Essays - Couldn't Keep it To Myself

Essays. Webster's defines an essay as "a short literary composition on a particular theme or subject, usually in prose and generally analytic, speculative, or interpretative." I can't remember the last time I sat down and read an essay. College, I would presume, and it certainly wasn't for pleasure. But part of my goal for reading challenges is to try to "expand my reading horizons". So one of the books I picked for the Women Unbound Challenge was a book of essay called Couldn't Keep it to Myself by Wally Lamb and the Women of the York Correctional Institution: Testimonies from our Imprisoned Sisters (368 pgs, Harper Collins, 2003). I'm afraid this is going to be a rather long review, but even then, I don't think there is a way to do justice to this book.

Wally Lamb, the bestselling author, was a teacher first. When he wrote his first two novels, they were both picked up by Oprah Winfrey and her book club, causing them to become instant successes. Because of the success, Lamb was forever being asked for speaking engagements or to support causes. And because he is such a nice man, he has an incredibly hard time saying no. In fact, Lamb had to write down his refusal on an index card and keep it next to the phone. It was the only way he could say no. But when the prison librarian at York Correctional Institution called to ask Lamb to lead a writing workshop at the prison, he couldn't find the card. And so he said yes.

A rash of suicide attempts had happened at York. The overall mental well-being of many of the prisoners was despair, and the staff there thought that using writing as a coping tool might be of value to the women housed at York. I used to keep a hand-written journal. I wish I knew why I stopped using it, to be honest. When I could put feelings on paper, it always made me feel lighter. In the way using this blog for my venting has lightened my mood, writing in a journal was indeed therapeutic for me. The same was thought about the women at York. Maybe if they could write down their feelings, it would make them feel better about themselves. And Lamb was asked to lead the workshop. But once the workshop had ended, Lamb was once again put on the spot. "Are you coming back?", they asked him. He gave each woman an assignment: Write an essay. Entrance to the next "class" was that essay. What started out as a committment that seemed like a burden, to something that fills him with hope and love: Lamb returned to teach another workshop. And he has not stopped returning.

What he came to realize, is that these women were more than just criminals. More than just their crimes. "There are things that need to be known about prison and prisoners. There are misconceptions to be abandoned, biases to be dropped. There are a heart and a mind that need opening. There are many. We are a paradoxical nation, enormously charitable and stubbornly unforgiving. We have called into existence the prisons we wanted. I am less and less convinced they are the prisons we need."

"To imprison a woman is to remove her voice from the world, but many female inmates have been silenced by life long before the transport carries them from the court house to the correctional facility. Because incest and domestic violence cut across the economic divide, women of all means are schooled in silence. Of the eleven contributors to the volume, eight have been battered and nine have been sexually abused, a statistic that reflects the norm for incarcerated women. Their essays, then, are victories against voicelessness -- miracles in print."

I think this book has two points. The first being, using writing as a tool for coping with the bad things in life is healthy. Each woman "grew" into a different person by giving voice to their pasts. It was a way to release the inner demons.

The second point being that the prison system is flawed. The eleven women that contributed essays to this book each has a story to tell. And each is equally heart-breaking. Most of these women were let down by society and by the system long before she committed any crime. It seems to me the chain of events leading up to their convictions were almost inevitable. Both of the above quotes come from Lamb himself, questioning the prison system itself. It's easy to believe that these women are criminals, and to just lock them up and throw away the key is the right thing to do. When you look at the system as a whole, it seems to work. But to break it down by an individual case by case scenario, the sheer wrongness screams out from the pages.

