Throwback Thursday: The Indigo Notebook

The Indigo Notebook by Laura Resau 2009
Delacorte Press/Random House

Rating: 4.5/5

IQ "There are ties stronger than blood" pg. 81 Mamita Luz

15 year old Zeeta lives in a different country every year with her free-spirited mother Layla. Layla teaches ESL classes in the various countries and loves the wandering lifestyle; she quotes Rumi, dates starving artists and other guys with no solid future plans and lives in the moment. Zeeta keeps their little family together; she does the dishes, tries to encourage Layla to get to her classes on time, signs them up for first aid classes and is a very practical person. Layla loves the nomadic lifestyle, Zeeta dreams of settling down in suburban America with a Handsome Magazine Dad. This year Zeeta and her mother move to Ecuador (specifically Otavalo which is near the Andes) where Zeeta meets Wendell, an American teenager who wants to find his birth parents. Layla meets Jeff, who is Handsome Magazine Dad. Zeeta and Wendall are both about to learn that they need to be careful what they for and embrace what they have. Zeeta and Wendall's quest to find his parents leads them to an indigenous village, delicious bread, crystal caves, and venomous creatures and flowers.

This is a silly thing to dislike and I didn't dislike it per se but I genuinely did not understand the Rumi quotes. My confusion over what he was saying made me feel like a complete idiot but maybe in time I will understand better. For now I'm content just thinking that he writes vague poetry that celebrates nature, simplicity and individuality (and that might not even be right). I was bothered by the fact that the Layla storyline was really cliche, whimsical mother kept safe/protected by down-to-earth daughter who desperately wants her mother to change. I was hoping Layla would have a less abrupt change (ex: *spoiler highlight to read* What made the one accident in Ecuador lead Layla back to Jeff? Why didn't Layla do that when she had other close-calls and Zeeta begged her to go back to a 'normal' life?* End of spoiler*) and be a little less of a caricature.

This book left me with a serious case of wanderlust. It was hard for me at first to fathom how Zeeta could want to give up her traveling lifestyle with Layla. She spoke seven different languages and had already lived in fifteen different countries. I want to travel the world and speak at least four languages so badly, I'm envious of all those who get to travel and it's hard for me to understand people/characters who don't appreciate the immense opportunity they've been given to travel the world. The author did an excellent job of (almost) completely immersing me in the world of Otavalo (I do wish more Quichua and Spanish words had been thrown in). The hustle and bustle of the market, the loud, cajoling calls of the vendors to tourists with backpacks and water bottles, the dazzling crystal caves in a quiet village, every scene is described in glowing terms down to the most minut detail. Zeeta is the typical teenager in that she doesn't know exactly what she wants and often feels torn between two different sides. She is observant, meticulous and she has a cautiously adventurous spirit. I didn't think Zeeta was boringly practical because she was always willing to explore, she just wanted to know her mother had a financial nest egg for their future.

The Indigo Notebook excels in bringing to life the colors, sounds, smells and even the textures of Ecuador to readers who may never get the chance to visit the country. Not only does it provide more than a cursory glance at life in Ecuador but it opens the page to the larger world of Central American culture (obviously Latin American cultures are very diverse but there are some unifying/common elements). The 'treatment' of being bicultural/multiracial was rarely mentioned but when it was, it was handled deftly. Zeeta's mother is white but Layla doesn't remember what ethnicity her father was but it's clear he wasn't white (and that is why this is not an off-color review). Zeeta observes (and is somewhat irked) that the conversation between Layla and her new 'boy toy' will soon "take a turn to how 'mixed-race' kids always turn out beautiful-in the same way that mutts are tougher than purebreds-and then he'll ask, Where is her father from anyway?" (pg. 6). Through Wendall's avid search for his birth parents, Zeeta is able to live vicariously through him because she doesn't have a clue as to her father's name and where he might live. This is a tale that I was absolutely enamored with due to its fantastic setting of Ecuador, mostly unique characters and the fact that Ecuador did not overpower Zeeta and the other characters. The setting did not overtake the plot and/or the characters which is something that I think is quite important. Otavalo was a major character in and of itself but it wasn't more important than Zeeta, Wendall, and a few other characters. I can't wait to read the next book in the series, The Ruby Notebook!

