Delirium and Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

What would happen if we could not feel love? Would there still be hate if there was no love? Would we be able to know happiness if there was no love? These are the tantalizing questions posed in these two dystopian YA books by Lauren Oliver, Delirium and Pandemonium.

In Delirium, Lena is approaching her 18th birthday, the day when she can receive "the cure" that is mandated by the government as necessary. It is a vaccination against a type of killing illness they call the "deliria nervosa" which in essence, is love. Love has been deemed the root of all evil and conflict, as it is apparent that the U.S. has experienced a devastating war (although this is not talked about in the book.) The theory is that if people cannot feel love, then they will also not feel any kind of passion at all, and so conflicts such as wars will be a thing of the past. Lena is all for the cure. She wants to protect herself from this infection - that is until she meets a boy named Alex. At first she thinks that Alex is "cured" and so poses no danger to her. But the more she gets to know him, the more she finds out about his past and his goals for the future. The question then is, will Lena risk everything in her life - security, family, friends - in order to experience love? Pandemonium continues the saga and leaves you with a shocker for an ending.

I could not stop reading this compelling story, one book right after the other. There is just something about this dystopian trend in YA right now. And I'm loving it. Now, tell me what you think!

The Submission by Amy Waldman

 

Of all the wonderful books on our Valley Book Club reading list this year, this was one that I was really excited about. I mean, what a premise! A Muslim architect is chosen as the winner of the 911 Memorial design contest. He's as American as anyone in America. Will they let him win? Will his design be seen as truly American, as he is, or will it be shoved under the carpet as a cruel joke, a terrorist plot in the making, or just a visual that people cannot stand to visit?

I know, wow, right? And this premise really works as a catalyst for good discussion, thought, contemplation of our own prejudices. But the story surrounding this premise was, unlike the idea, utterly lacking in excitement. The back story of the beautiful woman on the memorial jury who lost her husband was bland. The story of the deadbeat turned hero and activist because he lost his older brother in the tragedy seemed contrived. The only story line that created any interest was that of the designer himself, Mohammad Khan, who while being sort of the hero in the story because of his willingness to fight for what is right (his win and his memorial) becomes someone I don't even really like very much, and I can't really say why. I like him because he has overcome the prejudices he faces in America to become a brilliant designer and successful man, but for some reason, by the end of the book it becomes hard to root for him. His fight for what is right becomes more about his ego. He is totally unable to express to anyone what the memorial means to him, what it should mean to the people of post-911 America, and he refuses to answer questions about it, even from those who are fighting with him to do what's right.  At some point I just wanted to scream, "Come on! Make your point! Don't wait for others to think it's so obvious and don't wait for them to do it for you!" 

I did think the book did an excellent job of expressing all the points of view that were possible in way that didn't make anyone's view look crazy or stupid. Even those who fought against the memorial and against Khan as a person seemed to really have reasons that most readers would sympathize with. They had reasons. Everyone has reasons.The author really leaves it for the reader to decide which reasons are legitimate and which are extremist in their own right.

So, if you're looking for a fast-paced political page-turner, this is not it. But if you like to take your time and read a story about issues that affect us every day, then this is it. Give The Submission a fair review, and then let me know what you think!

Still Alice by Lisa Genova

 

This is the Valley Book Club's pick for this month, and when we voted for it, I believe it was the one with the most votes overall. Its timely topic of Alzheimer's disease and its first person narrative had everone intrigued.

 

The book documents a year in the life of Alice Howland, a Harvard linguistics professor who is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's. It begins with those little "forgetfulness" symptoms, and progresses with a diagnosis for the hereditary gene for the disease. This finding is shocking to her three children, who must then decide how they want their lives to proceed, in fear, in normality, or in joy. The symptoms that Alice experiences progress month by month, and seem very realistic, and so increasingly frightening both for the characters and the reader.

 

As I read, I felt that it was wonderful for an author with such knowledge to write such a needed book on the topic. As I said, I felt it was an extremely realistic portayal, although I have no real experience with the disease. I did find the writing very dry and hard to get through, but perhaps it was this way for a reason, as it did fit the character's personality to some degree and the straightforwardness of her diagnosis. The first time I started the book, I got about a third of the way, and I had to stop. I forced myself to pick it up again and finished it in about an hour. Am I glad I did? I'm not sure. I know this is a part of real life, but perhaps that's why I didn't enjoy it. It was just too real for me, even though I have never had a close loved-one go through this. It was extrememly depressing to me, and while this is natural with such a topic, it left me exhausted and not very satisfied.

