Student Book Recommendations and Reviews
Americanah written by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, on the surface, tells the story of a love between two strong willed Nigerians Ifemelu and Obinze. There love began in grade school where they were inseparable, but following their dreams took them to separate sides of the world. The book opens with Ifemelu in the present after graduating from University. She decides that she wants to move back to Nigeria. Obinze, who is already in Nigeria, has done quite well for himself. He is successful in the work force and is married with kids. When Ifemelu moves back to Nigeria and runs into her old flame, it is clear that love does not follow any rules. On the surface the story of Ifemelu and Obinze’s love is a great one, however that is not why I personally enjoyed the book as much as I did. Race and identity are topics that can at times seem draining to talk or read about. What I love about Adichie’s writing is how she was able to discuss important issues that were humorous but at the same time the point was made. As well as telling a great story, this book can be used to educate readers on cultural competency. She uses both wit and insight that makes this book a necessary reading. Americanah is a well-rounded novel that I would easily give 5 out 5 stars. – Serena Walker
New York Times Book Review |
Once Upon A Time in Russia by Ben Mezrich starts out with the owner of a car-reselling business, Boris Berezovsky teams up with a young businessman named Roman Abramovich, who has built a multibillion-dollar business from the ground up of oil and aluminum. Berezovsky becomes the krysha (roof) for Abramovich, protecting him from the Russia that evolved after the fall of the Soviet regime. However, Berezovsky takes his job too far when he goes after President Vladimir Putin in the news. Unfortunately, Berezovsky must now look over his shoulder, never knowing when he is in the crosshairs. This book is good for anyone interested in learning Russian because it offers Russian words and Russian culture. Once Upon A Time in Russia is truly unique in every single way and I didn’t find anything uninteresting about it. The only problem I had with this book is that it wasn’t longer. This true story of ambition, wealth, betrayal, and murder will keep your head spinning. You can’t go wrong with reading Once Upon A Time in Russia. Five stars. - Davis Morgan
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Dennis Lehane tells a riveting story set in 1954 about the disappearance of a patient from a mental hospital in Shutter Island. Shutter Island is a story about a murderer Rachel Solando who escapes Ashecliffe Hospital and how Teddy Daniels and Chuck Aule have to find the escapee. At first it seems as if Teddy and Chuck are just on the island to help investigate the disappearance of Rachel but as the investigation progresses new information unfolds. They begin wondering how Rachel escaped. There are checkpoints to go through, guards to pass, and lots of security. Both men start to think that maybe Rachel had a person help her on the inside. It seems that as the two men continue to investigate their reality becomes blurred. The men soon learn that no one ever leaves the island. They are stuck on shutter island. As reality becomes more and more distant to the pair the situation turns worse and worse. Doctors on the island begin to try to convince Teddy that he is actually a patient on the island and that Chuck never existed. Reality is displayed as being on a personal level in the book. Both men react very differently to disappearing reality If you love suspenseful thrillers that make you think then Shutter Island is the book for you. 4 stars. – Caroline Sanguily
Shutter Island Book Review |
Upon first glance, The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt appears quite intimidating—a nearly 800 page, hefty, hardcover novel. It is not at all unreasonable to be a bit hesitant to start such a lengthy work; I definitely was. However, The Goldfinch is not without critical acclaim; it was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2014. The main character, Theodore Decker, who is 13 years old at the beginning of the story, narrates the novel. His life is turned upside down when his mother, with whom he lives with in New York City, is killed by the detonation of a bomb at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Theo escapes with minor injuries, but also a stolen painting, “The Goldfinch” painted by Carel Fabritius in 1654. This painting becomes both an immense comfort for Theo, as it connects him to his mother, and an all-consuming worry, as Theo lives in constant fear of being caught. The Golfinch follows Theo as he struggles through the next 10 years of his life. Following the day of the explosion Theo is taken from New York to Las Vegas, back to New York, and finally to Amsterdam, where the culminating action takes place. Tartt constructs an absurd and unpredictable plot with equally impactful characters. While the improbable sequence of events in The Goldfinch is at times unconvincing and off-putting, it is Tartt’s construction of such unique and intriguing characters that makes to book worth with the read. The Goldfinch reminded me of the ugly and beautiful capabilities of humans and the importance of art—whether that be furniture, paintings, or literature. If you’re willing to be a bit confused and frustrated, and wade through some long descriptive passages, completing The Goldfinch will help you re-evaluate the way you view the world and the people who inhabit it, on both a physical and psychological level. Tartt’s outrageous plot will keep you guessing at every turn as you learn more about Theo’s extraordinarily tragic life and the remarkable characters he meets along the way. 4 Stars. – Ellie Breitfeld
Booklist Book Review |
The Client, written by John Grisham, tells the story of Mark Sway is an eleven year old boy who lives in a trailer park in Memphis, Tennessee with his single mother and has one eight year old brother. Mark has gotten in the habit of smoking cigarettes and while on one of his smoke breaks with his younger brother (who has never smoked before), they stumble upon a drunk and delusional lawyer in his car. Mark finds himself in the middle of a country wide feud between the Mafia and the FBI. These two organizations both want to to get ahold of the information that he learned while in the car with the lawyer. Through a grueling session of questioning and multiple days in courts, Mark realizes that he is in more trouble than he ever imagined. But Mark has Reggie Love lawyer and they have a plan that might just work and save Mark’s entire family from the hands of the Mafia.