There is a short biography of each of the contributing authors in the book. Each of the essays are a look into the past -- to the life that was lived and events that led up to incarceration. But the biographies tell a bit more. You learn a bit about each crime that was committed and where each woman is today. Each woman's voice is distinct; each woman's writing varies. And yet, there is a common thread that runs through each essay: the violence and horrific childhood that shaped the lives of each woman. Here are just a few examples:

Convicted of Larceny by Embezzlement, Carolyn Adams' life has been one of mental health issues and pain. She was not only sexually abused by her father starting at the age of 6, but when she was in the 7th grade, she found herself pregnant. Not even understanding what was going on, she was sent to a home for unwed mothers until she could give birth. "I find the one that says 'Baby Boy May'. His face is pink and wrinkled and he's sucking on his tiny fist, eyes shut. I stare at him for a long time, memorizing each part: his perfect miniature feet, his tuft of blond hair, his tightly shut eyes. I can't connect the child lying here to the "it" I carried inside my body. This baby was the secret. He doesn't seem real. Just as he opens one dark blue eye, a had clamps onto my shoulder. 'Young lady, didn't you see that sign? Children aren't allowed on the nursery ward. Now scoot before you get into trouble'. " After her release from prison, Carolyn today volunteers at a wellness center for battered women, CRIS Radio for the Blind and a service center for the elderly. She continues to write to help her advocacy of the mentally ill.

Brenda Medina has been incarcerated since she turned 18 in 1993. She was convicted of homicide (gang related) and is serving 25 years without parole. Raised by her parents, her mother was mentally ill and beat her. She joined a gang at a young age to find someplace she belonged. She was known for being tough and stoic. " 'I'm not dying for nobody,' I said. 'No matter how many times they drag me over to seg'. He stopped bouncing and leaned forward. Looked me in the eye. 'You've got it backwards,' he said. 'That's exactly what you are doing. Every time you convince someone else what a hard case you are? Every time you earn yourself a ticket, or a lockdown? Your spirit dies a little more. They can make it pretty tough for you in here, Brenda, but they can't kill your spirit. Only you have the power to do that.' I had never cried in front of him before that day. Still incarcerated, Brenda completed her GED and has completed 36 hours towards an associates degree. She is a bilingual tutor. She is now a writer, photographer and editor for the York Voice, the inmate newsletter. She also designed, organized and implemented the first ever Latino Appreciation Week at York. Writing has become her "sanctuary".

Barbara Parsons Lane was convicted of manslaughter, due to emotional duress. When she was 6, she was molested by her grandfather -- who had molested her mother when SHE was a child. Her mother committed suicide years later, leaving an emotionally unstable daughter to pick up the pieces of her life. In her essay entitled Puzzle Pieces we learn a little more about why she has been incarcerated: "I am tired now, sick of puzzles and memories. My grandfather is long dead, and my mother, now, too. And I'm in prison for having taken the life of my husband, the man who molested my granddaughter, the child of my child." Lane has since earned an associate in science degree from the local community college, graduating with honors. She is a certified tutor and maintains her membership in the active support group, Survivors of Abuse and Struggles, a writing- and reading-based group for victims of battering. She is also deeply involved with the prison's PUP partnership, training dogs to assist special needs adults and children.

These are just a few of the voices you hear ringing out from this book. The final essay is written by Dale Griffiths, one of the teachers at York. She was instrumental in getting Lamb to come, and keeping him on as a volunteer. These are MY students. The ones who fell through the cracks at public schools. By my seventh year of teaching at York, I had gathered, edited and "published" four booklets of my students' writing -- stories describing worlds where love and hate blur and where sexual abuse, violence, and drug addiction are both commonplace and epidemic. I'd long known the statistical connection between childhood brutality and incarceration. Now I knew the writers, too. Each of those statistics has a name, a face, a history.

If you get a chance to read this book, I encourage you to do it. It is hard to read. Brutally honest and forthright, it tugged at my heart strings like nothing I've ever read before. I spent many a page openly weeping. I have never considered myself privileged. But I do realize now that a childhood like mine is a treasure. Although I didn't feel like it was exciting, and I couldn't wait to grow up, I was certainly lucky not to have to deal with the issues that these women did. This book also makes me hug my kids just a little tighter each night, and say "I love you" a couple extra times a day. No child should have to endure the violence these women did. If this book does nothing else, it should give you a reason to look at the injustice that is indeed the American prison system. Heart-breaking and gut-wrenching, this book will leave you, the reader, wanting to do more. I know I do. Now, I just need to find a way to channel that desire into action. A 5-star review, and then some. 5/5

Not for the Faint at Heart - Tender Morsels

I have been putting off this review for awhile now because I really didn't know where to start. I really wanted to like this book. Hell, I wanted to love it. And that just wasn't the case. I picked up Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan (448 pgs, Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2008) for a number of reasons: As a retelling of Snow White and Rose Red, it fit well with the Once Upon a Time Challenge. It is on the list of Printz honor books (and I have challenged myself to read them all). And most importantly, it is Nymeth's favorite book!! (Fortunately, she has chosen to forgive me for not liking it!)

