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**

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**

In this second part of the review, I focus more on the character of Håkan Söderström, and a major change brought about in him. If you haven't read part one, you can do so here. 

If you haven't read the book, you should go read it. 

If you haven't read the book but still want to read this character dive, go read this brief summary/background I give of the book. 

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**

This section is for those of you who want to read my Character Analysis, but haven't read the book, and also doesn't intend to do so. If you are NOT one of these people, this post is not for you. 

Here, I will provide a brief part-by-part summary of the book, and provide some background as well. 

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.

The Accidental Further Adventures Of The Hundred-Year-Old Man by Jonas Jonasson- Book Review

 

The Accidental Further Adventures Of The Hundred-Year-Old Man by Jonas Jonasson- Book Review

Title: The Accidental Further Adventures Of The Hundred-Year-Old Man

Author: Jonas Jonasson

Publisher: HarperCollins

Publish Date: July 2018

Rating: 4/5

Summary(blurb): 

It all begins with that pesky lever in the hot air balloon. Allan is sitting quietly with his friend Julius, waiting for his 101st birthday party to begin, when someone manages to break the lever, and before they know it, up they go, far above the Indian Ocean... 

But what goes up must come down, and after they are rescued from the water by a North Korean ship, it's only a matter of time before the pair are entangled in a global diplomatic crisis involving a briefcase full of contraband uranium. Everyone seems quite interested in this briefcase - from President Trump and Kim Jong-un to Vladimir Putin and Angela Merkel - and from then on it's just one accidental adventure after another. There's a vital government message scribbled on the back of a napkin (after numerous glasses of apple vodka), a disastrous case of swapped coffins, a far-too-close encounter with a very angry Nazi, at least one séance, and plenty of illegal asparagus ...

**This book review may contain spoilers**

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman- Book Review

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman- Book Review

Title: The Thursday Murder Club 

Author: Richard Osman

Publisher: Penguin Books

Publish Date: September 3, 2020

Rating: 4/5

Summary(blurb): In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet up once a week to investigate unsolved murders. But when a brutal killing takes place on their very doorstep, the Thursday Murder Club find themselves in the middle of their first live case. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron might be pushing eighty but they still have a few tricks up their sleeves. Can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer before it's too late?

**This book review may contain spoilers**

The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson- Book Review

 

The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson- Book Review

Title: The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared

Author: Jonas Jonasson

Publisher: Hesperus Press

Publish Date: 2009

Rating: 5/5

Summary(blurb): A reluctant centenarian much like Forrest Gump (if Gump were an explosives expert) decides it's not too late to start over . . .

After a long and eventful life, Allan Karlsson ends up in a nursing home, believing it to be his last stop. The only problem is that he's still in good health, and in one day, he turns 100. A big celebration is in the works, but Allan really isn't interested (and he'd like a bit more control over his vodka consumption). So he decides to escape. He climbs out the window in his slippers and embarks on a hilarious and entirely unexpected journey, involving, among other surprises, a suitcase stuffed with cash, some unpleasant criminals, a friendly hot-dog stand operator, and an elephant (not to mention a death by elephant). 

It would be the adventure of a lifetime for anyone else, but Allan has a larger-than-life backstory: Not only has he witnessed some of the most important events of the twentieth century, but he has actually played a key role in them. Starting out in munitions as a boy, he somehow finds himself involved in many of the key explosions of the twentieth century and travels the world, sharing meals and more with everyone from Stalin, Churchill, and Truman to Mao, Franco, and de Gaulle. Quirky and utterly unique, The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared has charmed readers across the world.....

**This book review may contain spoilers**

Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card- Book Review

Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card- Book Review

Title: Ender's Shadow 

Author: Orson Scott Card

Publisher: Starscape Books

Publish Date: 1999

Rating: 5/5

Summary(blurb): Andrew "Ender" Wiggin was not the only child in the Battle School; he was just the best of the best. Here is the story of another of those precocious generals, the one they called Bean—the one who became Ender's right hand, his strate-gist, and his friend. Bean's past was a battle just to survive on the streets of Rotterdam. He was a tiny child with a mind leagues beyond anyone else's. 

Bean's desperate struggle, and his remarkable success, brought him to the attention of the Battle School's recruiters, those people scouring the planet for leaders, tacticians, and generals to save Earth from the threat of alien invasion. Bean was sent into orbit, to the Battle School. And there he met Ender....

**This book review may contain spoilers**

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card- Book Review

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card- Book Review

Title: Ender's Game 

Author: Orson Scott Card

Publisher: Starscape Books

Publish Date: 1985

Rating: 5/5

Summary(blurb): Once again, Earth is under attack. An alien species is poised for a final assault. The survival of humanity depends on a military genius who can defeat the aliens. But who? 

Ender. Brilliant. Ruthless. Cunning. A tactical and strategic master. And a child. 

Recruited for military training by the world government, Ender's childhood ends the moment he enters his new home: Battle School. Among the elite recruits Ender proves himself to be a genius among geniuses. He excels in simulated war games. But is the pressure and loneliness taking its toll on Ender? Simulations are one thing. How will Ender perform in real combat conditions? After all, Battle School is just a game. Isn't it?

**This book review may contain spoilers**