Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy by Sonya Sones

Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy by Sonya Sones
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Finished Reading: August 13, 2018
Format: Book
Favorite Quote(s):

"There's this golden moment when the sun licks through the gauze fluttering at my window warming my eyes to open this golden moment when I'm not yet awake enough to remember that there are things I would rather forget."

Review:
While I thought I would relate to this story more due to my younger sister being hospitalized while we were younger, I wasn't disappointed despite my high expectations. It was a well done novel-in-verse that was a quick read about an important topic. I especially liked the references to places that I have been (tracing the steps of the ducklings in the public gardens and eating on Revere Beach after getting dinner at Kelly's). I was not expecting the author to be a local.

Hacking Mathematics: 10 Problems That Need Solving by Denis Sheeran

Hacking Mathematics: 10 Problems That Need Solving by Denis Sheeran
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Finished Reading: August 11, 2018
Format: Book
Favorite Quote(s):

"Often we put off blogging because the idea we have isn't perfect, or isn't fully worked out, or the lesson isn't finished, or our post is just not as well-written as we'd hoped. Those are the exact reasons TO blog. You need to put out imperfect ideas, because we're all imperfect and learning together. You need to blog about lessons as they happen, unfinished and in progress. Those reflections and perspectives matter."

Review:
This book was 10 easy "hacks" to implement in class to help students enjoy and understand math better. These are not math tricks. There are no shortcuts found here. All of the hacks are classroom procedures or resources to help you and your students get through the year successfully. I particularly liked hacks 1, 3, 5, and 10. Hack 3: Join the MTBoS led to me to finally create a math blog. I've been creeping on #MTBoS for years but have not often participated. This chapter made me realize that I have ideas worth sharing and that the Math Twitter Blog-o-Sphere is not full of untouchable experts, but full of regular teachers, like me, who are trying new things out in their classrooms too. I really appreciated this.

Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth by Warsan Shire

Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth by Warsan Shire
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Finished Reading: June 20, 2018
Format: Book
Favorite Quote(s):

"I hear them say go home, I hear them say f---ing immigrants, f---ng refugees. Are they really this arrogant? Do they not know that stability is like a lover with a sweet mouth upon your body one second; the next you are a tremor lying on the floor covered in rubble and old currency waiting for its return. All I can say is, I was once like you, the apathy, the pity, the ungrateful placement and now my home is the mouth of a shark, now my home is the barrel of a gun."

Review:
I picked up this book because I had read part of an included poem that had been circulating around social media. The poem is "Conversations About Home (at the Deportation Centre)." It turned out to be my favorite poem in the book. Though slightly misquoted (or perhaps it was paraphrased) on social media, the lines that get me the most read: "I hear them say go home, I hear them say f---ing immigrants, f---ng refugees. Are they really this arrogant? Do they not know that stability is like a lover with a sweet mouth upon your body one second; the next you are a tremor lying on the floor covered in rubble and old currency waiting for its return. All I can say is, I was once like you, the apathy, the pity, the ungrateful placement and now my home is the mouth of a shark, now my home is the barrel of a gun." This quote is incredibly timely for where we are as a country (the US). I think we use immigrants as scapegoats and spread hateful propaganda about who these people are and why they are coming to our country. I am particularly bothered by the hateful rhetoric directed at refugees who literally have no where else to go. I believe it's shameful and evil. However, I think this particular quote in this particular poem helps to shift the perspective of the privileged people who happened to be born here. At least I hope it does.

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Finished Reading: April 18, 2018
Format: Book
Favorite Quote(s):

"When you leave you must remember to come back for the others. A circle, understand? You will always be Esperanza. You will always be Mango Street. You can't erase what you know. You can't forget who you are."

Review:
The copy I have is the 25th anniversary edition and in the introduction Ms. Cisneros talks about her intentions for the book. She said she wanted you to be able to pick it up and read a story without feeling like you missed anything. Each chapter a being able to stand alone. Normally, I very much like this. I love short stories, but at first I felt it was too disconnected and I had difficulty imagining Esperanza's world. The more I read, the more there was to imagine and by the end I was surprised that she only lived on Mango street for one year because I had imagined an entire childhood there. Some of the chapters were short but left me with such a vivid image that I didn't need any more words. Others left me wondering and wishing there was more to it. Overall, I really liked the book, especially towards the end. I have favorite chapters that I will come back to again and again but I don't think I will ever reread the entire book.

Origin by Dan Brown

Origin by Dan Brown
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Finished Reading: April 3, 2018
Format: Audiobook
Favorite Quote(s):

"Historically, the most dangerous men on earth were men of God . . . especially when their gods became threatened. And I am about to hurl a flaming spear into a hornets’ nest."

Review:
I love Robert Langdon and have read all his adventures. They are my guilty pleasure. I like the short chapters, the pace, the puzzles, the surprise at the end. This was no different than the 4 before. I'm not sure where I would rank this one among the 5. It certainly had less puzzles for me to sort out as the story went on and I found the end to be predictable, but I liked it as much as I've liked the others. I worried at the beginning that it would be too much like the DaVinci Code, but besides the similarities found in all of Brown's Langdon books (Langdon, lady companions, religion, puzzles, science) it stands on its own. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to get lost in a mystery for a while and who doesn't mind waiting out the conclusion even if you are pretty sure you know where it's going. Really, more than anything, it made me want to travel to Barcelona and see the work of Gaudi and for this traveler's heart, that's enough.

We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Finished Reading: March 10, 2018
Format: Book
Favorite Quote(s):

"Gender as it functions today is a grave injustice. I am angry. We should all be angry. Anger has a long history of bringing about postive change."

Review:
Incredibly quick read about feminism in Nigerian and the United States and the remarkable similarities. My favorite part was when she discussed how men are blind to the privileges they have, questioning why a woman would identify herself as a woman instead of a human being while at the same time men identify themselves with race or socioeconomic status. She also touches on "emasculation" and how women are expected to stroke the fragile egos of men. Good read, super quick.