Power to the Pink

Cancer Vixen
by Marisa Acocella Marchetto

All right ladies, listen up, because this one’s for you. Normally I try to reserve my personal opinions until after I summarize the book, but this is different. This book performs the magical task of making you laugh, cry, think, and wonder, all at once. Not just about your body and the “what ifs” of breast cancer, but about your strengths as a woman. So read on, because I think Cancer Vixen is a book that should cross the hands of every woman.

Summary
Marisa Acocella Marchetto has such a cool life. She’s a cartoonist who lives in Manhattan, she’s engaged to an Italian restaurateur who feeds her delicious food every day, and she gets to do awesome research for her cartoons that often leads to free haircuts, meals, products, etc. And then one day, she finds a lump in her breast. It turns out to be cancerous, and Marchetto must dive headfirst into surgery, chemo, and radiation therapy. Luckily for us, she chronicles her experience the best way she knows how – in cartoons – and Cancer Vixen is her story. Her writing and illustrations are honest and fun, and she holds nothing back, a quality that makes for some hilarious and insightful statements and images.

Marchetto’s story is not unusually heroic or noteworthy, but her willingness to share her experience in so much detail is unique, and the knowledge and insights she presents will open the eyes any reader, male or female.

Worth staying up past bedtime?
Rating: Up ‘Till Dawn

I absolutely loved this book! The title immediately caught my attention, and the cover holds the image of a strong, fun, independent woman who I immediately wanted to get to know. Marchetto is honest and funny, and isn’t embarrassed to share the nitty gritty details that come with cancer treatment.

Perhaps one of the things that stuck with me most after reading Cancer Vixen was how much I learned about the ins and outs of cancer treatment. While cancer is a widely-discussed topic in current health news, this was the first time I had read such a personal story in such an accessible format. When I finished the last page, I was left with a dozen things to think about, and every time I’ve had the chance to talk about the book with people, I can’t stop raving. So go out and read it!

Recommended for any and all women, ages 14 and up. And the men in our lives could do with reading this, too, as it might give them a little insight into a highly important and personal topic we all need to be aware of!

Sit. Stay. Read.

Dog Loves Books

by Louise Yates

A book-loving dog. How can I not share this with you?

Summary

Dog is a book lover of the truest kind. He loves everything about books -- the smell, the feel, all of it! One day he decides to open a bookstore of his very own. But on opening day, no one is there. After two confused customers stop by, Dog begins to feel down. But then he realizes he is surrounded by books, and he begins to read. Dog forgets that he is alone and loses himself in the great stories between the covers! And when a real customer who wants a book comes in, he knows exactly what to recommend, since he's been doing so much reading.

Worth staying up past bedtime?

Rating: Early Morning Hours

As with all picture books, it’s easy to get through this in one sitting, but it still deserves a rating that would imply late-night reading! Dog is so sweet! I loved the art in this book and Dog's expressions reminded me of those I've seen on many a real pup. The message of the book is a great one: when you read, you can be transported to any time and any place, no matter what's happening right around you!

Recommended for ages 5 and up.

You Say You Want a Revolution

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood

By Marjane Satrapi

I waited a little longer than I originally intended to start posting my graphic novel reviews. This being my first experience reading them, I had to let it all sink in a little. The text readings assigned for my class have helped, too, and I feel that I can better review and explain things now that I’m more familiar with the genre and its techniques.

Summary

Persepolis is the memoir of author and artist Marjane Satrapi, an Iranian woman who spent the first 14 years of her life in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. Her parents oppose the restrictions placed on citizens, and though they follow the mandates forced upon them, such as women wearing head veils and men growing beards, they rebel in their own ways, and talk freely of their contempt for the situation. Persepolis follows several years of young Marjane’s life, and readers see the situation from her young eyes. Neighbors homes are bombed, family friends are arrested on minimal charges or turn up dead for no reason. As Marjane witnesses the war-torn country move forward, she develops her own thoughts and feelings for the situation, freely expressing her contempt for the restrictions imposed on the people of Iran. The story ends on a cliffhanger (spoiler alert!) when Marjane is 14 and her parents have decided that there are not enough opportunities for their smart and outspoken daughter in Iran, and they send her to Austria to continue her schooling.

