Tag Archives: diversity

Everything, Everything Book Review

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Title: Everything, Everything
Author: Nicola Yoon
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: September 1, 2015
Genre: Young Adult – Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 307
Format: Purchased Hardcover

Synopsis from Goodreads: My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.

But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.

Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.

This book was cute, and it dealt with friendships, first love, hope, and what it really means to live life.

I thought that the premise of the book was intriguing enough: a girl who is allergic to everything? How is that even possible? There are some snippets about what the disease Madeline has and it talks about how she’s not able to go outside because they don’t know what her triggers are. It seemed like a book that would tell about how it was difficult to live with this disease.

And it was, kind of, but it was mostly about relationships and friendships. Maddy had strong relationships with her at-home nurse, Carla, her mom, and then later, Oliver. I actually really liked that aspect of the book because it’s not very common in young adult books to have the parents or parental figures be around as constantly as they were in this one. I thought that the relationship she had with Carla, especially, was unique and wonderful – kind of like Carla was Maddy’s second mom.

Then the new kid next door, Olly, was introduced, and even I fell for him quickly. He loves to do parkour, he’s protective of his mom and sister, and the reason for that is because his father is a drunk jerk. But his personality seems quiet, but the way he’s described is that he’s always in motion, he’s fluid and languid all at once, and I found that to be kind of a beautiful metaphor.

Their interactions are comical at the beginning, but as they start to talk more, and even breach the subject of meeting in person, it becomes more apparent that yes, physical attraction is there, but it’s not insta-love.

I thought that Maddy’s character was genuine. She fully believed that she could be content in the life she was living until she met Olly, and even though they had a crazy adventure, I thought that it was needed for her to really discover the world and see it with her own eyes. She was fun and smart and curious, and I think her curiosity – that desire to know more and more about the world – was her best quality.

The end was bitter-sweet because of what happens, and I actually found myself angry. I won’t go into details so I don’t spoil anything, but I just didn’t understand why. But then, I did, and it almost broke my heart. I felt sorry, but at the same time I didn’t and I was happy with the decision Maddy made, even if it sort of seemed in spite.

The very end, though, was cute and I really wish there was more to the book because I just want more of Maddy and Olly’s relationship and I want them to be my friends and we can go on double dates and stuff.

Also, there were a lot of illustrations throughout the book that were done by the author’s husband, which I thought was neat. They’re simple and quirky, and I just thought that they really brought an extra bit of something special to this book.

Anyway, I recommend this book if you’re looking for a quick, cute read that is different, diverse (Maddy is half Japanese, half African-American), hopeful, and holds the promise of what living a life can really mean.

I rated this 4/5 stars.

Armchair BEA 2015

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Made by Amber

So I discovered this cool thing today for those of use that couldn’t attend Book Expo America (BEA), and that is Armchair BEA (ABEA), a cool event type of thing that’s running from today, May 27th, to June 1st in which people can chill on their couch and join in on the book related fun from home. This year’s theme is all about diversity.

For today’s post it’s an introduction type of thing where I’ll answer five out of ten questions that they give (I wish we could answer all ten, but alas, we cannot).

1. Tell us a bit about yourself: How long have you been blogging? Where are you from? How did you get into blogging?

On this particular blog, I’ve been blogging since July 20, 2014. Almost a full year of blogging has gone by and wow, has a lot changed and improved over that time (I love it!). I’m from Massachusetts. I got into blogging from joining the Booktube community and realizing how much easier it is, for me, to talk about books and things I love in writing rather than verbally. Plus I’m able to get out more thoughts when I write them down, I think.

2. Why do you loving reading and blogging?

I’ve always loved reading (my parents can attest to that). Even if I didn’t read a lot or often until my twenties, as a kid and teen I read when I could and always something that I knew I’d like. I hated being forced to read things I didn’t care for in school, but when I discovered the books I could read for fun – that’s where my love for reading grew.

As for blogging, I love my blog. Seriously, I love it. I’m so proud of myself for sticking with this blog and seeing how many people enjoy my content and sharing their own thoughts and opinions with me. It makes me feel special, yes, but it’s also so great to know that there are others out there who enjoy the same content as I do.

3. What does diversity mean to you?

To me, diversity means something out of the norm. I know a lot of people expect white heroes and heroines, and that’s fine, really, but it also means allowing in other cultures, races, communities into the mix and not just as a side plot point. Main characters of color, of different sexual orientation, of different religious backgrounds – those are interesting and it helps me understand those diversities better.

4. What is your favorite genre and why?

Fantasy, regardless if it’s adult or YA, is my favorite genre because  there’s just so much content out there, so many different worlds and races and languages and species that have yet to be discovered. It’s amazing how some people can come up with entire new worlds and make them seem and feel real to a reader. You can get action, adventure, romance, comedy, etc, all rolled up into one, but with a more magical or fantastical element thrown into it.

5. What book are you reading right now?

“The Assassin’s Blade” by Sarah J Maas (I’m on the last novella and will most likely finish tonight) and also “Unravel Me” by Tahereh Mafi. Both are really good, but it’s taking me forever to read them. Must. Finish. Soon.