There are plenty would call her a slut for it. Me, I was just glad she had shown me. Now I could get this embarrassment off me. Now I knew what to do when it stuck out its dim one-eyed head.

From the very first paragraph, you can tell this isn't going to be a Disney's re-telling of ANY fairy tale. Fourteen-year-old Liga lives in the woods with her father. Her mother is dead, she is scared to death of her father. Her father not only sexually abuses her, but has caused her to miscarry a couple of babies when she inadvertently gotten pregnant. Liga herself is so naive, she didn't even realize she was pregnant. But when it happens the third time, she tries to hide the fact from her father so she can have the baby.

When her father is killed by a passing carriage, Liga gets to keep the child she is carrying and her daughter Branza is born. If dealing with her father's abuse all those years wasn't bad enough, next she is attacked by five of the town's boys and gang-raped, causing yet another pregnancy. Liga then decides she has had enough pain from this world and tries to end her life and Branza's. But an intervening "spirit" won't allow it. She is given a chance at a better life in another "world". Similar to the one she knows, it is a place of her Heart's Desire. A plain vanilla world, where bad things don't happen and the bad people just don't exist. It is here that her second daughter Urdda is born.

But this Heaven can't last forever, and while Branza is content to live quiet and peacefully with just animals as friends, Urdda is more adventuresome. A few people from the "real" world have found their way into Liga's Heaven, and Urdda is determined to find out where there go. And this is the beginning of the end.

This is just a quick synopsis of the book. There is a lot more to it than just this. Other people have been able to enter Liga's Heaven. Some for their own selfish reasons. Others completely by accident. Basically, the book is broken into 3 parts. The Before Heaven, Heaven, and the Real World. I wanted to like this book, I really did. But it was just too harsh for me. I was expecting a fairy tale, and that is not what I got. Although the rape scenes are not explicit, Lanagan certainly doesn't pull her punches. It is tragic. The things that happen to this poor girl are tragic.

While some people liked the beauty of the story, I seemed to be more focused on the negatives. The real world was over-the-top harsh. There wasn't a lot of gray area here. When the women were returned to the real world, there was either good or bad. Not much in between, as you would normally see. And while, I liked the last section the best, the ending highly disappointed me. As far as I was concerned, there was no "happily ever after".

I can see how polarizing this book is: I think you will love it or you will hate it. Unfortunately, I happen to fall in the hate category. I almost quit reading after the first 2 chapters. And while I can appreciate the uniqueness of the story, I just didn't like it. If you are looking for a sweet, tender re-telling of a fairy tale, don't read this one. Because it's not. And I don't think I would consider it YA either. Maybe for older teens, but certainly not for the pre-teen or Tween set. I'm far from a prude, but the sex in this book is over-the-top. There is incest, gang-rape, drawf sex, and some really disturbing animal sex. But don't let me discourage you from reading it. In fact, I like to hear other opinions. I'm giving it 3/5 stars for being a unique and well-written story, but if I had to rate it for how much I enjoyed it it would only be a 1.

Round 2: Dylan Fontaine Vs. City in the Lake

Again...I just want to apologize to Renay for not posting this sooner. But at least I let you know what you were to be reading!! :)


For my Round 2 as a Judge for the Nerds Heart YA Tournament of Books, I was giving the tasking of choosing the best book between 2 really DIFFERENT books. Although the choice wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be (because one book totally stood out), they were really different types of books. One is a "coming of age" type of book; the other a Fantasy tale.

First: The reviews:
The Latent Powers of Dylan Fontaine by April Lurie (224 pgs., Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2008).