Disclosure: From ze library

Hosted by Take Me Away Reading (I review books from 2009 and older)

The Latte Rebellion

The Latte Rebellion by Sarah Jamila Stevenson 2011
Flux

Rating: 3.5/5

IQ "'Because you're brown and they can't tell what you are.' Miranda picked at her cheese sandwich. 'You know, this is why the Latte Rebellion is a good thing. It'll open people's eyes. I mean, it's not like we just automatically identify with whichever group we look the most like.'
'Yeah.' I [Asha] nodded. 'Not to mention, ethnicity isn't anybody's whole anyway.'" pg. 158

Asha and Carey would love to have a best friend post-graduation trip to London. In order to raise the money, they decide to sell t-shirts that praise being mixed-race (or bicultural, what have you), they dub it the 'Latte Rebellion.' The girls expected to make some money, but they didn't expect people to actually get excited about their cause and turn it into a nationwide student social movement. Asha is both apprehensive and excited about this, but the Latte Rebellion is starting to mess with Asha's life. Her grades start slipping and she and Carey are fighting more and more. Before she can say 'latte', the peaceful Latte Rebellion turns violent and charges of terrorism are being thrown around. Does Asha believe in the Latte Rebellion enough to disprove the charges and fight to keep the group alive?

I don't usually mind slow starts in contemporary novels and this one was no exception. I liked getting the backstory and feeling completely immersed in Asha's world, I was satisfied with the little everyday details. I would warn you though that it takes awhile for the actual rebellion to start but stick with the book. I was a bit peeved at how some characters emerged for a chapter and then faded away, only to be called again a few chapters later. Thad and Bridget were both brought into the story but then they just disappear, Asha doesn't give them another thought. The biggest problem to me were the awkward transitions. Just when a chapter was starting to get really good, the story would stick to the present where Asha was in the middle of a school board hearing on her possible expulsion (her school viewed the Latte Rebellion as a terrorist group). Then just when the hearing started to get interesting, the story would change to the past events leading up to the hearing. Sometimes it seemed like the hearing was rushed, for example, I almost missed the decision the school board made because it was rushed over.

The most fascinating point to me was that Asha (half-Indian, a quarter Mexican and a quarter Irish) and Carey (half Chinese, half European) resent being forced to pick a side or idenitfy with what they are the most. I admit I'm guilty of thinking that way. I'm bicultural but I've definitely thought at times that if you if have more than three different cultural backgrounds, you can list them all but if you join a club, join them all or pick the one you identify most with. I get ticked when people do the whole '10% Irish, 10% Scottish, 15% Swedish, 2 % Cherokee' etc. Just pick your top two! However this book showed me that it's not that simple. I shared Asha, Carey and Thad's frustration at the lack of understanding/options for multicultural people. Just today I was registering for the SAT and I could only pick one race or chose to be 'other.' I ended up selecting Black but I was peeved that there wasn't a way for me to pick Black AND Latina. Real-life moment right there. I love that Asha starts The Latte Rebellion for purely selfish reasons. She wants to travel and needs the money so why not open a business that would appeal to certain people? That's what entrepreneurs do all the time and I thought it made the book even more fun. Asha starts off self-absorbed and a bit clueless but that makes the end result even better. I also really liked that the book showed why the term 'latte' is so appropriate for multicultural/multiracial people and that the school thought of the group as a terrorist movement. As if. Gotta love school bureaucracy.

