GSLIS 739:Most dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the secret history of the Vietnam War: Reading and RA

For the teen looking to learn more about history, politics, or a good spy story, Steve Sheinkin’s Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the secret history of the Vietnam War is a sure bet. In an incredibly thoroughly researched, well-written narrative nonfiction novel, Sheinkin reveals the life of Daniel Ellsberg. In 1971, Ellsberg, a former Pentagon consultant, famously leaked the Pentagon Papers, a document thousands of pages long written by military insiders about the Vietnam War. He was quickly named an enemy of the state, a traitor to his country, and the most dangerous man in America.

Sheinkin writes in an approachable style, easily accessible for teens in grades 7 and up. Novelist and other reader advisories recommends this book for grades 7-12, as younger readers may have a difficult time following all of the political players. Novelist describes this book as a thought-provoking, compelling, and comprehensive narrative non-fiction. The book reads like a fiction novel, and does a good job juggling all of the different threads it follows in this political drama.

Readers who enjoyed this book would enjoy any of Sheinkin’s other nonfiction works, as well as Matt Doeden’s Whistle Blowers, Neal Bascomb’s Nazi Hunters, or Elizabeth Partridge’s Boots on the Ground.  All of these titles are narrative nonfiction novels that deal with spies and espionage, war, history or political drama.

Sources

Sheinkin, S. (2015).  Most dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the secret history of the Vietnam War. New York, NY:  Roaring Brook Press.

Most Dangerous:  Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War (n.d.). Retrieved from:  http://web.a.ebscohost.com.queens.ezproxy.cuny.edu/novp/detail?vid=4&sid=2f22d79d-6a89-41fa-9efa-970d0117f1a8%40sessionmgr4008&bdata=JnNpdGU9bm92cC1saXZl#U I=10 449010&db=neh

GSLIS 767: Book Review: Power in Numbers: The Rebel Women of Mathematics

By Talithia Williams, PhD

Race Point Publishers

ISBN: 978-1631064852

Ages 14-18

224 Pages

In this full-color, non-fiction book, Talitia Williams shines a light on the forgotten influence and achievements of women in mathematics. The book is divided into three sections: I – The Pioneers, II – From Code Breaking to Rocket Science and III – Modern Math Mavens. Each section details the careers and achievements of thirty women scientists and mathematicians, with brief mentions of several other female mathematic pioneers.

While putting together a display for my library, I saw this title on an online must-read list. I thought the title sounded cool, so I gave it a shot. I’m so glad I did. The book is not very thick, but has a bit of a heaviness to it, with glossy pages and full-color pictures. What’s great about this book is that you don’t have to read it in order, and each profile of the different women is not very long, but is still very informative and interesting. For those who want to learn more about a particular woman, there is an index for further reading in the back, organized by section and name.

This book makes a point to feature a diverse range of women. While many of the women featured in the more modern sections tend to be American, there is a range of races represented and Williams purposefully discusses the way that women such as Mary Winston Jackson (NASA’s first black female engineer) were effected by race and prejudice. It does get into some more complicated types of math, however these are approached in a way that does make them more accessible, and helps readers understand what these women do.

An inspiring, fantastic book, fans of math, science, and incredible women will enjoy this book.

 

GSLIS 767: Book Review: Queen of Attolia

By Megan Whalen Turner

Greenwillow Books

ISBN: 978-0062642974

Ages 14-18

416 Pages

  

In Megan Whalen Turner’s The Queen of Attolia, readers will find themselves back on the Little Peninsula first introduced in the Newbery Award winning book, The Thief.

When Eugenides is caught by Attolian guard, the Queen of Attolia executes her long-awaited revenge on the Thief – by cutting off his hand. In the aftermath, Gen is nearly destroyed by the loss, while the Queen of Eddis is enraged and declares war on Attolia. Meanwhile, Sounis begins his attack on both neighboring countries in an attempt to unite the territory against the outside threat of the Mede Empire. What follows is a complex story of politics, diplomacy, military strategies and intrigue.

While the first book does a great job introducing many of the characters, places, and politics of the world, this second book brings them to life in a way that exceeds the wildest expectations. Written in the third person, the book allows readers into the minds of all the major players, creating nuanced and complex layers to the story, and allowing the characters to develop into fully-realized and fascinating people. Even with this insight into the character’s minds, Turner still manages to surprise the readers with plot twists and last-minute reveals that change everything.

