aman757's reviews
33 reviews

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

adventurous reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is a book I think my sister may have read in elementary or middle school. I used to see it pretty often on my mom's bookcase when I was a child, but I didn't read it when I was younger partly because of how big of a book it seems to be. However, what I often failed to realize is that so many pages are filled with sketches that the text, often times not even covering a full page, only comprises about 1/3 to 1/2 of the book. So for that reason, the book would likely be a good choice for late elementary or early middle school children wanting to begin challenging themselves with reading books that have a higher amount of pages. One aspect I liked about this book was the unique blend of sketches and narration it's author, Brian Selznick, utilized. I also believe the story does a good job imitating in a book form the type of earlier motion pictures it includes in parts as subject matter.

Yet another aspect I enjoyed was revealed in a later part of the book when Hugo and Isabelle discover that the toymaker from the train station is the famous film pioneer Georges Miliés who made the favorite movie of Hugo Cabret's father, Trip to the Moon.

And lastly, I like how the book bends genres in that it has many aspects of a graphic novel but maintains enough core elements to remain a written story first. I would definitely recommend this book for elementary or middle school readers, and also fans of film history and its early pioneers.

Bob Books Sight Words: First Grade by Lynn Maslen Kertell

adventurous funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This set of books is another resource for early learning I found on my mom's bookcase and decided to refresh myself on as I am preparing to begin working in child care and early learning again. I remember this and some of the other "Bob books" were some of the first reading materials my parents used to teach me how to read, so there is some nostalgia involved for me. But there were also some critiques I have too, mostly to do with the illustrations. For one, I didn't like how one of the character was shaped like a triangle cone. I think there would have been a more appropriate way to easily distinguish between the characters in the story. Also, while the monochromatic coloring on the different parts of the set were somewhat helpful to break up the learning progression, I would have liked to have seen some more coloration in the illustrations. In terms of the stories themselves, though, I don't really have a strong enough education in what techniques and resources are most effective for teaching reading this age group different, but this set of books at least provides a start for me. And I do like how flash cards are included with each part of the set for reviewing the focus words in each grouping.

That's Not My Monkey... by Fiona Watt

informative lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

This is probably my favorite of the "Usborne touchy-feely books" that I found on my mom's bookcase and want to remember for when I begin working again in a child care setting. All of the prompts contained in this book seem accurate to me, and pertain directly to the sense of touch. One cue I found especially interesting and unique among these books was the feeling of "velvety" on the first page. I also like this book because it too, like the That's Not My Puppy book, provides an example of the object of possession being a living being. However, unlike That's Not My Puppy, this books discusses a creature that is less commonly owned among households, which suggests that this type of "stemming" activity can be done in an imaginative way with objects found in the learner's outside environment rather than having to be done with objects or organisms that exist directly within the learner's immediate household or classroom environment.

That's Not My Puppy... by Fiona Watt, Rachel Wells

informative lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

I chose this book as the second out of the "Usborne touchy-feely books" collection I felt was worth sharing. The main difference to me between this book and the That's Not My Tractor book is that the object of possession is a living organism, particularly one that is commonly accepted as an object of possession, at least among many American households. In terms of the "stemming" prompts in this book, I came upon similar questions as with the That's Not My Tractor book regarding the touch vocabulary cues of "shiny" and "squashy". As I mentioned in a review for That's Not My Tractor could probably be used to make a correlation with the children that shiny objects are typically smooth. However, with "squashy," the associated section does not even feel the same as in the previously mentioned book, and I would likely prompt the children with a term more like "fuzzy" for that page.

That's Not My Tractor... by Fiona Watt

informative lighthearted fast-paced

4.0

I found this book among a collection of other "Usborne touchy-feely books" my mom has on her bookcase, and I thought this might be a good book to remember and eventually share as I am preparing to begin working again in the child care profession. It seems to be a good example of a book to perform "stemming" exercises with, in which the instructor prompts the learner to point to or verbally identify various terms or concepts. I chose this book among some of the other "touchy-feely" books she has because, out of this collection, the tractor book seemed to be the most obvious example of a tangible, non-living object. I had a pause at a couple different pages to question whether all the prompts were applicable. The third prompt, for example, says a tractor's wheels are too "squashy," which I thought was meant to be "squishy" at first, but which I suppose may have a difference in that "squashy" refers more to something one pushes down rather than something one squeezes. Also, the fifth and last cue says the right tractor's headlights are "shiny," which isn't really a feeling/touch word, it which I suppose can be used to make the correlation of visually shiny objects often being smooth.

Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

Before reading this book, I had heard of Trevor Noah mainly from him stepping into the role of host of The Daily Show. From the few clips I had seen of him hosting the show, I enjoyed his personality and comedic presence. However, news and talk shows like The Daily Show are not typically what I watch for entertainment, so I wasn't familiar with much of his work other than a handful of clips I'd seen on YouTube. I had learned somehow, though, whether through reading about him in an article or from the clips themselves, that he was born in South Africa. My understanding of what that meant and means, though, was admittedly very limited before reading this book, which was recommended by a friend of my mother's. Truthfully, Nelson Mandela is really the only person I knew much of anything about from the country of South Africa, and even my knowledge of his life isn't very extensive. I mainly knew about him being held in prison for a long portion of his life, as well as him helping lead the movement to end the South African system of apartheid both inside and outside those prison walls. I didn't even truly comprehend what the term apartheid meant either, but Born a Crime provided what I found to be a succinct but profound summary of the system near the beginning of the book, by describing it as forced land removal, slavery, and segregation all occurring at once. Reading this description helped put the atrocious nature of the system into greater perspective for me, and what's more, seeing how youthful Trevor Noah still appears to me, it put into further perspective just how recent this history is. Throughout this book, Noah describes many of the inherent contradictions of the system of apartheid, in which he grew up during and immediately after, through a series of stories from his childhood and beyond, interspersing these stories with commentary that helps guide the reader through the historical context of the narrative while maintaining his undeniably unique comedic presence.

One of these vignettes that I found especially funny, even though I occasionally felt guilty laughing at some of the unintentional cultural offenses it entailed, was a story about Noah's friend Hitler, who was the main attraction in the dance crew Noah DJ'ed for. Noah does an expert job setting up the unintentionally hilarious punchlines of this story, which essentially culminates with Noah hyping up a crowd at a primarily Jewish school for his friend Hitler to jump out to do a dance performance while the rest of the crew bops their hands in a motion not dissimilar from a Nazi salute. /spoiler> I can definitely understand the offense taken by the teachers and administrators at this school, but to me, this story highlighted one of what was likely many moments of uncomfortable cultural exchange that occurred after the end of the system of apartheid, which relied so much for so long on separation and distinction. Though Noah and his friends meant no harm by their performance, these types of incidental offenses were probably inevitable in the process of reintegration following the end of apartheid.

Later in the book, Noah shares the story of him being arrested for taking one of his step father's cars without permission and driving with an unregistered car tag. He then details the events of his stint in jail, and in this section, he makes insightful observations about just how circumstantial and seemingly arbitrary the distinction can be between people who spiral into a cyclical criminal lifestyle and those who commit crimes but are able to recover from their mistakes.

The last component of the book I want to discuss, which is probably my favorite, is the way Noah make this book, though it is definitely autobiographical, center around his mother and his relationship with her nearly as much as it does him personally. The best example of this to me is the way he both begins and ends the narrative with stories involving exchanges between he and his mother, particularly involving her relationship with religion and his often comedic objections to some of her unwavering faith. Both of these sections involve life or death situations that convey the gravity of Noah's often difficult upbringing. At the same time, they both show how his mother's unwavering faith and devotion, his own youthful curiosity and logical wit, and the alchemy created through the combination of these elements, have all been necessary for his growth into the person he has become in the present. This is definitely the aspect of Noah's story I can identify with the most, and though the relationship between my own mother and I is different in many ways and, from my estimation, has not involved nearly as intense environmental pressures, I still very much appreciate this aspect of Noah's story and the insight it has offered me about better valuing my relationship with my own mother.

Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin

adventurous emotional funny informative reflective fast-paced

4.0

I found this to be a very insightful book about the author and narrator, Li Cunxin, and the way his many artistic achievements in the discipline of ballet were so firmly rooted in his personal character, instilled by his parents in the small, rural village in which he was raised. Cunxin does a very good job developing the narrative of the book too, beginning with a detailed exposition of his upbringing, moving to the time he spent at the ballet conservatory in Beijing, and then using the rest of the book to illustrate his experience in the United States and other parts of "the Western world." I believe the first section of the book likely provided the most details about what life entailed growing up in Mao's communist China, particularly in the "peasant" class, While many of the conditions described were undeniably harsh and demanding, the type of love and joy Cunxin relates in his stories of everyday living are almost as equally undeniable.

