Book: God Help The Child by Toni Morrison

Published April 2015 by Knopf|178 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the hardcover from the library

Series: None

Genre: Adult Literary Fiction

Spare and unsparing, God Help the Child—the first novel by Toni Morrison to be set in our current moment—weaves a tale about the way the sufferings of childhood can shape, and misshape, the life of the adult.

At the center: a young woman who calls herself Bride, whose stunning blue-black skin is only one element of her beauty, her boldness and confidence, her success in life, but which caused her light-skinned mother to deny her even the simplest forms of love. There is Booker, the man Bride loves, and loses to anger. Rain, the mysterious white child with whom she crosses paths. And finally, Bride’s mother herself, Sweetness, who takes a lifetime to come to understand that “what you do to children matters. And they might never forget.”

A fierce and provocative novel that adds a new dimension to the matchless oeuvre of Toni Morrison.

When I heard that Toni Morrison was coming out with a new book, I was really excited, because I’ve read a couple of her other books this year, and I knew I had to read it!

It’s not my favorite Morrison novel, and of the ones I’ve read, I think it’s probably my least favorite of the ones I’ve read.  I mean, I loved the writing itself, and the way she told the story- it’s very much her, and it’s why I keep reading Morrison.

What I think I liked most was how what happened to us as children has a huge impact on who we are as adults, and you can see that with both Bride and Booker, and you can’t help but wonder how Rain’s life will impact her as an adult.  I really wish we saw more chapters with Sweetness, Bride’s mom.  There wasn’t a lot to her character (for me), and it would have been interesting to see more from her perspective.  You get it well enough, that she she was surprised by how dark her daughter’s skin was (which actually reminded me of The Bluest Eye initially) and how hard it was for her, but I really wanted more from it than what we got.

Overall, the story didn’t completely work for me, and I’m really at a loss to explain why.  For some reason, it felt like it didn’t have something that was there in the other books I’ve read by her- almost like something is missing.  I really wish I could pin-point it, but I can’t.

3 stars.  I don’t have a lot to say about God Help The Child, but I did like it, and Morrison’s writing is pretty awesome.

Book: Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Charaipotra & Dhonielle Clayton

Published May 2015 by HarperTeen|350 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the e-book from the library

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary/Mystery/Thriller

Black Swan meets Pretty Little Liars in this soapy, drama-packed novel featuring diverse characters who will do anything to be the prima at their elite ballet school.

Gigi, Bette, and June, three top students at an exclusive Manhattan ballet school, have seen their fair share of drama. Free-spirited new girl Gigi just wants to dance—but the very act might kill her. Privileged New Yorker Bette’s desire to escape the shadow of her ballet star sister brings out a dangerous edge in her. And perfectionist June needs to land a lead role this year or her controlling mother will put an end to her dancing dreams forever. When every dancer is both friend and foe, the girls will sacrifice, manipulate, and backstab to be the best of the best.

I really liked Tiny Pretty Things!  It was a really creepy mystery, and I wasn’t sure if it would live up to the comparison of Black Swan meets Pretty Little Liars…but it actually does!

Gigi, Bette and June all narrate the book, and while multiple narrators have a tendency to be hit-or-miss for me, this is a case where it worked really well.  All three girls have very distinct voices, and they all have really different stories and really different places in the school.

We have Gigi, the new girl with a heart problem, who’s also the new golden girl.  There’s Bette, who used to be the school’s golden girl, and is threatened by anyone else getting the lead (and can’t handle it when she’s not). And finally, there’s June, the girl who is not quite good enough to be the lead.

There is a mystery surrounding Gigi, and you’re trying to figure out who it is, but even now, having finished the book, I have no idea who it is.  Is it Bette, who seems like the likely culprit, even though she swears she’s innocent?  Or is it June, who’s tired of being in the shadows, and just wants to be seen for once?  I have no clue, and you could make a case for either girl. Eith it’s Bette, who’s lost her grip on reality, or June, who no one would suspect, because they’d assume it was Bette.  But then there’s part of me that feels like June and Bette are way too obvious, because they’re narrating the book.  There are a couple of people who also seem like suspects too.

It is a very competitive world, and there are definitely cruel, manipulative people in the school.  They’re all under a lot of pressure, and will do anything to be on top.  Even though I understand why people didn’t like Gigi coming in as a new girl getting the good roles, what happened to her was completely horrible.  Really, I understood where each girl was coming from, and I think I felt more for June and Gigi, because they both a love a world where a certain body type and look is very important- June and Gigi don’t fit into that look at all, and while we get a little bit of it, I kind of wish we saw more of it.

I would like to add that one of the characters does have an eating disorder , so reading Tiny Pretty Things may trigger that.

4 stars.  I really liked Tiny Pretty Things, and it’s a dark look at the world of ballet.