I can tell you from experience that a jail cell is not a place you'd like to visit. Now, I'm no Papillon, and the police station serving the Sixty-eighth Precinct in Brooklyn, New York, is no Devil's Island, but it sucks just the same.

For Dylan Fontaine, the summer of his fifteenth year is not going so well. His mother left the family to move in with her former art professor. His father, a doctor, spends more time at the hospital than at home in an effort to avoid the hole his wife left in the family. Dylan's older brother smokes way too much pot and spends all his time with his band. His best friend Angie is dating a real jerk. Oh yeah....he's also secretly in love with her. Getting arrested for stealing underwear AND holding his brother's pot is just the final kick in the teeth.

Then Angie decides she wants to make a short film about Dylan, as part of her summer film course at NYU. Entitled The Latent Powers of Dylan Fontaine, it gives Dylan a chance to do things he normally would never consider. Take chances instead of playing it safe. And grow in ways he never realized he could. Can Dylan survive the summer AND keep his family entact?

What's not to love about Dylan Fontaine? He's funny, smart, sensitive and wise beyond his years. He's a loyal brother and friend. He's a basketball player that could be star; a classical guartist that could be fantastic; an artist that is gifted, but always plays it safe. And he really wants to make things right with his family. This is a wonderful coming-of-age type of book, and I loved it! April Lurie has created a fantastic story for the teen set and adults alike. (I don't think it would be a great book for the younger set, mostly because of slight sexual content and the drug use). Dylan is a fantastic character, with lots of layers. He's a boy trying to become a man in a really trying time. He does the best he can with the cards he has been dealt, and it's admirable the way he tries to keep his family together.

Randy, Dylan's older brother, is also a great character. On the outside, he's this tough guy, playing in a band and trying hard to get past his mother abandoning the family. But deep down, he's just a boy that's insecure and lost without her.

A quick read, The Latent Powers of Dylan Fontaine, is definitely a page-turner. Lurie makes you care what happens to the people on the pages. And that is the sign of a great writer. 4.5/5

Book Number two:

The City in the Lake by Rachel Neumeier (304 pgs, Knopf Books, 2008).

The City is beautiful at sunset, almost as beautiful as the Lake itself. The waters of the Lake run with the crimson and flame-orange and deep lavender as the sun sinks beyond its farther shore, colors pouring across the water all the way to Tiger Bridge.

This fantasy tale set in an unknown time and place, is the story of a kingdom. When Prince Cassiel disappears from the Kingdom, the King is devastated. And not only that but the Kingdom seems to be dying because it. You see, Cassiel is the heart of the King. And that makes him the Heart of the Kingdom. Without him, things seem to be falling apart. His half brother, Neill, or "The Bastard" is taking a lot of heat for his disappearance. Many people think he might have something to do with it, maybe having set his sights on the throne.

In another part of the Kingdom, Timou is learning magecraft from her father, Kapoen. Growing up the daughter of a mage has never been easy for Timou, especially since she doesn't know her mother. And Kapoen has never been open about her birth. But when Kapone goes to the City to help find the Prince, and disapears as well, Timou is forced to learn about her mother, Lelienne. Lelienne, who just happens to be Neill's mother as well. She holds dark powers that are encompassing the Kingdom. Now that she has returned, Timou and Neill are becoming pawns in a game bigger than either of them understand.

First of all, I will be the first to admit I love fantasy. And while this book is right up my alley, I do realize it will not be suited for everyone. It's a bit confusing at times, and although Neumeier has weaved a very intricate story, there is a lot of philosophical babble that will go WAY over the heads of a lot of readers. For example:

We say it is a reflection of our City, we think of ours as the true City. But it is not so. The Lake holds -- it holds the eternal City, which the mage Irinore and the first King, Castienes, used to build our City. Ours is the reflection. The true City lies in a different layer of truth and dreams. But it is an aspect of eternal truth. It is more real than this ordinary City can be. Sometimes we dream of it -- of the truth that lies beyond our own City.

