Module 2 Book Reviews

 

Powell, P.H. (2017). Loving VS. Virginia: A Documentary Novel of the Landmark Civil 

Rights Case. Chronicle Books. ISBN: 978-1-4521-2590-9

Plot Summary

In 1955 two teenagers Richard and Mildred fell in love in the middle of racial tension and segregation. In Virgina it is against the law for two people of different races to be married and cohabitate. When they are discovered to have been married in Washington D.C. the Lovings are arrested and kicked out of their home state of Virginia. Separated from their families and yearning to go home they decide to fight for their right to be married and live where they want. Their fight lands them in the middle of a landmark Supreme Court case. This devoted and loving couple fights against discrimintaion and prevails in the end.

Analysis

This docu-novel is written in verse alternating in perspectives between Mildred and Richard. This allows the reader to understand the perspective of each of the characters during this time. The author also includes photographs and documents to give the reader some historical background about what was happening in Virginia and around the country during this time period. Scattered throughout the novel are illustrations by Shadra Strickland. Strickland used a style of the time period called visual journalism. This style is characterized by using a loose, impromptu style with an informal feeling. These beautiful illustrations capture the feeling of the time with their simple lines and muted colors. At the end of the novel you will find a timeline that tells the reader of the events going on around the country during this time. This story is beautifully written and gives the reader an idea of what this couple went through so that we could be free to marry and live with whomever we love.

Reviews

"Presented through the alternating voices of Mildred and Richard Loving, the reader enters the lives of two people in a tight-knit community who fall in love and are forced to leave the world they have known. We grow up with them and understand their quiet strength. Patricia Hruby Powell sets the Loving's story within the historical context of the Civil Rights Movement thereby allowing readers to gain a greater understanding of the fight for equal rights, at both the personal and societal level." -Jennifer Kelley Reed, Teacher Librarian and blogger at Reederama

"This stunning book is a must-purchase for the simple pleasure of its poetry, its genuine and moving story, and its respectful consideration of this monumental case on its 50th anniversary."--School Library Connection

Other books by Patricia Hruby Powell include: Lift as You Climb: The Story of Ella Baker, Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker, and Struttin’ with Some Barbecue: Lil Hardin Armstrong Becomes the First Lady of Jazz. 

Schneemann, K., & Williams, L. (2020). Go with the Flow. First Second. ISBN 978-1-250-30572-5

Plot Summary

This story is about four girls who are fed up with the machines in the girls bathrooms always being out of menstrual supplies.  In their school periods are a taboo topic that no one will discuss.  How can the boys football team get new uniforms and the girls can’t get a tampon or pad?  When a new student is in need of a pad the girls become aware of the dire situation for supplies.  Then through research they discover how girls are treated around the world when they have their periods and the injustice some girls face.  Together Abby, Brit, Christine, and Sasha bond together to make a change for girls everywhere.  

Analysis

This story is told in graphic novel format.  The artwork is done in tones of red, fitting for the subject matter.  The characters in this story are diverse in ethnicity, sexuality, family structure, and period pain.  This gives the reader a good chance of relating to one of the characters and the struggles they are going through.  Girls everywhere will feel empowered to discuss their periods openly and to not be ashamed of what is natural.  Also included at the back of the book is an author's note, period facts, and other resources that can be helpful for young girls.  This novel is a great read for girls and boys alike to bring normalcy to the topic of periods.

Reviews

"This warm, candid friendship story isn’t shy about the message it’s trying to send―that periods need not be a dirty secret." ―School Library Journal   

"Shades of red aptly make up the book’s palette, and the cartoony style and figures resemble the Lumberjanes comic books. Fans of that series will appreciate this mix of friendship power and activism." ―The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

ALA Notable Book 2020

YALSA Great Graphic Novels 2021

Texas Library Association Maverick LIst 2021

Eisner Award, Best Publication for Kids, Nominee 2021

Book Trailer

Other books by Lily Williams include: If Bees Disappeared, If Polar Bears Disappeared, and If Elephants Disappeared.  

