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Books read so far this year - Part 1
Mar. 30th, 2010 07:21 pmThe Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins
Others have described this book as 'Battle Royale for a YA audience.' I'd argue that it's, if anything, a better read, with a more affecting protagonist, not to mention owing as much to the myth of Theseus as to Takami's novel. In a dystopian future, what was once the United States has been divided into thirteen districts. Some time before the beginning of the book, the districts rose up against the Capitol, and were defeated. District Thirteen was decimated, and the others are now forced to send their children each year, to fight one another and die for the Capitol's entertainment, as a brutal reminder of their defeat. When Katniss's sister is one of the children chosen from their district, Katniss steps in to take her place.
Can I just say that I love Katniss? I love that she's tough and practical, kind but utterly unromantic - I especially love that part, as well as her flaws. The protagonist often makes or breaks the book for me, and Katniss makes this one. The subject matter never feels 'PG-ed' up or dumbed down, frequently brutal and heartbreaking. I sat down to read a couple of chapters and wound up finishing the book that day! One of the year's best I've read in 2010 so far, easily.
All Souls: A Family Story from Southie, by Michael Patrick MacDonald.
Or: Depressing Memoir, take one. As the title makes self-evident, MacDonald tells of him and his siblings growing up in Southie, in the days of Whitey Bulger and the bussing riots. Not the safest or most comforting atmosphere, to say the least, and one that produced both numerous adolescent (and adult) deaths, and a culture of silence surrounding them. It's this culture of silence that MacDonald set out to break, with his book.
It was a memoir. It was depressing. It was pretty darn good, actually, but having to incorporate it into one of my eight page papers kind of soured it for me.
Turning Stones: My Days and Nights with Children at Risk, by Marc Parent
Depressing memoir number two, but this one got me on more of a gut level. The professor who assigned this book warned us not to read before bed, and she was right.
In this book, Parent tells of the four years he spent on the night shift of Emergency Children's Services, before burning out. There's some seriously heavy stuff in there. I don't have trouble believing the horrible things people can do to their kids, but I really, really wish I did. To his credit, Parent doesn't take the easy, sensationalist route of vilifying the parents, striving instead to show the points of view of everyone involved. And then, there's the trouble from the agency. While most of those involved seemed to be doing their genuine best, Parent also showed pockets of stupefying incompetence and trained indifference within the system.
I'm pretty sure no one could ever pay me enough to go into this profession, but I'm glad to have read this book. Parent's recollections are powerful and not easily forgotten.
Others have described this book as 'Battle Royale for a YA audience.' I'd argue that it's, if anything, a better read, with a more affecting protagonist, not to mention owing as much to the myth of Theseus as to Takami's novel. In a dystopian future, what was once the United States has been divided into thirteen districts. Some time before the beginning of the book, the districts rose up against the Capitol, and were defeated. District Thirteen was decimated, and the others are now forced to send their children each year, to fight one another and die for the Capitol's entertainment, as a brutal reminder of their defeat. When Katniss's sister is one of the children chosen from their district, Katniss steps in to take her place.
Can I just say that I love Katniss? I love that she's tough and practical, kind but utterly unromantic - I especially love that part, as well as her flaws. The protagonist often makes or breaks the book for me, and Katniss makes this one. The subject matter never feels 'PG-ed' up or dumbed down, frequently brutal and heartbreaking. I sat down to read a couple of chapters and wound up finishing the book that day! One of the year's best I've read in 2010 so far, easily.
All Souls: A Family Story from Southie, by Michael Patrick MacDonald.
Or: Depressing Memoir, take one. As the title makes self-evident, MacDonald tells of him and his siblings growing up in Southie, in the days of Whitey Bulger and the bussing riots. Not the safest or most comforting atmosphere, to say the least, and one that produced both numerous adolescent (and adult) deaths, and a culture of silence surrounding them. It's this culture of silence that MacDonald set out to break, with his book.
It was a memoir. It was depressing. It was pretty darn good, actually, but having to incorporate it into one of my eight page papers kind of soured it for me.
Turning Stones: My Days and Nights with Children at Risk, by Marc Parent
Depressing memoir number two, but this one got me on more of a gut level. The professor who assigned this book warned us not to read before bed, and she was right.
In this book, Parent tells of the four years he spent on the night shift of Emergency Children's Services, before burning out. There's some seriously heavy stuff in there. I don't have trouble believing the horrible things people can do to their kids, but I really, really wish I did. To his credit, Parent doesn't take the easy, sensationalist route of vilifying the parents, striving instead to show the points of view of everyone involved. And then, there's the trouble from the agency. While most of those involved seemed to be doing their genuine best, Parent also showed pockets of stupefying incompetence and trained indifference within the system.
I'm pretty sure no one could ever pay me enough to go into this profession, but I'm glad to have read this book. Parent's recollections are powerful and not easily forgotten.
