#Booktube Just Got More Colorful!

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Six of Crows (a review)

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Published: Henry Holt and Co. (September 2015)
ISBN:978-1627792127

In Ketterdam there are things that lurk in the night and city streets are not safe for child or man. Greed is king and Kaz wears the crown as the Barrell's most notorious thief and gangleader. He's wily and ruthless and he never lets a mark get away with a full pocket. For that reason he's been hired to lead a gang of six to break the most wanted scientist in the world out of the most notorious prison in the world. A man who has supposedly created a drug so powerful it turns Grisha (those born with supernatural powers) into drug addled all powerful slaves. If Kaz succeeds he'll finally have the kind of money to buy the thing he wants most in the world. Revenge.

Six of Crows blindsided me because I hadn't read her other works in the Grishaverse, but I must say that you don't need to. It definitely stands alone and if I weren't knee deep in reading season I'd be pining for the second installment. I felt the same way about The Wrath and the Dawn and its sequel. 

So little time. It's clocking in at 400+ pages and I read them all. You don't know how much of a statement that is. I stayed up late turning pages and I dreaded the end. It's five stars.

There is a lesson being taught here about how to include diversity in your fantasy without being condescending or cursory. Each character is given a full backstory and that includes a racial makeup. What sets this story apart is that the darker skinned characters aren't subservient to or being oppressed by the lighter skinned characters, nor are they closer to nature in some sort of mystical way that makes them superior or inferior to anyone. They have belief systems that attach them to their country (Inej) without it being some sort or racial quirk. Nor are they more aggressive than their counterparts (I'm looking at you GOT fans). If you're a white writer and wondering how to include diversity you should definitely take a look. I'll have to go back and read, but I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that the main character, Kaz, is of color. There are some fan-based illustrations floating around, but that could just be how I'm reading it. 

Of course, I encourage you to play with race as you read any book. Whatever is in your mind's eye is just fine and can add some flavor to your reading.

This book is perfect for:

• Those who love impossible odds
• Anybody itching for an ensemble cast
• A guy who hasn't been able to find anything to meld his love of crime novels and Tolkien

Discussion Questions:  (beware of spoilers)

1. Kaz wears gloves because of an aversion to touching human flesh. We know this because of a horrible escape from death he made as a young boy. What other kinds of psychological "ticks" could have emerged from his escape?

2. The Grisha are in hiding in most of the Grishaverse, despite having incredible power. Is there something in human nature that makes us fear those who are different? 

3. The money is supposed to be the draw for the six members of the team, but everyone has their true motives. Discuss the ulterior motive of each member.

4. There are whispers of romantic feelings among all of the members. Which is your favorite couple or potential couple?

5. Matthias is racked with guilt about betraying his country and his order. Are his feelings valid or are they misplaced?

6. Kaz is an anti-hero in that he displays few of the characteristics of a traditional hero in that he is a avowed thief, criminal and killer. Why should the reader root for him despite his ruthless criminality?

7. Kaz has a limp caused by an injury in his past. We don't often see characters with disabilities, especially those as ruthless as Kaz. What kinds of feelings does this inspire in the reader? Would he seem more vicious without it? What about the need for his gloves? Would he be a hero or a demon without either of these traits?

If you like this, then try:

Graceling by Kristin Cashore has a strong protagonist with a killer edge and you won't be disappointed with the subsequent books in the series.

Soundtrack:

At first read I thought something large and circus-like like Panic at the Disco, but soaring vocals are better suited to the dramatic highs and lows of the story.

Florence + the Machine

Lungs

X: A Novel (a review of the fictionalized account of Malcolm X's youth)

X: a novel
by: Ilyasah Shabazz (illustrator: Kekla Magoon)
Published: Candlewick (January, 2015)
ISBN: 978-0763669676


Malcolm’s parents love him and they believe that despite the racism plaguing the country that he can be whatever he wants to be, but life gets in the way of that dream when his father is murdered by racists and his mother is broken by the tragedy in such a way as to be institutionalized. Seperated from his family he strives to do his best in school, and he does, outperforming the white boys who call him names in class. Despite his academic abilities and his desire to be a lawyer he’s told he should think lower, much lower. People like him don’t get to be lawyers. Disheartened he gives up on the straight path and falls in love with the city and plays the hustler’s game until it ultimately leads him to jail, then to God and then to greatness.

I've read the Autobiography of Malcolm X, which I recommend we all do, and I was interested to see what the differences in the two might be. This is a fictionalized account of the activists's life so it's based on the facts of his life, but fleshed out and dramatized. I enjoyed the color that was brought to the tale and definitely felt that it was more accessible to younger audiences than the autobiography. It's hard to imagine how someone can make such a dramatic change on their outlook and approach to life, but it is also hard to understand the choices each of us make each day. What turns a man into a god? What turns a man into a demon? Sometimes the same experiences can do one or the other to each of us and we have to explore whether we are contributing to the uplift of ourselves and others or our collective destruction.