Nijkamp, M. (Ed.). (2018). Unbroken: 13 Stories Starring Disabled Teens. Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR). ISBN: 978-0-374-30650-2

Plot Summary

This book is a collection of short stories about disabled characters by disabled authors. This collection of fictional stories takes place in the past, present, and future. Each story has a diverse set of characters with various experiences as well as characters of color and different orientations. There is a story for everyone in this collection.     

Analysis

    The stories in this collection are in various formats including letters and a play. The characters in these stories are diverse in their disabilities including blindness, anxiety, using a cane or wheelchair, and irritable bowel syndrome to name a few. They are also diverse in race and sexual orientation which adds to the depth of these characters. There is almost a character for everyone to relate to in some way. All of the stories are fiction with a bit of sci-fi, magic, and fantasy. There are also two stories “The Leap and the Fall” and “A Curse, A Kindness” that include two girls finding love.

    One story that I enjoyed was “Dear Nora James, You Know Nothing About Love”. This story tells of a young girl who has irritable bowel syndrome and divorced parents. I like that this disability is one that most people are embarrassed to talk about. The character Nora is trying to navigate high school and boys along with this truly debilitating disability. It gives the reader a different perspective on what it means to live with a disability and the daily struggle that some people have that is not noticeable from the outside.

    Each story has a protagonist that is going through life with ordinary struggles in addition to their disability. This collection of stories does a great job of telling stories with disabled teens that is not only about their disability but who they are as people. The reader truly feels the characters strength and their sorrows of what life is like for them. This book is an excellent read for everyone and an excellent way to expose students to diverse lifestyles and disabilities.

Reviews

"The stories feature wide variety and high quality, but most importantly, none of the teens at the center of the stories are defined by their disabilities. Teens disappointed by the lack of nuanced depictions of disability in YA fiction will cheer for these compassionate, engaging, and masterfully written stories." ―Booklist, starred review

"Unbroken is a much needed short story collection featuring disabled teens as heroes of their own stories. The anthology successfully subverts stereotypes and long-held literary tropes about characters with disabilities. This strong assortment of stories will attract a large teen audience and should be in collections serving young adult readers." ―VOYA

Kirkus Best of YA 2018 Pick

We Need Diverse Books 2018 Must Read

Other books by Marieke NijKamp include: The Oracle Code, Feral Youth, and Up All Night. 

Module 1 Book Reviews

 

Anderson, L.H. (1999). Speak. Farrar, Straus, and Giroux. ISBN 978-0-312-67439-7

Plot Summary

Melinda is just starting ninth grade and she is already an outcast. Over the summer she attends a high school party where she is attacked and raped. She is so shocked and upset after the attack that she calls the police from the party. When the police arrive the party is busted and she is blamed. Not only has Melinda lost all of her friends but she is battling the horrors of being raped. Melinda struggles to deal with the reality of what has happened to her and is unable to speak. The only peace she finds is in art class with her teacher Mr. Freeman. Through the year Melinda slowly starts to come out of her shell and starts to process what has happened only to be attacked once more. This time Melinda stands up to her attacker and learns to speak up for herself.

Analysis

Anderson captures the gritty realism of high school perfectly. A small portion of this novel is based on Anderson’s own experiences after a sexual assult she suffered as a teen. The main character, Melinda tells her story through wit and humor which is used to hide her pain and suffering. Female students will empathize with Melinda’s struggles and may see themselves or someone they know in this character. Filled with symbolism, this book is a must read.

This book could be used to open the discussion of what unfortunately happens too often in high schools across America. What to do in this situation, and how to seek help when needed. It also touches on mental health issues such as cutting. These are all topics that today’s teens are faced with and this book lets girls know that they are not alone.

Reviews

“In a stunning first novel, Anderson uses keen observations and vivid imagery to pull readers into the head of an isolated teenager. . . . Yet Anderson infuses the narrative with a wit that sustains the heroine through her pain and holds readers’ empathy. . . . But the book’s overall gritty realism and Melinda’s hard-won metamorphosis will leave readers touched and inspired.”

—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

“A frightening and sobering look at the cruelty and viciousness that pervade much of contemporary high school life, as real as today’s headlines. . . . The plot is gripping and the characters are powerfully drawn . . . a novel that will be hard for readers to forget.”