John Grisham’s The Client is a home run. Jam packed with his usual cast of characters combined with his simple yet effective writing style of foreshadowing and law jargon, there is nothing not to like. With the unusual combination of eleven-year old Mark Sway and intimidating child lawyer Reggie Love, Grisham takes his usual formula and employs an unusual spin. Readers new to Grisham and those who have read every single one of his novels will find something new to love. 4.5 out of 5 stars. – Leander Perun |
In John Grisham’s Bleachers, the town of Messina revolves around its high school football team. Coach Eddie Rake is a town hero because he has given Messina high school a winning football program for thirty-four years. While the townspeople praise Coach Rake, his players have strong mixed feelings about him because of his cruel and unusual behavior towards them. Coach Rake is abusive, however, he makes his athletes winners and stars, which leaves his players confused about their feelings for him.
When Coach Rake is on his deathbed after a battle with cancer, his former players return to Messina. While awaiting Rake’s passing, the bygone players convene in the bleachers of Messina’s football stadium to tell stories of their coach and decide whether or not they hate or love him. Regardless of what they decide, these players have returned to Messina in hopes that they will be able to forgive Coach Rake for his behavior and move on with their lives. Bleachers is a well written novel that would be perfect for someone who loves sports. Grisham’s ability to make his characters relatable to readers shows a side of football is that is not commonly seen. However, this book may seem a bit slow to someone who is not interested in athletics or the emotional effect of a team sport. Overall, Bleachers should receive four out of five stars. - Foster Harris Amazon.com Review |
The Martian by Andy Weir is an incredibly gripping novel. It portrays the story of Mark Watney, an astronaut who is left behind on Mars without any communication to the world when his crew presumes him dead. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it because it wasn’t quite like anything else I’ve read. In addition to being factually correct, the book is well written with incredibly high-growing stakes and incredible problem solving within the story. It was an amazing read and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in not being able to put down a book until it is finished. This book is one of my new favorites, earning either 4 ½ or 5 out of 5 stars. - Eric Holmes
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Laura Dave’s novel, The First Husband tells of how Annie Adams’ perfect life is suddenly flipped upside down when her longtime boyfriend, Nick, leaves her for an old sweetheart. Upon recovering from the intense grief, her life takes a completely different path and she finds herself married to another man and living in another city. Although the reader wishes it could stop here it does not, eventually Nick tries to work his way back into Annie’s heart and this causes her to face the toughest situation of her life. Will she leave this new love for the man she has always known or will she stay settled into her current life? The First Husband thoroughly explores the positives and negatives of choosing a partner and the longevity of relationships through this twisted love story. I recommend this novel to anyone facing the difficult choices life presents us with. This book deserves four out of five stars. - Cha’Mia Rothwell
Goodreads Review |
The most famous novel by Daniel Keyes, the world-renowned author of science fiction, is Flowers for Algernon. The entirety of the novel is comprised of progress reports from one, Charlie Gordon. It is apparent in the first progress report that Charlie is mentally handicapped given the incorrect grammar, spelling, and descriptions of his own circumstance; he says his one goal is to: “get smart”. Charlie is subject to surgery that is supposed to rocket his IQ to genius levels, albeit over an extended period of time. Charlie’s newfound intelligence leads to complications in his own life as he comes to see things from a totally new perspective, and certain unpredictable effects of the surgery come into fruition. In my opinion, the thematic use and development of morality is not only omnipresent throughout the whole novel, but is what makes it so great. For example, the juxtaposition of post-surgery Charlie and his once superiors at the Beekman Center for Retarded Adults offers a moral strife as he begins to ridicule them because he sees them as intellectual inferiors, although it is ironic as not long ago he was the mental inferior to them. This is by far one of my favorite books. The main concept of the book is interesting enough for me to be hooked. Furthermore, the character development is amazing, even though only one character actually changes. It only makes sense that Keyes received the Hugo Award for this book. I give Flowers for Algernon 5/5 stars. - Jack Upchurch
