tl;dr: thoroughly enjoyed this book!
Very different and very unexpected, but that’s what I’ve come to expect from Shusterman. Some people will have problems with it being in the voice of a teenager. As a HS English teacher and mom of football & hockey boys as well as a theater and softball mom, these voices are completely normal and actually very comforting to me. To those reviewers that question whether or not 17 year olds can think about their existence in the universe or wonder about social issues, you obviously haven’t spoken to any recently. That aside, this voice was one of rhetorical most authentic I have I ever read. I felt like I was reading thoughts from my own kids’ heads - who in fact were lineman. The kids are just real and made laugh - I would have loved to have taught them.
Absolutely wonderful book written in the voice of a 14 year old boy. But he’s not just any high school freshman - he’s struggling not only with his identity like most kids, but also his culture. Sherman Alexie brings to light a side of the US that most people embarrassingly have no clue really exists. In the end, this is a story of hope - and one everyone should read.
4.5⭐️. Great dystopian book - makes you nice and uncomfortable! Crazy idea but yet, unfortunately, it’s not too far off that it couldn’t ever become a reality. A lot of people want to make this a cut and dry pro-life/pro-choice issue, but it’s really something deeper than that. It’s a very uneasy look at the bystander effect and how we as humans tend to take the easy path even if it compromises our morals - especially if there’s money involved. It’s a great start to a conversation about human identity and ethics.
Cute story with a great premise. It just didn’t gel right. T seemed, I don’t know, disjointed? Yes, each chapter is a from a different POV and one of those is from the 1920’s. However, the jumps are still not gentle and smooth. If this had been turned in to me by a student, I would’ve returned it, asking for better transitions. That aside, the story is great and I loved the characters. The descriptions of the scenery and the literature as well as actual people was great as well. All in all, worth a read.
LOVE this book and love his audible version even more! His stories and outlook on life is just amazing and listening to him tell them makes it even better. Walking us through his life gives us the insight to understand his perspective on things a lot better. It’s nice to have a Texan like him who is wildly successful yet also incredibly down to earth. He knows his roots and he knows how to stay grounded and keep his frequency strong. And he passes that on to everyone - with or without weed and peyote.
This is an incredible book - absolutely one of the best I’ve read in a long time. Foo writes in such a way that she is SO relatable and her memoir of working through her C-PTSD was helpful to me as I’m working through my own brain and trauma.
If you want to understand why addicts can’t “just quit”, this is a great place to start. His story is heartbreaking, to say the least, even more so when you know what’s happened to him and his family since this book was written. His message though, is powerful. Being able to relive his story for others to learn is really admirable and gives us all an insight into some of the struggles one faces with addiction.
Little White Lies is a good YA book with an enjoyable storyline and equally enjoyable characters. It’s obvious that Barnes knows the debutante world and it’s represented well - not overly dramatic or unrealistic - just real with a lot of fun fiction thrown in. It did drag a bit in the middle of the story but thankfully, I kept with it. I could have done without the “Secrets of the Skin” posts that only show up in the beginning of the book. Yes, the fake website is part of the story arc but the “posts” are random and just really not needed for the story. More of an annoying distraction that just doesn’t help the flow of the story at all. Overall, a fun book to read. Can’t wait to read the sequel.
Great short story! I love how Atwood begins the story at the “talkback age” - an age where almost any female can relate. The story moves through life giving us interesting and vibrant characters which Atwood keeps us connected through to the end.
Great read! Kept my interest, which is saying a lot, esp for a YA. In the beginning, her character annoyed me quite a bit - she just seemed to be a little “much”. But thankfully, that lessened as the plot went on. Great fantasy elements, although I was disappointed that the “map” really didn’t give me all the places that were named. Looking forward to the next book!
