#FRC2014 - Rebels by Jill Williamson

  

SYNOPSIS

The Safe Lands have long kept the true meaning of Liberation secret from their people. But after being sentenced to Liberation themselves, Mason and Omar soon discover the truth. 

Levi watched his brothers’ public sentencing and tries to hold out hope they are still alive, He is forced to focus his attention elsewhere, however, when his new wife, Jemma, is captured and made the Safe Lands’ newest Queen. His only choice to save Jemma may be to take up Omar’s old role of undercover vigilante, leading the rebels in their quest to overthrow the government. But will Levi’s new role be enough?

Meanwhile, Jemma’s sister, Shaylinn, is ready to give birth to the “Safe Lands’” children … but not even Ciddah is sure they can be delivered safely in the midst of a rebellion. And Mason must face the fact Omar’s illness could be fatal.

If they can all unite their efforts, together they may be able to expose the Safe Lands’ lies to the people. But if they fail, they will all surely die.

GoodReads * Amazon (Kindle) * Amazon (Paperback)

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REVIEW

Unlike many of Williamson's readers, Rebels introduced me to a new author. Rebels is the final installment in The Safe Lands trilogy. As a new reader to the series, the 'Safe Lands' did not seem very safe to me at all. But I'm sure most of the people who did not live in the Highlands would agree with me. There was kind of a Logan's Run feel, but here the older citizens of the society are 'liberated' and very few people know what occurs during or after liberation. Many assume it is death. No one has ever returned from liberation - until now.

There is a prevalent illness in the Safe Lands, called the 'thin plague'. One of the side effects is that babies are unable to be conceived naturally and artificial insemination is the order of the day, whether or not the surrogates are willing. When they no longer have enough women able to carry children, they go outside the Safe Lands borders to kidnap the women they need.

I knew going in that this was a dystopian novel. I have nothing against the genre, but have seen enough and see enough 'real life' to make me sufficiently pessimistic about human nature. So I tend to read a lighter fare.

Having said that, I was pleasantly surprised by Rebels. Yes, there was a lot of "how can people do that to each other", but there was also a lot of hope. There are still relationships, people still have babies, people still get surprised by other people (for good or bad). Many, many story threads are expertly woven together to form a consistent picture and story.

The only thing that surprised me more was seeing Rebels listed on GoodReads as (also in Christian fiction). There are some Biblical references and kerfuffles with the 'Kindred', a group of people who live in a group of underground houses to keep themselves safe from the Safe Landers - and who are a conservative people. Many don't want outside influences disturbing their way of life. The upshot is the book does not thump you on the head with religion.

Reading Rebels also made me glad my younger son has a keen interest in the 'prepper' shows.

Rebels engages readers of many levels. I worried over Mason and Omar's safety as they settled into their new lives in the Lowlands. They were both under the standard liberation age of 40, but they were 'strikers', or people who had committed infractions against the Safe Lands, so they were liberated early. I struggled with Shaylinn as she faced having twins early in the underground housing. I gave hearty thumbs up to Tova (the Kindred leader's wife) who got past her distrust of the outsiders for the sake of helping Shaylinn deliver her twins. And so many others. Rebels is a sweeping story and a rambunctious ride. It's also a darned good answer to the question "what should I read next?"

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AUTHOR INFORMATION

Website * Facebook * Twitter * GoodReads

Jill Williamson is weird, which is probably why she writes science fiction and fantasy novels for teenagers. She grew up in Alaska with no electricity, an outhouse, and a lot of mosquitoes. Thankfully it was the land of the midnight sun, and she could stay up and read by the summer daylight that wouldn’t go away. But the winter months left little to do but daydream. Both hobbies set her up to be a writer. Her debut novel, a medieval fantasy called By Darkness Hid, won an EPIC Award, a Christy Award, and was named a Best Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror novel of 2009 by VOYA magazine. Jill has since published twelve books. Jill loves working with teenagers and encouraging them to respect their dreams. She speaks and gives writing workshops at libraries, schools, camps, and churches. She lives in Oregon with her husband, two children, and a whole lot of deer. 

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(Disclosure:  I received a print copy of Rebels from the author and publisher via the Book Sparks' Fall Reading Challenge 2014 in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.)

#FRC2014 - Week 3 - Ghosting by Edith Pattou

Course: Poetry 101

Required reading: Ghosting by Edith Pattou

Department: Young Adult

Course Date: Week of September 22

Have a love for drama and poetry? Then this course is a must for you! Throughout this class you will learn about a group of teenagers’ perspectives on an end-of-the-summer prank gone wrong, written in verse. Alcohol, guns and a dare— within minutes, events collide and a group of teenager’s lives are altered forever.

