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Marisa

Twelve Years a Slave

Summary: This unforgettable memoir was the basis for the Academy Award-winning film 12 Years a Slave. This is the true story of Solomon Northup, who was born and raised as a freeman in New York. He lived the American dream, with a house and a loving family - a wife and two kids. Then one day he was drugged, kidnapped, and sold into slavery in the deep south. These are the true accounts of his twelve hard years as a slave - many believe this memoir is even more graphic and disturbing than the film. His extraordinary journey proves the resiliency of hope and the human spirit despite the most grueling and formidable of circumstances. (summary and book cover courtesy of goodreads.com) 

Review: “12 Years a Slave” was an interesting book I would recommend everyone to read.  There was a very conscious effort to avoid exaggeration, hyperbole or judgment and document the facts.  This has the effect of the writer appearing very honest and resonating with the reader, but is also what also had me demote the book a star because it can also be a bit dull.

That being admitted, read in the modern context, we have to understand that the factual writing style protected Northup.  In 1853 when the book was published, slavery/racism was very much present in the US and his approach protected against accusations of slander.  

When being written, the goal wasn't to create propaganda.  The purpose was to provide an accurate description to one individual’s experiences and leave the judgment to the reader.

Historically, this is an important book as the matter of fact presentation encouraged many people to take abolitionist action preceding the Civil War.  I would highly recommend taking the time to read the book.

Rating: 3 stars! 
Who Should Read It? Everyone interested in a unique historically accurate perspective of slavery preceding the Civil War.

Children of the Mind (Ender Quartet, #4)

Summary: 

With this conclusion to his famous "Ender's Saga, " Card returns to the story of Ender Wiggin, hero of the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead, and Xenocide. Now his adopted world, Lusitania, is threatened by the same planet-destroying weapon that he himself used so many years before. Only Jane, the computer intelligence that has evolved with him over 3,000 years can save the three sentient races of Lusitania. (summary and book cover courtesy of goodreads.com) 

Review:

In the fast-paced finale of the Ender’s saga, Scott Orson Card forces the reader to reconsider preconceived notions of what makes up an individual.  As Jane has the chance to grow into herself, so also do the other characters that have been limited by the impending crisis on Lusitania.  This book also gives us a better glimpse of what makes up Peter and Valentine as they are also challenged to work more as part of the teams to ensure the success of their mission. 

As I alluded in previous reviews, “Speaker of the Dead” and “Xenocide” would be difficult to read stand-alone - they are only completely wrapped up to satisfaction in “Children of the Mind”.  This is the book in the series that requires greater leaps of faith conceptually, but did provide a satisfying conclusion to me.  While “Speaker of the Dead” and “Xenocide” were also more reflective, “Children of the Mind” speeds up to an engaging climax.  I highly recommended it to finish your “Ender’s Game” quartet.

Rating: 4 stars!
Who Should Read It? Anyone who has read the second or third books in the Ender Quartet - I'm not sure you could bear not reading the finale!

Considering the whole series? See my reviews of other books in the series by following the links below:

• Ender's Game (Ender Quartet #1) - Orson Scott Card
• Speaker for the Dead (Ender Quartet #2) - Orson Scott Card
• Xenocide (Ender Quartet #3) - Orson Scott Card

Xenocide (Ender Quartet, #3)

Summary: 

The war for survival of the planet Lusitania will be fought in the hearts of a child named Gloriously Bright.

On Lusitania, Ender found a world where humans and pequininos and the Hive Queen could all live together; where three very different intelligent species could find common ground at last. Or so he thought.

Lusitania also harbors the descolada, a virus that kills all humans it infects, but which the pequininos require in order to become adults. The Starways Congress so fears the effects of the descolada, should it escape from Lusitania, that they have ordered the destruction of the entire planet, and all who live there. The Fleet is on its way, and a second xenocide seems inevitable. (summary and book cover courtesy of goodreads.com) 

Review:

“Xenocide” begs the very relevant question of ‘Is humanity doomed to repeat itself?’  Is it possible for cultures that appear completely at odds to find a way to peacefully coexist?  And in order to find a way to coexist, do the participants have to give up everything that makes them who they are?  Of the books, this is the one I found the most captivating as the reader fully discerns all the contributing factors in Lusitania’s fate.

It is up to a small group of dedicated individuals to attempt to save everything they hold dear: Valentine, Ender, Jane and the Ribeira family.  In this book more than ever, Ender and his adopted family are shown as individuals as well as the political symbol they became.  Additionally, this book begins to explore the place of Lusitania within the Starways Congress setting up the finale of the series.

Rating: 4 stars!
Who Should Read It? Anyone looking to continue the "Ender's Game" series.  As mentioned before, the later books are less focused on war and would have an appeal to a greater audience.

Considering the whole series? See my reviews of other books in the series by following the links below:

• Ender's Game (Ender Quartet #1) - Orson Scott Card
• Speaker for the Dead (Ender Quartet #2) - Orson Scott Card
• Children of the Mind (Ender Quartet #4) - Orson Scott Card

Speaker for the Dead (Ender Quartet, #2)

Summary: 

In the aftermath of his terrible war, Ender Wiggin disappeared, and a powerful voice arose: the Speaker for the Dead, who told of the true story of the Bugger War.