*Please be warned the next paragraph will contain some lame coffee puns/jokes*

The Latte Rebellion is filled to the brim with coffee for thought ranging from how multicultural people are viewed in the world (should we have to choose what culture we identify the most with, how do we do that?), prejudice (Asha is called a 'towel head'. Wow), race and the college process (and it was nice to read a book about a senior who is stressing out about college because the process sounds SCARY people) and friendships drifting apart. We aren't meant to be best friends with the same people all our lives. It's nice if that happens but it's a rarity. I loved Miranda (fight the power!) and even though I didn't see much of him, I was a big fan of Thad. But then again, I'm a complete sucker for a guy who has a sense of humor and yet still wants to save the world (and manage to make enough to get by). The rough transitions and disappearing characters made this book a bit hard to swallow but there is a great balance between hilarity and seriousness that brings out the sweet flavor. The parents have a role and they aren't a complete caricature of overbearing-must-get-good-grades kind of parents. I sipped a vanilla latte while reading this book. It was my first latte and while I'm not a fan, I've been told to try chai lattes and a gingerbread latte. So we shall see if I become a latte fan. I applaud the author for keeping up the latte metaphor throughout the whole book, it could be a bit silly at times but who doesn't like a little silliness? A stirring novel. Oh and I love the cover, the symbol of the Latte Rebellion in the coffee (which is a coffee cup with steam rising to to from the shape of a hammer and sickle) along with the coffee rings, napkins and a cartoon drawing are perfect for the cover.

Disclosure: Booouuugghhhttt

PS Doret and I want T-shirts that say "Ask not what Brown can do for you. Ask what you can do for Brown." (this slogan could also apply to Brown University which makes it rock even more) <3

PPSS I'm buying a mug. You can also buy a shirt. $1 of each purchase goes to Reading is Fundamental. Social justice for the win. You're welcome

PPPSSS I can't decide, now I really want a shirt. Hmm. Oh and please read my interview with the author!

Mini-Reviews: Tryin' to Sleep in the Bed You Made, Sag Harbor, Children of the Waters

Tryin' to Sleep in the Bed You Made by Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant 1997 St. Martin's Press

IQ "Coming of age in this foreign place, with people who knew only what she wanted them to know about her, made her feel unique and special instead of just odd, and she, too, abandoned the little girl nobody wanted to claim." Pat pg. 37

This is a story of friendship between two best friends, basically sisters. Gayle and Pat have grown up together. They trust each other, they have shared countless secrets with one another and each has big dreams. However these dreams threaten to pull the friends apart....

I know that's a short summary but that's basically what the book is about: best friends and a whole lot of drama. That's probably the main thing I didn't like about the book, all the drama. I just find it hard to believe that so much tragedy and mishaps can happen to two friends. I was excited to hear there's a sequel, but at the same time I'm skeptical, how much more drama can they have?? At times, I grew quite frustrated with Gayle and Pat (usually Gayle), thinking that they were running headlong into trouble and why couldn't they see that? But I've never been in their situation, so I can't really say. I could barely tolerate the character of Gayle. She was so incredibly naive and it drove me crazy. BUT then, DeBerry & Grant made me care about her. Let me tell you, I was not expecting to actually LIKE Gayle, but by the end of the novel I did. I thought that was a miraculous feat on the part of the authors, because I was ready to give Gayle a verbal tongue-lashing (ahem, mentally of course since she can't hear me).

Other than Gayle being mostly intolerable, all the drama and times of extreme frustration, I really enjoyed Tryin' To Sleep in the Bed You Made. As frustrating as they are, Gayle and Pat are realistic. They are so flawed, but they can be quite sympathetic. They are great examples of characters growing throughout the course of a novel. Their ups and downs are ones that I think any woman could relate to, it's a great novel for friends to read together. Even though I didn't like all the drama, it kept me riveted. I HAD to keep reading to know that everything would turn out ok for Pat, Marcus, their parents and Gayle (and let me tell you, that was not always the case to my immense sadness). It's interesting that much of the drama is either an indirect or direct result of one tragic incident that has left it's mark on all involved. It happens quickly, but the effects are not fully realized until much later. There are still some loose ends so I will be reading the sequel. I highly recommend this novel, I think it's chick lit at it's best. I wonder how the two author best friends write together? They pulled it off extremely well.

