Crossing the Line: A Fearless Team of Brothers and the Sport That Changed Their Lives by Kareem Rosser

Crossing the Line: A Fearless Team of Brothers and the Sport That Changed Their Lives Forever by Kareem Rosser
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

OMG! This is definitely a MUST READ! Many thanks to my reading neighbor, Carrie Ogorek, for so fully pushing this book into my hands. The life Kareem Rosser describes in "The Bottom" of West Philadelphia was so sad, fraught with death, violence, and trauma. With a mother and many brothers and sisters, many fathers - all absent, Kareem is a shy, shell shocked child who grows into a fearful teen--but his older brothers lead him to the Fairmount area on one of their explorations and it is there he falls in love with horses. The horses are the balm that Kareem needs to live, to heal, to grasp for something better out of the bottom. Fraught with problems every step of the way, he is able to grow in the Work to Ride program, white owner, Lezlie Hiner provides---he also learns how to play polo with his brothers and together they dream of a life away from the violence that is their neighborhood and life. I could not stop turning the pages, Kareem writes from the heart about his life of undiagnosed panic attacks, his daily fear for the members of his family and friends, and his "new" life as he strives for better against all the odds thrown up time and time again. This is a MUST READ for all! I donated immediately to the Work to Ride program because "they---Kareem as a fundraiser too-- want to build an indoor polo field and I also read that he has partnered with famous polo player, Nacho Figueras is bringing the 1st Philadelphia Polo Classic in September 2022, what an amazing event.

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Sing Unburied Sing by Jesmyn Ward

Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh did I love this audiobook, with awesome narrators Kelvin Harrison, Jr., Chris Chalk, and Rutina Wesley. The saga, both past and present, of a Mississippi family which includes loving grandparents, awful parents, and their children who cling to one another, was tough to listen to especially when Leonie narrated her chapters. She was someone who never should have had children! She was a drug addict, selfish, mean to her children, and rebuffing her parents, who were truly good people. The description of the harshness of their lives, with uncles (brothers, fathers) dragged to jail (called Parchment) for no reason at all and toiling for years under the repressive eyes and whips of jailers, also gives us the character, Richie, who is too young to be in Parchment, and the object of beatings who dies and returns as a ghost, fills out this story of the south, racism, prejudice, and the ties that bind and sour families. Jojo's chapters and his love for his baby sister Kayla, were so sad, truthful, horrific in detail and sentiment, but thankfully, they are both resilient and loved by their grandparents. Highly recommended!

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A Girl Like That by Tanaz Bhathena

A Girl Like That by Tanaz Bhathena
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read this book for a twitter chat book club, #yabookchat which will be discussed Sunday 4/8 at 9PM EST. This book devastated me, Zarin and Porus' life in Saudi Arabia, especially Jeddah was hell. Zarin is a strong female character (did I like her???, not really, but after they way she is treated by everyone, except Porus I saw her as a totally marginalized teen) who lives in a sexist, racist, judgmental world (school and home) that does not allow any freedom for teens in most aspects of life. The only character I truly loved and felt for was Porus. He is kind, has been raised right with a gentle father he desperately loves (and loses) and a revered mother. All of his goodness does unfortunately does not work for the love he has for Zarin. Time and time again, she is rude to him, with her mean, angry words she tries to push him away - she smokes, skips school and has a reputation (unearned) with guys resulting in her constantly being bullied by the girls in her school. She suffers physical abuse at her aunt's hands her whole life and her uncle turns a blind eye and eventually turns against Zarin when she will not tell anyone about the drugging and sexual violence by a classmate. There was no character (except Porus) that had any redeeming qualities, the religious police did not allow any normal teen relationships and society judged Zarin based on gossip, lies, and her own secrecy. I ached for this teen and when I finished the book, in the Author Note, Tanaz Bhathena summed up the awful life that existed for teens in Saudi Arabia in 2014, she revisits her own past over and over to write the book "My own story is different from Zarin's and Mishal's, Yet it does not make their stories any less true, not does it diminish the reality of living in a world that still defines girls in various ways without letting them define themselves. This book is a love letter to them all."
A must read but a devastating one nonetheless.

