In the inner city project where DeShawn lives, daily life is ruled by drugs and gang violence. Gun shots ring out on a daily basis, and the cops never do anything about it. Most teenagers he knows drop out of school and join gangs. And everybody knows someone who has died because of it. DeShawn is smart, he knows he should stay in school and keep away from gangs. But while his friends have drug money to buy expensive shoes and flat-screen TVs, DeShawn’s family can barely afford food. How he stick to his morals when his family is hungry?
This book was written to build a case for critical thinking and the scientific process. It explores homeopathy, chiropractic principles, vaccination naysayers, and deniers of evolution and climate change. The author uses a mix of his own drawings and photographs to demonstrate science denial. He sheds light on how conspiracy theories and strange beliefs get started. He also explains how large corporations manipulate data to their own advantage.
Wonderfully exciting action that maintains just the right amount of suspense and energy from start to finish. At heart, this is a heist story; it just happens to be set in a universe of wonder: under the adrenaline are fascinating world-building and intriguing characters--of all shapes and sizes, far beyond human. And lurking somewhere in the background are enthralling science fiction considerations that keep simmering into awareness. It's not just action, but intelligent action. With excellently adept, unobtrusive writing. This is a universe I hope to visit again soon.
Tink is heading into sixth grade, her last year in elementary school and she must deal with everything from her body suddenly changing to the ever increasing strain between her and her best friend, Jackie's, friendship. Hundred Percent is an authentic and true look into the mind and life of a girl transitioning from a child to a young adult.
Will knows one way to grieve, dictated by the rules passed down for generations: no crying; no snitching; always get revenge. His uncle and father have already been victim to the cyclic system created by these rules, and last night his brother joined them. Will is desperately heartbroken, so he follows the one path given him by the rules: he grabs his brother's gun and heads for the elevator.
Er, no, that's not quite right. More like bleak, biting, and darkly satirical.
And far too real.
Though science fiction set in a near future, this is all about living at the lowest levels of the global economy, subject to extremes of imperialism, inequality, ethnocentrism, co-option, and poverty. It's an exploration of the dark sides of economic and cultural power. It's just that in this case it's the humans of Earth who have been colonized.
I despised cheerleaders when I was a teenager. They were the ones who bullied my outcast friends and me. They were so—well—cheery. Didn't they notice that the world all around us is falling apart? I’m much older and somewhat wiser now, so I understand that it’s dumb to assume that all members of a group of people are the same. I comprehend that just because the particular cheerleaders I knew in high school were mean doesn't mean that all cheerleaders are mean. I mean, I try to stay open-minded. Still, cheerleaders. Blech. How superficial, boring, and dumb.
Having never experienced life in a rehab center I cannot speak to the authenticity or veracity of the setting Benjamin Alire Sáenz creates in, Last Night I Sang To The Monster. 18 year-old Zach is an alcoholic who comes out of a black out in a treatment center with no memory of how he got there. I can say the novel is populated by memorable characters who are engaged in emotionally resonant relationships in a visceral setting.
Hurricane Harvey in the news raises the relevance of this novel to a category five. The fact that we're bringing Julie Murphy--one of the best contemporary realistic fiction authors in the country--to town for a Meet the Author visit means you must put this book on your radar. I listened to the audio version. It's fantastic. The narrator is a perfect fit for Ramona's voice.
Aristotle is angry. And wondering. And confused. Dante is laid back. And smart. And confused. These two boys, opposites, with nothing in common, begin to spend more time together, becoming fast friends. The friendship that they discover is the kind that has the power to morph and change lives - and lasts a lifetime. And Aristotle becomes sad - then happy. And realizes things. And Dante gets angry - then hurt. And realizes things. This is a remarkable coming-of-age novel about two Mexican-American boys as they battle through the uncertain, calamitous front of life.