 

The character of Alice was very miserable as time went on, but she did seem to still find joy in some things, and that was uplifting. She also didn't seem to get very upset or agitated at the very end of the book with all the "not knowing." She seemed to somehow grow accustomed to her life. I'm just not sure that that is realistic. But maybe it is, and caregivers should take solace in the fact that perhaps Alzheimer's patients do grow comfortable with the simplicity of their world. There are no real decisions to be made and no real conflicts for them other than the physical day-to-day workings of their bodies. So maybe it should be comforting to know that those like Alice can be happy in their simpler lives as long as those around them are caring and comforting always. I will continue to pray that this is true.

 

In the same way that the book A Million Little Pieces was a  realistic account of a life, one that helped thousands of people who read it come to terms with and understand drug addiction, so will Still Alice help those dealing with Alzheimer's. If you need to understand Alzheimer's without getting bogged down in a lot medical terminology or confusing articles on the Internet, then this book could really help.But let me know what you think. Post a comment. I'd love to hear from you.

The Power of Six and The Rise of Nine by Pittacus Lore

The I am Number Four series for young adults is a fascinating mix of sci-fi, love story, supernatural heroes, and thriller plot. I loved the first one and its movie counterpart, so I had to continue the next two, and I anxiously await another.

 

 

The premise is a great one, although a bit more sci-fi than I usually go in for. It goes like this: ten children and their Cepans (or mentors) were sent from the planet Lorien to Earth in order to escape the evil Mogadorians who took over their planet for its life-giving resources. The children grew up on Earth, trying to stay hidden and protected until their special powers developed that would enable them to protect themselves and Earth from the Mogdorians. There is an interesting curse put on them that will only let them be killed in their preordained numerical order. At the start of the first book, the first three children were already dead, and so the hunt began for Number Four, also known as John Smith. He is aided by Number Six, who is the female focus of the second book, and it was my favorite. More characters/children are introduced and their backstories unfold: how they have survived, what their lives are like on Earth, and what their unique powers, or "legacies" are. They each also have a "chest" that is filled with cool gadgets from Lorien which they must learn to use to fight the Mogadorians.

It seems like a lot of weird details to get bogged down in, but the pace of the books is super fast. The action literally never stops and sometimes gets a bit exhausting, but all the characters are interestingly intertwined, and they fight not only for themselves, but each other and their human helpers. The writing is much simpler than books like Divergent and The Hunger Games, and the plot not as complex, but these stories are full of action and are easy reads for teens and adults alike who are trying to escape reality and just get involved in a page-turning thriller. I would also recommend them to middle grade girls and boys as well, as the love interest is not central or very detailed,the themes are quite inspiring, and as I said, the language and dialog are timely and simple.

So, if you're in the mood for a quick, involving thrill ride, try the rest of the I am Number Four series. And then wait impatiently for the next movie, as I will!

Wingshooters by Nina Revoyr

 

This was the Valley Book Club's pick for last month, and the person who suggested it should be applauded. Revoyr's writing style and personal touch made this story of childhood struggle and racism come alive.

Michelle, a Japanese American girl born to "free-spirited" parents, must go to live with her white, paternal grandparents in Wisconsin when her mother unexpectedly disappears. Her father swears to her that he is just going to find her mother and will return, but this is postponed over and over again by his lack of commitment to Michelle. Meanwhile, Mikey, as her grandfather Charlie comes to call Michelle, grows very attached to her grandfather and her life in a small town despite its obvious prejudices against Japanese Americans following the war. Charlie keeps her close and protected from abuse as much as possible, despite his own racism toward the black couple who move to their town. It is this conflict, both in their small community and within the characters themselves that create the struggle and ultimate catalyst to disaster in the book. How can someone be color blind in one instance and totally prejudiced in another? What are we willing to do for love and family ties in such a conflict? In the end, it is Charlie who is put to this ultimate test.

Wingshooters is a poignant and beautiful look at many things: childhood, prejudice, abandonment, and loyalty. There is much here to talk about in a slim, easily readable volume. Put it on your list of "must reads" today!