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Roughneck by Jeff Lemire

Roughneck by Jeff Lemire
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read this awesome graphic novel as part of the 2018 HUB Challenge because it is an Alex Award winner. Jeff Lemire's discussion of indigenous people, fractured families, ice hockey, and violence in this harshly, real illustrated graphic novel really moved me. Derek and his sister's plight- a violent father and sweet mother taken from them too quickly is just one thread in this must read graphic novel that takes place in Pimatamon but also explores their lives- Derek's with ice hockey and the violence afterward and drug addicted, Mary with an abusive boyfriend. The secondary characters were so authentic and really fleshed out the plot. Highly recommended. If you like to read about ice hocky and it's grip- Bear Town by Fredrik Backman is good also.

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Done Dirt Cheap by Sarah Nicole Lemon

Done Dirt Cheap by Sarah Nicole Lemon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I saw this title was really cheap for a hardback on Amazon, highly touted so I purchased it and oh was it GOOD!!! The 2 girls (seniors in HS) come from 2 different (but the same) worlds. Tourmaline (love this name) is the "sheltered" daughter of motorcycle "gang", the Wardens and inadvertently put her mom and her sleazy boyfriend in jail for drugs and dealing. Virginia (OMG so tough, beautiful, & hard life) who is "owned" by sleazy lawyer, Hazard is commanded to find out all she can & bring down the Wardens. So she goes straight to Tourmaline and oh do their worlds collide!!! I loved Lemon's writing, her characters, the world of these girls who are so conflicted, searching for their lives and loves and oh those motorcycle guys are just so gorgeous, off limits, and so enticing to Tourmaline and Virginia. For a wild ride you will not want to put down, this debut novel will achieve so much when it comes to friendship and family!!!

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Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read this book for the December twitter chat with #2jennsbookclub to be held Thursday 12/14 at 8PM; please join us for what will be a timely and awesome discussion! I have read & loved all of Jason Reynolds' books and Long Way Down takes a hard look at the urban violence that has ensnared black teens & men. Will has been taught the rules of the street by his brother, Shawn. When Shawn is shot dead, Will gets his brother's gun and is on his way to honor the rules. As he descends the elevator with his brother's gun in the back of his pants; Will runs into people/family who have been gunned down and as each ghost/spirit relates the gun violence - there are things Will is compelled to think about- is Riggs really the one who shot Shawn, and "Another thing about the rules They weren't meant to be broken. They were meant for the broken to follow." What will Will do as he talks to the spirits in the elevator? I liked how Will used anagrams to help him figure things - scare=cares, ALIVE=A VEIL, FEEL=FLEE and Reynolds first hand knowledge of this life, these kids, and the failures of those older. I will be reading this again; reluctant readers will be absorbed by this urban fiction tale, and I am definitely going to listen to Jason Reynolds' narration on Audible. Highly recommended!

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The Brimstone Journals by Ron Koertge

The Brimstone Journals by Ron Koertge
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read this realistic fiction novel in verse as part of the November chat for #yearoya focusing on books written between 2002 and 2007. My students always loved Ron Koertge books, I never found the time to read this, I am so glad I did. With school shootings making the news, this High School in 2001 is dealing with bullying, romance, sexual abuse, and a dangerous group who are making a list of those who will not make it. The teen voices are real and span all kinds of high school kids. Thankfully teens don't shy from talking to the adults and police when they fear for their life. An ALA Notable Book in 2002.

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Refugee by Alan Gratz

Refugee by Alan Gratz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow, what a must read for all; Alan Gratz crafts a heart stopping, gripping read about 3 young teens and their families as they become refugees trying to escape Nazi Germany in 1939, Cuba in 1995, and Syria in 2015- all devastating times in history where people are/were persecuted, preyed upon, murdered and desperately searching for freedom, acceptance, and a place to call home. I ached as I read Josef, Isabel and Mahmoud's courageous struggles with their close knit families as they fled homes they loved because of persecution and war. Gratz's use of different time periods to show how history keeps repeating itself in it's discrimination of cultures, genocide, and violence shows the refugee/immigrant plights keep continuing; wiping out families, communities, and homelands; this should be required reading for all students, teachers, parents, and leaders. Readers will not be able to put this book down; there is so much to discuss; things need to be remedied - this should not happen; the dangers are all too real; countries can't/won't handle the influx of refugees and people/families are disintegrating, suffering, losing hope. The Author's Note is essential, and What you Can Do just as important to read at the end of this book.

