The Way I Used To Be is a realistic fiction teen novel that follows the young woman, Eden, through her trauma-riddled high school years. Eden used to enjoy band and book club, but after she is raped by her brother’s best friend, she buries the trauma and the girl she used to be. Later in high school, she occupies her time by drinking and partying with strangers, it’s the only thing that helps her forget.
Lily Bloom, who is a single mother who tries to regain control of her life after she escaped an abusive relationship. Lily emphasizes her struggles and accomplishes during this time. If you have read It Ends With Usby Colleen Hoover, I would suggest you read this book. I was expecting more out of this read after reading It Ends With Us, but I was a little bit disappointed. The content in the book was not what I expected.
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus hit me hard because I am a woman majoring in a science degree. I have been told by teachers to be sure about wanting to pursue science in the future, as I will have a hard time getting ahead as a woman. Elizabeth, the main character, faces similar challenges of being undermined or underappreciated because of being a woman. She starts off at a science firm, but after the death of her boyfriend, she is fired for being pregnant and unwed.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou is a honest memoir that follows Angelou’s own life and the challenges growing up as a black woman in a twisted society. She is attacked by a man, and it changes her perspective on society forever. All while battling trauma, racism and other dark events, Angelou goes on a journey of growing up and finding herself. I give this book 4 stars because it is a remarkable book, and I think everyone should read it in their lifetime.
What Happened to You? is an insightful book about human behavior and why we make decisions. Bruce Perry is a renowned psychiatrist and behavioral scientist, discussing the brain science behind the actions we make, and how our past impacts our present. This book talks about understanding behavior, trauma, and emotions, better helping people understand their behavioral patterns. The book is written like a discussion between Winfrey and Perry, as they discuss people, trauma, and their impact on each other.
We Deserve Monuments is a debut novel. But you wouldn’t be able to tell, it’s just that well written. A beautiful, heart-wrenching coming of age story, Jas Hammonds wove a tale of generational trauma, love, racism, homophobia, and what really matters. This was recommended to me by Goodreads because I read Pet (by Akwaeke Emezi), and I at first marked it as TBR because of the cover. Then, I read the premise.
Tangerine by Edward Bloor centers on Paul Fisher, an eighth-grader with impaired eyes who moves to Tangerine County, Florida, with his whole family. In the novel, Paul juggles making new friends, dealing with the constant harassment from his football-star brother, joining his middle school’s soccer team, and uncovering strange occurrences that keep happening in Tangerine. Overall the book is a gripping story with many twists and turns from beginning to end.
I was lucky enough to hear A.S. King speak when she visited our Library in August 2015. Eventually, after much fascinating talk, one of the moderators got around to asking her about her newest book, I Crawl Through It. "What's it about?" We all laughed, as we had earlier established how difficult it can be to neatly summarize a King novel.
