Things Fall Apart

Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. 1992. 181p. ISBN 0-679-44623-0. Available at FIC ACH on the library shelves.

European colonial powers spread throughout Africa during the 1800s, but some areas were not reached until late in the century. When the white man, his religion and his government arrived in the area, it immediately created conflicts between the traditional ways of the local inhabitants and the new beliefs espoused by converts and those who saw a benefit to joining a new administration.

Okonkwo lives in the village of Umuofia, in what is now Nigeria. Well known for his wrestling and warfare abilities, Okonkwo swore when he was a child that he would never be like his father, a deadbeat who was indolent and had raked large debts with anyone who would lend him money. Even as a child, he promised himself he would be wealthy and secure the tribe’s four titles. Okonkwo worked hard and amassed wives and a large compound. As a serious man he became one of the tribe’s leader.

His relationships with his wives and children were often violent, but Okonkwo always considered himself a just man. When asked by the tribe’s seer to kill a child that had been placed in his care, he did not hesitate. This decisiveness made him a man to be reckoned with in the tribe. Unfortunately, an accidental gun discharge during a ceremony kills a boy, and forces Okonkwo into exile to the lands of his mother.

Taking his whole family there, Okonkwo rebuilds his wealth and awaits the end of the seven years of banishment from Umuofia. During this time, however, Europeans arrive in Nigeria. The missionaries are first to arrive, followed closely by soldiers and administrators. When Okonkwo returns to Umuofia, he sees first hand the havoc Europeans have cause to his tribe. Old cherished customs and traditions are now being replaced by Christianity and new ways of doing things, and Okonkwo is unable to adapt. In the end, Okonkwo would rather die than lose his way of life to the newcomers.

The first celebrated African novel, Things Fall Apart continue to be widely read in schools and remains popular today for its portrayal of pre-colonial life.

Noragami: Stray God, Vol. 7

Adachitoka. Noragami: Stray God, Vol. 7. 2015. 159p. ISBN 978-1-63236-102-8. Available in the Graphic Section of the library.

With the confrontation between Bishamon and Yato behind them, Hiyori decides to host a picnic so that both parties can reconcile. Her efforts are rewarded by a tense and fragile peace, but the spirit of Suzuha, embodied in the cherry tree, is finally at rest.

Hiyori’s dedication to saving Yato from oblivion has a drawback, she realizes, when Yato takes over her body and begins a marketing campaign to boast of the services he can provide. Suddenly, there is a gap between how the real Hiyori and the possessed one act, causing a rift between her friends.

Yato is determined to accumulate enough money to build a shrine, and Ebisu, of the seven Gods of Fortune, offers him a large sum of money to lure Yukimé away. Both Yato and Yukimé are tempted by this offer, but in the end decide to remain together. Noticing this, Hiyori decides to solve Yato’s problems and builds him a mini shrine. Yato is so happy he sheds tears of joy.

Meanwhile, masked Ayakashis continue to plague the land, driven by a mysterious power. As Yato gets promoted to the status of a God, he runs one more mission with his former stray, who reveals she is acquainted with this mysterious power ...

The story continues in Noragami Stray God, vol. 8.

The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora

Cartaya, Pablo. The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora. 2017. 256p. ISBN 9781101997239. Available at FIC CAR on the library shelves.

Thirteen-year-old Arturo’s family is intense. His grandmother owns one of the best restaurants in all of Canal Grove, a neighborhood in Miami. His mother now runs the restaurant, but Abuela visits often. Many of his relatives work here too, and they all live in the same apartment complex. The family would love to enlarge the restaurant, which sits on a city-owned property, by using the empty lot next door, also owned by the city. But William Pipo, a developer with deep pockets, wants to throw a large complex on the entire block.

At the same time, the daughter of Arturo’s mother’s best friend, and her father, come from Spain to spend a few months in Miami with the family following her death. Arturo remembers her as a lanky kid, but in the last few years she’s turned gorgeous. Arturo is pretty sure he’s in love with her, but even though she’s not related she feels like family.

So Arturo’s plan for the summer is simple. With his best friends away to camp and traveling, there’s only three things to do. He must save the restaurant. He must get Carmen. And he must make his Abuela proud of her favorite grandchild. Except that nothing is about to work out, and Arturo’s life is going to experience an epic fail. Refusing to let failure ruin him, however, Arturo is about to have the summer of his life!

Strategic Inventions of the Civil War

Byers, Ann. Strategic Inventions of the Civil War. Part of the Tech in the Trenches series. 2016. 978-1-5026-1030-0. Available at 973.7 BYE on the library shelves.

The greatest conflict to take place on American soil, the Civil War arose due to numerous issues, but centered on the role slavery played in the economy of the country. This was the first modern war to be fought, with machine guns, rifles that could fire at over 1,000 feet, trains that could deliver soldiers and supplies to battles several hundred miles apart in a manner of days, a telegraph system that could transmit information across the entire continent in under a day, and the creation of a steam-powered iron and steel navy.

These inventions, created by the first Industrial Revolution, powered the conflict and allowed neither side to gain the upper hand during the first two years of the conflict. The North’s overwhelming economic and industrial superiority finally began to make a difference in the later years of the war, forcing the South to be on the defensive and ultimately to surrender.