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SYNOPSIS

On a hot summer night in a Midwestern town, a high school teenage prank goes horrifically awry. Alcohol, guns, and a dare. Within minutes, as events collide, innocents becomes victims—with tragic outcomes that alter lives forever, a grisly and unfortunate scenario that’s all too familiar. But victims can also become survivors, and as we come to know each character through his/her own distinctive voice and their interactions with one another, we see how, despite pain and guilt, they can reach out to one another, find a new equilibrium, and survive.

Told through multiple points of view in free verse and stream of consciousness, Ghosting is an unforgettable, haunting tale.

GoodReads * Amazon (Hardcover) * Amazon (Kindle)

(also available as an paperback, audiobook download and mp3 cd)

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REVIEW

As I have done in previous coursework, I started reading the required text without consulting the syllabus, so when I leafed through the book, the shortness and irregularity of the lines made me wonder what was going on.  Before the end of the first page, the free-form poetic descriptions had me caught in their spell.

Ghosting is arranged as a series of poems (or chapters, if you will).  Each poem is narrated in first person, and descriptions of activity are handled by the narrator referring to the others in the 3rd person.  It reminded me of an essay I wrote for a college English class describing the afternoon my father passed away.  The first person POV, along with the frequent use of present tense, makes the horror more immediate.

For example:

past tense - The bullet grazed my arm; I saw the blood drip out of the wound.

present tense - I see the bullet grazing my arm and the blood flowing out of the wound.

One reason a high school graduation is called 'commencement' is because it represents a transition from the end of childhood to the beginning of adulthood.  A young person's 'whole life' is supposed to be 'in front of them'.  But you add a little angst, a little cockiness, some alcohol, a little bit of drugs, a little sneaking out, and a gun in the glove compartment and some people's lives will never be the same.

I don't know if Ms. Pattou channeled young people or is just extremely observant,   The range of emotions through which the characters go, and which her readers feel is staggering  - and I mean that it the best possible way.

For people who run screaming at the thought of poetry, Ghosting reads like a novel. The action is tense, the wording concise and taut, and the characters are unforgettable.  

When I finished the book, I went and hugged each of my children - two young men (ages 16 and 17) and one tween girl (age 11).  And, as 'extra credit' (bonus), we had a good talk about the balance between responsibility and  recreation.  Score!

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AUTHOR INFORMATION

Website * Facebook * Twitter * GoodReads

From her website:

Edith Pattou is the author of Ghosting, a contemporary novel for young adults, told in free verse. She also wrote three award-winning fantasy novels for young adults – East, a retelling of the Norwegian folk tale "East of the Sun and West of the Moon," and the two Songs of Eirren, Hero’s Song and Fire Arrow. She is also the author of the New York Times bestselling picture book, Mrs. Spitzer’s Garden.

She was born in Evanston, Illinois, grew up in Winnetka, and was a teenager in the city of Chicago where she attended Francis W. Parker School. She completed her B.A. at Scripps College in Claremont, California where she won the Crombie Allen Award for creative writing. She later completed a Masters degree in English Literature at Claremont Graduate School followed by a Masters of Library and Information Science at UCLA.

She has worked for a medical association, a clothing boutique, a recording studio, the Playboy Foundation, a public television station, a school library, two public libraries, two advertising agencies, and two bookstores.
She has lived in Chicago, Los Angeles, Denver, Durham, NC, Cambridge, England, Stockholm, Sweden, and currently resides with her husband, Charles, in Columbus, Ohio.

From the course description:

Edith Pattou has found acclaim as a writer in middle-grade fantasy with such award-winning books as East, which received starred reviews in Booklist and School Library Journal; was selected as a Top Ten Book for YA, an American Library Association Notable Book, a School Library Journal Top Ten YA Book, one of the 100 Best of the Best YA Books for the 21st Century by the Young Adult Library Services Association; and was nominated for numerous state awards. It’s a nominee for NPR’s all-time Best YA Novels list.

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(Disclosure:  I received a print copy of Ghosting from the author and publisher via the Bookspark Fall Reading Challenge 2014 in exchange for my honest review.  Bookspark set up the challenge as a set of  classes, with different "required reading".  I have tried to keep up the educational lingo in these review posts because I appreciate the hard work that went into planning the program, and because it's FUN!)

