Sierra
Baruh
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
The first book we read as a class was The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. This book is about a young girl named Esperanza who dreams of having a large house and successful life. All throughout the book Esperanza meets characters who shape her into the woman she turns out to be. Readers see Esperanza go from an immature young girl in the beginning of a book to a responsible mature woman by the end. Esperanza wants to escape Mango Street using only her education. Throughout the book she learns that she needs to value her education and make the most of her childhood. I really liked the poetic style of this book, I think that it made the book more interesting and easier to read. I also enjoyed that the book was based off of Sandra Cisneros’ childhood. It made the book a lot more relatable. Throughout the book readers learn from Esperanza and the surrounding characters that even if you have a hard childhood you can take control of your life and make it into something great.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Our first book club book this year was The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. This book is about a teenage boy named Junior who goes through different challenges over the course of the book. He lives on an Indian Reservation but does not feel like he is fitting in. Throughout the book Junior has a hard time deciding between staying loyal to the people he grew up with or becoming a young man with a sufficient education. Junior is determined to make the most of his life so he decides to leave his school on the Spokane Indian Reservation for a school in the all white town of Reardan where he is the only Indian aside from their school mascot. When Junior leaves the reservation he loses a lot of friends because they feel like he is betraying their community. With help from his new friends and teachers at Reardan High School he regains the trust and friendship of his neighbors on the reservation. I thought that the way this book was written was really entertaining. I think that it is a good book for teenagers to read because it shows them that everyone is going through something hard and you always need to try your best to make the most of your life.
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
The second book that we read as a class was The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. This book tells the story of a race car driver named Denny and the hardships he encounters throughout his life. The interesting thing about this book is that it is told from the perspective of his dog, Enzo. The story starts at the end, giving you a glimpse of how Enzo and Denny’s lives will change throughout the book. Then goes back to explain all of the little moments in their lives. Over the course of the book Denny finds love, experiences a lot of joy and heartbreak and deals with a lot of things in a very mature way. I really enjoyed reading this book. It explains everyday things that happen in life in a new way. Enzo is a very smart and articulate dog and he has a reasoning for everything that happens to himself and Denny in the book. I also really enjoyed that this book was written from the perspective of a dog rather than a human. It gives a new outlook on things that happen in life and helps to make it more understandable for the reader. By reading this book, the audience can learn that even if life throws a lot of hard things at you, if you stay positive and never give up you can turn any situation around.