Of all the plot points and character development, the development of the Queens of Eddis and Attolia and the relationship between them is my favorite part. Turner uses them to show the different ways that political leaders – particularly female leaders – can show strength, and does not allow a petty competition between these two strong, powerful women.

Perfect for fans of historical fiction, fantasy, political and military dramas, and intrigue, this book is a must-read.

GSLIS 739: Children of Blood and Bone: Social and Media Connections

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

 

In Children of Blood and Bone, Adeyemi creates a powerful metaphor for the insidious and destructive power of racism and the way that it divides a nation. Using the familiar fantasy novel formula of hero(ine) on a quest to overthrow evil, Adeyemi creates that evil from the fear that turns to the oppression of a people. Unwilling to shy away from the violence that results, Adeyemi shows the maji enslaved, tortured, and beaten down in ways which are familiar to students of American history – after all, this is how America has treated Black Americans.

Resources that you might find useful for understanding the context of this book:

https://blacklivesmatter.com/  – The resources page is particularly interesting to look at to see the ways that we can fight racism in our own lives

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/14976/14976-h/14976-h.htm – Ida B. Well’s description of the New Orleans mobs will feel eerily similar to certain parts of Children of Blood and Bone – particularly the scenes about the killing of the maji.

https://www.teenvogue.com/story/tomi-adeyemi-children-of-blood-bone – In this interview, Adeyemi talks about her motivation for writing Children of Blood and Bone.

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/12/fashion/afrofuturism-the-next-generation.html – Learn about Afrofuturism, “a social, political and cultural genre that projects black space voyagers, warriors and their heroic like into a fantasy landscape, one that has long been the province of their mostly white counterparts.”

http://review.gawker.com/the-law-of-remembrance-what-octavia-butler-taught-me-1685340561 – More on Afrofuturism, and influential author Octavia Butler

And of course,

https://www.theroot.com/sayhername-florida-police-viciously-beat-14-year-old-1829894526

all

http://feministing.com/2018/09/12/why-do-the-cops-keep-protecting-white-supremacists/

about

https://www.aclu.org/blog/criminal-law-reform/arrested-walking-while-trans-interview-monica-jones

racial profiling

https://www.facebook.com/charlotteuprising/posts/1894164940879925

and

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/national/police-shootings/?noredirect=on

police brutality

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/03/29/police-killings-black-men-us-and-what-happened-officers/469467002/

in America

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/04/the-brutality-of-police-culture-in-baltimore/391158/

GSLIS 767: Book Review: Furiously Happy

Book Review: Furiously Happy

By Jenny Lawson

Macmillan

ISBN: 978- 1250077028

Ages 14-18

353 Pages

“What I want you to know: Dying is easy. Comedy is hard. Clinical depression is no f*cking picnic.” – Jenny Lawson, Furiously Happy

In her second memoir, Jenny Lawson (aka the Bloggess) examines her experience with severe depression, anxiety, and other conditions using humor. The book is truly a true confessions book, with Lawson truly giving a no-holds-barred look at everything you ever wanted to know but were too afraid to ask that’s going on in her head.

The book doesn’t always seem to follow a linear timeline, telling stories of when she was a child, to an adult, all interspersed with Lawson’s wry and painfully honest discussion of mental illness. She manages to humanize depression and mental illness, and she does it by reaching out and making it extremely relatable, not shameful or embarrassing. Her refusal to be embarrassed is incredibly inspiring, and her overall message is something that I think we could all use. Although the book includes mild cursing, the book is a good fit for teens who enjoy memoirs, humor, or just some really weird stories about taxidermy (including the story behind the raccoon on the cover).

GSLIS 767: Book Reviews: When Dimple Met Rishi

When Dimple Met Rishi

By Sandhya Menon

Simon and Schuster

ISBN: 978-1481478694

Ages 14-18

400 Pages

Looking for a cute, quirky contemporary romance? Look no further. When Dimple Shah heads off to a summer coding program, the last thing on her mind is romance. Unfortunately for her, Rishi Patel, the son of her parents’ friends, is looking forward to meeting her – as his future wife, a match pre-arranged by their parents. The Shahs and the Patels didn’t mean to start their “suggested arrangement” so early, but with both of them attending the same summer program, they figure why not?