See? Not exactly easy reading. Much of the book reads like this. And as much as I liked Timou and especially Neill, I had a hard time figuring out exactly what was going on. That being said, I did enjoy the storyline. I just think the execution of it was a little confusing. I also thought it finished off nicely with all the loose-ends tidied up.

In my opinion, for those of you that love Fantasy, I'm pretty sure will appreciate the story this book tells. Otherwise, I really think you are in for some difficult reading. 3.5/5

My Choice for Winner of Round 2:

Hands down it goes to The Latent Powers of Dylan Fontaine!!

Now....The Latent Powers of Dylan Fontaine will go up in the next round against either Cracked up to Be or The Screwed Up Life of Charlie the Second (not sure who won that bracket yet!)

The other two bracket winners are:

My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger vs. Stop Me if You've Heard This One Before by David Yoo.

Thanks again for allowing me to be a judge. Sheesh. At least the pressure is over!!

A Disreputable History Indeed...

I first saw a review of The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart (Hyperion Books, 352 pgs. 2008) over a year ago and thought that it looked great. I'm a big fan of YA books, as you well know. Not sure what took me so long to read it, but once I decided to join the Printz Project, I knew this would be one of the first books I read.

I, Frankie Landau-Banks, hereby confess that I was the sole mastermind behind the mal-doings of the Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds. I take full responsibility for the disruptions caused by the Order -- including the Library Lady, the Doggies in the Window, the Night of a Thousand Dogs, the Canned Beet Rebellion, and the abduction of the Guppy. That is, I wrote the directives telling everyone what to do.

Frances (Frankie) Landau-Banks is a student at the prestigious Alabaster boarding school. As a freshman, she was pretty much unnoticed. When she was, it was only because her sister, Zada (a senior) was really popular. But the summer after her freshman year was good to her, and she came back to school in the fall with a knockout figure. When Senior Matthew Livingston, the boy she coveted her entire freshman year, showed interest in her, she was ecstatic. Until she realized she was playing second fiddle to his best friend, Alpha.

Then she found out that Matthew was a member of Alabaster's secret ALL-MALE society known as the Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds. Because her father was also a member when he attended Alabaster, Frankie knew a bit about the group. And she wanted in. Of course, as a girl, there was no way the boys were going to let her in.

But after she figured out the clues given to her by her father (and spying on a meeting of the Bassets), Frankie found the lost and secret Disreputable History written by years of members. Arming herself with a new email address, Frankie set in motion a series of events that was sure to leave the campus talking.

What I loved about this book was Frankie. She is strong-willed and smart. Not a person to take stereotypes lightly, Frankie tried to break ranks and do what she felt was right....and damn the consequences. She decided she wasn't going to sit by and do nothing when she knew she was smart enough and strong enough to be a member of this group. She was going to break down the barriers that said she couldn't do something because she was a girl. My favorite paragraph in the entire book is this:

Matthew had called her harmless. Harmless. And being with him made Frankie feel squashed into a box -- a box where she was expected to be sweet and sensitive (but not over sensitive); a box for young and pretty girls who were not as bright or powerful as their boyfriends. A box for people who were not forces to be reckoned with. Frankie wanted to be a force.

I love a strong female protagonist. I've said that many times. And that is exactly what Frankie is. She doesn't want follow the expectations of others....she has her own expectations. And she is taking no prisoners.

But as in real life, every action has a consequence. And Frankie has to face up to those consequences. She is young and naive enough to think that Matthew and the other Bassets are going to be impressed with her intelligence instead of upset that she thought outside the box. I have to say, I wasn't thrilled with the ending, but in all actuality, it was probably the best way it could have been written. Very real life, and not some fairy-tale, happily-ever-after conclusion. In Frankie, Lockhart has created a strong, unforgettable character, that defies cliques and stereotypes and just is. She is the person SHE wants to be, not the person that others thinks she should be. And that is commendable. Every girl should read this book to show them they don't have to follow the "rules" society has set for them. And every boy should read it as well...just to prove to them that there are girls that won't handle being "put in a box"l!! Highly Recommended!! 4.5/5

Quiet But Brilliant Novel About Family

Crow Lake by Mary Lawson (291 pgs, Delta) has been on my radar for a long time. But the final push to read it came when I signed up for John's 2nd Canadian Reading Challenge. Lately, my reading has been focused mostly on fantasy or dystopian novels which are really my favorites. But when I start reading so much of the same genre, I begin to feel like I'm getting myself in a rut. This was the perfect novel to take myself out of said rut!

