My Sister's Keeper- *spoiler alert*

In addition to my Christmas shopping sprees, I've also been on a mini reading spree. During breaks from teaching I usually make it my mission to catch up on a few books that I've been promising to myself that I'd read. One of these was My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. I was reluctant to give it a try because the numerous students who'd recommended it to me had a penchant for sappy Nicholas Sparks novels. The real reason I finally gave it a try was that I felt it was my duty to test it out because the topic of organ harvesting kept coming up in my class as my health tech students have been working on writing research papers connecting with health technologies.

I knew the book was about a little girl who was intended by her parents as being a donor match for her older sister, who had a form of childhood cancer. I also knew that the younger girl wasn't crazy about the "donations" she was "asked" to make for her sister because of the sheer intrusiveness of the procedures.

As I read, I found that the book was organized by chapters written from each character's perspective, except Kate's (the older sister who we finally hear from near the end). The story begins with a young woman/girl (approx. 12ish) named Anna who is in the process of saving up and purchasing the services of an attorney because she would like to have the legal right to her own body. As the story progresses, the reader finds out that Anna is a very mature young woman who has essentially been domineered by her parents love for her older sister, Kate. The middle child, Jesse, is a juvenile delinquent who has a fondness for arson. This is particularly ironic because his dad is a firefighter who has been trying to catch a pesky arsonist (his son).

While Anna toils with her decision to liberate herself, but essentially sign her sister's death certificate, the reader is able to see how much influence parents really do have on their minor children. The reader also becomes acquainted with Anna's lawyer, who has a service dog named Judge, and the child advocate who happens to have ridiculous sexual tension with the lawyer because the two had had an abrupt and unresolved breakup while dating in college.

The story is genuinely compelling because it's easy to see how Anna's parents are being divided by Kate's chronic illness(es) and the sexual tension gives the romance readers a little something to look forward to. It's also easy to see how Anna become dehumanized because of Kate's extreme threat of mortality.

The entire story pulled me through the pages because I was curious to see just how Anna was going to end up if she did win the case. She was definitely in a Catch-22 situation, so I was hoping the author was going to pull a clever ending together despite the appearance of a no-win situation. What's the author's solution? Deux ex machina. I saw it coming, because she'd dug herself too much of a hole. All bridges were burnt, so there was only one way out.

Was the read worthwhile? Yes-- because it explored a topic that many people may have otherwise never considered and it approached the topic through a relatively unbiased lens by involving so many characters' perspectives. Was is literary genius? Hardly. But, I can cross it off my list and I would recommend it to those readers curious about the topic or simply looking for a Nicolas Sparks stand-in.

Breathing Underwater (Alex Flinn)

Breathing Underwater is the first book I've read by Alex Flinn, and based on the experience, it won't be my last. This book was just what my brain needed: something with substance and drama. While I teach h.s. juniors and seniors, you'd think that I'd get enough drama, but apparently I don't. Luckily, our acting school library (who's actually certified for social studies and is in the process of becoming our full-time librarian) recommended Breathing Underwater, so I got my weekly dose of drama. The librarian recommended it simply stating that it was fabulous and it had to do with teen dating violence and family violence.

The premise of the book is this: Nick, a high school student, starts off the story with his account of meeting with a judge about a restraining order. We find out that Nick and his ex-girlfriend Caitlin had some sort of conflict or misunderstanding and at best the relationship is "complicated". Nick is mandated to attend family violence group therapy for 6 months and he must write in a journal on a weekly basis as a supplement to the therapy.

As the story progress, the reader can see the small signs of Nick's controlling behavior, despite his rationalizations for his actions and feelings. We are also able to see multiple families and their histories of abuse through the group therapy scenes. As the story progresses, it becomes more obvious that Nick not only has anger and relationship issues, but his father seems to have passed these traits on to his son.

What I find fabulous about this book is that it doesn't try to tie the package off with a neat bow- which is refreshing. There is hope, but there is the reality that individuals need to take responsibility for themselves. I particularly enjoyed the fact that I really found myself looking forward to the end of the book because it wasn't predictable and I could still relate to the characters, or at least to their emotions. My only criticism of the book was that there seemed to be a nonchalance about underage drinking- whereas this bothered me, even though this nonchalance & drinking had much to do with the protagonist's viewpoint. The notion that underage drinking is a negative action was very, very subtle- to the point where the average teen (and even I) might deem the drinking as endorsed. But, I think there is some good in focusing on one large issue at a time; it prevents the book from getting preachy- Flinn mastered teaching without being preachy by her use of characters and their emotions.

Overall, I was so impressed by this book, I've been seriously considering working it into my curriculum. I even recommended it (and offered to share the book while I was still reading it) to a male student who had indicated that he and his father have had some "rough patches," because I could tell that Flinn was a master at tackling the subject.