Divergent and Insurgent by Veronica Roth

I picked these young adult novels out because of a teen recommendation, and I have to say, I really think they are going to be the next big thing. At first, I was a little put off that they are kind of billed as the next Hunger Games, and indeed there did seem to be a lot of similarities - at first. Then as I got into the first book in the planned trilogy, Divergent, it became evident that this was a very different and unique idea being plotted here: That society could be divided into groups according to our main personality characteristics within that society.  How will society react when we slip the mold or try to become our true, authentic selves?

So the scene is some kind of post-war Chicago. The author does not say what type of war it was or really when it was, but the windy city is partially rubble, partly rebuilt, and partly just livable how it is. So, it is a dystopian novel like The Hunger Games and The Giver. But inside this society, there are five factions. When kids are 16 they decide which faction they belong to according to their own personality traits. They can choose the one they grew up in until they were 16, or they can "jump" factions to belong to one that is more truly their own personality or strength.

The story in both books centers around Beatrice, or Tris, who, on faction choosing day, decides she will leave her parents' faction, Abnegation, for the more dangerous and somewhat glamorous Dauntless faction because her "entrance test" is inconclusive, which is highly irregular. She must then go to train to be brave by facing all of her fears using fictional technology where the kids are injected with something that creates a delusion or scene in which they, in their mind, must face their worst nightmares. What becomes evident in Tris, however, is that she is somehow different from the other kids in Dauntless.Because she has strengths in more than one area, she is considered Divergent, and therefore dangerous to the society because she will not necessarily comply to the rules of any one faction. Although the intricacies of the plot are quite complicated and the metaphors for life and society that are flung around are extremely thought-provoking, there is also the simplicity of friendship and young love. Along the way, Tris makes some very loyal friends, and one in particular who will test her own ideas of love, bravery, selflessness, and self.

I got into a heated discussion one day about The Hunger Games and its appropriateness for children. While I won't go into that discussion here, I just wanted to say a word to those who say those books and the movie are just "about kids killing kids." What I want to ask is this: do we or do we not send boys and girls to war at the age of 18? Do we believe that those kids of 18 see horrible things and may have to kill someone? Of course we do. Is it a "bad" thing to do, therefore, to write a book about kids at war with terrible forces? I don't know where everyone lives, but I live here, and that sounds like real life to me.

But books like The Hunger Games or Divergent can be read in many ways. These two were complete page turners. I read them both in a couple days because they had action, love, struggle, and wonderful characterization. The language is simple, yet the ideas are complex. You can read a book like Divergent for fun, because it is indeed, fun to read. It plays like a movie in your head as the words go by. But most adults would also read it as a piece of literature. We read literature to learn: we should learn about ourselves and our world. If you look at all movies and books at literal, face value and determine that they are merely "good" or "bad" or "violent" or "immoral" you are missing the entire point of reading a book or watching a film. We need to be able to look at literature as it interests us as an individual or it doesn't. Just because I hate a book and can't get through it, doesn't mean that I believe it's not worth reading! All books are really worth reading if you can have fun reading them and learn a little about yourself or your world along the way.

So, try these two page-turners from this hot new YA author, Veronica Roth. Which faction will you be?

Gold by Chris Cleave

Well, the Olympics have come and gone for another four years, and my family and I enjoyed them immensely. Four two solid weeks, the cheers of "USA!" and "Go, Lochte! Jeah!" could be heard ringing throughout my house, as we were mesmerized once again by the amazing feats of the USA swim team and the Fierce Five. But one sport that I never would have taken the time to watch this year except for having read Chris Cleave's newest novel, Gold, also kept me riveted to the screen. The sport is bicycle track racing - a global phenomenon in other countries apparently, and completely exciting as depicted in Cleave's book.

In Gold, two women and one man become friends, lovers, mothers, fathers, Olympians, and enemies all in the name of track cycling. Done in an arena called a Velodrome, these high speed racers risk life and limb on these bikes, racing millimeters from each others' tires, going so fast that they can hardly breathe, the lactic acid building in their bodies to dizzying degrees. I learned so much about sports medicine, training regimens, and race tactics from this book that you would think it was a boring encyclopedia on biking. But no! The story was just as amazing as the real racers I watched in the London Velodrome. The characters were real, sacrificing everything for their sport, their intense love for each other, and the little child who belonged to them all.