This is the story of Katie Morrison, a zoology professor from Toronto. Told in alternating chapters of past and present, it reveals her life growing up in rural Crow Lake in the wild terrain of Ontario. When Katie was 8 years old, her parents were killed in an automobile accident, leaving her alone with her older brothers, Luke and Matt and her baby sister, Bo. Relatives had gotten together to figure out what to do with the kids. Because money was tight, no one was able to take all 4 kids together. Luke, the oldest, was supposed to leave for teacher's college in the fall. Matt was going to have to leave high school to help on an Uncle's farm. And the girls were to go live with another relative. But Luke would have none of that talk. There was no way he was going to let them be separated, and made the decision to stay home from college to take care of the girls, and find a job. Because Matt was the exceptionally brilliant student, he needed to finish high school so he could go to college himself.

The story mainly centers on Katie's hero worship of her brother, Matt. It is his influence that has made Katie the person she is today. Starting with their trips to the lake to watch the water creatures, Matt is reason that Katie becomes so interested zoology. Matt is still stinging from Luke's self-sacrifice of giving up college for him, but decides he will do so well in school, he will get a great job and send all the kids to college himself (with a little help from Katie). But somehow, things never go as one plans, do they?

Their neighbors, the Pyes, have a family history rich with abuse, that spills over into the Morrison's lives. Both Matt and Luke work the farm for Mr. Pye, who spends his days terrorizing his own children, Laurie and Marie. The intertwining relationships with Pyes causes a chain of events that even further changes the lives of the 4 Morrison siblings.

This book is a slow, family drama. But not slow in a bad way. Lawson tells a beautiful story about the meaning of family. The rich detail of life in Crow Lake paints a picture that is easy to see. She creates a cast of characters that you grow to love. The events of the past have made Katie the quiet, reserved person she is today. It affects her relationship with Daniel, the man in her life who is so anxious to know about her past, and yet is kept hopelessly in the dark. It is the story of jealousy and resentments that build over time. But it is also the story of love and family, loss and healing. It is truly a beautiful story, at times so heartbreaking, it makes you ache. I highly recommend this wonderful book to anyone who has ever questioned their place in life. And really, isn't that all of us?? 4.5/5

This is Definitely NOT Walt Disney's Snow White....

Fairy Tales. Who doesn't love a good Fairy Tale?? I think we all do. Face it. There is just something heartwarming about the "Happily Ever After" idea. Especially when it's mixed up with a little fantasy. It's one of the categories that Carl has chosen for the Once Upon a Time II Challenge, and it's the reason I choose to read White as Snow (White as Snow, Red as Blood: A Dark, Sensual Retelling of Snow White) by Tanith Lee (320 pgs, Tor Books). This book is a part of Terri Windling's Fairy Tale Series. It has an amazing cover by artist Thomas Canty. Unfortunately, this is the best part of the book!

Once Upon a Time, in winter, there was a mirror. And this mirror was a gift to 14-year-old Arpazia, the King's daughter. But when the brutal Draco conquered all the land, Arpazia and the mirror were both taken over. But instead of killing her like most of the King's people, he took her with him. When she became pregnant after he brutally raped her, Draco decides that he must marry her and make Arpazia Queen of the new land. When a daughter was born, Arpazia wanted nothing to do with the child. She could barely bring herself to acknowledge the girl, named Candacis (or Coira).