—Kirkus Reviews, Pointer Review


National Book Award Finalist

ALA Best Books for Young Adults

Michael L. Printz Award Honor


Other Books by Laurie Halse Anderson include: Shout, Catalyst, and Prom.

Potok, C. (1967). The Chosen. Ballantine Books. ISBN 978-0-449-91154-9

Plot Summary

Set in the 1940’s The Chosen tells of a friendship between two boys on opposite sides of the Jewish faith.  Reuven Malther is a secular Jew with a father who is a professor and Zionist.  Daniel Saunders is a Hasidic Jew and the heir to a Hasidic rebbe.  This story follows the boys through their teens and into adulthood and captures their complicated relationships with each other and their fathers.  

Analysis

Potok himself grew up in the Hasidic community and uses his experiences to write this story.  There are a couple conflicts in this story, the conflict between the Hasidim and the Orthodox, as well as blind fanaticism and piousness.  The author also shows the two ways in which the fathers are choosing to raise their sons.  Danny’s father raises him in complete silence and a firm hand in order to train him to replace him as a tzaddik whereas Reuven’s father raises him as a scholar and with a gentle hand.  This leads to conflict between Reuven and Danny’s father as he tries to understand the hostile way in which he raises his son, who is his best friend.  He sees the toll it takes on his friend and how Danny follows his father with blind faith.  This book shows the world the ways of the Hasidic community in Brooklyn and makes their faith more accessible to people.  Readers can relate with the characters on the complexity of trying to figure out who you are and what you believe in as a young adult.  

Reviews

 “So entertaining, so full of love and compassion that readers of all persuasions will take it to their hearts. Mr. Potok is writing about two fathers and their sons... in a way that will ring just as true at Iowa as in Brooklyn.” ― Publishers Weekly

“It is a simple, almost meager story... yet the warmth and pathos of the dealings between fathers and sons and the understated odyssey from boyhood to manhood give the book a range that makes it worth anybody’s reading.” ― The Christian Science Monitor

National Book Award Finalist

Other books by Chaim Potok include: The Promise, The Book of Lights and My Name is Asher Lev.

Chee, T. (2020). We Are Not Free. Clarion Books. ISBN 978-0-358-13143-4

Plot Summary

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor fourteen teens lives become forever changed.  This group of Japanese American friends take the reader on a journey through the war and the incarceration camps they were forced to move into.  The teens have grown up together in Japantown in San Francisco and treat each other like family.  Surrounded by people who hate them for how they look and who they are, they must stick together to make it through the war.  

Anaylsis

Chee used stories from her own grandparents as well as historical tidbits to write this book.  This story is told from the fourteen points of view of each of the main characters.  The reader is weaved through the events of the war from each teens perspective. This allows the reader to understand how the characters were similar but also the differences.  Each character had their own complex relationship with their own families as well as their loyalties to America or Japan. The writing styles change throughout the book based on what character is telling the story.  There is both first and second person narration as well as verse and letters. Also included in the book are historical pictures of various places and documents. This book also gives you some insight into the incarceration camps during WWII and the daily conditions each teen was subjected to through their eyes.  The teens dealt with regular teenage things such as love, school, dances, and friends but they also had to deal with racism, death, and politics.  This topic of the incarceration camps is not often spoken about and has readers empathizing with the teens and the hardships they endured.  They were American born but were often called racial slurs and were preyed upon for how they looked which led them to question what it means to be an American.  This incredible novel is a story everyone should read.  

Reviews

Chee is a master storyteller.... Here, she uses her own San Francisco-based Japanese American family's history to inform a blazing and timely indictment of the incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII. Her passion and personal involvement combine with her storytelling talents to create a remarkable and deeply moving account of the incarceration.... [We Are Not Free] should become required curriculum reading on a shameful and relevant chapter in U.S. history.-- "Booklist, STARRED review.

“A compelling and transformative story of a tragic period in American history....Each voice is powerful, evoking raw emotions of fear, anger, resentment, uncertainty, grief, pride, and love....An unforgettable must-read.​" —Kirkus, STARRED review  

National Book Award Finalist

Printz Honor Book

Walter Honor Book

Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature Honor Book

Other books by Traci Chee include: A Thousand Steps Into Midnight and The Reader Series