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mrs_a_is_a_book_nerd's reviews
456 reviews
Enrique's Journey: The Story of a Boy's Dangerous Odyssey to Reunite with His Mother by Sonia Nazario
3.0
This book was certainly informative and eye-opening, and I'm glad I read it. The issues surrounding immigration are FAR more complex than people want to make them, and Nazario's book emphasizes this. It's pretty fairly presented, not just advocating for an open-door policy on immigration.
I read the book looking for something to add to my junior English classes. This is not it. While the story of Enrique's journey from Central America through Mexico and then to the US was engrossing and painful, the narrative style is not likely to keep students reading with rapt attention; I struggled to stay engaged at times, myself.
Nazario took on a major feat in reporting in this book: given the number of people she includes from interviews and eye-witness accounts, over a period of years of first-hand experience and data collection, I cannot imagine how much information she must have had to amalgamate into the final product. Consequently, there were threads that repeated, and I sometimes got a bit confused at the chronology of the story, as details repeated and I tried to discern whether it was simply repeated, or whether it, in fact, had happened again.
A worthwhile read to become informed on the complex issue of immigration from a more global perspective, but more reportage than literary epic. Still, I'm glad I read it.
I read the book looking for something to add to my junior English classes. This is not it. While the story of Enrique's journey from Central America through Mexico and then to the US was engrossing and painful, the narrative style is not likely to keep students reading with rapt attention; I struggled to stay engaged at times, myself.
Nazario took on a major feat in reporting in this book: given the number of people she includes from interviews and eye-witness accounts, over a period of years of first-hand experience and data collection, I cannot imagine how much information she must have had to amalgamate into the final product. Consequently, there were threads that repeated, and I sometimes got a bit confused at the chronology of the story, as details repeated and I tried to discern whether it was simply repeated, or whether it, in fact, had happened again.
A worthwhile read to become informed on the complex issue of immigration from a more global perspective, but more reportage than literary epic. Still, I'm glad I read it.
I Was Here by Gayle Forman
2.0
Well, I liked the premise, and while I wasn't a fan of Where She Went, I liked If I Stay enough that I made I Was Here one of the novels in my summer reading pile.
I won't say I was disappointed. The premise of the narrator unravelling the "why" of her best friend's out-of-the-blue suicide was intriguing, especially as the twist begins to unravel. I also really applaud the perspectives of the collateral damage that such an act of self-harm leaves in its wake.
However, while I appreciated the characterization of the male lead that the narrator becomes involved with, I thought the romance element of the novel was misplaced. As soon as that element began to develop, the book felt a whole lot more like a somewhat cliche YA/teen novel, albeit one that has adult-enough themes and scenes that I wouldn't be overjoyed at my daughter reading it before 10th or 11th grade.
The book was well-written, the characters vibrant and interesting, but, ultimately, this is just another novel of the examination of a young woman deciding between life and death with a bit of mystery and a romantic twist. So far, of the three I've read, If I Stay remains Forman's best work.
I won't say I was disappointed. The premise of the narrator unravelling the "why" of her best friend's out-of-the-blue suicide was intriguing, especially as the twist begins to unravel. I also really applaud the perspectives of the collateral damage that such an act of self-harm leaves in its wake.
However, while I appreciated the characterization of the male lead that the narrator becomes involved with, I thought the romance element of the novel was misplaced. As soon as that element began to develop, the book felt a whole lot more like a somewhat cliche YA/teen novel, albeit one that has adult-enough themes and scenes that I wouldn't be overjoyed at my daughter reading it before 10th or 11th grade.
The book was well-written, the characters vibrant and interesting, but, ultimately, this is just another novel of the examination of a young woman deciding between life and death with a bit of mystery and a romantic twist. So far, of the three I've read, If I Stay remains Forman's best work.