The Field (Book Review)

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“Vini! Come! The field calls!” cries a girl as she and her younger brother rouse their community—family, friends, and the local fruit vendor—for a pickup soccer (futbol) game. Boys and girls, young and old, players and spectators come running—bearing balls, shoes, goals, and a love of the sport.

A great story of friendship and youthful spirit, this is the perfect book to read with your little soccer fan. It also includes words in Creole, making it a dual learning opportunity.

I read this as an ARC through Netgalley.com. The expected release date is March 6th, 2018.

 

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Comics for a Strange World (Book Review)

This is a collection of comics about a strange world, not unlike our own. Despite the ghosts, talking animals, and “the general absence of any coherent laws of nature,” the stories are ones we can relate to and understand, after all, that is the original goal.

I finished this collection of comics in a single sitting but one can really stop and come back at any point. The book is divided into five sections: The Human Experience, Social Creatures, Changes, A Strange World, and Thoughts on Things. Some comics hit close to home and really made me think, while others just left me giggling. Reza Farazmand’s hyper self-aware sense of humor is an acquired taste, but one I quite enjoy.

I read this as an ARC through NetGalley.com. The expected release date is October 24, 2017. Comics for a Strange World can be preordered here:

 

Blog Update

I have been thinking about changing my blog name for quite some time now and I feel like there’s no time like the present. My main issue was finding a new name but I think I’ve thought one up now. My blog will no longer be known as the Poet’s Corner. From now on, it will be called Rae’s Reads and Reviews since my nickname is Rae and I usually review books. I’m actually thinking of making a second blog for my personal writing, but I haven’t decided if I’ll go through with it. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, be sure to comment below.

Copper Sun (Book Review)

Amari is just fifteen when strange men appear in her village. They do not look like any people she’s ever seen. Their skin is pale, nearly white, they carry strange sticks and speak a language unlike those she has ever heard. Amari is first weary of these men but soon welcomes them with open arms like her fellow villagers, seeing as they are accompanied by neighboring tribesmen.

A night of celebration soon turns into one of anguish as the visitors wreak havoc on Amari’s village. Murdering many and keeping only those they see as able-bodied, Amari finds herself taken aboard on a slave ship heading to the Carolinas. There, she is sold as a birthday present for her new “master’s” sixteen-year-old son.

Polly is an indentured servant, hardened through a past of toil. She is working a fourteen year long contract to pay off the debts of her parents. She has a disdain for slaves, but eventually through shared struggle, Polly and Amari build a friendship centered around the hope of one thing… freedom.

I enjoyed reading Copper Sun. It was an honest take on slavery and incredibly moving. Draper even includes a list of the resources she used in writing this book. All in all, I loved it.

The Hate U Give (Book Review)

 

Starr is sixteen and trying to live as close to a normal life as she can. She lives in Garden Heights, an area known for all the wrong reasons. She may live in the “ghetto” but she goes to a prep school in the suburbs. She basically has to be two different people.

One night, a party in the Heights turns into one of the worst days of Starr’s life. That is the last time she speaks to Khalil Harris, one of her best friends growing up. That is the night she has to watch a friend die for the second time.

I loved this book and the way the author addressed such a sensitive matter. The characters felt so real that I could just imagine them sitting right there in front of me. I really connected with Starr as a person, especially when she talked about having to disprove stereotypes by basically living two lives.

The Hate U Give is about so much more than police brutality. It’s about society, race, and how the two can never really be separated. It’s about how murder can be normalized with a uniform and a badge. It’s about how the Hate U Give Little Infants F***s Everyone.