36. From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun by Jacqueline Woodson

 

Fourteen-year-old Melanin Sun just found out his mother is in love with a white women.  He's emotions are mixed.  He doesn't want his mother to be "queer."  Melanin starts to question everything his relationship with his mother, friends, and girls.  He expresses himself by writing in his notebook.
Write the names of the most important characters in the story:  Melanin Sun, EC, Raphael, Sean, Angie, and Kristen.

Was the main character in the book good or bad? Defend your decision with 
examples from the book:  Melanin Sun is neither good or bad.  He loves his mother but treats her terrible when he finds out she loves Kristen.  He's young an acts immature when presented with the information about his mom.

The notebook and the miss amphibians are unnecessary but a guess it adds depth to the characters.

35. Free for All: oddballs, geeks, and gangstas in the Public Library

 An entertaining and familiar book for anyone who ever worked in a library.  It is can be a quiet and peaceful place but it also can be crazy at times.  Borchert breaks down the highs and lows of working at this great institution.  It is definitely not for everybody.  You have to be able to deal with unruly patrons and the small crisises that break out daily.  It's not about reading and book selection its more about conflict resolution.  So many positive and negative aspects on working in the public library.  As for me I love the times at night when it is quiet and calm.  The procedures get on my nerves alot. Constantly taking bullshit from patrons and being perpetually understaffed.  I want something I look forward to every morning not sure this is it.  This book put my career plight in perspective.  Although  I love the library I don't see it as a place I want to spend the rest of my life.  I want to volunteer at the library not work there.  This book cemented this opinion.  

34. Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self by Danielle Evans

 

Danielle Evans stories focus on young women and men trying to make their way in the world.  With Virgins she shows young women dealing with the sexuality and friendship.  It was good the end goes in all kind of directions though.  Snakes is about the things we do to get what we want.  I like how she presented the story made the protagonist seem untrustworthy.  Harvest is about being a mother and the different things we do to confront that responsibility.  Someone Ought to Tell Her There's Nowhere to Go is a sad story about the affects of war and wanting a family.  The King of a Vast Empire is a story about how families deal with the pain of the past.  Jellyfish is a touching story told for the viewpoint of a daughter and father.  Where You Go, There You Are is about love and being needed.  Robert E. Lee is Dead is a touching story about friendship and the distances created between friends going in different directions.  Overall very candid and touching stories.

33. Godless by Pete Hautman

This novel explores a teenager's questioning of religion.  Jason Bock is agnostic and thinks that religion is a waste of time.  So when he gets knocked out under a water tower he wonders half-jokingly what if god was a water tower.  Jason decides to create his own religion with the ten-legged water tower as god.  He enlists his friends and an enemy to assist in the new religion.  The new religion quickly spins out of control when his friend, Shin, starts taking the religion serious.  Good novel about the questioning of religion.  Easy read.    

32. Touchy Subjects by Emma Donoghue

Great collection of short stories about subjects that are taboo or difficult to talk about.  My favorite stories in the collection were Pluck, Oops, and Team Men.  Donoghue is a good author and delves into the inner conflicts of her characters well.  Each story was engaging and kept me interested.  Pluck deals with how we fight with or conscious constantly when trying to avoid an uncomfortable conversation.  When nine times out of ten it not that big a deal.  Oops is a funny tale about perceived guilt taken to an extreme level.  Team Men is about self-discovery and inner conflict.   

31. Yummy: The Last Days of South Side Shorty

Haunting story of a boy led astray by a gang. It's sad depressing to know that this was inspired by true events. The odds were stacked against Robert "Yummy" Standifer. Daddy in jail and mother strung out on drugs. Raised by his grandmother who had her hands full looking after other grandkids I was okay with how the story was handled even though I'm not a big fan of sticking fictional characters in real situations but it worked out fine.

30. 1984 by George Orwell

1.  Describe the role that O'Brien plays in Winston's life. Why do you think that initially, Winston is drawn to O'Brien? Why does he implicitly trust him, despite the enormous dangers involved?  Winston is drawn to O'Brien because O'brien represents an escape for him.  Here is someone who feels the same way I do.  Winston is projecting his feeling onto O'Brien in an attempt to gain a companion against big brother.  

2.  The Party wages continual war on sexual desires. Why? According to official dogma, why are normal sexual urges opposed to the Party’s goals, and to what use can sex be put to accomplish the Party’s purpose?   The Party suppresses sexual desires in order to be the only source of allegiance its members have.  It wants all energy directed toward Party activities.

3. The name Winston very likely comes from Winston Churchill. Why would Orwell have given his main character such a name?  A warning to the people of London and other democracy to watch their leaders and beware of how governments try to control their citizens.

1984 was a long read but some parts were very interesting.  The warnings against oppressive governments rings true over 60 years later since the books first publication.