So~Bee~Love

American Dirt is a novel written by Jeanine Cummins. Earlier this year the book was released and immediately sparked controversy on social media. The novel is about a Mexican woman and her son and their journey across the border. There have been many thoughts on the book criticizing the content, the characters, and the intentions. Jeanine Cummin - Author One of the first things people scrutinized was not the book, but the author. With such a complex subject matter many people feel that someone with a personal connection would be better suited to write about the immigrant experience. Many people are calling it cultural appropriation since Cummins identifies as mostly white . But while criticism of her ethnic background was being questioned she acknowledged that she has a Puerto Rican grandmother. This was her way of legitimizing her closeness to the subject matter although being Puerto Rican and Mexican are two very different things. Our next book club selectio...

Importance of Independent Media Book Launch In the Fall of 2019, I was enrolled in journalism selected topics course where we learned about the history of independent media and its impact in the journalism sphere. Through this class, I was able to learn about a plethora of independent outlets that are doing amazing reporting on important stories that mainstream media won't cover or won't take the time to do the proper reporting. A large part of this course compared how mainstream media and independent news outlets report on hot button issues like climate change, police brutality, and even immigration. Class sessions were spaces where we critically critiqued mainstream media and the power they have to sway and influence public opinion. Author & Journalist Todd Miller During my time in the course I was exposed to a variety of guest speakers; authors and journalists who were experts in their fields. One of whom was Todd Miller, author of Empire of Border...

Book Overview - johngreenbooks.com Sixteen-year-old Aza never intended to pursue the mystery of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Russell Pickett’s son, Davis. Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts. The Good, Bad and Ugly The greatest attribute of this novel is the fact that mental illness is an integral part of the storyline. Although I was excited to see a depiction of this in a novel, especially in the main character, I thought some things fell short. Considering the plot, I felt the story didn't flow as well as it could have. There were a lot of moving parts that didn't mesh well. It felt like I was r...

Plot Overview This book explores the life of a teenager who wakes up in a different body of someone their age, never the same person twice. This teen has been living like this for sixteen years, living each day for that person and never getting too involved in their life. But when they meet Rhiannon everything changes. Qualms The books overall sentiment was that love transcends all and that A was special because they didn't identify as any gender or race and had lived through all walks of life giving them a unique perspective on the world. And although to many people this seemed to be a progressive book, I thought the intent was great but the execution was horrible. First,  can we talk about how all the characters were defaulted to be white? As I was reading I found it uncomfortable the way POC characters were introduced to the reader and the use of stereotypes and lack of originality with the characterization. As a Latina, I felt great offense about the ...

I've said this many times before I consider myself to be an avid reader. There are a few books that I'd love to add to my personal library but these are all by famous people. A lot of people say that celebrity books aren't the best but I have a list of quality books that I think will be an interesting read. All of these books detail experiences from the author's life. I think that all of the authors were very vulnerable in what they shared within these pages. Although I haven't read the books I have thumbed through some pages of these books and read reviews and also seen them talk about their books. The Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish "Tiffany can’t avoid being funny—it’s just who she is, whether she’s plotting shocking, jaw-dropping revenge on an ex-boyfriend or learning how to handle her newfound fame despite still having a broke person’s mind-set. Finally poised to become a household name, she recounts with heart and humor how she came fro...

Do you ever read a book and wish that a film studio picked it up to make it a movie? Or, have you ever watched a movie and found out that it was a book? Well, we've all been there and this year I wanted to start writing about it! I consider myself to be an avid reader and film watcher, so why not combine both of the things that I love to do? Plot Overview Ella of Frell is a girl from a land of fairies, ogres, and giants. In this land, all newborn babies are given a gift from a fairy godmother (much like the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale). But Ella's fairy godmother gives her the gift of obedience, which may seem like a gift but its more like a curse. Throughout the story Ella is trying to break the spell while traveling all over the land fighting ogres, finding princes and sneaking around her stepsisters. Book The book that started it all was written by Gail Carson Levine and published in 1997. Intended for young teens this was a fairytale story that had notes of S...