Valeria La Mantia La Mantia itibaren Kazuń-Bielany, Polonya
Readable but academic work - a cultural history of various female masculinities and cultural studies / gender studies analysis. Ties into performance studies and Judith Butler's gender work as well.
3.5 stars -- mixed bag of stories.
Not as good as his poetry if you ask me
Very compelling book about a year in the life of a woman who loses her fiance's daughter one day on the beach. The book flowed in and out of the present and past tenses, showing how one moment can change someone's life forever. Great book, and like the cover says, I would recommend to anyone who likes Jodi Picoult or Jacquelyn Mitchard.
I really enjoyed reading this one and I think it will appeal to kids who like hard-luck stories. Eighth-grader Patrice deals with some very tough situations (poverty, bullies at school, living with her aunt, her mom in jail, her sister always staying overnight at guys' houses), but the book does not use any language or obscenity. It reminded me a lot of True Believer with its sweet but strong girl protagonist and the hardships of growing up in the inner city - how difficult it can be to just get through a day, and how hard kids have to work in the absence of responsible parents. Patrice's situation really hit home for me how limited the options are when you're a kid with no real means to advance yourself in a world of grownups who are dealing with their own issues. I also loved the love story between her and Monty - I know I'm a romantic and it was probably unrealistic - but he saw something special in her and kept after it until she could see it herself. Could the average 8th grader do this? I don't know, but it didn't stop me from rooting for them. Also, I was TOTALLY waiting for an O. Henry-Gift-of-the-Magi moment, what with her infamously crazy hair and his one nice possession, the watch from his dad. It almost happened, but not quite. Coincidence?
I liked this book a lot, and I was impressed because I stayed interested even though I didn't identify with the characters.
Tolkien is amazing.