2011: Book 24

The World Made Straight by Ron Rash


304 pages

Completed 3/16/11

This novel tells the tale of Travis, a high school-aged young man who gets in over his head after stealing marijuana plants from a cruel drug-dealing farmer. The subsequent events lead to Travis living in a broken-down trailer with the town's ex-teacher pot dealer, Leonard, and his pill-popping girlfriend. Falling for a headstrong college-bound girl who insists on remaining chaste, dealing with his father's rejection, and accepting the consequences of dropping out of high school, this coming-of-age tale is one to remember.

But this book is not just Travis' story; intertwined is Leonard's  own sad tale, as well as a mysterious and telling doctor's log from the 1800s. In the small town, everything is connected, and the ending of this book will leave readers stunned.

LIZ: BOOK #40

What Happened to Henry by Sharon Pywell

352 pages

Completed 11/6/10

This was the first book I've managed to finish in a few weeks; hectic schedule really cuts into my leisurely reading time. This was a novel that piqued my interest and then bored me throughout the rest. Centered around a trio of siblings and their unspeakable loss during childhood and the after-effects of it, Pywell writes of the two brothers and sister's bond, despite their maturing and taking separate paths.

With an accident forever changing the once-predictable eldest brother's mind, the younger two are left to cope. With Henry's odd behavior progressing as the three aged, the siblings struggle with their own changes. Somewhat unrealistic, and mostly strange, but a story to get through, in my opinion, if only to find out the ending of the story.

The story of the unbreakable sibling bond of the Coopers is established an flourishes under Pywell's way with words, but her repetitive nature of the push and pull of life is somewhat tiring.

LIZ: BOOK #34

I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced

198 pages

Completed 8/19/10

With a title like this, the memoir lover in me couldn't resist; gets straight to the point, now, doesn't it? So, believe it or not, this was an account of a young Yemen girl who, at 10 years old, was married off to a man many years her senior. While this is not uncommon in itself, the telling of Nujood's self-awareness and fight to escape and demand a divorce in front of the court is surreal.

Clearly, this book was translated, and it was an as-told-to story. That being said, I sped through this read. Young adult level, at most, and it left me wanting more information, instead of coming away with an amazing tale. In fact, I liked the writing in the epilogue the most; a Glamour magazine writer who introduced further details and stories of other girls who experienced similar account of Nujood's premature end to childhood.

If anything, this is a book for people who want a different perspective on arranged marriages. Not often does such a young girl have the gusto, courage, and heart to not only escape from such circumstances, but tell the story with -not depth- but truth.