DJ's Stories
Saturday, November 9, 2024
Thorn- a short story
Saturday, October 19, 2024
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah- Book Review
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah- Book Review
Title: Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood
Author: Trevor Noah
Publisher: Spiegel & Grau
Publish Date: November 15, 2016
Rating: 4.5/5
Summary(blurb): TREVOR NOAH's unlikely path from apartheid South Africa to the desk of The Daily Show began with a criminal act: his birth. Trevor was born to a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother at a time when such a union was punishable by five years in prison. Born a Crime is the story of a mischievous young boy who grows into a restless young man as he struggles to find himself in a world where he was never supposed to exist. It is also the story of that young man's relationship with his fearless, rebellious, and fervently religious mother-his teammate, a woman determined to save her son from the cycle of poverty, violence, and abuse that would ultimately threaten her own life. Whether subsisting on caterpillars for dinner during hard times, being thrown from a moving car during an attempted kidnapping, or just trying to survive the life-and-death pitfalls of dating in high school, Trevor illuminates his curious world with an incisive wit and unflinching honesty.
**This book review contains spoilers for this book. If you still want to read the review, go ahead. However, I strongly recommend you to read this book before reading my review.
Saturday, October 5, 2024
Shadow of the Hegemon by Orson Scott Card- Book Review
Shadow of the Hegemon by Orson Scott Card- Book Review
Title: Shadow of the Hegemon
Author: Orson Scott Card
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publish Date: 2000
Rating: 4/5
Summary(blurb): The War is over, won by Ender Wiggin and his team of brilliant child-warriors. The enemy is destroyed, the human race is saved. Ender himself refuses to return to the planet, but his crew has gone home to their families, scattered across the globe. Battle School is no more.
But with the external threat gone, the Earth has become a battlefield once more. The children of the Battle School are more than heroes; they are potential weapons that can bring power to the countries that control them. One by one, all of Ender's Dragon Army are kidnapped. Only Bean escapes; and he turns for help to Ender's brother Peter.
Peter Wiggin, Ender's older brother, has already been manipulating the politics of Earth from behind the scenes. With Bean's help, he will eventually rule the world.
**This book review may contain spoilers**
Saturday, September 21, 2024
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho- Book Review
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho- Book Review
Title: The Alchemist
Author: Paulo Coelho
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publish Date: 1988
Rating: 4/5
Summary(blurb): Combining magic, mysticism, wisdom, and wonder into an inspiring tale of self-discovery, The Alchemist has become a modern classic, selling millions of copies around the world and transforming the lives of countless readers across generations.
Paulo Coelho's masterpiece tells the mystical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure. His quest will lead him to riches far different—and far more satisfying—than he ever imagined. Santiago's journey teaches us about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, recognizing opportunity and learning to read the omens strewn along life's path, and, most importantly, following our dreams.
**This book review may contain spoilers**
Friday, September 6, 2024
The Therapist by B. A. Paris- Book Review
The Therapist by B. A. Paris- Book Review
Title: The Therapist
Author: B. A. Paris
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publish Date: January 2021
Rating: 4/5
Summary(blurb): When Alice and Leo move into a newly renovated house in The Circle, an exclusive gated community, it is everything they've dreamed of. But appearances can be deceptive...
As Alice is getting to know her neighbours, she discovers a devastating secret about her new home, and begins to feel a strong connection with the therapist who lived there before. Alice becomes obsessed with trying to piece together what happened. But no one wants to talk about it. And her neighbours are hiding something...
The million-copy Sunday Times bestselling author B A Paris returns to her heartland of gripping psychological suspense in this powerful tale of a house that holds a shocking secret.