This book is adorable and extremely funny. Dimple and Rishi’s first disastrous meeting had me in stitches, and following them through their crazy summer was a joy. Dimple is a strong, funny, bright young woman who knows what she wants and is not afraid to speak her mind. Rishi is just a total dork, who is so dedicated to his family and those he loves. Both Rishi and Dimple are Indian-American, which influences a lot of who they are as characters. The book provides a few simple introductions into some Indian-American culture, but does not delve very deeply into it. Perfect for fans of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, this is one book you do not want to miss.

 

Five Media Challenge: Memoirs

by Deanna Schiffman, Jen Gage, and Andrea Willard

One subsection of YA nonfiction that is popular among teens is memoirs. A memoir, which is different from an autobiography, covers a specific period of time or experience within a person’s life, as told by the person themselves (Jensen, 2015).

 

Burcaw, S. (2014). Laughing at my nightmare. New York, NY: Roaring Brook Press.

Burcaw writes candidly and with great humor about living with spinal muscular atrophy and his desperate wish to be seen as normal in his memoir. While touching on everyday issues that are relatable to teens, the real strength of this is the eye-opening perspective on what it is like to have and live with a life-threatening disease (Jensen, K. 2015).  Witty, intelligent, and never saccharine, Burcaw’s positive attitude is inspiring without being cliché. 2015 Finalist for the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction.

Engle, M. (2016). Enchanted air two cultures, two wings: A memoir. New York, NY: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Margarita Engle travels between two worlds and two cultures. Growing up in Los Angeles, CA in the school year and Cuba in the summer during the 1950s and 1960s, she witnesses the changing relationship between the United States and her beloved Cuba during the Cuban revolution. Written in verse, this memoir explores the confusion of war and longing for Cuba as she is unable to return and visit the home she loves. Awarded the Pura Belpre Award.

StoryCorps. (n.d.). StoryCorps. Retrieved from https://storycorps.org/

StoryCorps is a project that collects interviews of “regular” people across the United States (StoryCorps, n.d.).  Resulting interviews, which are posted online, do not fit neatly into any one category.  Rather, they are memoirs because participants tell “a story from a life,” providing glimpses into an array of key or transformative experiences (Moon, 2013).  Audio recordings are brief but insightful, and may be paired with traditional print resources (Moon, 2013).

Krosoczka, J. J. (2018). Hey, kiddo. New York, NY: Graphix.

Krosoczka reflects upon his early life with his grandparents and learning about his mother’s heroin addiction in this graphic memoir.  Family relationships are central, placing it in O’Connor’s (2011) category of “Life with Others”.  However, art also plays an important role in Krosoczka’s story.  Thus, illustrations, which utilize tone and integrate saved drawings and letters, add power that might not exist in another format (Dar, 2018).

McCourt, F. (1996). Angela’s Ashes: A memoir. New York, NY: Scribner.

The result of an unplanned pregnancy, Frank McCourt was the firstborn of an alcoholic father and a depressed mother. He and his siblings were frequently neglected, sick, and without food. Offering a glimpse into the life of a dysfunctional Irish-Catholic family in pre-World War II New York and Limerick, Ireland, McCourt’s recounting of survival and growing up in poverty is bleak, but never depressing. It is lyrical, filled with dry, Irish wit and finding the humor in his circumstances.

 

Resources Used

Cart, M. (2013). Cart’s top 200 adult books for young adults: Two decades in review. Chicago: ALA editions.

Dar, M. (2018, October 9). Drawn from life: Graphic memoirs for teens. School Library Journal. Retrieved from https://www.slj.com/?detailStory=drawn-from-life-graphic-memoirs-for-teens

Jensen, K. (2015, January 8). Get genrefied: YA memoirs. Stacked. Retrieved from http://stackedbooks.org/2015/01/get-genrefied-ya-memoirs.html  

Moon, B. M. (2013, October). Memory lane. School Library Journal, 59(10), p. 38

O’Connor, M. (2011). Life stories: A guide to reading interests in memoirs, autobiographies, and diaries. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, LLC.

