Showing posts with label biography. Show all posts
Showing posts with label biography. Show all posts
Friday, November 1, 2019
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
Book Review - Life Inside My Mind
📖Recommend for Grades 9 and up📖
ed. by Jessica
Burkhart
“A
mental illness is a condition that affects a person's thinking, feeling or
mood. Such conditions may affect someone's ability to relate to others and
function each day. Each person will have
different experiences, even people with the same diagnosis.”
Nobody is immune to mental
illnesses. In this anthology authors share their experiences with various
mental health including, but not limited to, depression, anxiety, Obsessive
Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). These
experiences are either with their own mental illness(es) or that of a family
member or friend. Each person’s story is different, even those who live life
with the same diagnosis.
Each contributor does a wonderful
job sharing their story. Different stories will have different effects on each
reader. Just like how no two people experience mental health the same way, no
two readers will experience each essay the same way.
Friday, May 31, 2019
Book Review - We Are Displaced
📖Recommend for Grades 7 and up📖
by Malala Yousafzai
*Refugee (n): a person who flees to
a foreign country or power to escape danger or persecution.
Malala Yousafzai is an advocate for
girl’s education and Nobel Peace Prize winner. She is also a refugee, forced to
leave her home in Pakistan with her parents and brothers. In this book, she
shares not only her story but brings together the stories of other girls who
are refugees. The road to safety for these girls was not an easy one. Some were
separated from their family by who was granted asylum and who wasn’t, while
some had family who died along the way. Some may break your heart, while some
may also inspire. What all these girls have in common is that for their safety,
leaving their home was their only option, and Malala choice to help share their
stories.
The topic of refugees is a big one
today, making this an important read. It is an odd feeling knowing the stories
these girls share happened in recent history. As the narrative is broken down
into individual stories, this makes it easy to stop and process each story
before going on to the next one. Malala also prefaces each section with how she
came to know these girls and decided to share their story.
*Definition
taken directly from Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online
Friday, May 24, 2019
Book Review - Shout
📖Recommend for Grades 9 and up📖
by Laurie Halse Anderson
Laurie Halse Anderson is an award
winning author who is now sharing her personal story. Maybe you are familiar
with her books (Fever 1793, Ashes,
Twisted, Wintergirls, Prom, and Speak),
maybe you are not. Anderson’s story in Shout
is similar to Melinda’s in Speak. She
is a survivor who no longer wishes to remain silent and is now calling for
others to also speak up and take action. Most importantly, allowing others to
know that they are not alone.
This is a beautifully written novel
in verse. Anderson shares her experience, the downward spiral her life took
after it, and pulling herself together again. With the subject matter being on
the tougher side, this read may be difficult for some at the present moment or
overall. For those who can handle the topic addressed, this is highly
recommended.
Read the review for the graphic
novel version of Speak here.
Friday, February 22, 2019
Book Review - The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia
📖Recommend for
Grades 7 and up📖
by
Candace Fleming
This
is the well-known ending: Nicholas and Alexandria, the last Tsar and Tsarina of
Russia were murdered, with their family, by members of the Revolution. But
why? And what happened before? Find out about the Romanov family, the
experiences of the peasants in Russia, and how the two worlds collided.
If
you got your knowledge of this family from the 20th Century Fox’s
animated film Anastasia (have teens your age even seen that film? but then
again there is the musical which I’m sure is closer to the film than the real
story), anyway, if you have seen the movie or musical, you are in for a rude
awakening. The real story of this famous family is a lot more horrific than the
beginning of the movie portrays. The history of the Romanov’s is an interesting
one and there are pictures to aid in history.
Friday, February 1, 2019
Book Review - Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers
📖Recommend for Grades 7 and up📖
by Deborah Heiligman
Tells
the story of brothers Vincent and Theo based on letters they wrote to each
other and others throughout their lives. Shares how the world would not know
Vincent van Gogh the artist had it not been for Theo.
If
you are not a fan of Vincent Van Gough or reading about artists and art history
you are likely not to enjoy this book. However, if you are a fan, this isn’t
one to miss, nor is it a bad choice if you need to read nonfiction for school.
The story of these two brothers is a fascinating one but not one you can easily
read through.
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