little brother

Again.  I managed to stop reading for three weeks.  The problem lies in not picking up a new book the same day I finish one.  Once a couple days pass without selecting my next project, I become lazy and fall into the black hole of illiteracy.  For the record, I did decide on my next escape from reality, so you should see me back here shortly, not a month from now!

Cory Doctorow, author of Little Brother, visited our school last month, and even though I missed his talk, I've heard great things about his writing, so I borrowed this book from my friend Kate.  A "rousing tale of techno-geek rebellion" captures it perfectly.  This is the story of a group of teenagers who, in the aftermath of a terrorist attack on San Francisco, decide to fight The Department of Homeland Security because they feel they, the innocent victims, are having their constitutional rights stripped.  Being treated like terrorists inspires these kids to fight back and protect the Bill of Rights.

Totally cool book.  Definitely held my interest, though a little drawn out.  I'm not a "techno-geek" but still loved the book.  Some of the tech talk can be confusing but you don't need to understand it to enjoy this read.

Check it out for free!

sold

After finishing Half the Sky yesterday, I picked up this book written by Patricia McCormick because it tells the story of one girl's nightmare as she is sold into sex slavery.  It complements what I learned in Half the Sky because it is a fictional, personal account based on the author's interviews of girls in brothels in Nepal and India. 

This book is beautifully written in almost vignette-like verse, deeply contrasting the horrifying turmoil of the young narrator's life.  It does a wonderful job of forcing the reader to acknowledge a world we try to pretend does not exist in today's world.  But it does.  And it's important to open our eyes to the atrocities that are so real to so many young women and girls.  Although Sold is a young adult book, it needs to make its way into adult literary circles as well.

half the sky

"Women hold up half the sky." - Chinese Proverb

Half the Sky, written by Pulitzer prize-winning spouses Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, will change your persective on life.  This is not just a book about women's rights, rather a book about human rights.  If you have a humanitarian bone in your body, Half the Sky will shock you, sadden you, and empower you.

Half the Sky is a "passionate call to arms against our era's most pervasive human rights violation: the oppression of women and girls in the developing world."  It discusses sex trafficking, honor killings, female genital cutting, maternal health, and other horrifying realties.  Realities we have escaped through our privileged Western upbringing.

If you have a mother, a sister, a daughter, a female you love, this book is a must.  If you don't have time to read it, visit Half the Sky to see what you can do to make a difference in the lives of women and girls across the globe.  I know I will no longer be able to turn a blind eye.

six months in sudan

The story of a 33-year-old doctor on assignment in Sudan through Doctors without Borders, this memoir is both shocking and touching.  I could not put the book down.  Loved, loved, loved it.

James Maskalyk originally told his story through his blog and later in this book.  The memories he retells leave a searing mark on your heart, espcially the ones of the Sudanese infants and children.  

I recommend this to anyone in search of an inspring and thought-provoking humanitarian story.  James is a beautiful writer, capturing an almost vignette style in his blog entries, which are woven throughout the book.  Truly a wonderful memoir.

Thank you to my freshman student Nicole who recommended this book to me after it changed her own outlook on life.

catching fire

Okay, so I fell off the wagon and stopped reading for a month.  I don't know what happened.  I guess life happened.  This weekend, though, we went out of town for a wedding without the boys so I actually read a book.  I finally picked up the next book in the Hunger Games trilogy.  This book is almost as engaging as the first, and I have already pre-ordered the third one to be released in August, just in time for school to start, the ultimate delay to my reading!

hunger games

I've been hearing kids talk about this book by Suzanne Collins all year, so I finally gave it a go. Loved it. I can see why it's a favorite among teens.


The Starred Review captures this book best: "Collins has written a compulsively readable blend of science fiction, survival story, unlikely romance and social commentary. Hers is a gripping story set in a postapocalyptic world where a replacement for the United States demands a tribute from each of its territories: two children to be used as gladiators in a televised fight to the death."


It kept me reading late into the night (okay, that's 10:30 for me) when my bed usually wins the battle! The whole concept behind the book really makes you think about what the author is trying to say about war and our government. I can't wait to pick up the 2nd book in the trilogy, Catching Fire, but it will have to wait until I finish a book I just borrowed from my mom...

i am the messenger

By the same author as The Book Thief, this young adult book held my attention all the way. It has some poetic elements like The Book Thief but had a completely different plot that was just as engaging.

I Am the Messenger is the story of Ed Kennedy, a cab driver who appears to be going nowhere in his life, until he stops a bank robbery in progress. After the robbery, Ed's life changes as he becomes the messenger (or so he believes). He receives mysterious playing cards with clues as to people whose lives need changing. And Ed is the person for the job.

This story made me laugh, it almost made me cry, but most importantly, it made me really think about life. Cool book. Definitely worth the couple days it will take to read.