Book Review: It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

Summary by Goodreads:

Ambitious New York City teenager Craig Gilner is determined to succeed at life - which means getting into the right high school to get into the right job. But once Craig aces his way into Manhattan's Executive Pre-Professional High School, the pressure becomes unbearable. He stops eating and sleeping until, one night, he nearly kills himself.

Craig's suicidal episode gets him checked into a mental hospital, where his new neighbors include a transsexual sex addict, a girl who has scarred her own face with scissors, and the self-elected President Armelio. There, Craig is finally able to confront the sources of his anxiety.

Ned Vizzini, who himself spent time in a psychiatric hospital, has created a remarkably moving tale about the sometimes unexpected road to happiness.

My Thoughts:

One would think It's Kind of a Funny Story is a laugh out loud comical novel, but readers, it's not.  This is one of those books that every teen I know has read, or has added it to their to-read list. It is ALWAYS checked out at our school library.  This book is an important one for parents and teachers to read too. More and more teens are struggling with depression and anxiety.  There is so much pressure on them to be the smartest, take the most Advanced Placement courses, be the best athletes or musicians or actors, etc.  AND yes, I see it first hand everyday.  They are turning to drugs and alcohol to try to relax and let go of reality for a while.

During his short life, Vizzini wrote openly about his own struggles with depression and suicidal thoughts.  According to the NYT, this novel is based on the five days he spent in a psychiatric ward of a Brooklyn hospital in 2004. Unfortunately, depression hit Vizzini harder than he was able to handle throughout his life.  In May of 2013, at the age of 32, he committed suicide.

For me, this book has been a hard one to digest and I have had to read it slower than I read other books.  I am grateful I have time this summer to process it and am looking forward to many conversations with students about it in the fall.  

Book Review: I Will Always Write Back by Caitlin Alifirenka, Martin Ganda, and Liz Welch

I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives by Caitlin Alifirenka, Martin Ganda, and Liz Welch

Summary by Goodreads:

The true story of an all-American girl and a boy from an impoverished city in Zimbabwe and the letter that changed both of their lives forever.
It started as an assignment. Everyone in Caitlin's class wrote to an unknown student somewhere in a distant place. All the other kids picked countries like France or Germany, but when Caitlin saw Zimbabwe written on the board, it sounded like the most exotic place she had ever heard of--so she chose it.

Martin was lucky to even receive a pen pal letter. There were only ten letters, and forty kids in his class. But he was the top student, so he got the first one.

That letter was the beginning of a correspondence that spanned six years and changed two lives.

In this compelling dual memoir, Caitlin and Martin recount how they became best friends --and better people--through letters. Their story will inspire readers to look beyond their own lives and wonder about the world at large and their place in it. 

My Thoughts:

I am so glad I grabbed this memoir from our school library to read over the summer.  It was so uplifting and gave me hope that there are still kind, caring families in the world raising their children to work hard and think about others.  Others have criticized this book for its simplistic writing, but I found it refreshing as I know my students will be able to read it and understand the bigger messages written throughout the book.  I think it is important to stop everyone now and then, and think about how lucky my life is and this book reminded me to do that.  Wonderful message and another book I am adding to my book talk list when school starts in the fall!

Book Review: Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

I was introduced to Out of the Easy two years ago and I am glad I finally committed to reading it.  If you are looking for a book with a mystery, a little romance, and a lot of secrets, you might enjoy this one as much as I did.

Summary by Goodreads:

It’s 1950, and as the French Quarter of New Orleans simmers with secrets, seventeen-year-old Josie Moraine is silently stirring a pot of her own. Known among locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, Josie wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer. 

She devises a plan to get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street. Josie is caught between the dream of an elite college and a clandestine underworld. New Orleans lures her in her quest for truth, dangling temptation at every turn, and escalating to the ultimate test.

With characters as captivating as those in her internationally bestselling novel Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys skillfully creates a rich story of secrets, lies, and the haunting reminder that decisions can shape our destiny.

My Thoughts: 

I have been meaning to read Out of the Easy since it was nominated for the Abe Lincoln Award in 2014.  When Between Shades of Gray was nominated in 2015, I read it right away, loved it, and moved this one to the top of my summer reading list.  Whereas Between Shades really felt like historical fiction, Out of the Easy is one that I think students will make connections with today.  The mob in this story reminds me of stories students have shared about friends and family members in gangs.  The main character, Josie, reminds me a lot of students who have dreams of going to college, but have no means of paying for it or their parents hold them back because they don't know what college is really about.  These students - who want to move away and define themselves by who they are and not who there family is or wants them to be.  I loved that the murder mystery was thread throughout the book.  It helped me understand the characters at a deeper level and think about what people do to protect their families, and how every decision we make, good or bad, can shape our future.

Book Review: Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone

Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone

**I received an e-copy of Every Last Word from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

Summary by Goodreads:

If you could read my mind, you wouldn't be smiling.

Samantha McAllister looks just like the rest of the popular girls in her junior class. But hidden beneath the straightened hair and expertly applied makeup is a secret that her friends would never understand: Sam has Purely-Obsessional OCD and is consumed by a stream of dark thoughts and worries that she can't turn off. 

Second-guessing every move, thought, and word makes daily life a struggle, and it doesn't help that her lifelong friends will turn toxic at the first sign of a wrong outfit, wrong lunch, or wrong crush. Yet Sam knows she'd be truly crazy to leave the protection of the most popular girls in school. So when Sam meets Caroline, she has to keep her new friend with a refreshing sense of humor and no style a secret, right up there with Sam's weekly visits to her psychiatrist.

Caroline introduces Sam to Poet's Corner, a hidden room and a tight-knit group of misfits who have been ignored by the school at large. Sam is drawn to them immediately, especially a guitar-playing guy with a talent for verse, and starts to discover a whole new side of herself. Slowly, she begins to feel more "normal" than she ever has as part of the popular crowd . . . until she finds a new reason to question her sanity and all she holds dear.

My Thoughts:

There hasn't been a book in a long time that I have started and finished in one sitting.  Every Last Word was beautifully written and as I moved through Sam's story I couldn't stop until I reached the end.  

I chose this ARC because I am always on the lookout for new books to add to our high school library collection that fall under the themes taught in Health class.  The Health teachers have volunteered to complete an independent reading project with their freshman students and I want to make sure we have a variety of books available to them.  Every Last Word is one of them that I will beg our librarian to purchase this summer and plan to book talk it that first week of school.  

There are so many themes that students can pick out in this story:  the desire to feel "normal," true friendships, relationships, honesty, depression/suicide, mental illness, forgiveness, and much more. I have not read any books where the main character struggles with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and seeks help. Throughout the book I could see that the author did her research on OCD and struggles people face on a daily basis.  She not only shares Sam's struggles but also ways that Sam's mom and psychiatrist help her cope with this disorder.

This one was well worth the few hours of lost sleep and I can't wait to hear what others think as well!