Audio Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Admittedly, I have not been the best blogger lately. However, I’m hoping the multitudes of books- audio and traditional- that I have been reading lately make up for it. Stay tuned for a March Recap in a day or two!

I was lucky enough to attend a rockin’ bachelorette party in Minneapolis a couple of weekends ago (yay Kaitlyn!). During the 9 hour round trip, I listened to two very different books- Mindless Eating, a non-fiction book by Mark Wasink and The Fault in Our Stars by the beloved Young Adult Lit author John Green.

I say beloved because teens seem to thrive over his books, most notably The Fault in Our Stars and Paper Towns. Admittedly, I did not LOVE Paper Towns, but when my students said “YOU HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK NOW,” I, per usual, gave in and checked it out.

Hazel is a teenager with limited days. Barely escaping death from lung cancer thanks to a new experimental drug, she is a grenade waiting for her time to run out. At a somewhat lame but nonetheless supportive cancer group at a local church, Hazel meets the dreamy Augustus Waters. Gus lost his leg to cancer and, now healthy, is at the support group to support another cancer-friend Isaac. Hazel and Gus fall into a whirlwind romance and through each other, are able to truly live while awaiting what they can only assume are going to be untimely deaths.

As you might guess, this story will have some major sad moments. And yes, I did cry by myself in the car toward the end of the book, and I am not at all ashamed. In fact, if you don’t cry, I will question you are probably a tin man.

Why you might like this book: Although I’ve been fortunate not to have anything close to a life-threatening illness, it sure seems like John Green offers a realistic, though not totally cynical, view of how it feels to have cancer. In this way, I felt like the characters’ feelings are pretty believable. Secondly, this novel offered a couple of twists that surprised me, which I always appreciate.

Why you might not like this book: The characters in this book talk like they are on Gilmore Girls; super witty and not at all realistic. In fact, this is a huge reason why I never got into Gilmore Girls. It’s especially obvious on the audio version of the book, but it’s something you get used to.

Similar Titles I’ve Read: Paper Towns by John Green, My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult

I would recommend this book to: mostly teens, people who like having feelings, anyone planning on seeing the movie

The movie version of this book comes out on June 6. Although Shailene Woodley, one of my archnemeses, is in it, rest assured I will probably still see it at some point. See the trailer here!

Dystopian Lit Roundup

I read Legend by Marie Lu a couple of weeks ago. While it was really good, and at some point I plan on reading the sequel Prodigy, a sudden realization came over me when I was trying to explain the plot to my class. It was a realization that had been lingering a while, until someone finally voiced my concern. The conversation went something like this:

“What’s the book about?” the class asked me.

“Well,” I said, “in some ways it’s kind of like Hunger Games. It’s a dystopian novel about a society where teenagers take a test to determine….”

“Ugh!” a student whined. “All the books are like Hunger Games. Seriously!”

And that whining student is 100% correct. Just like novels and TV were overrun with vampires a few years ago, the dystopian society is taking over Young Adult Literature. These books are rampant, with the best of them being made into movies and making loads of money.

For reference, this is my definitive ranking of YAL dystopian novels:*

1.  Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
2. Legend by Marie Lu
3. Divergent by Veronica Roth
4. Uglies by Scott Westerfield
5. Matched by Allie Condie

*Full disclosure: I have read all of these books but not all of them in the series, so the list, while definitive, could change once I have read more sequels. There’s also probably 108 more books that should be in this list, but one only has so many time for reading young adult dystopian lit, right?

After some deliberate thought, I have decided that writing a dystopian novel is truly the next “get rich quick” scheme for any aspiring writers. And lucky for you, I have decided to help you become the next Suzanna Collins or Veronica Roth. Presenting….the formula for a dystopian teen novel:

1. Create a strong female protagonist who either:

          a. Has been stomped on her entire life by “the man” and is now incredibly jaded and
          angry

          b. Believes in her dystopian system like a blind wombat until some discovery or event
          shatters her understanding of the universe

This protagonist should be pretty B.A. and hardened in some way by her life experiences. She may not realize it at the time, but she also has a deadly power to motivate people and because of this, is a threat to the status quo of her city/country. Finally, although she is a teenager, she and her friends are given a ton of power and access to weapons.

2. Design a society in which some sort of “choosing” ceremony takes place, which divides the citizens into different groups based on: personality, looks, intelligence, occupation, love interests, etc. This society should be ruled by some sort of ruler who, at first appearance, may not seem to be in charge, but definitely is and is probably spying on the protagonist and trying to ruin her life.