Disclosure: From the library!


Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead 2009
DoubleDay

IQ "We always fought for real. Only the nature of the fight changed. It always will. As time went on, we learned to arm ourselves in different ways. Some of us with real guns, some of us with more ephemeral weapons, an idea or improbable plan or some sort of formulation about how best to move through the world. An idea that will let us be. Protect us and keep us safe. but a weapon nonetheless." Benji pg. 158-159

Benji spends each summer in Sag Harbor, New York. He is one of the only Black students at his all-white private school, but during his summers in Sag Harbor Benji is no on longer one of the few. He is surrounded by other wealthy Black people. Benji's parents and his friends' parents only "come out" on weekends, so for the three months of summer, Benji and his friends are free to do whatever they wish, five times a week. The story takes place in 1985, the summer Benji is convinced he will change. He will become cooler to both Black and white people, girls and guys.

I must admit that I got this book a long time ago (less than a year ago but I'm not sure how long) and then I put it down and had no desire to pick it back up. Colson Whitehead has a wonderful way with words but there was waaay too much time spent on details in this book. Perhaps part of it is because I wasn't around in the '80s, the book is marketed to adults even though the main protagonist is a teenager (15). There are a lot of '80s references and I do mean A LOT, I knew most of the music references but there were mentions of one-hit wonders and video games (I may live under a rock but I had no idea what game D&D was)and other things that I knew nothing about. At times this book dragged on and I couldn't keep the people straight. There are too many storylines that don't really go anywhere. The novel ended too abruptly for me.

However, I did get an excellent taste of what Sag Harbor is like. I didn't know much about life in Sag Harbor and I was fascinated by it, a community of wealthy upper/middle class Black people. The main character, Benji, is not a snob, which was a relief. He's unbearably awkward at times, but mostly very nice and easy to relate to. Like so many other Black teenagers he's stuck in between two worlds: the mostly white world of school and the summers at Sag Harbor, where he must get an education in being Black. He has to learn to straddle both worlds. He also learns about kissing girls, shooting guns, family, drinking and so much more. A nice coming of age story that could have used a little less detail and more of a purpose. Benji is funny and the book has many quotable lines. Some elements were introduced to the story that seemed to serve no purpose (in my opinion). I've read in other reviews that this is not Colson Whitehead's finest and I think I will give one of his other novels a try.

Disclosure: 'Tis mine.



Children of the Waters by Carleen Brice 2009
One World/Ballatine Books

IQ "She was only telling the truth because she didn't want him to blow it. But she also had to admit: boldness felt good." Trish pg. 197

Trish is recently divorced and struggling with raising her biracial son (Will) on her own. She's white and events are happening that make her question whether or not she (a white woman) can raise Will (someone the world will only see as a Black man). She discovers a secret that that turns her life upside down, her younger sister did not die in a car crash with their mother, she is alive and well. Trish's mother died due to an overdoes and Trish's grandparents gave the baby up for adoption because she was Black (technically biracial). Billie never suspected she was adopted and she's proud of her heritage, she wants nothing to do with Trish and her white ancestors. On top of the adoption surprise, Billie learns that she's pregnant. Billie wants to be pregnant, but her partner Nick is not ready to be a father and Billie's lupus might make the pregnancy dangerous. On the surface, Trish and Billie seem to come from two different worlds, but they share an undeniable connection....

Children of the Waters is an amazing read. Carleen Brice is unafraid to talk about tough subjects through her characters. The dialogue never feels forced, the conversations are genuine ones that people have with one another. The author does an excellent job in maintaing a neutral stance, Trish and Billie feel so differently about some things; faith, race and even family. But the author doesn't belittle either one of them, each of them is a strong, lovable and valid character. I especially admire how the author handles the issue of race, I thought that I would automatically be on Billie's side, since I'm half African American. I figured I could relate to her better on the race relations side of things. But I found myself agreeing with Trish about a lot of things too. Billie often dismissed her as naive about the ways of the world based on skin color, but I found Trish's idealism refreshing. I especially appreciated the look at racism held by African Americans, Billie is light skinned and the envy of darker skinned African American women, including her own mother (who has very dark skin). The issue of colorism is still prevalent today and I was glad to see it addressed and I was pleased that Trish was neither too understanding (or perhaps the better word is overeager, as in she was trying too hard to show that she understood black people) nor clueless about this issue.