Near the end of this first section of the book, Cunxin is selected to be a part of Mao's ballet program

, which is a part I enjoyed for the fortuity of this event that had such a major influence on the development of Cunxin's life and his story. In the next section, Cunxin discusses his adaptation to the new challenges of moving to a major city and training in an artform with which he had no previous experience. I started to think in some early parts of this section that some of the conditions in Cunxin's village I felt at first may have been harsh but necessary for Mao's communist plan were moreso cruel practices to serve a class of instructors and government officials.

Particularly, I was shocked by the way that in the first class Cunxin attended at the conservatory, his instructor forced him to straighten his leg all the way on a high beam and pushed his head down to the leg, so much so that it lead to hamstring tears /spoiler>. I couldn't help but have sympathy for Cunxin while reading passages like this, but I was also amazed by his resilience through these tests of will. And then, in the third and final part of the book, Cunxin receives the opportunity to travel to the United States to continue learning in and developing his artistry. Some of his descriptions of early experiences he had in the U.S. read as if he perceived aspects of the country as a sort of epitome of opulence and even excess that he had never before seen in China. And from some of the experiences he relates, I couldn't help but think that this may have actually been somewhat of a true reality. I admittedly do not understand enough of the international politics that were happening at this time, particularly between China and the United States, to be able to comprehend why these dynamics were occurring, but regardless, it was interesting to read about Cunxin's perspective on the change in lifestyle he faced upon his move to the United States. And I think one of the most insightful aspects of the challenges and adjustments he describes would have to do with his continued desire for connection with his family and friends back home, which most anyone would be able to relate to but which involved unique barriers because of continued distrust and propaganda in China toward the U.S., and almost certainly vice versa. However, after years of establishing himself in the new country on his own, with only occasional correspondence with his family, Cunxin was finally able to convince the Chinese consulate to permit his family to travel to see him. And later, he was also able to return to China to see many of his old friends from the ballet conservatory there. These were definitely some of the most satisfying, full-circle moments of the story, one which I was able to consistently root for the narrator's success. I would say that my one major critique of the book would have to do with the title. There is one passage later in the book in which Cunxin describes himself as "Mao's last dancer," and while I do get many of the ways in which Cunxin and his peers had to submit to Mao and his ideas during their upbringing, the fact that Cunxin spent a sizable portion of his ballet career in countries with leaders other than Mao made me feel as though there may have been a better title to be found. That said, I still thoroughly enjoyed this book, and commend Cunxin on his well-earned artistic achievements.

The Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Reader by Abby Wolf, Henry Louis Gates Jr.

challenging hopeful informative inspiring slow-paced

5.0

This book contained such a dearth of essential knowledge that is difficult for me to find the right place to begin a review. For one, though, I would say it was definitely interesting for me to learn about Phyllis Wheatley and her pioneering work in the genre of the African American novel and, in a more encompassing sense, the genre of the Black novel. I had heard this name before, but was previously ignorant to the importance of her contributions. I also enjoyed the more general discussions of the essential role of female literary voices and storytellers in the history of not only Black stories, but human stories generally. This section served in part to remind me of the importance of living life as it comes, and allowing the different female presences in my life the space to bring beauty and meaning to these lived experiences. Mr. Gates also illuminates how the role of female storytelling took on an even more significant role in the production slave narratives. While these narratives obviously carry heavy and often times difficult emotions, Gates very expertly describes many of the hurdles that these Black female storytellers had to overcome to bring these stories to existence. He also explains how some of these stories were created more for bringing in a living after obtaining freedom, rather than literary pursuits. Later in the book, Gates also discusses some of his research and interviews regarding the progress made toward true freedom in countries and regions of the Americas other than the United States. One of these countries discussed was Brazil, which some have proclaimed to be post-racial. Gates goes on to suggest through his firsthand studies that this is not the case, though he also discusses some of different ways race manifests itself in this country, including the existence of over a hundred different terms used to describe skin complexion. And lastly, one more important piece of knowledge I learned from this book, though there are certainly many more I could discuss, had to do with the language used around race. Through several semi-biographical accounts of a variety of important figures, Gates discusses a number of different ways writers and storytellers have dealt with their feelings toward and perceptions of "blackness". Many of the figures Gates describes leaned into their blackness, while several others showed more of an ambivalence or resistance to this aspect of identity. For example, a few individuals discussed exhibited "passing" behavior, whereas others manifested a resistance to "blackness" by favoring more sociological views of race (which I honestly don't completely understand myself how this is a resistance to identifying with blackness, but do recognize truth in some of the points made). Also related to these different historical literary interpretations of "blackness", Gates mentions various figures' feelings toward certain labels like "African American", "negro", or even that label generally acknowledged as the most heinous of all, "n****r". These discussions all helped to elucidate to me several different reasons for understanding the nuance of language pertaining to race. And though it is somewhat difficult for me to summarize any one takeaway regarding the use of these labels, one guiding principle I use in my own life is to always lead with humanity when discussing and interacting with human beings. Every day, though, I continue to learn more about myself and the world that gives me life. And I hope that continuing to seek guidance from such insightful scholars and respectable humans as Mr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. will continue to allow me to gain and share a greater understanding of that world with others.