3. Add in a love connection, which probably includes the following characteristics:

a. Secretive or forbidden fruit, a la Romeo and Juliet

b. A love triangle of some sort between an old flame and new, fun boy

c. A relationship constantly in turmoil due to the violence that erupts in the story, or the lovebirds’ volatile personalities

d. Love that is not consistent or fully solidified until the end of book three in the series. Which leads us to….

4. Drag out the story into a trilogy. Three books is a must, and for best results, make sure that the second one is a classic sequel and develops the overarching story without being able to truly stand on its own. In other words, provide no closure in the second book and force your readers to wait until the third book comes out months later. Hopefully when the movies come out, you can make them into four or five movies. That would be money (literally).

5. Add in a surprise twist. This twist won’t actually be a huge surprise, given the fact that this is a formula, and if your readers have read any other dystopian novels, they’ll be expecting it. Ideas for twists include: a character who seems good but is actually bad, a character who seems bad but if actually good, an identity change, a surprise attack, or a mystery death.

6. Kill your characters off with technology and violence. Lots of people need to die, and definitely consider killing off two or three really important characters. Remember that dystopian societies usually have some pretty boss technology, so use that to your advantage. These deaths should also be surprisingly violent, considering this is a novel for teens.

That’s about it. With these characteristics, you pretty much have a blockbuster formula for creating a hit book series. And remember: as long as the first book’s good enough, the last two can pretty much suck.

February Recap

Another cold winter month has come and gone! But our cold weather temps weren't the only record-breaking stat; I set a new personal best for books read in a month at eight, including three audiobooks. In this awfully dreary February, it was so soothing to have some fantastic, intriguing, and heart-warming reads to get me through. There’s seriously nothing like some hot chocolate, a good book, and a warm blanket to make a day better.

Here’s a recap of the books I read this month:

1. Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith (AKA JK Rowling)
2. Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom
3. The Book of Matt by Stephen Jimenez
4. Dewey: The Small Town Library Cat by Vicki Myron
5. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
6. Teacher Man by Frank McCourt
7. Lean In by Sheryl Sandburg
8. Legend by Mary Lu

Favorite Fiction: Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell. This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone- you’ve read my review, haven’t you?

Favorite Non-Fiction: Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom. A wonderful quick read!

Least Favorite Book: Teacher Man by Frank McCourt. It wasn’t that this book wasn’t interesting, but the audio got a little long and it mostly just made me sad as a teacher to have disrespectful kids and no help from administration and all that other stuff. Let’s just say, at times, Frank McCourt did not make me proud to be a teacher. But it was also full of some classroom joys, some of which I'm striving to experience myself.

Although I didn’t get to “book it” for all of my reads this past month, I was pretty busy with dance and other aspects of my life. I’m proud that I read so many books, and have no regrets for choosing reading over blogging. If you have any questions about books on the above list, though, please ask! You know I love to talk about books J

My birthday is just a week away- happy March!

Book Review: Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg

One of my favorite SNL sketches is with Tina Fey as Sarah Palin and Amy Poehler as Hilary Clinton. Palin and Clinton give a “non-partisan message” about sexism and the role it is playing in the upcoming 2008 election:

                  Palin: So please, stop photoshopping my head on sexy bikini picture.

                  Clinton: And stop saying I have cankles.

This absurd dichotomy that women are either hot, dumb playthings or shrewd, cold witches is exactly what Sheryl Sandberg takes on in Lean In. In this self-help/personal story, Sandberg, the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook, shares her journey to the top of her field and the struggle of being a woman in a position of power. “Why we have too few women leaders” was also the subject of her famous TED Talk, which propelled her to write this book in the first place.

Let me be clear, nothing I read in this book was ground-breaking. I was not shocked by any of the claims in this book and even found some of her arguments patronizing because they were so common sense; however, I did find the book as a whole intriguing and her stories and experiences interesting if for no other reason except they are so very different than my own.

Here are five of Sandberg’s main ideas:

1. Women hold themselves back by underestimating their own abilities. They need to be more confident in themselves and their potential.
2. Women who are successful are often perceived as "unlikable" and and that needs to change.
3. Building relationships with other people is an essential element of success.
4. Who you marry and how your partnership works matter.
5. Everyone (men and women) needs to work together to make the world a better place.

Not to be a brat, but wow, never saw those things coming.

In all fairness, some of the studies quoted by Sandberg were new to me, and you know how much I love a good study (really, though)!