The story is both entertaining and heartbreaking, the writing is lovely and the characters will remain with me. I saw so many people I knew in real life through the characters of Billie and her parents, Trish, Will, Nick. I was pleased to learn more about lupus, a disease that I know so little about. I don't know what to say about this book other than the fact that it's a must-read. I loved reading about Billie and Trish separately, I was sucked right into their life's drama (which was not overly dramatic). But what I loved even more was when their stories intersected. Sure at times I was upset with some of the characters (ahem Nick, Will, Trish), but it was a good kind of upset. I truly came to care about these characters and I was sad to finish this book and not know that everyone got a happily ever after (SPOILER: Highlight to read. Mainly I wanted to know that Billie would have another child or adopt with Nick and that Trish would become an amazing vet and find a man. OK so the story ended rather happily but I needed to be absolutely sure! Haha)*End of Spoiler. The author navigates many complex topics with ease, the dialogue is real, the descriptions spot on (I learned a lot about Denver!) and there are no easy answers.


Disclosure: Received from the author in a giveaway. When I won the book, I knew very little about Carleen. I read her blog a bit but rarely commented. However, as I have continued blogging (and reading. Believe me I was so incredibly frustrated that school kept me from finishing this book) I have gotten to know her better and it is a complete honor to know this amazing author. She autographed Children of the Waters with a personal message and I will treasure my copy always, it means a lot. I only wish my review could do the book justice. Thank you so much Carleen!

This time with my mini reviews I did a little more. I did a summary paragraph and then two paragraphs of review. Do you like that better or do you prefer one summary paragraph, one review paragraph?

As a reminder, I do min reviews for adult fiction because I'm afraid that I miss many deeper meaning in adult books. With min-reviews I can keep it simple, go into more detail if I want, or just say what I liked/disliked.

I Wanna Be Your Shoebox

Happy Holidays!

I Wanna Be your Shoebox by Cristina Garcia

Rating:4.5/5

IQ "How do you balance what happens to you against what you make happen? Are they both a kind of destiny? I think about what Saul's been telling me. That life is not just about the hand you're dealt, but what you do with it." pg. 126

I Wanna Be Your Shoebox is quotable, "awesomesauce" (to quote Ah Yuan), funny with heart and pretty great. I only had a few problems with the novel.

Thirteen year old Yumi is Cuban, Japanese and Jewish. Her parents are divorced and although she lives with her mother, she is closest to her father's family. Her father is a piano tuner and dreams of making it big in the punk music world. Her father's father, Saul is Jewish and dying of cancer. He married Hirohito, a woman he met in Japan. Saul and Hirohito lived in Japan for many years and were prosperous there. Yumi asks Saul to tell her his story, so she can learn everything she can from him and about him before he dies (he's 92!). Yumi's world seems to be turning upside when on top of her grandfather dying, her Cuban (with a little Guatemalan mixed in) mother announces that she has a serious boyfriend and they are moving from L.A. to Napa. Oh and to top it all off, her school's orchestra program (Yumi plays the clarinet) is being cut off. It's going to be an eventful, stressful, funny, heartbreaking year.

