The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Arnold ‘Junior’ Spirit lives on the Spokane Indian Reservation with his family. His parents drink and his sister has become a hermit who lives in their basement but the family is a loving one. Junior is happy with his life. He knows it’s not the best but none of the Indians he knows are rich and carefree. One day Junior makes a decision that changes everything. It changes how people treat him, including his best friend Rowdy and it changes how he sees his life, his future and his culture. We follow Junior for a year from just before his life changes to afterward. He has a lot to deal with in that time and you really come to feel for him.

Junior is a character I connected with straight away. He’s a bit of a nerd who isn’t sure what’s going on with his life, or what he wants to happen in his life. He likes where he is but at the same time feels stifled by it. But he has dreams, realistic dreams and he means to achieve them. He is a brave character but he knows he is doing the right thing. While he is definitely an Indian, he is also more than that and he comes to realise that you can be more than one thing. You don’t have to define yourself by the boxes you fit in to. We don’t really get to know the rest of the characters that well except Rowdy. Despite this, Junior’s grandmother is one of the most inspirational people in the book.

The story is well written and could easily have been written by a fourteen year old, as Junior is. The style feels very realistic and you can picture the scenes happening in real life. There are also plenty of pictures in the story as Junior loves to draw cartoons. Sometimes that’s the only way he can express how he’s feeling. The pictures are brilliant and go perfectly with the writing, they have the same mood behind them as if they were done by the same person. I really liked how it all came together and it was like you were reading his diary.

The book is based on the author’s experiences when he was growing up and you can really tell because the sentiment isn’t over done and Junior isn’t afraid to tell it exactly like it is. I don’t know much about the relationship between Native Americans and Americans, but the way it is presented here is about right for a situation where any outsider turns up at an established community. They aren’t openly hostile to him, most just sort of ignore him or tolerate him if they need to work together. Had it been a whole group of Indians turning up, it may have been different. The white people may have felt more threatened.

This is a great coming of age book and I would definitely recommend it to people in their teens and older. It does make you think how you would react to an ‘intruder’ into your community. Would you help, hinder or ignore? This book isn’t just about tolerance though. It’s about having the guts to be who you want to be and to get what you want. This is the first book I’ve read about Indians and I feel that I learnt a lot from it. When I finished reading it I had a smile on my face. Sherman Alexie did an awesome job with the subject matter and turning his own personal experience into a really positive result with this book.

Overall rating 4 out of 5.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

The Road follows the story of a man and his son in a post apocalyptic world. They are travelling towards the coast in the hope of finding others like them. They scavenge what they can and sometimes get lucky and find a store that hasn’t been looted yet. The world they live in is a dangerous place with people doing whatever it takes to survive, including killing each other. Frequently they come across dead bodies in houses and on the road. They are suspicious of meeting “the bad guys” and so are constantly looking over their shoulders and finding secluded places in which to sleep. We never learn the names of the man and the boy because that doesn’t matter in this new, strange, world.

The book doesn’t have any chapters. It’s just one long chapter with gaps between the paragraphs. It also doesn’t bother with grammar most of the time, you have to figure out where the commas go yourself. It added to the sense of confusion and uncertainty that the characters in the book feel. They have no idea what they are going to come across from one day to the next, or even if they’re going to survive. This structure sometimes makes it difficult to work out who’s talking to who. One character will say something and then say something else, but the second thing they’ve said is on a new line. But as there are really only two characters in the story it’s not too difficult to figure out when that happens.

The characters themselves are interesting. It’s unclear how long they’ve been living as they have but it’s years, rather than weeks or months. They’ve become used to it and struggle to remember life before whatever disaster occurred to cause the apocalypse. The man is struggling to cope by himself, without his wife to help him with their son. He is worried about his son, and about something happening to himself that would make him unable to look after his son. The boy lives in a pretty much constant state of terror. He has seen things that he is too young to see and is worried what other horrifying things there are to see. He also likes his dad to be near to him so he knows where he is. The boy is also lonely and dreams of having a friend to play with.

