Monthly Genre Challenge

February: African American Fiction

Liar by Justline Larbalestier

I just finished reading Liar by Jusine Larbalestier, and although it’s not written by an African American author (she’s white and Australian), I wanted to include it in this series about African American fiction.  Why?  Because I think it’s important for readers, especially young readers, to see themselves in fiction.  While I also think reading books written by a diversity of authors is important, I’m more interested in the characters I read than the people who wrote them (sorry, authors).

This is not so say that Micah, the protagonist in Liar, is or should be anybody’s role model.  As the title implies, she’s a liar in a major way.  In part because of Micah’s seeming inability to tell the truth, Liar is full of twists and surprises, so there’s little I can say about the plot without ruining it.  Instead, I’ll let the author speak for herself.  On her website she writes:

I deliberately wrote the book to be read in at least two different ways. You may think you know what kind of book it is and what kind of person Micah is, but you’ll find other readers will disagree with you completely. There is no one right way to read this book. And that’s why I’m so keen for readers not to spoil it for others. Because I want each reader to come to their own conclusions.

Liar is as much a jigsaw puzzle as a novel, but one where the pieces can go together in many different ways. Writing it was a puzzle, too. I wrote it back to front and inside out. Not from start to finish, but scene by scene. As I wrote I shuffled scenes around, rewriting them with every move. It was one of the most enjoyable writing experiences of my career. I could feel my brain stretching as I wrote. (In a good way.) I hope reading it has the same effect on you.

I will say that I enjoyed Micah’s stories, whether or not they were true.  It is a very dramatic, suspenseful story.  Readers who like issue-oriented books like Cut by Patricia McCormick or Wintergirls like Lauri Halse Anderson might enjoy Liar.

For more books, check out the blog “Reading in Color,” which reviews teen books featuring people of color.  Also, see what Justine Larbalestier has to say about diverse casts in her writing.  Then share your thoughts in the comments– Does it matter to you what color the characters are?  The authors?

Monthly Genre Challenge

February: African American Fiction

Cruisers by Walter Dean Myers

Zander and his friends have one chance left before Assistant Principal Culpepper kicks them out of DaVinci Academy.  Their grade has embarked on a study of the Civil War, and to make things more interesting, their teacher has called for the students to split into the Union and the Confederacy as a role-play.  Zander and his friends have a special assignment: keep the peace and prevent the war.

In a story that discusses the power of words, the meaning of free speech, and the worth of war, Myers gives readers a lot to think about.

For more books featuring African American characters, check back here throughout February, or visit the teen section in the library and check out the display.

Debut Author Challenge

Hush by Eishes Chayil

Hush begins in 2008 with a  letter from the seventeen year-old Gittel to the late Devory, her best friend in childhood.  Gittel and Devory belong to Chassidus, an Orthodox Jewish sect “characterized by religious zeal, avaoidance of modern dress and customs, and a spirit of pray, joy, and charity.”¹ Readers know that Devory is dead, and that their community has tried hard to forget that she was ever a part of their lives, but the circumstances surrounding her death remain a mystery as the story unfolds.

The narrative hops back and forth from Gittel and Devory’s childhood to the months before and after Gittel’s arranged marriage at age 18, with Gittel’s secret letters to Devory adding to the complexity.  With each change in perspective, more is revealed about Devory’s life and death and suspense builds until the final pages.

While the content is suspenseful and emotional, it is not without humor.  Young Gittel and Devory’s sheltered perspectives on goyim (non-Jews) and literal belief in their religious teachings lightens the sometimes dreary mood.  Especially when Kathy, Gittel’s Catholic neighbor, is involved.  During one visit to Kathy’s apartment, Gittel and Devory try to reconcile Kathy’s belief that her departed family members are both in Heaven and not Jewish:

‘Maybe,’ I mused gravely, ‘your father was a secret Jew who never told anyone buy only wore the hat [like the Orthodox Jewish litvish wore].’ But Kathy only laughed again and said, ‘No, no, everyone wore a hat then.’

‘But if everyone wore the hat,’ Devory said, puzzled, ‘it must have been awfully confusing to Hashem.  How did He know who was Jewish and who wasn’t?’

Hush is written by Eishes Chayil (say AY-shis CHEYE-el) is a pseudonym, which means woman of valor in Yiddish.  She wrote the novel based on her own experiences growing up in Chassidic community in Brooklyn.  She includes an Author’s Note explaining how much was true and how much was fictionalized, as well as a glossary with notes on the many Yiddish terms used throughout the novel.

Fans of authors like Laurie Halse Anderson, Ellen Hopkins, and Chris Crutcher will appreciate the realism with which difficult subjects are discussed.  Readers interested in the different aspects of Orthodox Judaism may also enjoy Chaim Potok’s novels.

1) From the glossary included at the end of the novel.

Strange things can happen at a crossroads.

The humans were agitated.

Have a favorite first line?  Share it in the comments.

To Whom it May Concern:

My name is Wilfred Leland James, and this is my confession.

There was once a young man who wished to gain his Heart’s Desire.

Here are just a few of the titles you can find at the Crete Library:

• Avatar
• Iron Man
• District 9
• 2001: A Space Odyssey
• Star Wars

You can also download a list of our DVDs here.