Worth staying up past bedtime?
Rating: Up 'Til Dawn

Persepolis was the first graphic novel I have ever read, and it grabbed my attention from the start. Marjane’s illustrations are a fantastic accompaniment to her story, and she does a wonderful job presenting her thoughts, feelings, and emotions as she grows up in such repressive and frightening conditions. Persepolis is one of those books that not only leaves you feeling like you’ve learned a good story, but you’ve really learned some valuable information as well. Throughout the story, Marjane explains elements of the Islamic Revolution, explaining cultural situations and beliefs that I was not previously familiar with. I love that I gained some historical knowledge from this book.

Recommended for ages 13 and up.

Would You Like Some Graphics with that Novel?

Late this spring I was observing a school visit at my library. As one of our librarians began a book talk for a room full of seventh graders, she started off asking them if they liked to read. There was a low rumble of "noooo" around the room. "Why not?" my coworker asked. One kid responded "because the books don't have pictures anymore."

...

I had to make a conscious effort to keep my jaw off the floor at that point. Within that same moment, however, I thought to myself "gee, I wish I knew more about graphic novels, those would be a good gateway book for kids like this." Luckily for me, the timing was such that I needed to sign up for one last class for my masters program (!), and I had been hearing good things about the graphic novels course offered by my favorite professor. I reserved a seat that very day.

And so, on Monday, I will begin the final class of my library sciences program. This will be an interesting experience for me, as I know next to nothing about the genre. In order to help really get myself thinking about the books, I am going to post about them here. I've already read three (I feel like Hermione, reading everything before class even starts!) and I'm excited to start sharing them with you. I hope this experience will allow me to make even more recommendations to kiddos in the library!

Summer Lovin'

Girlfriend Material
By Melissa Kantor

The cover of this book just screams “summer beach read.” I actually avoided this one for a bit because it looked a little too cute for my taste. (Yes, I’m working to get past that whole “judging a book by its cover” thing.) But after a man came into the library and asked for a copy for his daughter recently, I was intrigued enough to flip through the first few pages.

Summary
A summer on Cape Cod sounds great, right? Generally, yes, but unfortunately for Kate, she’s been dragged to the coast against her will as part of her mother’s need “for some me time” that arises from a dispute with Kate’s father. Though Kate’s summer had been going great in her hometown of Salt Lake City, she suddenly has to fly east with her mother to stay with their family friends, the Cooper-Melnicks, and their daughter, Sarah, whom Kate hasn’t seen for several years. Though Kate begins the journey with a happy fantasy about bonding with Sarah and spending the summer living it up east coast style, her dreams are quickly dashed when she realizes Sarah isn’t too keen on the idea of having a new BFF for the summer.

Luckily, Sarah’s friends aren’t as icy as she is, and Kate soon meets the handsome Adam, with whom she begins a lovely summer romance. Determining how to maintain the easy breezy affair, however, becomes a challenge, and Kate has to ask herself many questions about what she wants and needs in order to move forward and remain true to herself.

Worth staying up past bedtime?
Rating: Good Night’s Sleep

Overall, a great, light read, especially for summer. I read this book shortly after the spring semester ended and it provided a great mental break. Kate was a good character, and I like that she was both smart and cool. She’s an aspiring writer, and makes some references to classic literature throughout the book, which I appreciated. I also found her incredibly relatable when she was debating what to do about Adam. Her internal dialogue was so similar to how thoughts and situations play themselves out in my head ... I’m guessing I’m not the only person who does this. That being said, there were a few times when I just wanted her to SHUT UP and do something! This girl can spend a lot of time considering the “what if’s?” of a situation, and after a few occurrences of “maybe when he said ‘see you later,’ he meant it like ‘whenever we run into each other.’ Or maybe he meant he’d find a way to see me later ... or maybe ...”* I had to resist shaking the book to make her stop debating and start doing. But in the end, I was happy with how things played out, and definitely enjoyed this for a good, light read!

Recommended for ages 13 and up.

*Not actual dialogue from the book.