Why you might like this book: Sandberg is clearly very passionate about this idea, and she seems to believe whole-heartedly in everything she says. Even though she has been accused of being out of touch with the middle-class working women, she has created Lean In, a private organization aimed at creating a community to inspire, educate, and communicate with future women leaders.

Why you might not like this book: Type in “Sheryl Sandberg” on Google, and most of the top hits are going to be negative. There are tons of critiques for this book, including this one, published last week by Georgetown professor Rosa Brooks (titled “Why I Hate Sheryl Sandberg- yikes!). I agree in some ways with Brooks; at times throughout the book, Sandberg makes me feel like a bad woman and human being for not jumping up to volunteer for power positions and for not encouraging women in the workplace as much as I probably should. Sorry, but sometimes I’m just trying to survive!!!

Similar Titles I’ve Read: 168 Hours by Lauren Vanderkam, Bossy Pants by Tina Fey (although, to be clear, Tina Fey is way funnier, and not just because she does a mean Sarah Palin impression).

I would recommend this book to: Ambitious women

Lean In is a quick read- I wouldn’t call it life changing, and despite my sassy remarks, Sheryl Sandberg is an important voice for gender equality and I’m happy to join in on the conversation.

Book Review: Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

You need to read this book.

In short, the book is about Eleanor and Park, two unlikely misfits who fall in love on a school bus. Eleanor is chubby with wild red hair, and is desperately trying to survive in the home of her abusive step-father. Park is half-Korean and half-Irish and uses music and comic books to figure out who he really is.

When you begin this book, be prepared for high school memories and adolescence to come flooding back to you. You will remember your first love. You will remember fighting with your parents and feeling like no one understands you. You will remember turning on your favorite song and trying to block out all the feelings you want to rid yourself of but at the same time make you feel alive.

And when you really dive in, you will want to reach into the pages and pull Eleanor out of her terrible world of poverty and despair. You will thank God for Park and his comic books and his beautiful hair and even his eyeliner, because maybe at least he is able to be himself.

And when you near the end, you will ugly-cry, as I did, for the last twenty pages, tears pouring down your cheeks and snot running down your chin. And when you are done, you will want a hug, and I hope you are lucky enough to get one, and afterward you will curl yourself into a ball and think about how blessed you are to have people who love you. If you’re an adult, you will thank God for the family that loves and supports you, and hope that every child can find the “deep and wide as the ocean” type of compassion and support that parents should feel for their children.

And finally, you will dream of your one true love and hope that one day you will feel this intense, soul-crushing love that Eleanor and Park do. Or perhaps you will thank your lucky stars that you have found that love, and promise yourself that you will never let it slip through your fingers.

Why you might like this book: It’s beautiful. It makes you feel alive. It causes your soul to ache. This book has non-traditional protagonists and an unconventional love story that is a surprising breath of fresh air to other young adult romance books I’ve read. It's cheesy, sure, but it also gives a realistic look at teenaged love.

Why you might not like this book: This book has been censored from some school districts having inappropriate and negative content. I guess I’m not sure why that would make you “not like this book,” but it’s the best I have. In response to the censorship, author Rainbow Rowell released this statement: “When these people call Eleanor & Park an obscene story, I feel like they’re saying that rising above your situation isn’t possible. That if you grow up in an ugly situation, your story isn’t even fit for good people’s ears. That ugly things cancel out everything beautiful.” As follow up, NPR did a great story on Rainbow Rowell and “why ugly stories matter”- see here. 

Similar Titles I’ve Read: Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli, Paper Towns by John Green, Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

I would recommend this book to: all of my book club girls, all high schoolers, and basically everyone.

“Holding Eleanor's hand was like holding a butterfly. Or a heartbeat. Like holding something complete, and completely alive.” -Rainbow Rowell, Eleanor and Park

Book Review: The Book of Matt by Stephen Jimenez

The story of Matthew Shepard is one that I’m sure everyone my age and older is familiar with. An unsuspecting, innocent, gay college student in Wyoming is brutally attacked and tied to a fence by two homophobes and left to die. It’s a heartbreaking story and one of the leading civil rights stories of our day. Matt’s parents, Dennis and Judy, created the Matthew Shepard Foundation to support LGBT youth and in 2009, Barack Obama signed into legislation the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.

In my tenth grade English class each year, we watch the HBO TV movie The Laramie Project as an introduction to our unit about tolerance and individual responsibility. The Laramie Project is a play from the Tectonic Theatre Project in New York. The play’s story revolves around a town shattered and rebuilt by the murder of Matthew is based on interviews and transcript of many people involved or close to the case. It’s a real tear jerker, with plenty of emotional moments and a powerful message: people are people, and to hurt someone out of hate is wrong.