McCarthy tells a good tale of survival against the odds. A good percentage of the population are dead, at least in America, and the survivors are worse off than those who didn’t make it. Although there is not a lot of description and absolutely no embellishment, you get the atmosphere of the place strongly through the man’s thoughts. He is always on the edge of giving up and letting death take him, but at the same time he can’t bear to think of his son dead too or alone without him. It’s hard enough being a parent now, but trying to provide for someone in a world where nothing grows and rivers have dried up is nearly impossible.

I would say I enjoyed this book but enjoyed seems the wrong word given the setting. They come across different people in the book who have coped in different ways. Some are just living in a trance like state and couldn’t care what happens to them. Others are determined to stay alive, even that means killing others in order to do so. It makes you wonder which group you would be in. I would have liked a bit more description but that would have ruined the flow of the book. It’s all told from the man’s point of view and that’s enough. I hope this sort of thing doesn’t happen because you can never be prepared for it.

Overall rating 3 out of 5.

Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan

There are five Percy Jackson books that take place from when Percy is twelve to when he turns sixteen. In the first book he learns that some of his teachers are not as he thought and that there seem to be an awful lot of monsters interested in killing him. There is a reason for this. He is half-god. His father is the sea god Poseidon. Having escaped the monsters, he makes it to Camp Half-Blood where he meets other demigods who have a Greek god as a parent. As Percy learns from experience, it’s not easy having a god for a parent. Percy and his friends, Annabeth, Thalia, Tyson and Grover, go on a quest in each book to try and prevent the end of the world.

I was late coming to the Percy Jackson books because I was just too old when they came out for me to hear about them. I’m glad I finally got around to reading them though. They draw you in and they are different. Percy does actually grow up throughout the books and you see him mature and come to terms with the fact that his life will never be normal. Percy would never have survived each book without the help of his friends, and occasionally from a god or two.

There is never a dull moment in any of these books and the action is well written. It’s simply written so you can picture the characters tackling the monsters. There’s not a string of fancy moves that leaves your head hurting trying to figure out how that was physically possible. The relationships between the characters is entertaining to read. As Percy grows up he gets awkward around girls, not really sure how to act and spending the whole encounter with a red face. As is becoming a teenager weren’t difficult enough, he has these powers that he needs to learn how to control and discovers new things that being a son of Poseidon allows him to do. Being a son of one of the three most powerful gods, Percy takes it upon himself to keep the world safe from threat and to look after all his friends and the Camp. He really matures in to this role by the last book and is slightly less reckless. He doesn’t try and take everything on himself.

Having read the first to books I was a bit worried that they would be all the same, just with a changing setting and different monsters. I think having a break after the first two and reading something else was the right thing to do. Had I tried to read them all or waited and had a break after three, I may not have finished the series. I would have missed out. In a way the first three books and pretty much the same but they are gradually introducing the complete cast of heroes. In the last two books things start to get interesting. The tension heats up and the biggest threat to civilisation is on its way. The last book brings everything together and was the perfect ending.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes action and adventure books. I think it would appeal to both boys and girls because Annabeth is right by Percy’s side through every step of the way. The female characters aren’t just background, they play a major part fighting, planning and discovering. As this book is aimed at the 8-11 year old, I think this is a good series to read before starting Harry Potter. As long as you have a break after the second or third book, I think adults would also enjoy this series as a bit of light reading in between more serious books.

Overall series rating 4 out of 5.

The Maze Runner Trilogy by James Dashner

The Maze Runner trilogy is a series of books centred around the character of Thomas. He wakes up in a box with no memories other than his name. After a while the box opens and he finds himself at the centre of a maze with a group of other boys. This is his home now. The boys have all come there the same way and none of them knows how or why. They also don’t know how to get out of the maze. As far as they know there isn’t a way. And they’ve been trying for two years. Thomas isn’t about to take no for an answer, and with the help of his new friends, tries to escape.