Discussion Questions

1. What personality traits led Malcolm to abandon higher learning and pursue a life outside the law? How did those same traits lead him towards a career in civil rights?
2. How did Malcolm’s neighborhood nurture him? How did it fail him?
3. The story isn’t chronological. Is this helpful or harmful to the story?
4. Malcolm is told that he can be anything he wants to be, but he comes to believe that this isn’t possible through a series of events in his life. Many children are told the same thing. Was Malcolm wrong? Has this changed in your lifetime?
5. Mr. Ostrowski reveals what he believe Malcolm is capable of in Chapter 3. Describe what kind of person he is.
6. How was prison an incubator for Malcolm? Why were the words of Elijah Muhammad so effective in that environment?
7. Malcolm lived a hustler’s life. Did he have a choice? Why was it so attractive?

If you like this then:

Obviously go pick up the Autobiography of Malcolm X (as told to Alex Haley), but while you're getting that go ahead and try Queen: the story of an American family by Alex Haley. It's fictionalized, as well, if you believe scholarly accounts. It follows the life of an ancestor of Alex Haley's whose father is the master of the plantation that she is freed from after the civil war. We follow her on a journey through eras of strife as she finds herself redefining what race, family and home really mean.

Soundtrack:

Now, if you want to be authentic you might try some Duke Ellington to listen to while you read, but I feel that militant rap is also appropriate, so choose at will.

A Tyranny of Petticoats: Shonuff' Badass Girls and Pretty Pirates (a review)

A Tyranny of Petticoats: 15 stories of Belles, Bank Robbers & Other Badass Girls
Edited by Jessica Spotswood
Candlewick Press, 2016


Float from the Alaskan wilderness before colonization to the heart of the Black Panther Party in the 1960's. Hop from a pirate ship during the height of the slave trade to the parlor of a debutante fresh from a Quadroon Ball in New Orleans. They're all here, pirates, princesses, assassins and the occasional deathwielding monster. In this collection of stories you'll find the stories of girls all across the American timeline and landscape that have been forgotten or seldom told. Each story is written by different author who brings her own special eye to historical fiction. They include Kekla Magoon, Marie Lu, Andrea Cremer and more.

As soon as I read the description of this title I was intrigued and the moment I read the first story I was in love. A very deliberate focus on diversity and feminism has is apparent from the stories themselves and their arrangement. The story that opens the book is Mother Carey's Table by J. Anderson Coats about an African American girl posing as a boy on a pirate ship to escape a life of slavery. Jo is brave and smart and in love with the sea.(Spoiler Alert) It was a disappointment that Jo doesn't survive the story, nor did Whitby in High Stakes. Both had my diversity nerves tingling and throwing up a Magical Negro flag on the play, but it was undeserved or at least mitigated by my favorite of the bunch, El Destinos by Leslye Walton, a wonderfully imagined retelling of the Three Fates myth that transforms the women into Tejano teenage girls in 1848 Texas. I love a little paranormal and it's not often that I get it in my historical fiction. This is a fantastic addition to any collection and much needed.

A Murderer is the Ultimate Bad Boy: The Wrath and the Dawn (a review)

The Wrath and the Dawn
by: Renee Ahdieh
Speak; Reprint edition (April 5, 2016)
978-0147513854
Paperback: $6.15

Shazi's best friend has just been murdered. In fact, she's just one of nearly 60 girls that have met the dawn with a silver cord around her throat, a final gift from their murderous husband on their wedding night. With anger and determination Shazi volunteer's to be the next wife, accepting a personal mission to find out why the girls have been murdered and assassinate the bloody Caliph of Khorasan, Khalid. Unfortunately, things aren't as simple as they seem. The boy isn't as mad as the people would think and soon it becomes harder and harder to kill the thing you love.

The Wrath and the Dawn is a beautiful twist on A Thousand and One Nights, set in the fictional Khorasan it could be Pakistan, Iran or modern day Turkey. Readers are introduced to the opulence of a bygone era while still holding on to the fairytale-like elements that western readers are used to. It is Book 1 of a series and has fantasy elements in small amounts, but will delight those who love historical fiction romances. Shazi is bold and quick witted, while Khalid is the ultimate bad boy. Murdering a series of wives on their wedding nights is about as bad as bad can get, but there is vulnerability there that Ahdieh is adept at teasing out. We don't see that much of a love triangle in this book, but even after 400 pages you'll want to rush to Book 2 to see the clash between the childhood sweetheart and the new love.

The setting descriptions are breathtaking, but it will take a little bit of determination to get through some of the vocabulary, but it isn't anything that fantasy readers wouldn't be used to and midway through the book you'll have gotten used to the names and honorifics. It's not Elvish so dig into it and let the story take you away.


