All Quiet on the Western Front

   All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque, is a historical fiction novel covering the first world war. The story is seen through the eyes of Paul Bäumer, a young solider in the German army, who volunteered the military with his school class after hearing the 'patriotic' speeches of his teacher, Kantorek.  As a solider in the German army himself, Remarque takes the reader through a soldiers experience through the war.  Along with Paul, and his friends, Kat, Kropp, Müller (and more), the novel narrates the soldiers emotional, mental, and physical, stress while fighting along the Western Front as the war unfolds and its eventual end.  

    I first learned about All Quiet on the Western Front after hearing about the novel during the WW I unit in World History last year. That being said, I picked up this book around late July and it was definitely  worth the read. Remarque's writing really makes the reader feel for the soldiers throughout the book and it was hard to put down. The novel has a more sad and serious tone, but it brings such a powerful messaging throughout it. Remarque's intention throughout the novel was not to tell a story of as if it was an adventure but to tell the story of the generation of men that was impacted and as he writes who were destroyed by the war. Following the journey of Paul and his fellow comrades on the Western Front and through the shelling and the trenches and even briefly to the civilian world expanded my view surrounding the topic of war making this book worthwhile. 

    I highly recommend reading All Quiet on the Western Front as the novel is full of great characters as well as deeply constructed themes and descriptions that takes the reader through a war that was burdening for so many.

 

Where Futures End

Blog Contributor: Rhiana Boutot

No, this isn't the superhero story. Where Futures End, by Parker Peevyhouse, is a novel full of five stories from five people from different times. It shows the full story of two worlds, one falling further into destruction and its possible savior fantasy land, with one destined ending.

My reading theme for this summer seems to be multi-POV books because this story is yet another one. However, it is different from One of Us Is Lying and its sequel; this book tells five different stories, all from different times and people, with one thing that connects them all. Tommy Wallach calls this book, "One of the most ambitious YA novels I've ever read," and I think that's because of the different points of view. It is extremely ambitious, but Peevyhouse pulls it off.

Honestly, I'm not sure how I felt about this book. On one hand, I loved most of the perspectives because of how well-written they were. The book was very interesting in the way that it was mostly a comment on climate change and society's obsession with social media. I think that is what helped make the book so unique because I've never read a book that mixed and intertwined those two concepts. Then I got to the second to last story, and I don't know if it was because I was burnt out from reading for four hours, but I just did not enjoy that story as much. The book was very suspenseful and I thought the story concepts were unique, but one con of the multiple stories is the very limited character development each character got. Though, one could argue that adds to the charm of the book. Overall, the book was well-written, but the writing wasn't consistent till the end.

One qualm I had with the book was how the character in the fourth story seemed to blame everything that went wrong on China. I understand it makes sense in the context of that story, but it felt disingenuine to me. It was full of stereotypical dystopian things that I don't think were extremely necessary. I think Peevyhouse tried too hard to make a grungy, edgy story but it just didn't feel genuine. The fourth story was a little off-putting, and I know the book as a whole would've been much more likable if the fourth story didn't feel so forced.

Don't let this discourage you from reading the book, however. Peevyhouse made a very ambitious novel full of very different stories that ranged from fantasy to techno-dystopian to a climate-changed wasteland. The novel as a whole was very suspenseful full of (mostly) likable characters, and I would encourage any fan of YA novels to read this unique book.

One of Us Is Next

Blog Contributor: Rhiana Boutot

One of Us Is Next, by Karen M. McManus, is the sequel to the book featured in my last blog: One of Us Is Lying. We revisit Bayview High only to find another deadly mystery has fallen upon this town. This time, read along as we watch the mystery unfold through Maeve, Phoebe, and Knox's perspectives.

I'm going to be honest, I didn't like this book as much as the last one. Although I still thought this book was entertaining and I liked certain aspects of this book more, I didn't think One of Us Is Lying needed a sequel. This story, while still good, felt more like a cash grab than anything. The ending of the sequel was easier to guess if you paid attention to the clues, and while that feels rewarding because you could solve the mystery, it takes away from some of the magic in the first book, where the reveal is completely out of nowhere. I also didn't enjoy the cliffhanger McManus left us on, but more on that later... Don't let this discourage you from reading the book, though, because the story is still the exciting mystery McManus is known for.

One thing I liked more about the sequel than the first book was the use of POV changes. In the first book, I didn't notice/pay attention to when the POV changed because I didn't think they added anything to the story. However, in this sequel, McManus uses these POV changes to her advantage. In the book, if something important happens to one of the main characters, the POV will switch right before the important event happens and another character will describe what happens; McManus uses the other characters' POVs to show the event, rather than tell us what is happening.

If you read One of Us Is Lying, I encourage you to read the sequel not only to read another thrilling mystery, but to also revisit the characters you loved from the first book from time to time (and to find new characters you'll grow to love). I also believe McManus is coming out with a third book to this series in 2023, so be sure to look out for that! I know I can't wait for the next book; I didn't love the cliffhanger at the end of this book and I need to know how it all ends.

One of Us Is Lying

Blog Contributor: Rhiana Boutot

One of Us Is Lying, by Karen M. McManus, is not your typical murder mystery. It follows four Bayview High students after they've been accused of one of their classmates murder. Read along as we watch the story unfold through Bronwyn, Cooper, Addy, and Nate's different perspectives.