So that is it for the first day/post of ABEA! I hope you got to know a little more about me if you didn’t already know some of this stuff. These next few days might include double posts as I have content I want to share with you guys that I’ve already had planned on top of the posts for ABEA, so I hope you won’t mind (it’s kind of out of the norm for me).

Are you participating in ABEA? Share with me your introductory post! Let me also know what your favorite genre is and why. I’d love to hear!

My Heart and Other Black Holes Book Review

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Title: My Heart and Other Black Holes
Author: Jasmine Warga
Publisher: Balzer + Bray – an imprint of HarperCollins
Publication Date: February 10, 2015
Genres: Young Adult – Contemporary
Pages: 302
Format: Purchased Hardcover

This book has a trigger warning for suicide. If this topic makes you uncomfortable, step lightly into reading this review or book.

“My Heart and Other Black Holes” by Jasmine Warga is a book about sixteen-year-old Aysel (pronounced Uh-zell) who is extremely depressed after the murder her father committed three years prior. She has lost all of her friends and she feels outcast by her family. She goes on this website called Smooth Passages and finds an ad for a “suicide partner” and says she’ll do it with this guy on the specific day that he requested, about six weeks later from that point.

But as she keeps on thinking about how much her death from the world will help her, she realizes that maybe there is more to the world.

I started reading this with a lot of sensitivity brewing in me because of my personal past (and present) and how much I can relate to Aysel’s feelings of depression and suicide.

That being said, that is not why I rated this 5/5 stars.

The writing was fantastic and kept the plot moving forward. Yes, at times I thought it was a bit slow and dragged out, but I also understood the importance of those scenes when they made a reappearance later in the book.

The plot itself was something I’ve never read about – or have chosen to read about. As it’s such a personal topic for me, I have a very sensitive heart when it comes to it. But the story itself was gripping and I wanted to cheer for the characters to get better and to realize it wasn’t their fault and that it does get better. But I understand how depression works and how that black slug that Aysel kept on referring to just squirms around in your heart and your whole being to now allow you to see the light behind the darkness that’s enveloping you.

The plot consisted of a concept I wish also didn’t exist: suicide partners. They were planning the day in which they would do it, they found a spot where they wanted to it, and they made some conditions in which they would used to keep themselves on track. But I think that Aysel and Roman slowly developed that friendship and kinship and chemistry over their short time together because of their common bond in depression. Roman felt he was to blame for his sister’s death; Aysel was afraid of how others would think of her if she turned out exactly like her murderous father. As they developed the kinship and really got serious about everything, and slow buds started to open Aysel’s heart and shine in that light, I loved it when it became a turning point.

I thought there was great character development. I saw the transformation in Aysel and was so glad when I saw it. Roman was the tough one and the stubborn one, but I completely understood where he came from and why he blamed himself so heavily for what happened.

Yes, there were some parts that could have been explained more or actually happened (I really wanted her to confront her father) and maybe some things should have been different, but for the subject matter of the book, this was beautifully written.

As I stated, I rated this book 5/5 stars.

And please. If you or someone you know is in a situation like this, please have them (or you) talk to someone who can help and be a positive bright light in that darkness. You have no clue how much that light will be of value to that person one day.

These resources can be found at the back of Warga’s book:

Suicide is and never will be a joking matter. Don’t make light of it. Not all stories end like Aysel’s and Roman’s, so please, just reach out for help if it’s needed.

Accompanying video: My Heart and Other Black Holes Book Review

We Need Diverse Books

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We Need Diverse Books is a campaign to bring more diverse books to children’s and young adult’s shelves. More often than not books in these sections don’t deal with issues such as LGBQTAI+, gender identity, people of color, people with disabilities, and ethnic, cultural, and religious minorities.

So much of a child/teen’s life is revolved around these issues, and many may not realize it. More and more we’re hearing stories about how a teen commits suicide because of feeling alone or intense bullying because of who they are/identify as. It’s sad and so preventable.

I think one of the things that can possibly help these individuals is introducing more and more books of all age levels about dealing with these issues.

If I had read books about gay/lesbian/bisexual/etc teens when I was growing up, maybe I would have understood more about my own struggles. Maybe I wouldn’t have struggled at all.

Maybe it could have saved someone’s life.

Books have such power in them. They can get people thinking and open their minds to so many possibilities out there if only they were willing to see them.

For kids under the teen years it can teach them about race and cultures and how to be accepting and loving toward all of them, not just their own. It can teach them to be compassionate toward those who struggle under certain conditions. It can teach them about themselves and if they’re feeling the same way, then they can relate to it.

Only recently have I picked up a few diverse books, at least what I consider to be diverse books, and I have already finished one (None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio) and it’s opened my eyes to the world of intersex individuals, people who are physically one gender on the outside, but have the other gender’s parts on the inside. It’s amazing and eye opening and really got me thinking on how little of the world I know.

Is it important to incorporate more of these stories into children’s/young adult literature? Yes. Most definitely.

Do I think people should be reading them, no matter their background, personal beliefs, bias, etc? Hell yes.

I support We Need Diverse Books and I hope that more and more books will be published in the upcoming years of these diversities. We need them now more than ever.