Love movies?  So does Dan, our film club moderator.  You can check out his film club blog Through a Lens Darkly for more information on film club, and to read his take on movies.  Check out his recent post on TRON Legacy for another dose of science fiction.

Monthly Genre Challenge/Debut Author Challenge

January: Science Fiction

XVI by Julia Karr

Nina’s 16th birthday is right around the corner.  For you and me, 16 means getting the keys and getting out of the house.  For Nina, 16 means a tattoo on her wrist marking her as legal.  At school she’s been watching videos like “XVI Ways,” which gives girls tips on how to become a sexteen, but at home her mom has been teaching her that she’s allowed to wait.  Just because it’s legal for her to have sex, doesn’t mean she has to.  And she’s not sure she wants to.  Ever.

Her father died the night she was born, and since then, the only man her mom has in her life is Ed.  Nina has cleaned up her mother more than once after Ed beat her.  If that’s what love and sex bring, Nina wants nothing to do with it.  She wants to keep her sister Dee safe, and get her Creatives designation so she has a chance of moving up from tier two.

When the unimaginable happens, Nina and Dee move in with their grandparents, and Nina spends her time trying to keep the promises she made to her mother as she died.

This book falls into both of my reading challenges this month.  This is Julia Karr’s first book, so it’s the first title on my debut authors list.  It’s also a Science Fiction title, so it works in my January challenge.  A lot of science fiction focuses on technology, and authors devote pages to describing the tools and gadgets they dream up.  XVI is not one of that type of Science Fiction, although there speculative gadgets in the story.  Instead, it focuses on a totalitarian society rife with class and gender issues.  It’s definitely designed to make you think.

Nina’s friends and sister are a great supporting cast, and they make up for some less than stellar aspects of the book.  Karr references previous rulers like the Fems without discussing what they were like, a misstep in my opinion.  And, unless I missed it, we never learn what B.O.S.S. means, aside from being a government official.  When I read Science Fiction (or Fantasy) for that matter, I want to be able to imagine the world the characters live in, and I had a hard time doing that with XVI, despite the fact that it’s set in Chicago.  But, overall I enjoyed the story, and hope that the sequel will provide more insight into the characters and their worlds.

Ever since the fifth grade, I’ve had this imaginary audience in my head who follow me around and watch me like I’m the star in a movie.

The great hall was filled with the lingering aroma of pork and mallard duck sausage as black-vested waiters appeared, shouldering cups of vanilla bean blancmange.

Does your favorite book have an amazing opening line?  Share it in the comments!

Monthly Genre Challenge

January: Science Fiction

Matched by Ally Condie

On her way to her Match Banquet, Cassia carries her three tablets (green, blue, and red) in her new compact.  A gift from her grandfather on her seventeenth birthday, the compact is Cassia’s artifact, a relic of a world that no longer exists.

At her Match Banquet, Cassia will stand in front of classmates and their families, and the face of her Match will be revealed.  Except when her name is called, the screen remains blank.  Instead, the hostess announces that Cassia’s Match is Xander, her closest friend and neighbor.

She is happy with her Match.  She never dared to think of Xander as more than a friend, knowing that the Society would decide her Match.  When she reviews the microcard of data about her Match that she received at the Banquet, Cassia is startled when another face appears in Xander’s place.  Could the Society have made a mistake?

While the book wasn’t as enthralling as I thought it would be (comparisons to the Hunger Games gave me some pretty high expectations),  I quickly became attached the characters.  Xander and Ky are both such great characters, readers will have as hard a time as Cassia deciding between the two.  The ending showed promise of a more adventurous continuation, I am looking forward to the sequel Crossed (due in November).

Matched fits perfectly into Science Fiction, the January theme of my Genre Challenge.  According to Joyce Saricks, writing for NoveList, Science Fiction frequently explores moral and intellectual issues in an out of the ordinary context–in this case, a futuristic world where most aspects of citizens lives are controlled by the government.  Romance readers interested in Science Fiction might want start with Matched, where they’ll find budding romance instead of technical jargon.

The Alex Award is given to 10 books written for adults, but that appeal to teens.  Included on the list this year are:

• The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender, which I read and loved
• The Radleys by Matt Haig, which I am starting on audio tomorrow, and
• Room by Emma Donoghue, which has gotten major play in the media.

The Morris Award celebrates the best book written by a first-time author for teens.  This year, Blythe Woolston took home the prize for his novel The Freak Observer.

Janis Joplin: Rise Up Singing by Ann Angel won the YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award.

The Odyssey Award is for the best audiobook for children and teens.  This year, the winner is The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex, narrated by Bahni Turpin.  Miss April and Miss Michelle love this book!

The Printz Award for excellent in young adult literature went to Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi.  Honor books include Stolen by Lucy Christopher and Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A. S. King.

The Coretta Scott King award is given to an African American author and illustrator for outstanding inspirational and educational contributions.  Rita Williams-Garcia wins this year’s author award for One Crazy Summer and Walter Dean Myers is the honored (the runner up) for Lockdown.

For exceptional works that related the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered experience, there is the Stonewall Award. This year’s winner is Almost Perfect by Brian Katcher.  Honor books include Love Drugged, written by James Klise a first-time author from Chicago.

There are more award winners and honor books that I’m going to list here.  Check out the full list, and let us know in the comments which are your favorites.