Book: None Of The Above by I.W. Gregorio

Published April 2015 by Balzer + Bray|238 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the e-book from the library

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

A groundbreaking story about a teenage girl who discovers she’s intersex…and what happens when her secret is revealed to the entire school. Incredibly compelling and sensitively told, None of the Above is a thought-provoking novel that explores what it means to be a boy, a girl, or something in between.

What if everything you knew about yourself changed in an instant?

When Kristin Lattimer is voted homecoming queen, it seems like another piece of her ideal life has fallen into place. She’s a champion hurdler with a full scholarship to college and she’s madly in love with her boyfriend. In fact, she’s decided that she’s ready to take things to the next level with him.

But Kristin’s first time isn’t the perfect moment she’s planned—something is very wrong. A visit to the doctor reveals the truth: Kristin is intersex, which means that though she outwardly looks like a girl, she has male chromosomes, not to mention boy “parts.”

Dealing with her body is difficult enough, but when her diagnosis is leaked to the whole school, Kristin’s entire identity is thrown into question. As her world unravels, can she come to terms with her new self?

I loved None Of The Above, and I have the feeling it’s going to end up on my end-of-year favorites list!

I really felt for Kristin, and there were points were I was really angry at her classmates for how they acted. Granted, it’s not surprising, and it seems like they don’t care to know more about it, because they certainly have a lot of misconceptions.  They were just so cruel, and I couldn’t help but be angry on her behalf.  I loved the relationship she had with her dad, who was really supportive.

I really felt like I got to experience the journey with her, and it really opened my eyes to what it’s like to be intersex.  (Much more than Golden Boy, and I think this one is the better of the two).  I also loved that Gregorio had an author’s note at the end of the book about why she wrote None Of The Above, and she even had a recommended reading list at the end- granted, it’s only a few books, plus a few articles and websites to check out.  Reading None Of The Above, it felt like the story was really important (and it definitely is, because I really believe it’s a story that needs to be told) but that author’s note really made me believe it was important for her to tell Kristin’s story.

I also thought that the other relationships were interesting- particularly with her two best friends.  I wish I could remember their names right now, but one gets blamed for telling the entire school, when it wasn’t her fault.  And there’s her other friend, who mentioned it to Sam, Kristin’s ex (she thought he knew), and that was how it spread to the entire school.  Given how supportive she was, it did seem like she was involved somehow, like she was trying to make up for something.  I don’t blame her for it, because she really didn’t mean to, but at the same time, so much happened because of it.  And that character being kind and sweet…I had a hard time seeing it because I had a hard time seeing it as who she really was, instead of the way I saw it: as trying to make up for accidentally telling someone.

5 stars.  This book is really special, and I loved it!

Book: Daughter Of Xanadu by Dori Jones Young

Published January 2011 by Delacorte Books|336 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the hardcover from the library

Series: Daughter Of Xanadu #1

Genre: YA Historical Fiction

Athletic and strong willed, Princess Emmajin’s determined to do what no woman has done before: become a warrior in the army of her grandfather, the Great Khan Khubilai. In the Mongol world the only way to achieve respect is to show bravery and win glory on the battlefield. The last thing she wants is the distraction of the foreigner Marco Polo, who challenges her beliefs in the gardens of Xanadu. Marco has no skills in the “manly arts” of the Mongols: horse racing, archery, and wrestling. Still, he charms the Khan with his wit and story-telling. Emmajin sees a different Marco as they travel across 13th-century China, hunting ‘dragons’ and fighting elephant-back warriors. Now she faces a different battle as she struggles with her attraction towards Marco and her incredible goal of winning fame as a soldier.

I liked Daughter Of Xanadu!  I don’t read a lot of historical fiction (and I really should read more of it) but I think Daughter Of Xanadu was enjoyable.

I like that Emmajin wanted so much to be a soldier, but realized it wasn’t what she wanted after fighting in battle.  I’m usually not the biggest fan of characters like Emmajin, but I actually liked her a lot, and she did seem pretty vulnerable at times.  She is a warrior woman, but not in the traditional sense.

It was really nice to see a YA historical fiction set in Asia!  I read a lot of European historical fiction, so something set in Asia is really different for me.  I really liked the map, and how the places had a modern correspondent.  I also liked the glossary and the family tree, because I know nothing about the Mongols or this time period.  It’s actually a really good introduction to the time period and place.

I’m not sure how I feel about the tentative romance between Emmajin and Marco Polo.  I think I might have been fine without, because there was something about it that felt like it was just there, and I didn’t believe in them as a couple.  But I also felt like meeting him provided Emmajin with some new opportunities, and a different path than she expected.  I also felt like meeting him, and people from neighboring countries opened up her world.

I liked it enough that I might read the sequel someday.  Part of me is curious where the story is headed (clearly, Emmajin is going to be travelling, but other than that I couldn’t begin to hazard a guess), but at the same time, things are resolved enough that could work quite well as a stand-alone.

3 stars.  I liked it, but I didn’t fall in love with it.