Thang, P. (2018, February 16). What is a memoir? Book Riot. Retrieved from https://bookriot.com/2018/02/16/what-is-a-memoir/

GSLIS 767: The Prince and The Dressmaker Review

The Prince and the Dressmaker

By Jen Wang

First Second Books

ISBN: 978- 1626723634

Age Range: 14-18

288 Pages

When Frances, one of the many seamstresses at a Paris dress shop is given a last-minute assignment to make a dress for a young woman who wants nothing at all to do with the upcoming royal ball, she heeds the young woman’s advice: “You know what, just make it ghastly,” the young woman tells Frances, “Make me look like the devil’s wench.” The result is something that would not be out of place at a VMA red carpet event or music video, causing a scandal, leaving Frances unemployed. Luckily for her, it catches the eye of Prince Sebastian, who engages Frances as his personal dressmaker.

In this fairytale-like graphic novel, Prince Sebastian needs a dressmaker to satisfy his secret desire to wear dresses – not just at home, but out on the town. Frances quickly becomes his confidant as Sebastian hits the streets of Paris as the mysterious Lady Crystallia, wearing Frances’ creative, fantastical, trendsetting designs. When everything comes to a head, it still ends on a surprisingly happy note.

What I love most about the book is that Sebastian never says anything either way regarding how he perceives his gender identity. It can best be summed up by Frances: “this is the way he is” and that’s that. Ultimately, his gender identity doesn’t matter, so much as his dress-wearing is considered abnormal behavior, and what he truly needs acceptance for.

This is the perfect read for lovers of fairytales, or readers who have ever felt like an outsider for what they love.

 

GSLIS 767: Lumberjanes: Beware the Kitten Holy Review

Lumberjanes: Beware the Kitten Holy, volume 1

Written by: Noelle Stevenson and Grace Ellis; illustrated by Brooke Allen; colors by Maarta Laiho; letters by Aubrey Aiese

Boom! Studios

ISBN: 978-1608866878

Age Range: 14-18; All ages

128 Pages

At Miss Quinzella Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet’s Camp for Hardcore Lady-Types, summer starts out with a bang for the girls of Roanoke Cabin, – April, Jo, Mal, Molly, and Ripley – who we first meet mid-search in the woods for a woman they saw turn into a bear, in the middle of the night. Things take a turn for the weird as they are attacked by three -eyed wolves, a river monster, and hipster Yetis. Through the power of friendship and Lumberjane badge-earning skills, they solve a series of riddles to discover the meaning of the cryptic message “Beware the Kitten Holy.”

This first volume collects the first four comics of the series, adding pages from the Lumberjanes Field Manual in the beginning and end of each comic. The addition of the Field Manuel pages helps further our understanding of the Lumberjanes’ mission, and just how intense and competent the Lumberjanes are – which brings to mind my own experience with the Girl Scouts of America, and the requirements for badges, as well as the Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards.

The girls of Roanoke Cabin are a fun bunch to follow, and all are drawn with different body types and sizes, and with distinct personalities and skills. The girls get along really well, preferring to work together than compete, and they always have each other’s backs, embodying the Lumberjanes motto, “Friendship to the max!”

There is so much to love about this first volume, from the art to the propensity of characters to call out well known women like Mae Jemison and Bessie Coleman. They are smart, capable, and just so much fun to follow. Perfect for fans of mystery, weirdness, and friendship, this book leaves readers excited to see what will happen next.

GSLIS 767: Book Review: Warcross

Warcross

by Marie Lu

G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

ISBN 978-0399547966

Age Range: 14-18

368 Pages

Eighteen year old Emika Chan is in trouble. In a split-second decision, Emika – desperate for money – takes a risk and hacks into the opening game of the international Warcross Championships. With the whole world watching, she accidentally glitches herself into the game and becomes an overnight sensation. Now she’s been hired by the CEO and creator of Warcross, young billionaire genius Hideo Tanaka, to help uncover a security problem in the highly popular virtual reality world of Warcross. What she uncovers may have consequences for not just the virtual reality of Warcross, but the real world as well.

The novel itself is action-packed and exciting, juxtaposing the virtual reality that Warcross creates with the grittiness of the real world in a way that is thought-provoking. The characters are diverse: Emika is Chinese-American, Hideo is Japanese, the captain of Emika’s Warcross team is in a wheelchair, and two of the other Warcross players, Roshan and Tremaine, are gay. The romance subplot falls a little flat, as does Emika’s relationship with her late father, but the real strength of the book is the world that Lu creates, where the virtual world and the real world mirror one another in a number of ways. Fans of dystopian fiction, science fiction, or video games will highly enjoy this book.