#FRC2014 - Week 1 - Mating for Life by Melissa Stapley

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Course: Guide to Women’s Studies

Required reading: Mating for Life by Marissa Stapley

Department: Women’s Fiction

Course Date: Week of September 8

With honesty and heart-warming humor this course will transport you into four women’s lives. While you watch them navigate their chaotic and unconventional lifestyles, they realize the many modern roles woman play and that some love can really last a lifetime.

SYNOPSIS

This captivating debut explores marriage, motherhood, identity, and what it takes to love someone—family members, friends, or spouses—for life.

Former folk singer Helen Sear was a feminist wild child who proudly disdained monogamy, raising three daughters—each by a different father—largely on her own. Now in her sixties, Helen has fallen in love with a traditional man who desperately wants to marry her. And while she fears losing him, she’s equally afraid of abandoning everything she’s ever stood for if she goes through with it.

Meanwhile, Helen’s youngest daughter, Liane, is in the heady early days of a relationship with her soul mate. But he has an ex-wife and two kids, and her new role as a “step-something” doesn’t come with an instruction manual. Ilsa, an artist, has put her bohemian past behind her and is fervently hoping her second marriage will stick. Yet her world feels like it is slowly shrinking, and her painting is suffering as a result—and she realizes she may need to break free again, even if it means disrupting the lives of her two young children. And then there’s Fiona, the eldest sister, who has worked tirelessly to make her world pristine, yet who still doesn’t feel at peace. When she discovers her husband has been harboring a huge secret, Fiona loses her tenuous grip on happiness and is forced to face some truths about herself that she’d rather keep buried.

Interweaving the alternating perspectives of Helen, her daughters, and the women surrounding them, “each new chapter brings a wise and tender look at single life, dating rituals, and marital unease” (New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Close). In this “absolute feat of storytelling” (bestselling author Grace O'Connell), Marissa Stapley celebrates the many roles modern women play, and shows that even though happy endings aren’t one-size-fits-all, some loves really can last for life.

GoodReads * Amazon (Paperback) * Amazon (Kindle)

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MY REVIEW

Do women want/need to be married to a 'good provider' in order to feel happy, fulfilled and secure?  Depends on the woman.  

Helen would say "no" - after all, she had three daughters, raised mostly on her own, with three different men; she's built her life around the philosophy that women don't need men.  But lately she has discovered the downside of eating many meals alone.  Fiona, the oldest girl, is married to said good provider.   Right before her annual 'weekend with the girls' in her family, she finds out her husband had a daughter some 20 years ago and had no part in raising her.  Fiona is not sure she can forgive her husband and asks him to move out.  Ilsa, the middle sister, is also married to a good provider, who happens to be Fiona's husbands best friend, but finds herself bored to tears - apparently she is more used to a snappier social life.  Then there is Liane, the youngest, who is pseudo-engaged at the beginning of the book, finds her soulmate next door from the weekend cottage ... who is there with his wife and two daughters.

Ah..."the course of true love never did run smooth." (A Midsummer Night's Dream Ii, by William Shakespeare.)

A fair amount of the initial chapters follows the inner thoughts of the main female characters.  There's not a lot of 'action', and some readers may have a little trouble if they are used to go, go, go....  But with the types of situations the mother and daughters are experiencing, it lends itself to reflection and introspection.

And let's face it.  Marriage is not a fast-food wrapper.  You can't just ball it up and toss it in the trash when it has lost its usefulness.  And what about children of the union?  Will they be angry?  Will they feel sad or responsible?

When I divorced my first husband, the thought ran through my head, "If they made you jump through half as many hoops to get married in the first place as they do to dissolve your union, the divorce rate would go down!"

If you like books with a lot of internal dialogue, you will like Mating for Life.  If you like family dramas, you will like Mating for Life.  If you like women's fiction, should just open up another tab and head straight to your favorite online bookstore to buy Mating for Life.

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AUTHOR INFORMATION

Website * GoodReads * Facebook * Twitter

Marissa Stapley is a National Magazine Award nominated writer and former magazine editor whose work has appeared in the Globe and Mail, National Post, Elle Canada, and many others. Mating for Life (Atria Books; Simon & Schuster Canada) is her first novel. When Marissa is not writing, she’s reading. (In fact, she never goes anywhere without a book. Except maybe swimming.) Some of her favourite authors are Meg Wolitzer, Julia Glass, Alice Munro, John Irving, Lauren Groff, Margaret Atwood and James Salter. She lives in Toronto with her husband and two children, where she teaches writing, and is working on another novel.

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(Disclosure:  I received a print copy of Mating for Life from the author and publisher via BookSparks in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.)