The idea of the book is very similar to The Hunger Games. It plays with the idea of a Big Brother style scenario and how different people cope with that. However, I think these books are darker than The Hunger Games as at least Katniss understands why she is there and what is happening to her. Living in a world of increasing technology and security, extreme Big Brothers are fun to read. In this one Thomas knows that he grew up outside the maze and that there is a world outside the maze, he just can’t remember it. This means that the reader also has no idea about the world outside the maze either, although there are allusions to the fact that something is seriously wrong out there. The organisation that holds them is still able to keep them alive by providing them with food and tools that they need. It may be that they are better off in the maze, despite the creatures that can kill you that wander outside the maze centre, than they are out of it.

Thomas is the hero in these books. To begin with he is confused and angry about not being in control of his life. However, he soon makes friends and creates his role in the society of boys. He grows as a person quite quickly, becoming level headed and fearless in order to do what he feels he must. Some of the other characters are of a similar personality to Thomas and are the leaders of the group. There are about ten characters whose fates we follow throughout the trilogy. Some we don’t meet until book two and some don’t make it past book two. As for the maze, well we never find out exactly how that was created.

The book keeps you reading to find out what happens next. I read all three back to back and I think this was the way to read them as they follow directly on from each other so the details are still fresh in your mind. Any more than three and it would have got a bit repetitive. You can’t second guess what will happen to the characters other than the fact that nothing is what it seems. You think they’ve got somewhere only to find that they are still in danger.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes a good adventure story with a bit of horror and peril thrown in. It is fast paced and doesn’t give you time to try and work out what’s happening before you’re on to the next danger. The main character is relatable even if he can be a bit annoying at times. You are rooting for him and his friends the whole way through so it is sad when something nasty happens to one of them. The end is somewhat open ended so that you can decide if they live happily ever after or not. It was a fun read to lose yourself in. It makes you wander if you would be as brave as this group of teenagers if you were in their situation, where it’s a matter of fight for your life and sanity or die a painful death.

Overall rating 4 out of 5.

Coram Boy by Jamila Gavin

Coram Boy is a difficult book to explain. It is split in to two halves. The first half follows a boy called Alex as he grows up and becomes a man. He loves music and wants to become a musician. His father wants to train him to run the family estate when he is too old to do it. Alex wants to follow his dream but is torn because he has fallen in love as well. The second half follows a boy called Aaron. He is an orphan and lives in an orphanage with his best friend Toby. Alex loves music and wants to be a musician. Toby isn’t sure what he wants to do. He does know he doesn’t want to be a slave, as his mother is. Where will their futures take them?

Throughout the story there are themes of love, family, slavery, growing up and morality. The book makes you think about how you would react if you were in their shoes. Alex lives a privileged life but isn’t happy. He has a big decision to make about what he values more; love or happiness. He isn’t too worried about his family as he knows they will still love him, although he isn’t sure about his dad. Aaron’s family are the people at the Coram Hospital and he is close to all of them and treated well. He doesn’t get to choose his future. Toby was born at sea on the way from Africa to Britain he has no memory of slavery but sees it often at the docks. Another character, Meshak, has the biggest moral problem. His father buys children. Meshak can’t speak up because he isn’t mentally capable.

The story is set between Gloucestershire and London. The atmosphere of London is well described but I had trouble picturing the layout of the estate. I think that’s more my fault than the author’s. The story jumps around with points of view without any warning and also from no point of view. Each character’s mind is separate enough that, once you notice it’s changed, you can work out who’s head you are in. Once you get used to the writing style, the book is easy to read. You can’t help but get attached to some of the characters and hope things work out for them.

This book took a while to get in to. Nothing really seemed to be happening, although it was an interesting history lesson. It never occurred to me, what happened to all the unwanted and illegitimate children that were born. For the vast majority, the answer is nothing nice. To a large extent it depended on how old the children were when they were given up and the luck of who took the child in. The people who took the children weren’t always doing it to try and help the mother. A lot were doing it for their own ends. Mainly to sell the children to make money.

