Review: Becuase of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea

Mr. Terupt is the teacher we all wish we had. For some, he’s that teacher who touched the lives of students and changed them forever. The narrative alternates between Mr. Terupt’s seven 5th grade students. Each voice adds a unique perspective on what it means to be a student, on making and keepings friends, and how to forgive.

When disaster strikes midway through the year, the students are pushed to the emotional edge. They are hard pressed to put all of Mr. Terupt’s teachings into action when life crashes down on them.

Buyea’s writing captures the student’s voices exceptionally well. Tweens will no doubt identify with one or more of the characters. Readers are given the chance to see one disastrous event through the eyes of many. Empathy is evoked as we see how one person’s perception of events can be vastly different from another’s but they are all affected. Though the story became a bit slow, there is a lot worth discussing with a group of tweens. From grief and guilt to isolation and hope, Buyea offers a lot of thinking matter in this thoughtful novel.

Publisher: Delacorte, 2010     Pages: 288  

Rating: 3 Stars     Source: Public Library

Review: My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher

This was possibly the best book I’ve read in years. I rarely give a “5 Star” status but didn't even have to think about it. There were many reasons for me NOT to like this book. It’s contemporary fiction (I’m drawn to fantasy). It’s about “depressing” subjects, it’s akin to a “problem novel,” which I tend to find forced with see-through agendas taking on too many issues. But I loved this book. It wasn’t forced, it was genuine. Not depressing, but uplifting.

When children ask questions, and adults won't or can’t answer, they are left to make their own assumptions about life. Ten-year-old Jamie has a lot of questions and the first person narration captures his observations.

His older sister, Rose (a twin), died five years before the novel begins in a London terrorist attack. Jamie can hardly remember Rose, but his family has fallen apart because of the loss. His father harbors fear and hate for Muslims and holds onto his grief, forcing it onto others. His mother has checked out and left the family. His older sister, Jas, does her best to make sure Jamie knows he is cared for.

What shined was Jamie’s relationship with his classmate and best friend, Sunya, who wears a hijab to school. Though this relationship is a risk for Jamie (how furious would his father be if he knew?), it is Sunya who strengthens Jamie’s spirit when he is at his lowest. She sticks up for him, plays into his fascination with superheros and even calls Jamie out when he acts like a fair-weather friend.

Jamie’s belief that things can get better and that friendship is important carry this book. He loves his family despite their glaring problems and takes action, doing the best a 10-year-old can, to make things better. I laughed and I cried in no small part to Annabel Pitcher’s writing but also because of David Tennant’s amazing narration. Just fantastic.

The mantelpiece, the hearth, is supposed to be the center of home which conjures feelings of warmth and belonging, love and security. But in Jamie’s home, his dead sister lives on the mantelpiece and her ghostly presence looms large, scattering all positive emotions. But with help from Sunya and Jas, Jamie finds a way to make his presence known and remind a family what it means to be family. 

Though targeted at middle-grade readers, I'd recommend this book to anybody. Anybody! <3

Publisher: Findaway World, 2012     Length: 6 hours

Rating: 5 Stars     Source: Public Library

Review: Wild by Cheryl Strayed

My first attempt to read Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail was unsuccessful. I saw it advertised last year as a woman’s memoir about hiking the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) and quickly put the book on hold at my library. I read a few pages and quit.

A year later, I decided to give Wild another shot. The author, Cheryl Strayed, was coming to speak at my library and I thought I would go. This time, I listened to the audio version read by Bernadette Dunne.

My overall impression of the book is disappointment that the story is not about Strayed hiking the PCT. The memoir jumps fully into Strayed’s grief over her mother’s death and explores its impact on her life. Her marriage disintegrates and she makes one poor choice after another. These chapters lagged for me but I stuck with it.

When Strayed does discuss hiking the PCT the memoir is a fun read. She writes with humor in these sections which offer relief to the heavy overarching themes of loss, grief and self-searching.

I had a difficult time relating to Strayed which made it a struggle for me to get through the book. We were both married and divorced at about the same age. We’re both Midwestern, too. But while I have things in common with Strayed I simply could not relate. Frequently, I found myself thinking “This is moment! She’s finally gonna get some cojones, take charge and stop depending on other people.” But alas, that moment was constantly postponed. Example: The horse scene, which many found disturbing, I found infuriating. I so wanted her to take the gun and do what needed to be done. But she passed the responsibility to another. I found myself frustrated with her attitude and dependency. I didn’t walk in her shoes so I wouldn’t judge her but it became tortuous for me to read about her mistakes as a young woman. She does begin to understand herself better after she hikes the PCT. She learns that while people need other people, there will be times when you need enough inner strength to carry on without them.

Strayed’s writing and her memories evoked strong emotions in me. If I’d had the physical book in hand I’ve no doubt I’d have thrown it several times. And I truly enjoyed the segments about her hiking experience as I recall laughing out loud. I did listen to Strayed speak at my library and she asked for hands of everyone who cried. The room was packed to standing room only, perhaps 250 people, and ¾ of them lifted their hands. I didn’t cry. I was too frustrated with Strayed to cry.

Oddly enough, I still enjoyed the book. For a journey about self-discovery and the search for inner strength, Wild delivers. Strayed is a successful, centered and strong woman so there is a positive resolution. But it was no easy journey to get there. And she certainly has cojones to write honestly about her shortcomings. But for a story about long distance hiking, I would look to other narratives.

Publisher: Random House Audio, 2012     Length: 13 hours, 6 minutes

Rating: 3 Stars     Source: Purchased on Audible