Now long years later, a second alien race has been discovered, but again the aliens’ ways are strange and frightening…again, humans die. And it is only the Speaker for the Dead, who is also Ender Wiggin the Xenocide, who has the courage to confront the mystery…and the truth. (summary and book cover courtesy of goodreads.com) 

Review:

When I read Ender’s game the first time (at the age of 12) I did not read the full series and I am glad that I didn’t.  I believe the remaining books ("Speaker for the Dead", "Xenocide", and "Children of the Mind") are slightly less friendly to young adults.  As we get further in the series, the greater the psychological and moral overtones.  Additionally, please note I don't believe you can read any of the last three books stand-alone, they only function well if read as a continuous story.  If you sign up for one, sign up for all of them!

"Speaker for the Dead" is fascinating because we get to see how Ender was (and wasn’t) able to move past the events in "Ender’s Game".  The first book presents the Bugger war as an apparently black and white picture.  "Speaker for the Dead" proves there are always many sides to a story.  I found this book engrossing because it challenged a belief (even as simple as a book opinion) and persuaded me to question everything about the situation.  Despite being an intriguing book, “Speaker for the Dead” sets the stage for the subsequent books and would not be a satisfying read  independent of the others.

Rating: 4 stars!
Who Should Read It? People who loved "Ender’s Game" and would like to find out what comes next!  The remainder of the series is less focused on war and so may appeal to a larger audience.

Considering the whole series? See my reviews of other books in the series by following the links below:

• Ender's Game (Ender Quartet #1) - Orson Scott Card
• Xenocide (Ender Quartet #3) - Orson Scott Card
• Children of the Mind (Ender Quartet #4) - Orson Scott Card

Ender's Game (Ender Quartet #1)

Summary:
In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn't make the cut—young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training.

Ender's skills make him a leader in school and respected in the Battle Room, where children play at mock battles in zero gravity. Yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders. His psychological battles include loneliness, fear that he is becoming like the cruel brother he remembers, and fanning the flames of devotion to his beloved sister.

Is Ender the general Earth needs? But Ender is not the only result of the genetic experiments. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway for almost as long. Ender's two older siblings are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. Between the three of them lie the abilities to remake a world. If, that is, the world survives.

Ender's Game is the winner of the 1985 Nebula Award for Best Novel and the 1986 Hugo Award for Best Novel. (summary and book cover courtesy of goodreads.com) 

Review:

Ender’s game is written from the perspective of a young boy, but the book is certainly not just for kids.  Particularly if taken within the context of the full series, Ender’s Game questions many human nature and societal rules in war.  Don't let this keep you from sharing with young adults though; despite heavy topics when I read the book at 12 I still loved it!

Ender is just a kid who wants to be average and have normal relationships.  Unfortunately for him, he an is one of the best candidates Earth has in a war with the Buggers.  He is extremely smart and easy to empathize with.  As the reader journeys with Ender, they are forced to question what their own choices would be in the war.

Warning: Violence

Rating: 4 stars!
Who Should Read It? If you enjoy science fiction, you should have already read this book.  If you haven’t generally read science fiction I would still recommend giving it a try; this may be the book that wins you over. 

Want to read the whole series? See my reviews of other books in the series by following the links below:

• Speaker for the Dead (Ender Quartet #2) - Orson Scott Card
• Xenocide (Ender Quartet #3) - Orson Scott Card
• Children of the Mind (Ender Quartet #4) - Orson Scott Card

Pride & Prejudice

Summary: 
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife."

So begins Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen's witty comedy of manners--one of the most popular novels of all time--that features splendidly civilized sparring between the proud Mr. Darcy and the prejudiced Elizabeth Bennet as they play out their spirited courtship in a series of eighteenth-century drawing-room intrigues. (summary and book cover courtesy of goodreads.com)

Review:

I will admit: I put off reading Pride & Prejudice for a long time.  Being the pseudo-hipster I can be, my assumption was that with so many people liking Austen’s books I probably would not.  Fortunately my desire to avoid ignorance was greater than (ironically) my pride and I decided to tackle all of the Jane Austen books in a series.  Thank. God.

I read this book the first time three years ago and to date I have read it 4 times since.  (Yes, really.)  Every time I go through it I find myself laughing out loud, squirming in the awkward moments and rooting for the spunky Jane.  The humor certainly can be subtle, but I find this a perk as re-reading simply reveals additional layers to laugh at.  (Though I am not implying that you have to read the book more than once to enjoy it.)  To me, Austen’s work is like eavesdropping on a group of close friends who happen to be chatting in the Victorian era.  I don't know about your college friends, but mine certainly do not hold back!  If you are going to read only one of the Jane Austen books: This is it.

Side-note: This was a rare occasion where seeing the movie actually made me enjoy re-reading the book even more.  I am partial to the iteration with Keira Knightley (though less historically accurate compared to other versions) because she infused the character with the humor and joy I envisioned Elizabeth having while reading.  Also, for Austen fans, I would highly recommend seeing “Austenland” as well!  

Rating: 5 stars!
Who Should Read It? Being biased, I think everyone should read it once. More realistically, people who adore dry wit, unconventional humor and a trip back in time to the Victorian era.