My main problem with the novel was the slow moving plot. There aren't many twists and the climax is really slow to develop. I was starting to grow impatient, wanting a plan of action for Yumi on how to save her orchestra. Furthermore, some incidents were unresolved, as in we never learned anything else about them. They happened and that was that, no reactions from anyone or further elaboration (for example why did Yumi's parents get divorced?). Another problem was that some characters were flat. With such a leisurely moving plot, the characters should have been well developed. But the personalities of Yumi's Cuban family (including her mother) are not described with much depth and we know almost nothing about Jim, her mother's boyfriend. Yumi herself admits that she's closer to her Japanese-Jewish side, but she wants to learn more about her Cuban side. I would have liked to see her connect more with her Cuban grandparents and her mother's sister.

There was one main surprising twist to the book, and that was the romance. It's not a prevalent part of the book, which I liked, but it's there beneath the surface. A love triangle ensues and the end result took me by surprise, but was quite pleasing. Yumi is a great protagonist, stubborn, independent, loyal, a leader and true to her own heart. She takes charge of saving her school's orchestra, by deciding they should play punk songs. I would love to hear an orchestra playing the Sex Pistols, Bob Marley, the Ramones, the Clash and the Wailers! It was really sweet and I loved seeing Yumi's take charge attitude, she goes toe to toe with her school principal and she will have you cheering her on! She's one of my all-time favorite middle grade protagonists and I would love to see a YA novel about her because I'm sure she would be just as awesome when she's older. I loved the quirkiness of the orchestra, they are funny and thoroughly entertaining.

Saul's story is fascinating, with high points and low points and he teaches Yumi (and the reader) valuable lessons. he is always optimistic, keeps his sense of humor and is unafraid to die. He will have you laughing and he has characteristics that will remind you of your own grandparents. Hirohito also has an interesting story, although I wished we learned more about her background. I loved hearing about their life together in Japan, since it showed Japan in a thoughtful, different, positive light, Japan was a bustling, happening place and it was one of the best places to be for Americans (besides America).

The title I Wanna be Your Shoebox comes from a poem of the same name by Catherine Bowman. It's an awesome poem, and I'm including it at the bottom of this review. I Wanna Be Your Shoebox is a wonderful read and I highly recommend it to all middle schoolers. Older teens may be a little more annoyed by the slow moving plot, however the quirky characters along with the big hearts displayed throughout the book, make this book endearing. 5th grade and up.

For those who celebrate Christmas, have a Merry Christmas (I will be reviewing Ash tomorrow, not sure when, but it's so beautiful I want to review it on Christmas!) :D For all those who don't celebrate Christmas, have a wonderful holiday season!!

I want to be your shoebox

I want to be your Fort Knox

I want to be your equinox

I want to be your paradox

I want to be your pair of socks

I want to be your paradise

I want to be your pack of lies

I want to be your snake eyes

I want to be your Mac with fries

I want to be your moonlit estuary

I want to be your day missing in February

I want to be your floating dock dairy

I want to be your pocket handkerchief

I want to be your mischief

I want to be your slow pitch

I want to be your fable without a moral

Under a table of black elm I want to be your Indiana morel

Casserole. Your drum roll. Your trompe l'oeil

I want to be your biscuits

I want to be your business

I want to be your beeswax

I want to be your milk money

I want to be your Texas Apiary honey

I want to be your Texas. Honey

I want to be your cheap hotel

I want to be your lipstick by Chanel

I want to be your secret passage

All written in Braille. I want to be

All the words you can't spell

I want to be your International

House of Pancakes. I want to be your reel after reel

Of rough takes. I want to be your Ouija board

I want to be your slum-lord. Hell

I want to be your made-to-order smorgasbord

I want to be your autobahn

I want to be your Audubon

I want to be your Chinese bug radical

I want to be your brand new set of radials

I want to be your old-time radio

I want to be your pro and your con

I want to be your Sunday morning ritual

(Demons be gone!) Your constitutional

Your habitual—

I want to be your Tinkertoy

Man, I want to be your best boy

I want to be your chauffeur

I want to be your chauf-

feur, your shofar, I want to be your go for

Your go far, your offer, your counter-offer

your two-by-four

I want to be your out and in door

I want to be your song: daily, nocturnal—

I want to be your nightingale

I want to be your dog's tail