Local Book Reviews

Reviewed by Tessy

This book could very well be my favorite book this month, because despite the beautiful writing, this book sure isn’t pretty. We have a main character with a gritty sense of justice, a historical setting that doesn’t need zombies to make it more horrific, villains that manage to make the undead seem preferable, and a plot that just got more and more twisted. Somehow the author managed to paint a compelling and stunning story that seemed both beautiful and ugly--this book will stick with you long after you turn the last page. 

I’ll start off with my favorite part of the book--the writing. The sentence structure was refined, the words were straight to the point, the voice was unique. Any author who attempts to write a historical fiction novel is, in my humble opinion, tasked with effectively transporting the reader to their point in history--with nothing but their words. Justina Ireland succeeded. Jane’s voice was utterly realistic and she proved to be a master storyteller. Her words felt like well worn pages in a book, rising and falling with a natural cadence. Sometimes when I read the story is in my own voice--Dread Nation was entirely in Jane’s voice, something I am utterly grateful for. 

“The day I came squealing and squalling into the world was the first time someone tried to kill me. I guess it should have been obvious to everyone right then that I wasn't going to have a normal life.”

 Jane turned out to be kind of my hero, something I am not ashamed to admit. She was the hero of the story, but believe me when I say she is not concerned with morals as much as your regular Disney-esque hero. She does whatever it takes in order to save the people she loves, the people who can’t save themselves. For everyone out there crying and calling for a “strong female lead”, I invite you to first stop crying, and second, look no further than Jane McKeene. While she allows herself to wish for a better life, she’s not going to let her race or gender set her back. She’s also not going to let morals hold her back from saving the day.

 “I might have been a good girl if it had been in the cards. But all of that was dashed to hell two days after I was born, when the dead rose up and started to walk on a battlefield in a small town in Pennsylvania called Gettysburg.” 

During this point in history, it was a very ugly time for African Americans, and Justina Ireland didn’t tiptoe around this. I’ve read some reviews in which the reader claimed that Ireland was making a “political claim” or painting the life worse than it actually was. This is entirely false. Justina Ireland writes in the time of her book--in a time where people were horrendously abused by others. It is my opinion that Ireland wasn’t trying to push a political opinion by writing this book, only staying true to the particular chapter of history she was portraying. 

The plot itself is a work of beauty. From the first sentence, Ireland had me snared in her web. The school where Jane learned both combat and etiquette was written beautifully (not to mention every girl there was a total badass), the world building was totally believable, the undead, excuse me, shamblers, were terrifyingly real, the fight-scenes were bloody and gruesome and exciting, everything worked together to make a plot that continued to plod on with the perfect pace.

 I could honestly sit here and write about this book all day, but I would run out of book to use for quotes, and I don’t think anyone would have the time to read all of that rambling. I’ll simply say that this book managed to make me laugh, shudder, smile uncontrollably, grimace, the whole nine yards. I got goosebumps multiple times, felt injustice and rage, EVERYTHING. Now I really need to stop typing because I need to end this review, but it was just SO GOOD. I promise I’m done now. Swear it. Just read the book. Now I’m done. 

Reviewed by Ashlyn

This book was so sweetly written. It made me cry multiple times, and the characters were wonderful. It was a masterpiece that made you wonder what exactly was the purpose of a dog, and whether or not their purpose lasts longer than them on this earth. Most people could identify with this story I felt, and that made it all the more powerful. That was part of the beauty of this novel, and you find yourself falling into the roles of Toby, then Bailey, then Ellie, and then Buddy, and you find yourself re-evaluating everything you thought you knew about your beloved family friend. And that, I think, is the main part of the beauty of this book. 

Reviewed by Alison

The Hate U Give won the goodreads choice awards for best young adult fiction and best debut goodreads author. This book can only be described as extraordinary. The writing is phenomenal and the impact the storyline can have on our society is unimaginable. This book has helped me change the way I view our society. I can assure you that reading this book has changed my life for the better. 

The Hate U Give is about the life of Starr Carter. She goes to a party with her friend Kenya and her brother Seven and ends up reconnecting with her old friend Khalil. Khalil ends up driving Starr home but the ride is not what they expected. While driving home Khalil is explaining the meaning behind the lyrics Thug Life saying that it means, “The hate u give little infants f***s everybody”. This is where the title of the book comes from and this phrase is brought up more than once throughout the book. 

This book is about how Starr discovers who she is and what kind of person she wants to be based off of the way that her friends have been treated. The writing is powerful and has changed my perspective on this society in more ways than one. 

I feel like this is a book that everybody should read at one point or another because although it is fiction it discusses problems that we face in our society today. I will have to say that there is a lot of explicit language in this book so if you are not comfortable with that don’t read the book. This writing and the concepts talked about in the book have the power to change the way we view society making an impact on the lives of others and ourselves. If I had to describe this book in one word I would use powerful.

Reviewed by Oliver

Ziggy Stardust and Me by James Brandon is a book about a teenager named Jonathan struggling to come to terms with being gay in the hostile setting of the 1970’s, who goes through traumatic events such as conversion therapy before meeting Web, another teenager his age who is a Lakota Native American who is living in his town after his father died to police brutality and must hide from law enforcement near the reservation for trying to defend his father. Ziggy Stardust and Me is a book that isn’t afraid to shy away from the realities of the seventies for the LGBT+ community, and the writing of James Brandon paints every moment of the book fantastically by using Jonathan as the narrator and main character of the book. He would switch back and forth from the internal workings of Jonathan’s mind and reality, showing how often he has to hide himself away from the outside world in order to keep himself safe. 

Ziggy Stardust and Me is a book about overcoming your fears, being your best self whoever you may be, overcoming the actions of people in the world who would rather see you fail, loving whoever you want to love, and doing what you want to do with your life.