Monster by Walter Dean Myers

I ran across the book Monster by Walter Dean Myers as I was looking for something to read while I would be proctoring OGTs last week. I knew I'd be safe with something by Myers because of the way he created such an amazing story with realistic characters in Fallen Angels. I love the fact that Myers usually has Black young men and his protagonists- it's a refreshing change from most YA lit. I finished the book two days after I got it out of the library. I'd guess it took me an absolute max of four hours to read. I had to chuckle because I never read a book this quickly during the school year- because of everything else that needs to be done before I do "fun" reading.

What made this book so readable? The story is set up in the format of a diary and a screen play. The protagonist, Steve Harmon is up on trial for robbery and murder. It's unclear, until the end of the book, what role this young Black man had in the robbery and murder because the reader simply gets the happenings within the court (as people testify and as he meets with his lawyers).

Steve repeatedly describes the prison system and the legal system from his perspective. The only question I have about believability is, would a 16 year old simply on trial really be placed in a regular prison if he didn't make bail? Seems that a young man in this position would be more likely to end up in a juvie system until being tried as an adult. Then again, that's just my perspective and I'm no lawyer.

As the book progresses, the reader is drawn to Steve because he seems to be a nice kid from a loving family who seems to have just known some shady characters. The moral of the story seems to be that it's easy for anyone to get put into a position where his or her character and any acquanitances' characters may be put on trial. Overall, a fabulous read, and I'm sure that my students would especially enjoy it because it delves into the dark side, but does so in a teen-appropriate manner.

Pop (by Gordon Korman) with *spoiler alert*

I think Pop was the third book I've ready by Gordon Korman and it wasa bit more than just the fluff I expected. Korman has a knack for putting out books with teenage boys finding themselves in self discovery mode. Pop is one of Korman's newer novels, but it doesn't disappoint in following the formula that both Son of the Mob and Born to Rock followed. The main character is looking for himself through some conflict, he finds himself in a sticky situation and lies in order to be loyal to his fellows, and then the conflict resolves itself and everyone sees how truly good this protagonist is (and the lies are miraculously forgotten). I guess I'm getting cynical in my old age. However, with this Korman novel, the lighthearted gives way to larger, unresolved issues.

Pop follows Marcus Jordan, a newcomer in a town with a football addiction problem. Jordan is psyched to try out for the team, but he's treated like a newbie even though he is pretty decent. As Jordan begins to learn his place on the team (making the 1st string QB, Troy, look good), he begins to practice at a local park on his own time. As things will have it, a stranger begins to join his practice and this stranger has the habit of randomly showing up and randomly leaving, in addition to giving Marcus a helluva beating with tackling practice.

Marcus finds himself drawn into a handful of pranks with the adult stranger he practices with, who we finally find out is named Charlie. Each time, Marcus gets busted and Charlie disappears leaving Marcus with the wrap. Marcus continues to get notoriety for his skills and he begins to be used for his newfound tackling abilities.

Marcus continues to push for the role of QB, but the coach resists, insisting that Troy is the best bet. As well, a girl starts to show interest in Marcus, and she just happens to be Troy's on-again-off-again girlfriend. In the meanwhile, Marcus realizes that Charlie is actually Troy's father, after Charlie congratulates Marcus after a game and Troy responds negatively.

While the story at first seems to be about father-son problems, the reader actually find out that Charlie's peculiar behavior is due to the fact that Charlie's taken one to many hits to the head while being a professional player for the Bengals. Marcus begins to do research on Charlie's condition and realizes Charlie has a form of early on-set Alzheimers common to professional athletes with repetitive head injuries. This information further digs Marcus into a hole with Charlie's family because they don't want the public to know, but Charlie's antics have left Marcus holding the bag legally.

Marcus finds himself angling against Charlie's family so that Charlie can be honored by his college alma mater. When this angling doesn't work, Marcus enlists Charlie's old high school buddy to help take Charlie to the Hall of Fame recognition at the college. Charlie's family finds out what's going on once they see Charlie online at the alma mater and Marcus ends up in more trouble with the law- but this time for kidnapping Charlie.

Marcus ends up taking over the QB position from Troy because Troy is unable to cope with his father's Alzheimers and the family decides to finally deal with the Alzheimers head-on. The arrange for Charlie to enter a nursing home. While the antics appear to be over, an old prank involving a stolen hawk reemerges in a tragic, yet dignified form. Korman manages to take a seemingly light-hearted topic into a statement about dignity and respect for the human body's capabilities.

Far From You- *spoiler alert*

I read Far From You by Lisa Schroeder a few weeks ago. I can see how some of my high school students, especially female romantics, might really enjoy it, but it was another one that was a bit too predictable for me.

The book uses lyric poetry, like Crank (by Ellen Hopkins) and quite a few other YA lit. novels. I enjoy this style in that it's a super fast read, but I feel that it's become a bit of a cop-out for true novel writing. Nonetheless, the story was sweet. It's about a teenage girl, going through a typical rebellious stage. Alice, the girl, has recently lost her mother to cancer and Alice's father has remarried and the step-mother has a baby soon after we meet Alice.