What did each of the characters give up to race for the gold in the Olympics? What would you give up? Everything? Nothing? Read Gold, and you may change your mind about your own goals and dreams. Give it a try, and let me know what you think!

The Fallen Angel by Daniel Silva

I can never wait to put the new Daniel Silva on the library shelf - I have to snatch it out of the box and read it myself rght away. I am also not a great series reader, for the most part. I get bored with the same characters and formula after two or three by the same author. But with Silva's Gabriel Allon character, I am never bored. Mr. Allon never disappoints because he is always smart, always secretive, always exotic, and always on the run from someone. A winning combo for a spy if ever there was one.

But Allon is a reluctant spy in The Fallen Angel. He really doesn't want to look at the body of the girl who jumped from great heights in St. Peter's Basilica. He really doesn't want to find out that her death may be tied to underground art theft. He doesn't really want to know that those thefts could really be finanacing terrorist activity in Rome and his homeland of Israel. He is retired after all. All he really wants is to restore paintings and drink wine with his beautiful wife.

So, can his buddies in the Office, Israel's secret service, bring him out of retirement yet again to help with these little problems? Hmmmm. . . You'll have to read to find out. But if you know Gabriel Allon at all, you already know the answer.

I am Forbidden by Anouk Markovits

I am always interested in different faiths, so this book intrigued me very much when we first put it on the shelf. It has not been wildly popular, but I'm here to tell you, it's well worth a read. If you also are interested in learning all you can about strict, ultra conservative religious sects, like the Patmar Jewish enclave depicted in this book, then I Am Forbidden is fascinating reading indeed.

The books begins Transylvania in 1939 with a Jewish boy named Josef who is rescued by a Christian woman after the murder of his parents. Later, Josef helps a young Jewish girl find a family who raises her after her parents are killed also. The books then takes us through their connected lives, to Paris and Manhatten, looking at the choices that faith and circumstance put before them. It's a fascinating story of twists and turns, secrets, and truths.

This book is also a peek into the lives of Fundamentalist Jews that I have not read about in fiction before. The binding choices that women in this community must make in the name of faith was terrifying and sad to me, but to them, that was just life. It's hard to imagine living such a life as a woman in today's society, but I know that there are many who still do. As a woman of faith myself, I do not like to think that I might need to give up my basic rights as a woman simply to love God or to love my husband and family. But I know, that even today, there are prominent men of faith that believe I do have to give up those rights to be faithful and moral. And there are people, both men and women, who follow blindly, thinking it is the right and moral thing to do simply because someone told them it is.

This issue came up just yesterday as I sat eating with my two daughters in a restaurant full of young people. There was a table of high school girls discussing politics near us, and one girl made the comment that she thought it was funny for one prominent politician to post his "moral status" on his website. She said (and I'm paraphrasing here), "Why would he feel the need to do that? Just because those are his morals, why would he think they have to be mine? Like his morals are the only right ones, or what?" All I can say is, "Amen, sister. Amen." 

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

On my refrigerator, I have this hilarous (at least I think it's hilarious) magnet that my cousin gave me.  It has an old-fashioned, 50's era cartoon picture of a wife, holding out a chocolate cake on a tray to her husband and three lovely children. It reads, "She was very near to faking her own death." When I got it, my cousins and I laughed about it for five solid mintues. Perhaps Gillian Flynn has this same magnet and thought it was funny too, and it sparked Gone Girl. Hmmm. It's a theory.

You'll try to come up with your own theories, too, as you read this diary-style psychological thriller. It's  told from both perspectives in a marriage gone awry: Nick, the loving yet flawed and stupid husband, and Amy, the smart,  perfect, "cool" girl.  They tell the story of their early marriage, giving details that are heart-warming and very "real." The emotions and day-to-day pschological struggles will hit home with most married couples. But then the story grows gradually darker when Amy disappears from her southern home. The door is wide open, the iron is left on, the living room is in disarray. Nick comes home to find this scene and no sign of his loving wife. Where is she? Who has taken her? Why? Where was Nick when it happened? Is everything as it seems? These become the questions the police and Nick himself focus on in the days to come.

The psychological drama that keeps the reader on the edge here is wonderful. I won't give away what's behind Amy's sudden disappearance, but I will say it's fascinating, darkly humorous at times, and ultimately suspenseful. Give this book a try and see which character you most identify with. I dare you.