Critique

Very much in the tone of Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird or John Grisham’s A Time To Kill, this exposé of the climate of the South in 1963 reveals the social and racial tension 100 years after slavery had been banned. The mentality of the African American community is still too often that of passive-aggressive servitude, and taking that final step to bridging the gap proves to be more of a mountain than it should be. The White community is often both cruel and two-faced when it comes to their African American townspeople, and it’s sad to see that people were treating each other this way even this long after slavery had been abolished.

Burg also relates the happenings of the townsfolk with that of the important historical moments during the summer of that year, which ushered in the Civil Rights movement in full force. This text is not for the faint of heart, but it’s a great tool in order to help us all remember how far things have come in America, and how far they still need to go for full racial equality and dissolving enmity between cultures. I recommend this to all readers 12+.

Critique

Not only is this collection poignant and educational for younger readers, but I believe that it is an absolutely essential read for the youth of America. Too quickly people forget about the past, and these poems are necessary in order that history doesn’t continue to repeat itself. There are so many phenomenal gems by well-known authors and poets throughout the 20th century, and every single one of them is still relevant to our culture today. The list of poets in this anthology is amazing, and it’s an important read for anyone in order to show us a mirror, reflecting the current state of ourselves in hopes that we will grow and expand our understanding of life and humanity.

Critique

The bar was already high for this book when I ordered it, and even then it far exceeded my expectations. Not only is it a collection of some of the most intricate and beautiful art in this style I’ve ever seen, but the story itself comes to life phenomenally through this medium. Initially I was surprised that there were no words and was slightly skeptical about how in depth the story could go, however, the project communicates an amazing story through each drawing that perhaps words would not have communicated as well.

To my knowledge, this book is one of the first of its kinds, and there’s a great chance it could have been done poorly. Often when a writer or artist experiments with pushing the boundaries of form, the first few iterations aren’t as good as the ones to follow once it’s been perfected. Tan, though, is nothing short of brilliant with this story, and even thought it’s just over 100 pages long, one could spend several hours searching through each intricate detail of every illustration. Plus, despite this taking place in a fantasy world, it’s almost 100% clear that this new city is supposed to represent New York/America and that these are the droves of immigrants who trekked to her teeming shores at the turn of the 20th century. I recommend this to everyone, even if you’re illiterate.

Critique

Alexie’s work is both surprisingly delightful with beautiful and hilarious moments and shockingly dark, giving poignant commentary on the current state of a once thriving cross-continental culture. To compare it to some current works, the tone of the narrative is a blend between Diary of a Wimpy Kid and The Wednesday Wars, replete with drawings that aid the story and give comic relief and rife with intellectual wit that gives insight into White culture, Native American culture and the growing pains of youth. 

It’s not surprising that this novel won the National Book Award, and it’s rare to see Native American narratives that delve inward to delineate an entire group of people who have lost their dreams and the hope to accomplish them, who’s communal addiction to alcohol steers both their futures and their deaths, and who view themselves as a broken people who pine for the past. I recommend this book to all readers 12+, however, be warned that there are many elements throughout that will make it a good candidate to be banned from reading lists.

Critique

In the truest definition of the word, Chains is poignant. So many history classes skirt over the fact that in the midst of fighting patriots, giving their lives to win the war and gain liberty and justice for all, there was a strong hypocrisy to the concept of freedom. America was a land of slaves, even as far north as Massachusetts and beyond. Yes, it is dark and difficult and a part of American history that Americans should all be ashamed of, but it’s important to bring the full context of American history in order that people don’t repeat the mistakes of the past. 

Anderson has bravely bridged that gap by creating a heart-breaking book that gives a true account to what the lives of a freedom-seeking slave would have been during that time period. Isabel accurately remarks on the double-sided thinking that involves fighting for freedom for only a certain portion of your citizens, and she endures a great many personal hardships, even being branded, which is exactly what gives the statement such weight to its readers. 

It’s certainly not the feel-good book of the year, and although it is entertaining, that’s not its primary function. Don’t be surprised if you need tissues. I recommend this to all readers 10+.

This is the first installment of what may be a blossoming series with the next installment being Forge (book 2).

Critique

Like L’Engle’s previous books, especially within this set, she weaves fantasy into a historical and scientific framework, utilizing her knowledge of information from history, physics, and metaphysics to bring the story a strong sense of reality coupled with the mythology. Also, her themes of love, self-sacrifice, and the social duty of an individual to help enact positive change emerge throughout the novel.

Although this book deals with a largely different set of characters than the Murry’s, the setting is still familiar, and the general characteristics of the story remain similar to that of the previous four books. Even though this novel is only recently included with the Time box set, turning the quartet into a quintet, it still engenders the same qualities as the previous four. The books slowly decline in potency and writing quality with each iteration, so An Acceptable Time won’t be as good as A Wrinkle In Time, but it’s still a good, quick read. I recommend this book to anyone 9+, with its target audience likely being between 9 and 12.

The other books in this quintet are A Wrinkle in Time (book 1), A Wind in the Door (book 2), A Swiftly Tilting Planet (book 3), and Many Waters (book 4).

Critique

At first, it’s almost difficult to get past Holling’s immature attitude regarding his teacher and his life. However, it’s exactly that initial character flaw that makes the process of the book so endearing. Divided by month rather than chapter, the story simply seems to move along from small adventure to small adventure in a way that represents real life accurately. 

The other subplots—the Vietnam War and their school taking in a Vietnam refugee, the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Bobby Kennedy, the anti-war and Civil Rights movements and sentiments represented by Holling’s older sister, the traditional views of life represented through his father, Shakespeare’s themes emerging throughout the story, Mrs. Baker’s relation to the war and Holling’s heroes, the New York Yankees, and Holling’s own process of courage and sacrifice—are what make this book more than simply a novel about a kid who reads some Shakespeare. 

Much like Sophie’s World in which the world around her changes as she learns of the various philosophies, The Wednesday Wars contextualizes the messages of Shakespeare in a modern context, and shows that sometimes miracles do happen and sometimes they don’t, but more than anything, if the world were filled with the courageous and the loving, it would change drastically.

Critique

Outside of the first book in this series, the Newbery Award winning A Wrinkle In Time, this novel provides the most in depth experience for the reader regarding complexity in the plot and characters. Living within the four different people Charles Wallace travels through broadens his empathies and understanding of people’s lives throughout history, and through his eyes the reader experiences the same. Like almost every book within this series, L’Engle threads themes of the conquering power of love, self-sacrifice, and the individual’s responsibility for working toward positive social change. It gives the reader a glimpse into the fact that there are consequences, some extreme and significant, to the decisions that we make and the way we live our lives.

The books slowly decline in potency and writing quality with each iteration, so A Swiftly Tilting Planet won’t be as good as A Wrinkle In Time, but it’s still a good, quick read. I recommend this book to anyone 9+, with its target audience likely being between 9 and 12.

The other books in this quintet are A Wrinkle in Time (book 1), A Wind in the Door (book 2), Many Waters (book 4), and An Acceptable Time (book 5).