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Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty by G. Neri

Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty by G. Neri
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I re-read this banned book for the September twitter chat with #YearofYA and it was even more powerful with Yummy's no win situation of a life of violence, gang wars, family dysfunction and urban decay.

G. Neri's graphic novel is a winner. He takes the true story of 11 year old Robert "Yummy" Sandifer's shooting of an innocent 14 year old girl, Shavon Dean, who was in the wrong place at the wrong time and crafts a gripping tale from the point of view of a boy, Roger, who knew both kids, lived in the same neighborhood, and had a brother in the same gang as Yummy. Roger is an onlooker, part of a close knit family (yet his brother is in the Black Disciple gang too)who went to school with Yummy and Shavon. His story catches the horror of gang life, a forgotten child, Yummy, who suffered at the hands of everyone he knew. Reluctant readers, those who love urban fiction, and all readers should digest this graphic novel. It covers a bleak time in 1994, in a broken down, neighborhood more like a war zone, where no one is safe. You, as the reader, will feel for the 2 sides of Yummy, and be chagrined at the horror of two YOUNG lives lost, for all the wrong reasons.

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Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson

Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Debut author's Allegedly is deeply disturbing as the reader follows Mary who allegedly killed a 3 month old baby she and her wacko Mom were babysitting. Mary was sympathetic but I ached for her to tell the truth throughout her years in baby jail. Wanting to keep my blinders on, I desperately wanted a happy ending, and boy did that ending take my breath away. I loved Miss Cora and her SAT tutor and wished they could effect some major change. But, with life, there are many hurtles and Mary got many of those hurtles, which happens with so many kids who have dysfunctional families, mental illness, violence and lies. A compelling read.

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The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I listened to this book as part of the #2jennsbookclub twitter chat to take place Thursday 9/14/17 at 8PM EST, please join us! This is a book EVERYONE must read but I also recommend listening to it as well. The narrator, Bahni Turpin, was just so good at being Star, her 2 lives of mostly white prep school girl and also living (and hiding) in the hood. Turpin's voice got just right the side-eyes, love, honesty, and anger from Star, her family and friends. I so enjoyed getting to know, once again, her fierce parents, her close-knit neighbors, her brothers, Secani and Seven, her white boyfriend, Chris. I hated King and his Lords, their grip on the lives of so many in the neighborhood and the injustice of the death of Kahlil. Highly recocmmended, this book will resonate with all who read it!!!

Debut author, Angie Thomas does a superb job of exposing the racism, frustration, & heart of Star's family, life & community in her project where she lives. But Star lives between 2 worlds because she attends a prep school where she is one of the few black students. As she lives in 2 worlds the reader sees her confusion and irritation as friends make judgments. I really loved her relationship with her white boyfriend, Chris and her family's reactions to Chris were all very different. But it is the night she rides home from a party after gunshots are fired, that changes her life forever. With her best friend, Kahlil, they are pulled over by a white officer things escalate (through no fault of their own) and her friend is shot dead. As Star grapples with losing him, she is also reminded of her best friend being shot when they were 10 years old & playing with fire hydrant spray. What will she do? Angie Thomas explores honestly & deftly injustice, police violence, families, gangs & change. I could not put this book down, highly recommended.

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Bang by Barry Lyga

Bang by Barry Lyga
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read and loved this heartbreaking book for #yabookchat June 4 at 9pm EST (join our twitter chat). Sebastian was 4 years old when he shot and killed his infant sister- ever since then - he has felt guilty - his mom is always sad, his dad left, and no one talks about it. Ten years later Sebastian is still suffering, has one friend (his family does not like Sebastian for the obvious reason) and he leaves for summer leadership camp. While Sebastian talks/listens to the voice he plots when he will end his life - but with a new girl Annesa moving in - many many things change for Sebastian - he can talk to her, he loves her and her family - will Sebastian's life, and outlook with this new friend change? Another powerful read Right Behind You by Gail Giles will shock you and rock you.