I've been writing for this blog since my freshman year, and I'm about to be a junior (oh how time flies!), yet I can't believe I haven't written about a mystery yet! They are my favorite genre, and this book is truly hard to beat if you are looking for a more contemporary piece still chock-full of twists and turns. At this point, I've probably reread this book four times, yet every time I come back to read it, I find new surprises and clues. McManus is very clever when it comes to foreshadowing. I also really enjoy the ending of this book and how you don't see it coming. My younger sister read this story after I had told her how much I enjoyed it, and she did not expect the ending at all.

One reason I absolutely adore this book is the fact that it's set in a high school; the book is filled with high school drama - although it is a little dramatized - and it makes the characters' consequences feel much more real. Most mysteries I enjoy come from Agatha Christie (hello, Murder on the Orient Express?), Dan Brown and The DaVinci Code, or even simple Sherlock Holmes stories. Yet one thing these stories have in common is, for lack of a better word, their "oldness." These stories are all wonderful, but they don't feel relatable to me, a 16 year-old high school student. That's why I love One of Us Is Lying so much, it follows high school students who are a little more relatable than world-renowned detectives. I'm not saying a book has to be relatable in order to be an enjoyable story, but I personally enjoy books more when I can create connections between myself and the characters I read about. 

If you are into mysteries (especially murder mysteries!), or you are looking for a fast-paced thriller, this book is the perfect read. It's full of twists and surprises, and even some romance for the people out there who love to read about love (myself included). McManus did a wonderful job at creating a story that has something everyone would like.

This book has a sequel, One of Us Is Next, so expect a blog about it soon!

Reading Next... Joy Luck Club, reread!

 

The Joy Luck Club is always a popular choice title when we read for small group book clubs.  Each year, while my classes are reading from any where between 4-8 titles, I usually choose 1 or 2 to closely reread, at least half way through.  

It's been a while since I chose The Joy Luck Club as my reread.  I love this book, and in the 2018-2019 academic year, it reminded me so much of my mother who had recently passed away, there was no way I could grab the title and read it.  Instead, I'd smile and listen to the discussion groups, maintain every ounce of strength I had to get through class, and gear myself up to get through the papers about Waverly and her mother.  That's the thing about great books.  They can be so relatable- and sometimes, that connection can be a bit too much to bear.

This year, we were faced with all sorts of bad news and depressing events.  And my student readers of The Joy Luck Club were such a fun and pleasant group to be around, even on the zoom, I figured it was time for me to reopen Amy Tan, and I am so glad that I did!  I read the first few chapters and then abruptly closed the book after workshopping an approach paper (with in person writing conference session which was so great and not on zoom)!   I was enjoying the book so much, I decided to save it for a summer pleasure read instead of reading it for class.  

Even though I opened The Goblet of Fire last night and have about three other books going, I am planning on diving back into Amy Tan today.  I honestly cannot wait!  All of the humor and most agonizing moments of mother daughter relationships are ready and waiting, and this time, it is much more of a visit alongside my mom than a reminder that she is with me in new ways every day, even if she isn't really physically with me.  

 

March  By: John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell

    March is about civil rights legend John Lewis. It took place during the time when Jim Crow Laws were in place that created segregation between African Americans and White people. One thing I really took away from the book was not only their determination to be treated the same way. 

I learned several things from this book. But what I really was interested in was the non violence protesting. Civil Rights icons and John Lewis were really very religious so it was against their nature to be violent. One example of a peaceful protest was when Diane, a person in the book, and other people would go into a restaurant that only served white people. They would just sit down and go about their business. Then they went back the next day and the day after showing determination and not budging for anybody.

By reading this book it really gave me a new perspective on the civil rights movement and I really feel like it helps me understand what people went through during that time. However, I can not understand why one would be racist in the first place because I do not understand why someone should judge someone by the color of their skin. Given this, I think the best way to defeat  hate is with determination, love, and that is what I learned from March.

Originals

    Originals is a nonfiction book by Adam Grant explaining the psychological phenomenons behind some of relevantly recent history’s greatest successes, most embarrassing failures, and significant events in the technical world, the business world, and politics. The stories range in topics from the Segway, women’s suffrage, and Warby Parker, a website that sells glasses made by Adam Grant’s former students at the University of Pennsylvania. Grant’s explanations behind certain events are quite interesting especially when he describes how the tv show Seinfeld came to be. You see, despite being one of the most successful shows of all time, Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David’s original pitch of “a show about nothing” was originally rejected by networks, and ended up being picked up by an executive who didn’t even work with comedies at that point. There are many more stand out stories in the book similar to this, and Adam Grant's explanation of how they came to be using psychological concepts is quite interesting.

    One question the reader must ask themselves, is the reason why I enjoy this book so much because of the stories themselves, or how Grant words them and relates them to his general point. For me at least, the answer is both. While Grant has a knack for reiterating pop culture legend or information in a social studies textbook, Originals wouldn’t be nearly as entertaining and thought provoking if it was simply just a printed out wikipedia page. With Grant’s in depth explanations, reasonings, and connections, this book not only intellectually stimulates the reader, but also makes the reader recognize Grant’s intelligence and possibly their own intelligence as well. Overall, if I were to rate this book I would give it a decent to strong 8 out of 10.