here's the idea: Mia's family is involved in a tragic car accident. Her family (mother, father, and brother) have all died. She is fighting for her life and has to decide--does she stay on Earth or go with her family. While she makes this decision, we get to relive some of her most important memories with her. The book is amazing and while I will not tell you what happens, I will tell you that I had to read the sequel Where She Went, whose title very cleverly doesn't not spoil the book in any way. Either book, for that matter.
These books reminded me of the importance of family, of true love and what it will make us do or not do, and how important grieving can be for some to move on. Grief can manifest in so many different ways, too. We just have to love and support those we love who are impacted so they can grieve and move forward with their lives.
These are not long books and they are fairly easy reads (provided that you can read through tears) but I do recommend that if you read If I Stay that you have Where She Went close by. You will want to read on. Trust me on this one.
Happy reading everyone!
:) Dodie
So, here's the idea: Mia's family is involved in a tragic car accident. Her family (mother, father, and brother) have all died. She is fighting for her life and has to decide--does she stay on Earth or go with her family. While she makes this decision, we get to relive some of her most important memories with her. The book is amazing and while I will not tell you what happens, I will tell you that I had to read the sequel Where She Went, whose title very cleverly doesn't not spoil the book in any way. Either book, for that matter.
These books reminded me of the importance of family, of true love and what it will make us do or not do, and how important grieving can be for some to move on. Grief can manifest in so many different ways, too. We just have to love and support those we love who are impacted so they can grieve and move forward with their lives.
These are not long books and they are fairly easy reads (provided that you can read through tears) but I do recommend that if you read If I Stay that you have Where She Went close by. You will want to read on. Trust me on this one.
Happy reading everyone!
:) Dodie
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