The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a story centered around the main character- Evelyn Hugo- but written from the perspective of local aspiring writer, Monique Grant. Monique has landed insignificant and small jobs at her writing firm so far and is waiting for her big break. When she learns that the one and only Evelyn Hugo asked for her to interview Evelyn, she realizes this is the opportunity she has been waiting for.
Where the Crawdads Sing is a story following the journey of the main character, Kya- and how she attempts to navigate life in the real world whilst carrying the weight of her traumatic childhood and extreme isolation from society.
Charlotte is a senior who really likes to write and admires the famous writer, Luca Bruni. She is also the descendant of Isabella di Angelo, a poet who her family believes actually wrote the famous poem “In Guerra” by Antonio Tasso. She applies for a summer program with her idol, Luca Bruni, in Venice and gets in. Charlotte decides to uncover Isabella’s past and rightfully give her credit for the poem. But when Luca Bruni tries to kiss her as he does the other girls in the program, she goes back to her home and her journey to discover her past comes to a stop.
Amal Unbound is a book about a girl’s fight for education and knowing her rights. The story is a take on problems many people in real life, even today, must face. The main character is a young woman named Amal. One of the things she wants most is to have a good education, but unfortunately, she is a girl. Girls don’t have as many opportunities as boys to read and study.
Lord of the Flies is a dystopian fiction novel where the characters are living in a nightmarish, tyrannical society as a result of their naturally poor personalities. This book is written by William Golding who tells the story of a group of young boys who find themselves alone on a deserted island without any adults present. They develop rules, but without any adults on the island to oversee them, the boys eventually become violent and savage-like. The main character in this book is a boy named Ralph, who is elected chief of the island at the beginning of the book.
The Silent Patient features Alicia Berenson, an ordinary women who seemingly had a good life until she murders her husband, Gabriel, by shooting him five times in the face. As her case is further investigated, Alicia refuses to speak or utter a single word throughout it all. Theo Faber, a psychotherapist, is eager to figure out why Alicia committed the crime she did, and why she chooses to remain silent.
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton is a book that really spoke to me. It takes us back to the 1960s, a time of division and clashes between different social groups. As I delved into the story, I found myself connecting with Ponyboy Curtis, the teenage narrator and member of the Greasers, a close-knit gang of working-class boys. Ponyboy's journey is one of self-discovery and resilience in the face of adversity.
Romeo and Juliet, the unforgettable play by the brilliant William Shakespeare, is a deeply human story that tugs at the strings of our hearts. It takes place in the enchanting city of Verona, Italy, where two young souls find themselves entangled in a long-standing feud between their families.
This book is one I picked up before going to bed, and I was absolutely intrigued throughout the novel. A young boy with facial deformities navigates his way through fifth grade, and it’s not easy. Throughout this novel, the reader gets an insight of many characters, their perspectives, and coping mechanisms. A lot of the novels I read are about fantasy, mystery, and “out-of-the-world” challenges, but this one was a calm and interesting read. This is a book that can definitely be read by some elementary schoolers, but as a high schooler I still enjoyed reading this novel.
Throughout history, people have grown a perception of incapability or some sense of inferiority when it comes to previously colonized countries and their effort to resist. However, what most people, including the media, fail to see is the brutality, traps, and negligence within the imperial system. Chinua Achebe dives into how the conservative and diverse traditions of an Igbo society changed after colonization by the British. Here’s my favorite part of this book: the reader is able to have an insight not from the colonizers, but rather the colonized.