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March: Book Three by John Lewis

March: Book Three by John Lewis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read this graphic novel as part of the 2107 Hub Challenge, and like his other graphic novels- John Lewis puts into words & illustrations his role in the 1960's history in America, in the forefront of the fight for civil rights, the right to vote, leading nonviolent marches, this series provides a compelling palette for teens (I think all adults need to read this stunning book/series) of the trials, deaths, and attacks blacks were made to suffer over and over again in their fight for the right to vote, sit on the bus, use the same facilities in the South where many (even in the White House) were content (eager) to do whatever needed to be done to keep this from happening. I loved Nate Powell's illustrations, so true, so compelling, so relatable to teens.

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Traffick by Ellen Hopkins

Traffick by Ellen Hopkins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this Hub Challenge Top 10 Amazing Audiobook!!! Awesomely narrated by: Julia Whelan , Madeleine Maby , Rebekkah Ross , Kirby Heyborne , Jacques Roy their many voices were heartbreaking, gut wrenching and ultimately hopeful about young adults who become prey to drugs, alcohol, prostitution, violence and the fallout to themselves and their families. No one but Ellen Hopkins can write these novels in verse as authentically and gripping. Teens will gobble up both the book & I highly recommend this audiobook, I could not stop listening. It was great to listen to my favorites Julia Whelan and Kirby Heyborne and be introduced to new narrators, too! Highly recommended!

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American Street by Ibi Zoboi

American Street by Ibi Zoboi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book which I read for #2jennsbookclub in May & #yearofya Debut Authors topic for March broke my heart. After finishing The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, the shooting in this book devastated me. As a reader, I rooted for Fabiola's life in Detroit along side her mother. But her mother is detained at the airport & sent to NJ with no resolution in sight. Even though Fabiola wants to care for her aunt and 3 cousins, when she arrives at American Street, they are involved in their lives and Fabiola is left to figure things out for herself and that is just a real shame. When will Fabiola see her mother, why does Tray hit Donna, what will she tell the Detective to get her mother back to Detroit? The suspense, loneliness, violence, greed, and secrets all spell doom for Fabiola and her 3 Bees cousins. I loved Fabiola's Haitian culture, beliefs, and her native religion and how it sustained her but I ached for the mother she so needed, the American world & family that let her down, and the harshness of living between two worlds. A tough read, teens will love this urban fiction and diverse characters.

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The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis

The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I so so loved the 3 main characters as they are nearing the end of high school in a small stifling town offering no prospects- 4.0 student Alex Craft is really the focal point - her sister was viciously murdered and it changed Alex- Alex is the quiet girl who rights wrongs but uses violence. As she works in a shelter with Claire AKA Peekay (Preacher's kid), both girls learn the true meaning of friendship and trust with each other and it changes their life. Also involved is Jack Fisher who helped look for Alex's sister the night she was found. Popular, athletic, smart Jack Fisher hasn't been able to stop thinking of Alex that night when Anna was discovered. Fate has jumped in and Jack wants to know Alex in every possible way. These 3 teens will explore the hazards of senior year and along the way find love, belonging, and the protection of friends. I so did not like the end !!! But Mindy McGinnis wrote a can't put it down book about the fierceness of girls (the positives & negatives) the sex obsessed, drinking guys and the compulsion of one lone girl to turn from violent retribution to living life that showed "other paths and other people." I will not soon forget Alex Craft and the two friends who mean so much to her - Jack and Claire. A must read!

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All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely

All American Boys by Jason Reynolds
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow, what an emotional roller coaster! This book is unique and special because Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely collaborated on this diverse story and as a result the reader is plunged (again and again) into the moment Rashad leans down to get money from his bag and a woman accidentally falls on top of him-- when BAM, this African American ROTC teen is beaten to a pulp by a white police officer. In a ripped from the headlines news story, video is found and played continuously for days inciting anger, fury, and sympathy. Quinn happens to be there and sees Rashad being beaten by a cop who has been a father figure to him since his father died. This book reminded me of 2 other books that deal with racism, prejudice and unreliable narrators - Fade to Black by Alex Flinn and How It Went Down by Kekla Magoon. Reynolds and Kiely do an awesome job of encouraging readers to stand up to police brutality and racism and continue to work toward being aware and educating others to fight the fight.

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