Addtional information from author website |
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates is a personal narrative addressing the author’s son about the racial issues in America. The overarching theme of the novel is the constant and omnipresent discrimination towards black people. The tone is best described as real and gritty. The author talks about how being an African-American is an inherent disadvantage in society and that there is really no hope for true integration. This opinion that Coates exhibits goes contrary to what popular civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. advocated. MLK said that, in time, every man and woman will be looked upon as equal, but Coates argues that the tensions between whites and blacks will never cease to exist. The novel is a very real and graphic work that talks about a prevalent issue in America. Upon reading it will become clear that the stories told can appeal to everyone no matter the race or ethnicity. The vivid detail in which Coates describes various violent incidents that occurred are truly horrible. No person especially no child should have to witness such violent events in their life. The journey that Coates goes through is a testament to his incredible bravery and courage as he was able to survive the oppression. The realness and prevalence of the novel to society today makes it one of the most influential contemporary novels one could read. The rating I give this novel is a 4.5 out of 5 stars. - Anthony Rose
Amazon.com Review |
My first experience with John Green was his novel The Fault in Our Stars and his ability to put his own spin on books based on teenage life continues to surprise me. John Green’s first novel Looking for Alaska is no different and it truly showcases Green’s ability to take a simple story and make it mean so much more to the reader even after you turn the last page. The novel begins with the protagonist Miles Halter or “Pudge” as he is often referred to in the book leaving Florida to attend a school in Alabama where he is introduced to Alaska. The love between Alaska and Pudge might not be as romantic as some of the other relationships as the other relationships in Green’s novels but the relationship fits the two characters perfectly, driven-by-emotion and spontaneous. John Green’s portrayal of the teenage relationship between Alaska and Pudge is a commentary about how not all relationships are perfect, and in fact, most are not which contrasts most other teenage romance novels. This is why I prefer Looking for Alaska over the other John Green novels that I have read because Green made no effort to make this a proper book and he portrays teenage relationships in their honest light of complexity and confusion. I would rate this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars for having a lasting effect on the reader and because of the beautiful relationship and character development Green portrays throughout the novel. The only downfall is that with all the character development Green does throughout the novel as well as the stories told to explain the character’s actions can make the story boring at times. However the book’s many other redeeming qualities make it a must read if you are interested in teenage romance novels or stories about love and the complexity behind keeping and maintaining it. - Connor Monson
The Guardian Review |
Me and Earl and The Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews is a weird book. This was my second YA novel and it reminded me of Eleanor and Park. Though these stories were different, the unique formatting of the books was similar. Some people wouldn’t think twice about reading a book about a dying teen after The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, but Me and Earl and The Dying Girl is much more than a sappy doomed teenage love novel. The book follows Greg Gaines, a high school senior, who occasionally makes films with his friend/not friend Earl Jackson. Greg knows that high school “sucks” and he thinks he has a plan that can make it “suck” less. His plan, be invisible. For three years his plan has gone off without any major hitches until his mom walks in his room tells him one of his classmates is sick with cancer and that he has to befriend her. The book’s brutal honesty, smart humor, believable characters, and overall quirkiness make it an instant Young Adult classic. My advice is read it before a fungus eats your brain. 4 out of 5 stars. - Pryce Sinclair
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