Don't Let Them Bury My Story: The Oldest Living Survivor of the Tulsa Massacre in Her Own Words by Ike Howard, Viola Ford Fletcher

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

It was a true honor to read this book from the longest-living author in the world! There's really no additional insight I could add to such an inspiring, honest story as this, but I will try to offer a short reflection here. As a "white" person who grew up in the city of Tulsa where the horrific massacre discussed in the book took place, I can't help but feel care and hope for seeing the type of racial justice that "Mother" Fletcher envisions in her book come to fruition. And although it can often times feel challenging to do the type of self-reflection and atonement necessary to bring that vision about, the incredible strength and courage shown by "Mother" Fletcher and her family in offering this book to the public has given me more reason to persevere in this goal. That said, although seeking a better understanding of the racially-motivated attack that has shaped so much of Tulsa's history was the main reason I bought this book, I appreciated reading the story of this incredible woman beyond just that horrific event. It was very interesting, for example, to learn about her experience doing industrial work during WWII. This is a time period I recall reading about in history books, in which women made a major contribution to war efforts while American soldiers were overseas, but this was the first I was able to make the connection from that event to an actual person. Another story I enjoyed reading about was the journey "Mother" Fletcher made to Ghana and warm reception she received from the royalty there. It made me happy to hear of the pleasant experience she had and the recognition she and her brother received. This was another part of the book that made me hopeful that continued care and support can lead to all deserving people receiving the appropriate respect and recognition. Thank you again to "Mother" Viola Ford Fletcher and her family, especially her grandson and coauthor Ike Howard, for this truly inspiring book.

Finding Your Roots: The Official Companion to the PBS Series by Henry Louis Gates Jr.

adventurous challenging emotional informative inspiring medium-paced

5.0

I had been previously introduced to the work of Henry Louis Gates, Jr. through the "companion" PBS series and his appearance in the TV series Watchmen, but this was the first book of his I was blessed enough to read. Before reading this book, my knowledge of ancestry research was very limited. I had previously tried to gain some insight into my family's pre-American history by searching the Internet for family name origins. Through these searches, I was able to generate some ideas of where my family may have come from, but not enough to really develop any real sense of identity. And while I recognize too that much of my desire to learn about my family's ancestry probably comes from a selfish desire for grounding and culture, I also feel like this type of knowledge is necessary in many ways. Also, though, as a European-American, I recognize too that there are historical injustices that must be recognized through one's process of discovering roots and ancestry, particularly colonization and slavery. And for Henry Louis Gates, Jr., himself a mixed-race man with African ancestry, to be able to sit down with people from numerous different backgrounds and ethnicities, and help guide them through the process of discovering their family ancestries in such a precise, compassionate way is truly amazing to me. I hope to engage with more of his work, and I hope too that Mr. Gates receives all the respect he deserves for his exceptional contributions to genealogy and humanity at large. Lastly, one more point discussed in the book I'd like to highlight is the way genetic research can be used to accurately identify individuals with mixed-ethnicity or mixed-race ancestry. The application of this process that stood out the most to me was with identifying the ways Native American, African-American, and European American genetics have mixed throughout the country's history because this seems to be an important step in achieving healing from the scars left from the previously mentioned injustices of colonization and slavery. I have still yet to do one of these DNA tests (although my deceased grandmother did one which I was recently able to see some of the results of), but this book illuminated some of the reasons for the importance of knowledge of family history for finding true self-knowledge and has inspired to continue striving toward that goal.