Alice it less than thrilled about the baby, particularly because it takes away the little time her father still spends with her (rather than with the step mom). Alice uses her angst to write emo, christian tunes with her best friend, Claire.

Alice also has a sweet, but slacker boyfriend that is less than supportive of Alice's religious choices. I found myself rooting against the slacker boyfriend (yes, his name is Blaze), despite the fact that he has a few moments of clarity regarding encouraging Alice to at least give her step-mom a chance.

While Alice gets into an argument with her friend, and she is forced to go on a family trip, the turning point finally comes: she gets trapped in the snow with her baby step-sister and step-mother on the way home from the family trip. Alice finally has to face her issues with her step-mother and really with her late-mother.

Of course, Alice, the baby and the step-mom get rescued (after the step-mom leaves for help) and Blaze, Claire, and the father all meet the popsicle-like ladies at the hospital for a happy reunion- vowing to put all of their differences aside.

In order to spice up the story, I kept hoping to find out the deceased mother would come back to haunt someone or that vampires would show up on the scene and force the family and friends to bond in order not to become a juicy dinner. I guess this means I'm ready to get back to reading some of the usual depressing teen lit. (vampires, murders, drugs, etc.). Maybe it's time to re-read Catcher in the Rye.

Saturday Night Dirt

I was pleasantly surprised by Saturday Night Dirt by Will Weaver. I'm by no means a racing fan, but he actually got me thinking that I could actually enjoy watching dirt-track racing or enjoy being on one of crew or drivers. His book was also fabulous in the fact that I felt like this was actually possibly since there were female drivers and the main character- if there was actually one main character- was the track manager, a teenager named Mel (Melody Walters).

The story follows a handful of drivers- both young and older. The young track manager Melody is trying to help her father, who is now bound to a wheelchair, salvage a deteriorating dirt racetrack. Mel and her dad are on a limited budget and they have limited time before the Saturday night racing begins. There's a significant threat of thunderstorms, but the Walters aren't willing to waste an opportunity to save their business and get in some racing.

The story also follows a young driver named Trace Bonham, who is currently at odds with his mechanic. Another young driver Beau Kim adds the perspective of a young driver trying to scrap together any parts he can, with the help of his young crew members, to even compete alongside drivers with sponsors.

LOLling: Son of the Mob

I had been looking for some non-girly books and wasn't disappointed with Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman. I read his book Born to Rock earlier this summer and got a kick out of it, so I figured I was ready for S.o.t.M.

Did I enjoy it? Definitely. And, I think I read it in a record 3 days (even with teaching & grading full time!), which is probably a record for me. The last book I probably read as quickly was The Beach, by Alex Garland (which will be a whole blog in itself at some point).

Aside from wanting to see if Korman do amuse me again, I was intrigued by the book because a few of my colleagues have used the book with their predominantly male classes (where I teach it's not uncommon to have one-gender classes because the students are sometimes separated according to which occupation they're pursuing, such as Cosmetology or Auto Body).

S.o.t.M. was an easy and fast read, which I needed. It involves a mob-boss's son, Vince. Vince has become the victim of his father's success. Vince tries desperately to do something, anything, without getting preferential treatment because of his father's business. He even joins the football team, figuring he can work his way into the popular crowd and meet some ladies, but he finds out that his father's influence instead insures that the opposing team avoids tackling Vince. One Vince catches on, he sees his only option as quitting the team--in order to end the madness.

With this guesture, Vince intrigues a school-newspaper girl named Kendra. Vince blows her off... but they end up running into one another later in the week at a college party. At the party, Vince pretends to be Kendra's boyfriend in order to free her from a frat-boy hanger-on. Somehow, the two end up making out and then inevitably a fist fight breaks out and pushes them different directions, unable to locate one-another again at the party. Vince is convinced it must have been a fluke, but he ends up meeting up with Kendra after school one day by offering her a ride to go pick up meds. to get rid of lice (Kendra works in a pre-school and managed to get it and pass it to Vince). From there, their love blooms over washing one another's hair with lice-b-gone treatments.

While everything seems hunky-dorey for the love birds, Vince finds out that Kenda is actually an FBI agent's daughter... and most likely one that's been listening to Vince's family on wire taps and bugs. Vince doesn't exactly offer up this info and he finds himself stuck in the middle of being Anthony Luca's son and Agent Blightly's daughter's new squeeze. Can we say Romeo and Juliet? The good news in that these two kids realize suicide is not the answer.

As Vince toils with his role as a son and boyfriend, he also gets sucked into helping out not-so-reputable characters by acting as a low-interest loan-shark. Vince hasn't exactly got the mob-boss intuition, particularly because his morals have a tendency to get the better of him and put him into a few tricky situations... which eventually comes to a head and also gets brought to Kendra's attention.