Do you always read what you know you will like, or do you sometimes try to stretch yourself to see ‘what’s out there’? I go in cycles. Sometimes I have no patience for something that doesn’t fit my personality, and other times I do like to be exposed to books or other art that is far from my own personal norm.
Skim is not something I probably would have picked up if not for the Canadian Challenge or the Graphic Novel Challenge. It was also a quick read. While I very much sympathize with the typical teenage angst in the book, with themes of suicide, w*tchcr*ft, and hom*s*xual*ty, Skim just wasn’t for me. I do give the author credit, though, for writing the characters in such a way that the reader does feel their emotional pain. That alone, though, just wasn’t enough for me to enjoy the book.
Wow, The First Part Last is an incredible book! I loved this story so much. I haven’t been so emotionally affected by a book in a long time — probably not since The Book Thief or The Time Traveler’s Wife. This title was definitely deserving of the 2004 Michael L. Printz Award, and I will be strongly encouraging my two teenage sons to read and/or listen to it.
Sixteen year old Bobby is raising his daughter Feather alone — well, primarily alone. Feather’s mother and her family aren’t in the picture and his own mother and father are “grandparents, not parents.” Although it is crystal clear that Bobby loves his daughter, he is exhausted and not prepared for what fatherhood entails. He does the best he can, though, and his character is admirable.
I listened to the audio of this book, and it is sooooooo good. The story is narrated by Khalipa Oldjohn, who did an absolutely wonderful job. It’s only on 2 discs and is 1 hour and 42 minutes long, so I strongly encourage you to take up the audio if it’s available at your library.
Highly, highly recommended for those who love young adult literature or who are participating in The Printz Project.
This slim book by Lydia Chukovskaya is a must read if you’re interested in Russian/Soviet history. It reminded me a bit of One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, except that instead of the prisoner’s point of view, we get the view of the mothers and wives of the falsely imprisoned.
At the beginning of the book, Sofia is happily working as the supervising typist for a government publishing house. Her son Kolya is deeply committed to the Soviet party and is studying engineering. Then everything slowly goes downhill and ‘The Great Purge‘ begins. People start disappearing. Masses of people. Multitudes of women stand in line each day in front of government offices to determine the fate of their loved ones. All are convinced it is only a big mistake, but then they themselves are deported.
This book was actually written during the time of the purges (1937-1938), but it was hidden for several years for obvious reasons and then almost published in the Soviet Union in the early sixties. Political change occurred again, and it wasn’t published in Chukovskaya’s home country, but it was published in France and in the United States. The book was finally published in the Soviet Union in 1988.
I almost never read forewords, author’s notes, or afterwords, but I did in this case because I was fascinated by the author’s own struggle to get the book published. As I said, a must read for Russian history enthusiasts.
“There’s only one thing I want, just one thing I’m waiting for: to see my book published in the Soviet Union. In my own country. In Sofia Petrovna’s country. I have been waiting patiently for thirty-four years.
There is but one tribunal to which I wish to offer my novella: that of my countrymen, young and old, particularly the old, those who lived through the same thing which befell me and that woman so different from me whom I chose as the heroine of my narrative — Sofia Petrovna, one of thousands I saw all about me.“
1967 for the English translation, 120 pp.
Rating: 5/5
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
Do you always read what you know you will like, or do you sometimes try to stretch yourself to see ‘what’s out there’? I go in cycles. Sometimes I have no patience for something that doesn’t fit my personality, and other times I do like to be exposed to books or other art that is far from my own personal norm.
Highly, highly recommended for those who love young adult literature or who are participating in 
This slim book by Lydia Chukovskaya is a must read if you’re interested in Russian/Soviet history. It reminded me a bit of One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, except that instead of the prisoner’s point of view, we get the view of the mothers and wives of the falsely imprisoned.
