Lisa Francine
4.5: Annie Spence urges us all to read with her outrageous humor, accessible writing style, and expansive knowledge of books. Spence has me considering which books I would compose “love letters” or “breakup notes” for - and thinking of how many copies I will purchase for gifts this year! As Kirkus Reviews said, “A charming epistolary volume that begs to be read with pencil in hand.”
Zak says,
“When I was a kid, I never questioned what I heard at home or at school or at the mosque. Bigotry just slipped into my system along with everything else: Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. Pi equals 3.14. All Jews are evil, and homosexuality is an abomination. Paris is the capital of France. They all sounded like facts. Who was I to differentiate? I was made to fear people who are different and kept away from them as much as possible for my own “protection.” Bigotry is such a maddeningly perfect circle — I never got close enough to find out if I should fear them in the first place.” p. 79
Alice McDermott's precise prose and storytelling ability immerse you in this world: multigenerational, Catholic, Brooklyn, turn of the 20th century, nuns, a single mother, a suicide kept hidden, and more. Life is simple and complicated; McDermott reminds us with her characters, their relationships, and the history they are living, daily.
Hats off, once again to Katherine Applegate, and her ability to share some of the problems of the world with her young, and not so young, readers. Friendship, immigration, nature, and conflict are some of the themes in Wishtree, which Katherine tells with warmth, compassion, humor, and empathy.
The tagline for Feiwel and Friends (the publisher's of Wishtree) is: “Our books are friends for life” and Wishtree is destined to become a favorite book for life of many Applegate friends, both old and new!
“So there's heartbreak in these pages, but also universal truth. We all have the capacity to face adversity, to come through it, and to heal. We all think we know how to live good lives. What's trickier is how to handle death, how to be with the dying and hold their pain and fear in our hearts. And then let them go.” – Marissa Moss
Ruta Sepetys has done it again with Salt to the Sea which exemplifies the best in historical fiction writing: captivating characters, bittersweet events, meticulous research, and the ability to tie these all together in a narrative prose that keeps the reader engaged at all stages of the story! This little known WWII tragedy is retold with compassion and clarity. One is reminded of the many victims of war, especially children, when reading Salt to the Sea. Thank you Ruta, for giving voice to the voiceless victims of war.
Sonia Sotomayor shares the power of words and of books in shaping her life. Often I found myself exclaiming in agreement, “Yes, that is how I feel/felt!” Some examples for me include:
“Reading was like lighting candles, each book a flame that lit up the world around me.”
“I didn't know how to read yet, but written words, I discovered, were electrical currents that jolted feelings to life.”
“Books were my loyal friends. They made it so I never felt lonely.”
“The library was my harbor, and books were little boats that helped me escape sadness at home.”