This Book is Perfect For:

• Reluctant Romantics
• Fans of Historical Fiction and Classic retellings
• Anyone who likes their fantasy in small bites

Book Club Discussion Questions:

1. Shazi's anger spurs her to volunteer as a wife. Why can't she hold onto that anger?
2. Discuss how the times and ways in which Shazi rescues Khalid. She becomes his defender in some ways. How does that power shift affect their relationship?
3. Tariq immediately springs into action to save his childhood sweetheart, but there is little backstory given to how much in love the two were. Speculate as to whether the tie between Tariq and Shazi is just fond memories or real connection. Does he really have a chance to place a wedge between her and Khalid?
4. Discuss the ways in which Khalid failed his first wife. Was he truly at fault?
5. Themes of revenge and justice are woven throughout the book. What do you make of Shazi's attempt? Her father's? Can there be justice in revenge?
6. What do you make of Khalid's grief and remorse? Is it real? Is it enough given his crimes?

If you like this, try:

Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt

Suggested Song:
7 by Prince and the New Power Generation

Silver Sparrow (a review)

Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones
Algonquin Books, 2011
978-1616201425
$14.38

15-year-old Dana and Bunny are sisters. The only thing is, Bunny doesn't know it. James Witherspoon has two families. On every night except Wednesday he's Daddy to Bunny and husband to her mother, but on Wednesday he spends the night with his other family. Dana knows all about this little game and so does her mother. She doesn't know anything but how to play along and get along with less than her "legitimate" sister. Despite her father's efforts to make sure the girls never meet, Dana sets things in motion to not only meet, but become friends. As Dana plays with fire we watch as secrets come to life and marvel at what parts of this fragile house of cards get burned to the ground.

With beautiful flashbacks to 50's Georgia in a tight community we see how Dana and Bunny's parents meet and get a glimpse into how this horribly complicated lie came to be. Themes of love, betrayal, and obligation are weaved throughout the tale and we have to question whether anyone knows the true meaning of family. I've read a review of the book that said that the plotting became unbelievable in the end, but being from the South and being raised by black folks from the same, I will tell you that the story rings absolutely true. If we ever get a chance to chat in real life I'll have to tell you the story my Nana told me about a woman who was kidnapped by her husband and held captive in the country without shoes so she couldn't escape.

I've never been sure what qualifies a book to be considered YA Lit. The book is told from the perspective of a teenage girl so that's all I need to put the title in that category and that in no way disparages the quality of the writing. My mother loved this book. My aunties loved this book and I've had teen readers who loved it so much they wanted to forget it so they could read it again.
This book is perfect for:

• 80's nostalgia geeks
• People who are suckers for a sprinkling of historical fiction
• Anybody who drools over family secrets

Book Club Discussion Questions:

1. The question as to what is "good enough" runs throughout the book. Mama may not be married but what she has is "good enough". My sister isn't really a sister, but what we have is "good enough". Why do you think the women are willing to settle for what the little they have?
2. Did you expect Dana's father to react like he did at the gas station? What should he have done?
3. Dana always feels second best. Do you think she ever reconciles that?
4. Dana and Bunny think the other has it better. In what ways is that true? In what ways isn't it true?
5. All roads leads back to Dana's father, James. Why do you think he created this mess?
6. Who does James love?
7. How did Dana's past affect the decisions she made romantically in the future? Or did it have a hand in it at all?

If you like this, try:The DitchDigger's Daughters by Dr. Yvonne S.Thornton

Suggested SoundtrackDebarge: The Ultimate Collection by Debarge

Everything, Everything (a review)

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
Delacorte Press, 2015
978-0-553-49664-2
$18.99


Written in chocolate kiss sized chapters, Everything, Everything is the story of Madeline, a young girl who is trapped inside of her house because of a rare disease that makes her allergic to Everything. This means the air, grass, people, everything.  She never leaves her house and a fantastically intricate air filtering system makes sure nothing gets in. Olly lives next door. He's a mystery. He's an adventure. He's a link to the outside world and her life raft.

Obviously, this is a romance and they small chapters are punctuated with little illustrations and references to classic literature that book lovers are sure to love. Madeline is plucky and optimistic and not at all the awkward mess that you would expect her to be in her isolation. Although, that would have been interesting. I like a little weirdness. I will admit that I got about half-way through, because I thought the romance between Olly and Madeline was doomed from the beginning, but the story isn't as predictable as you think. Keep reading!


This Book is Perfect For:

• Hopeless romantics
• Introverts fighting against crippling anxiety that scratches inside of your gut
• Anybody into sick kid lit

Book Club Discussion Questions:

1. Madeline is physically cut off from the world because of her disease. In what other ways to people cut themselves off from other people or the outside world?
2. Discuss the ways in which Olly is and isn't the typical 'bad boy'. As an outsider he is physically dangerous. How is he emotionally dangerous?
3. Madeline transitions from a world of white to a world of color. How is this figurative? How is this literal?
4. Madeline takes risks with Olly. Were they worth it? Would you feel the same if the ending were different?
5. Not much is made of Madeline's race. Does this add or take away from the book?
6. Madeline's mother makes a major mistake. Was it fear or love that motivated her?

If you like this, try:

Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern

Suggested Soundtrack:
Blood by Lianne La Havas