So let me tell you how surprised I was when a student told me about The Book of Matt, a new book about Matthew Shepard.

“Basically, Matthew Shepard was addicted to meth, and he was killed over drugs, not because he was gay,” he informed me in a matter-of-fact, albeit non-judgmental manner.

Shocked at this statement, I politely told him that I hadn’t heard of that side of the story, but that I would check it out. And so, true to my word, two weeks ago I checked The Book of Matt out from the library.

The Book of Matt turned out to be a fascinating read. It presents a completely different side of the Matthew Shepard murder, one of promiscuity, addiction, and underground drug rings. Through a decade-long research process Jimenez, a gay man himself, argues that Matthew Shepard was not killed because he was gay. In fact, Aaron McKinney, one of the killers, and Matt knew each other longer before that fateful October evening. Rather, the murder is attributed to a struggle over methamphetamine and the money that comes with dealing it. This thesis is carefully crafted by Jimenez through thousands of hours of interviews and networking with the people of Laramie, WY, as well as Denver, CO. Many of these people were also interviewed by the Tectonic Theatre Project for The Laramie Project.

To me, the question that remained while I read the book and still remains: If it wasn’t about being gay, why is that the story we have all been told?

Jimenez attributes several reasons that the hate crime story spread like wildfire including: the close proximity of the murder to that of James Byrd, Jr in Jasper, TX; two friends of Matthew’s who knew nothing about his illicit activities and so immediately suspected gay hate, Bill Clinton’s desire to turn media attention away from his impeachment scandal, and cover-ups from Laramie police officers who may have also been involved in the drug circle. Most importantly, Jimenez touches on a profound truth about America: we love our victims as much as our heroes. It is easy for us to portray Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson as evil gay-hating rednecks, and Matthew as an innocent martyr, crucified for his beliefs. Matt has become an American myth, almost dehumanized as a result of this martyrdom.

Stephen Jimenez attempts to uncover the truth about Matthew Shepard and find out the human behind the story. In the process, he also humanizes in some way the murderers Aaron and Russell, their families, and other citizens of Laramie.

While this book does not shed Matthew Shepard in the best light, let me assure you that Stephen Jimenez in no way condones Matt’s murder. Instead, he argues that Matt, while a victim, was not the only one. Perhaps the most interesting part of the story for me was learning more about Russell Henderson, Aaron McKinney’s wingman in the whole process. Although he received two consecutive life sentences, and definitely did terrible things like failing to prevent the murder from happening, he was also preyed upon by Aaron and beat up that night; therefore, to lump him in the same category as Aaron McKinney seems unjust. He too, was a victim; a victim of family problems, of hanging with the wrong crowd, of abuse, and of drugs.

The story of Matthew Shepard is horrific, sad, and should have been prevented. However, as my English classes pointed out when we discussed this book, to cover up the truth even to do something good can still be wrong. Methamphetamine is a terrible, terrible drug and has ruined more lives than just Matt, Aaron, and Russell’s, and I think that Jimenez is trying to expose the problem with this drug as much as the truth about the murder.

Why you might like this book: This is an extremely controversial book, but I believe much of what Jimenez says. As Jimenez delves into the story, he reveals much more about Matt, Aaron McKinney, and the town of Laramie than is usually revealed in the folktale that has become the Matthew Shepard story. Although he is not the best writer, I truly believe that Jimenez has done his research and has struggled to uncover the truth.

Why you might not like this book: Many people are very offended by this book, basically arguing that Jimenez is a poor, unreliable journalist with no credibility or soul (see here). Most importantly, people believe that this could take away or taint all of the good that has come out of Matt’s death.

Similar Titles I’ve Read: None that I can think of, to be honest. However, you may be interested in Judy Shepard’s memoir The Meaning of Matt.

I would recommend this book to: fellow English 10 teachers or teachers that use The Laramie Project as a teaching tool, and others interested in the Matthew Shepard story.

Talking about this book with my classes was a great way to talk about what is “true” and how life is more complex than right or wrong, black or white. Could both The Book of Matt and The Laramie Project be true? Could both reveal truths about life without being factual? Both argue that the murder was wrong and that people do not deserve to die in senseless, terrible ways. Hopefully, through both media, people will be reminded of the lesson we all need: life is precious and should not be wasted.

P.S. You can watch Stephen Jimenez give a book talk about The Book of Matt here.