**This book review may contain spoilers**
Saturday, August 24, 2024
The Freedom Writers Diary by Erin Gruwell & Freedom Writers- Book Review
The Freedom Writers Diary by Erin Gruwell & Freedom Writers- Book Review
Title: The Freedom Writers Diary: How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them
Author: Erin Gruwell, Freedom Writers
Publisher: Broadway Books
Publish Date: September 1, 1999 (this 20th anniversary edition in 2019)
Rating: 3/5
Summary(blurb): In 1994, an idealistic first-year teacher in Long Beach. California, named Erin Gruwell confronted a room of "unteachable, at-risk" students. She had intercepted a note with an ugly racial caricature and angrily declared that this was precisely the sort of thing that led to the Holocaust. She was met by uncomprehending looks none of her students had heard of one of the defining moments of the twentieth century. So she rebooted her entire curriculum, using treasured books such as Anne Frank's diary as her guide to combat intolerance and misunderstanding: Her students began recording their thoughts and feelings in their own diaries, eventually dubbing themselves "the Freedom Writers."
Consisting of powerful entries from the students' diaries and narrative text by Erin Gruwell, The Freedom Writers Diary is an unforgettable story of how hard work, courage, and determination changed the lives of a teacher and her students. In the two decades since its original publication, the book has sold more than one million copies and inspired a major motion picture. And now, with this twentieth-anniversary edition, readers are brought up to date on the lives of the Freedom Writers, as they blend indispensable takes on social issues with uplifting stories of attending college and watch their own children follow in their footsteps. The Freedom Writers Diary remains a vital read for anyone who believes in second chances.
**This book review may contain spoilers**
Sunday, August 11, 2024
In the Distance by Hernan Diaz- Book Review Pt. 2 - Character Analysis
In the Distance by Hernan Diaz- Book Review Pt. 2 - Character Analysis
Title: In the Distance
Author: Hernan Diaz
Publisher: Coffee House Press
Publish Date: 2017
Rating: 4.5/5
Summary(blurb): A young Swedish boy finds himself penniless and alone in California. He travels east in search of his brother, moving on foot against the great push to the west. Driven back over and over again on his journey through vast expanses, Håkan meets naturalists, criminals, religious fanatics, Indians, and lawmen, and his exploits turn him into a legend. Díaz defies the conventions of historical fiction and genre, offering a probing look at the stereotypes that populate our past and a portrait of radical foreignness.
**This book review contains heavy spoilers**
Friday, August 9, 2024
In the Distance by Hernan Diaz- Book Review - Book Summary & Background
In the Distance by Hernan Diaz- Book Review Pt. 2 - Summary & Background
Title: In the Distance
Author: Hernan Diaz
Publisher: Coffee House Press
Publish Date: 2017
Rating: 5/5
Summary(blurb): A young Swedish boy finds himself penniless and alone in California. He travels east in search of his brother, moving on foot against the great push to the west. Driven back over and over again on his journey through vast expanses, Håkan meets naturalists, criminals, religious fanatics, Indians, and lawmen, and his exploits turn him into a legend. Díaz defies the conventions of historical fiction and genre, offering a probing look at the stereotypes that populate our past and a portrait of radical foreignness.
**This book review contains heavy spoilers**
Saturday, August 3, 2024
In The Distance by Hernan Diaz- Book Review Pt. 1
In the Distance by Hernan Diaz- Book Review Pt. 1
Title: In the Distance
Author: Hernan Diaz
Publisher: Coffee House Press
Publish Date: 2017
Rating: 5/5
Summary(blurb): A young Swedish boy finds himself penniless and alone in California. He travels east in search of his brother, moving on foot against the great push to the west. Driven back over and over again on his journey through vast expanses, Håkan meets naturalists, criminals, religious fanatics, Indians, and lawmen, and his exploits turn him into a legend. Díaz defies the conventions of historical fiction and genre, offering a probing look at the stereotypes that populate our past and a portrait of radical foreignness.
**This book review may contain spoilers**
NOTE: I will be writing a part 2 review of this book, solely focused on the main character Håkan Söderström, because it would be too long to fit everything here. There will also be a plot summary & background for those who want to read the character analysis, but not the book itself.
-
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah- Book Review Title: Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood Author: Trevor Noah Publisher: S...
-
Where The Mountain Meets The Moon by Grace Lin- Book Review Title: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon Author: Grace Lin Publisher: Little ...
-
The Therapist by B. A. Paris- Book Review Title: The Therapist Author: B. A. Paris Publisher: HarperCollins Publish Date: January 2021...