New advances in technology forced adaptation on the battlefield. The type of war familiar to veterans entering the Civil War no longer existed a year later. New rifles meant that lines of soldiers could be mowed down before they had time to set up and aim. Artillery became defensive in nature. More tracks were built to allow trains to travel faster and further. The naval battle between two ironclad ships instantly rendered wooden ships of the line obsolete. The telegraph allowed the Commander in Chief to direct the war effort and to provide political decisions to commanders in the field in a manner of hours. Submarines and underwater mines were built to overcome the Northern blockade.

Many of today’s weapons and infrastructure are directly descending from the inventions that saw their first industrial use in the Civil War. Fans of history and of the U.S. Civil War will enjoy reading about how life changed dramatically in a short span of four years.

A Taxonomy of Love

Allen, Rachel. A Taxonomy of Love. Amulet/Abrams. 2018. 336p. ISBN 978-1419725418. Available at FIC ALL on the library shelves.

Spencer suffers from a mild form of Tourette’s Syndrome. Though he has ticks and verbal outbursts, he considers himself lucky because none of them are swears. Unfortunately, living with a mild case of Tourette still marks him as different than the other kids. Spencer’s older brother, Dean, is handsome and comfortable around girls and has many friends. Spencer, not so much. Spencer is pleased Hope Birdsong moves in next door with her family before the beginning of 7th grade. He is immediately smitten by Hope, who’s also going into 7th grade. But Dean, who is a few years older than Spencer, notices Hope too, and Spencer is afraid she will succumb to his charms like every other female.

Hope’s older sister and best friend, Janie, is amazing and travels all over the world. Hope really looks up to Janie, who has a calming and centering effect on her younger sister. When tragedy strikes and Janie dies, however, Hope is left without a center of gravity, and Spencer is just not enough to fill it. Lost, Hope loses sight of Spencer and they drift apart. Despite multiple sabotage attempts on their friendship, Hope and Spencer still hope to themselves in the end, but a tragedy and life might just get in the way.

Over the course of middle and high school, Spencer and Hope’s relationship experiences the ups and downs of trying to figure out if there is more to this friendship than being good neighbors who listen. Spencer loves taxonomy and organization, and he categorizes everything, including his relationships. Each section of the book represents another year in Spencer’s life and features a visual taxonomy of how he perceives his life at that moment. Hope and Spencer are realistically written and experience events most teens live through at one point or another. Like two orbiting planets, they are drawn to and repulse each other as they age and mature. Fans of Highly Illogical Behavior will appreciate the two characters’ attempt to reach each other despite everything that happens over the course of six years.

The Mythmaker

Harrell, Mary. The Mythmaker. 2018. 148p. ISBN 978-1-63051-500-3. Available at FIC HAR on the library shelves.

Katie Neumann comes from a large family, but the birth of the youngest member also brings about her mother’s death, and at thirteen Katie finds herself motherless. Her father, overwhelmed with seven children to take care of, quickly remarries to a woman who doesn’t care about the children, since they are not “blood” related. Growing up without a mother is tough, and Katie finds herself having to figure out being a woman by herself, without the caring help a mother can provide.

When an angel first comes to visit, Katie is pleased that her mother sent her some help. Over the course of the next three years, as Katie grows up and begins to understand who she is, she establishes a trusted relationship with the angel, who provides her with guidance and comfort as she deals with younger sibling, an uncaring step-mother, and a father who won’t understand reason.

A personal myth of sorrow and growth, The Mythmaker will be appreciated by anyone who has suffered the loss of a close relative.

Brave Enough

Gardner, Kati. Brave Enough. 2018. 320p. ISBN 978-1635830200. Available at FIC GAR on the library shelves.

Cason Martin has been working her whole life towards joining the Studio Company of the American Ballet Theater, the best ballet school in the country. The best dancer at her mother’s school, Cason breathes and lives ballet. In the last few days leg has been strained, a presence so painful her knee and tight are swollen and every movement sends stabbing shards of pain up her spine. A perfect performance in her audition for a spot at the Studio Company will take her away from Atlanta and her controlling mother, but a discovery right after her performances has her struggling for more than dance. She has cancer in her leg, and the best outcome includes several chemotherapy sessions and physical therapy, while the worst, short of death, involves a leg amputation.

Arrested for possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, Davis Channing did a stint in rehab and avoided prison by being sentenced to community service in the oncology service of the Children’s Hospital, the same place he spent time as a cancer patient four years ago. Haunted by the decisions he made while using drugs, his brain still craves for one more hit, and sobriety is a constant daily battle.

When Davis enters Cason’s room, she at first believes he can’t understand what she’s going through, plus she knows of his arrest and sentence. For his part, though he can’t relate to her desire to dance again, Davis knows what it’s like to live with cancer and to be addicted to something, and he knows that Cason will need a friend in the weeks and months ahead. As they spend more time together, however, they soon discover that they have more in common than they thought. An accident in the shower and the re-apparition of Alexis and Ethan, Davis’ ex-girlfriend and his dealer, however, threaten both of their futures. Are they brave enough to confront their demons and move forward?

Cason’s frustration at being a cancer patient, then an amputee, come through clearly in the vivid descriptions of daily life. Davis’ struggles with addiction are palpable and realistic. Natalie’s powerful conversion from smothering dance coach in complete denial about her daughter’s cancer to understanding and caring mother adds an element of healing to the story. However, the myriad discussions on going to Camp Chemo throughout the book build an expectation that is not fulfilled at the end, and though Cason dances again, the conclusion feels rushed and incomplete. Sparse use of swear words and authentic descriptions of drug abuse make this book more appropriate for older teens. Fans of John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars or of A.J. Bett’s Zac & Mia will enjoy this story of healing.