Corbin Chandler
Are You My Mother? by Alison Bechdel
This book was the written by the author and illustrator of Fun Home. That graphic novel fascinated me, and I was equally excited to read this one. However, after I read it, I discovered that I just didn’t enjoy it as much as her other graphic novel. It was extremely analytical and probably reminded me of my own struggles with my mother… A sort of odd blah fell over me as I read this book, and though very interesting, I think I possibly connected with it too much to really enjoy it. It’s good, I think, in general, but it’s not something I would choose to read again.
Release by Patrick Ness
This book was a surprise. It felt like an odd mix of horror and slice-of-life, filling your head with vivid, frightening images in one section and interesting, thought-provoking daily activities in the other. It felt, at times, disjointed, but overall it felt like a beautiful read. It may not be for some, but I would recommend it for those in the mood for creepiness mixed with everyday life.
The Red Bandanna by Tom Rinaldi
Not the usual book I pick up, but the story intrigued me. Being only about one at the time of 9-11, I (and the rest of us kids, really) don’t have the same connection to the terrible event as other people. Psychology textbooks use 9-11 to represent how stress affects memory, but the connection doesn’t really connect with our generation because we all were too young— or not even born yet— when the attack occurred. Because of this disconnect with something that almost the entire country feels deep within their memories like a scar, I chose to pick up this book; it’s the story of a man who saved several hundred people during the disaster. And oh jeeze, I definitely don’t regret picking up this book. It felt good to read despite the tears that pricked my eyes. I hadn’t cried over a book on a long time; take this as a good sign. I learned a lot and found, as I read it, that I want to learn more about the people who helped save lives on that fateful day. I highly recommend it.
Queer, There, and Everywhere: 23 People Who Changed the World by Sarah Prager
I absolutely love history, and this book was filled with it. Another of my favorite topics also made up most of this book: LGBT issues. I’m a big fan of both, so this book dazzled me. I learned amazing new things about historical figures that were never mentioned in our elementary school textbooks. Not too much to say, besides the fact that this book (and any others like it exposing the truth behind the history people write in textbooks) is immensely important. We all should read this someday.
Are You My Mother? by Alison Bechdel
This book was the written by the author and illustrator of Fun Home. That graphic novel fascinated me, and I was equally excited to read this one. However, after I read it, I discovered that I just didn’t enjoy it as much as her other graphic novel. It was extremely analytical and probably reminded me of my own struggles with my mother… A sort of odd blah fell over me as I read this book, and though very interesting, I think I possibly connected with it too much to really enjoy it. It’s good, I think, in general, but it’s not something I would choose to read again.
Release by Patrick Ness
This book was a surprise. It felt like an odd mix of horror and slice-of-life, filling your head with vivid, frightening images in one section and interesting, thought-provoking daily activities in the other. It felt, at times, disjointed, but overall it felt like a beautiful read. It may not be for some, but I would recommend it for those in the mood for creepiness mixed with everyday life.
The Red Bandanna by Tom Rinaldi
Not the usual book I pick up, but the story intrigued me. Being only about one at the time of 9-11, I (and the rest of us kids, really) don’t have the same connection to the terrible event as other people. Psychology textbooks use 9-11 to represent how stress affects memory, but the connection doesn’t really connect with our generation because we all were too young— or not even born yet— when the attack occurred. Because of this disconnect with something that almost the entire country feels deep within their memories like a scar, I chose to pick up this book; it’s the story of a man who saved several hundred people during the disaster. And oh jeeze, I definitely don’t regret picking up this book. It felt good to read despite the tears that pricked my eyes. I hadn’t cried over a book on a long time; take this as a good sign. I learned a lot and found, as I read it, that I want to learn more about the people who helped save lives on that fateful day. I highly recommend it.
Queer, There, and Everywhere: 23 People Who Changed the World by Sarah Prager
I absolutely love history, and this book was filled with it. Another of my favorite topics also made up most of this book: LGBT issues. I’m a big fan of both, so this book dazzled me. I learned amazing new things about historical figures that were never mentioned in our elementary school textbooks. Not too much to say, besides the fact that this book (and any others like it exposing the truth behind the history people write in textbooks) is immensely important. We all should read this someday.