When I started reading the book I didn’t like it. Some of it was because I’ve been reading so many action filled books lately that this was a bit of a u-turn. Even so I couldn’t get on with the first half of the book. To a certain extent, it’s a build up to what happens in the second half. However, I think if I read it again I would enjoy it more and be more invested in the characters. I did enjoy the second half a lot more and really liked the characters of Aaron and Toby. I would have liked a slightly longer epilogue to see what happened to them. An enjoyable read and it was nice to learn about a more hidden side to the sort of things that people would have got up to at that time.

Overall rating 3 out of 5

Reading Wrap Up May 2013

These are the books I read in May. I didn't read loads because the Dickens book took ages to get through!

Department 19 by Will Hill  --  2 / 5

Looking for Alaska by John Green  --  3 / 5

Hush, Hush by Becca Fizpatrick  --  1 / 5

Wonder by R J Palacio  --  4 / 5

Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens  --  4 / 5

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief

Twelve year old Percy Jackson struggles at school. He can’t concentrate he has trouble reading words and is always getting in to fights. He doesn’t know why this is happening to him. He just wants to be like everyone else and not get expelled from school. One day he goes on a school field trip and his world changes forever. He discovers that there is a reason for the way he is. That reason is that his father happens to be a Greek God. This makes him tougher and able to do things that normal humans can’t do. He has no time to digest this though, because he is being accused of stealing Zeus’ lightning bolt. And you don’t want to upset Zeus. Percy and his friends must find out who is framing him and get Zeus his bolt back.

Reading the book, you wouldn’t think Percy was only twelve. I’d put him at somewhere between fourteen and sixteen. He has a lot of fighting to do that just seems beyond a twelve year old, even if he is half-god. At other times he does come across as a petulant pre-teen. He did annoy me a fair bit but I think that’s more my fault as, obviously, this is not aimed at me. I did enjoy Annabeth as she wasn’t afraid to get stuck in and was battling monsters right by Percy’s side. Most of the grown-ups in this book weren’t very nice, apart from Percy’s mum. I think most children wouldn’t notice this as they aren’t interested in grown-ups anyway. They’re more interested in connecting with people their own age. For the most part.

The book is set in the present day, except the Greek Gods are now living in America. This worked nicely as it means that the characters don’t have to go all the way to Greece to get to Mount Olympus. There was a bit of travelling as the gods have had to hide in plain sight to a certain extent. Some buildings are obscured so that humans can’t see them or disguised as something else. I like the idea of all that going on without you having any idea that they’re there. Seeing the gods taking advantage of modern technology is a nice touch too.

The book wasn’t excellently written but it does draw you in. Although it’s a children’s book it doesn’t talk down to children but the language isn’t so complex that they wouldn’t understand. It also teaches you something about the Greek Gods. In order to fight some of the monsters they come across Percy and his friends need to know who they are in order to know their weakness. It might have been nice to have a recap of the gods you meet in the back of the book with pictures as well so you could learn a bit more about them if you wanted. Each chapter is like a little adventure in itself. Something happens in each one to keep you reading and to keep you interested. Anything that will keep young boys reading is good in my book. I can’t really ask for more character information and Greek history as then it wouldn’t be a young children’s book anymore.

I found myself enjoying this book; it was a nice quick read. It quite clearly wasn’t written for me so I forgave it a lot. I didn’t expect an awful lot from it although there are plenty of people who enjoyed it so I was expecting it to be a fun book at least. Not having expectations means I wasn’t disappointed so just let it take me where it wanted to. There was the mystery of the theft of the bolt that there were clues for in the second half of the book. I guessed who one of the perpetrators was but there were some elements I didn’t get which was a nice surprise. I don’t think I’ll bother seeing the film but I will give the second book a go.

Overall rating 3 out of 5.