Well, this marks the second YA novel by M. T. Anderson that I’ve read, and probably the last (the other one, Feed, sucked, too). I feel like I can see what the author meant to do here, but if my assumptions about his intentions are correct, then he fell pretty far from his mark. If I’m wrong, well, then, I just don’t think we’re meant to be. “And I realize that the decision to be human is not one single instant, but is a thousand choices made very […]
It’s hard not to root for Stella
I’ve never seen the film adaptation of How Stella Got Her Groove Back, but if it’s at all true to the source material, I bet it’s a lot of fun. Stella Payne, a 42 year old divorced mother of an 11 year old boy, decides spontaneously to take a solo trip to Jamaica. She works hard and rarely relaxes, so why not? She buys some cute clothes, packs some books for the beach, and flies out. She does not expect to meet a man — much […]
Brides for Indians
This book had an interesting concept and a strong protagonist, but ultimately couldn’t overcome an uneven, poorly paced plot. “That’s exactly the good thing about the Injun life–you don’t have to stop and think about whether or not you’re ‘happy’–which in my opinion is a highly overrated human condition invented by white folks” In 1875, a Cheyenne chief demanded 1,000 white women from the United States government. They wanted to marry them, have children with them, and solidify their relationship to the U.S. government. In reality, Ulysses […]
A story of pain, suffering and regret
Oh good lord this was a sad book. Not just what the main character goes through by simply being a woman born in China in the 1800s (hint: not a great time/place to be a woman), but also the pain she causes herself through simple misunderstandings and bad choices. “I am old enough to know only too well my good and bad qualities, which were often one in the same.” Lily, now 80 years old, reflects back on her life in this fictional autobiography. The book begins with two […]