Monthly Archives: December 2011

(EFF YEAH, I FINISHED!!!)

This book has been popping up a lot lately, even appearing on the Cannonball Read Best of list multiple times.

In this future Chicago, the populace has been split into 5 faction, each devoted to a particular valued trait: Erudite (learned), Amity (the peaceful), Candor (honest), Abnegation (selfless) and Dauntless (brave). At the age of 16, each teenager undergoes a test to determine which faction they best fit and then must choose which faction will be theirs for the rest of their lives. Beatrice and her brother Caleb were born into Abnegation, the group devoted to thinking of others, and the one responsible for city government. When Beatrice goes through her test, she is told that she doesn’t really fit into any faction; she is Divergent and her examiner warns her never to tell anyone. Beatrice’s test indicates that she could choose Erudite, Abnegation or Dauntless. She feels too selfish to stay in her birth faction, not interested enough in study to choose Erudite. To the shock of her parents, both Beatrice and Caleb choose to leave Abnegation, he for Erudite, she for the thrill-seeking Dauntless.

Given how great the divides between factions, Beatrice, who renames herself Tris, doesn’t really know what to expect from Dauntless and its initiation process. What follows like a combination of bungee jumping, Russian Roulette and Survivor as the initiates compete to be accepted into Dauntless. If they fail, they are condemned to live factionless: jobless, squatting in the ruined city and living off handouts. One of Tris’s trainers Four is daring and an excellent instructor. (Also hot.) The other Eric is ruthless and cruel. It appears that even Dauntless doesn’t even really know what it wants to be.

How will Tris survive the initiation process? What does being Divergent mean and why is it so dangerous? Despite very little explanation of how and why the factions came to exist, Tris’s experiences as she discovers more about the factions and herself is intense and thrilling. She also starts making friends for the first time in her life–Abnegation doesn’t encourage talking about yourself, so there’s not so many things to talk about. She starts getting clothes that aren’t form fitting and grey; she experiments with body modification: she can spend time on herself and not just look in a mirror quarterly. For the first time, she experiences physical attraction and desire. And she experiences cruelty, shame and guilt, not all of which are new. The first person narrative gives the reader a detailed feeling of all these emotions and events. Given what happens at the end, the sequel Insurgent will be well worth reading.

(Library book)

This small town in Montana might be the best place for Kendall. The one room high school she attends is small enough that she can fix everything to the exacting standards her OCD demands. She can arrange the curtains just so, and put each desk into exact groups, 6 per grade level, 24 in all. It even worked out with 24 kids until last spring when a freshman, Tiffany, disappeared. Since then, the town, and Kendall, have been on edge. Nothing like this happens in this quiet farming town. Then Kendall’s boyfriend Nico disappears as well. When Kendall discovers that Nico’s desk was Tiffany’s desk (same graffiti), it seems like more than coincidence. Kendall doesn’t think anyone will believe here, least of all new student Jacian. Of course, there’s more to the town of Cryer’s Cross than meets the eye.

I didn’t notice until after I’d finished the book that the cover image is the title carved into the top of a school desk, though that choice does make a lot of sense given what the reason for Nico and Tiffany’s disappearances ends up being. As the story goes on, there are italicized interludes hinting at the hunger of something unexplained. These really only served to confuse me, until the mystery became obvious and then they were just annoying. While the idea may have been interesting, the execution here is lacking.

(Library book)

(Look, only one review left! And I know what book it’s going to be about! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!)

Another ebook chosen because of availability. I’ve been seeing it at work but it was appealing to bring a few things on my Nook to the cabin for the Christmas holiday, in addition to the 6 regular books I brought. Good thing, too. I read all or parts of about 8 books during that 4 day time span.

Karl Stern is a teenager in Germany during the mid-1930s. He is Jewish, but you wouldn’t know it to look at him, or his mother. His father and sister Hildy are a different story. With the recent rise of the Nazi party, Karl has been keeping a low profile at school but can’t quite avoid a trio of vicious boys who he calls the Wolf Pack. His father’s art gallery business has been suffering too, especially since many of the artist he champions have been outlawed. At a last show opening, a ray of hope appears in the form of boxer and national hero Max Schmeling. Max buys a painting and offers Karl boxing lessons in exchange for a second. Karl starts daily training, and spends night drawing comics for himself and for his sister. Over the next two years, Karl continues to train and his body and mind develop in surprising ways. As Karl improves himself, conditions for Jews in Germany continue to disintegrate in the ways that we’ll all familiar with.

Author Sharenow clearly brought a lot of research to bear in writing this book. Max Schmeling was a real boxer, help up by Hitler and the Nazis as a true Aryan hero, especially when he beat Joe Louis despite being a clear underdog. Sharenow also gives great detail of the implementation of Nazi restrictions on Jews, including the Nuremberg Laws’ sweeping changes and the terrifying destruction of Kristallnacht.

I didn’t know much about boxing before reading this book, but I though Sharenow did a good job of including enough for a novice like me, since Karl is learning it all too, but his training and fighting still feature enough action for a more learned boxing aficionado. He also tells an engrossing story of a German boy whose national pride is dismissed as unworthy. I also liked that this story takes place from 1935 to 1938, a time of the Third Reich less represented in young adult fiction. It’s important to think about how the Nazi party reached the height of their power and not just what happened once they got there.

(Library book)