First off, I have to say, I wanted to like this story. I like the idea that a simple tale is taken and made into a darker story. The Book of Lost Things used that very same idea and I loved it. But White as Snow was just lacking something. Or maybe it wasn't that is was lacking, but that it contained TOO much. Not only was Tanith Lee retelling the Snow White tale, but she was trying to compare it to classic Greek Myth of Demetra and Persephone, where Persephone as the daughter was a younger "self" of Demetra. She also tries to parallel the story of Persephone being taken into the underworld by Hades. Then there is also the storyline of Arpazia joining in the pagan ceremonies with the wood's people. Oh....and finally she tries to equate the Seven Drawfs with the Seven Deadly Sins. What comes out of all these metaphors and parallels is just one big jumbled mess.

And even if the storyline was a little more clear cut, the characters are such lifeless creatures that I just wanted to scream. Arpazia starts out being a victim. She is totally justified in her hate of the King and even her reasons for not wanting to be around her daughter. But once you start feeling a little sympathy for her, Lee just turns her into a complete loon. And Coira is such a boring character. She is completely without emotion. When her own mother pays someone to kill her, does she get angry or resentful? No. Life sucks. That's it. Nothing you can do to change your destiny. Coira was little like a goth in that fashion. "The whole world was against me, and I guess I just have to suffer for it." The guard took the pouch, examined it, and let them into Hell's mansion. This was like life, too. You must even pay to be abused, as you were punished for being hurt. Sheesh. It really got on my nerves.

Normally I would love a retelling of a known fairy tale that turns a dwarf named Stormy into the romantic lead, and the handsome prince into the king of Hell, who just happens to be a crazed, sex-obsessed, narcissistic necrophiliac. (Yep, Lee really does go there!) But this book just left me cold. I think part of the problem is that a lot of Lee's writing in this book is stream of consciousness. Something that I'm not fond of to begin with. Top that with characters that I just plain hated and you've got a book that did less than nothing for me. And I so wanted to like it, but White as Snow was such a struggle for me to read. Better luck next time, I guess! I would still like to try another in this series. Let's hope that it's just Snow White that gives me to the Blues! 2/5

A World Without Differences???

The Giver by Lois Lowry (208 pgs, Houghton Mifflin) won the Newberry Award in 1994. (On a side note, it also won the Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Award in 1996 which is an award sponsored by the state of Illinois!) I picked it up for both the Newberry Challenge AND the Dystopian Challenge. I'm certainly glad I did!

"It was almost December, and Jonas was beginning to be frightened." And so starts the story of a boy that is growing up in a time and place where sameness is the way only way of life. There is no such thing as choice. When a child is born, it is placed in the hands of a Nurturer. The child isn't even named until December. Every December, there is a ceremony celebrating the year's in the life of a child. The newchild is placed with it's new family...one that is chosen for that child. Every family unit is allowed 2 children. One boy and one girl. No more, no less. As the years progress, so do the ceremonies. At 8, the child is allowed to start his volunteer hours. At 9, the child is given his bike. And at 12, the child is given his Assignment. This assignment is the job you are going to do for the rest of your life.

Jonas is nervous about the 12's Ceremony this year because he is to be assigned, and he has no idea what that assignment will be. As he sits in his position waiting, he hears the assignments of all his friends. But Jonas assignment is one that is a surprise to everyone. He is assigned to be the next "Receiver of Memories". It's one of the highest honors in the Community.

When Jonas starts his training, he meets "The Giver", the man he is replacing as a Receiver of Memories. The Giver must "give" memories to Jonas. And not just memories of the Community, but memories that have been passed from Receiver to Receiver. He is given memories of color, because there is no longer color in the world of Sameness. He is given beautiful memories of snow and family and love, all things that he has never really experienced before. But when Jonas is shown what it really means to be released, he must find the courage within himself to try to change the way of life for one newchild that is about to be released.

I thought this book was wonderful. I like dystopian books anyway. But Lowry has created a world that is structured and filled with sameness. A world that is hard to imagine. She shows us that even though the world we live in right now is filled with tough choices, at least we HAVE the right to choose. Maybe we make the wrong choice sometimes, but the alternative is not really better. And she has created a compassionate, loving and courageous character in Jonas. A character that should be admired. I can see why this book won the Newberry!! I think all young adults should read this one. 4.5/5

Also reviewed by:
Kristi @ Passion for the Page