This audiobook was a great listen. A few times, I thought it would have been amazing to have Britney's music playing in the background but I guess it'This audiobook was a great listen. A few times, I thought it would have been amazing to have Britney's music playing in the background but I guess it's not possible. I can't imagine what Britney went through being talented and popular as she was then. I loved her music growing up. I listened to her songs all the time. I still kept her CD even until today. It's definitely sad that her family treated her that way. I have never read her mom's book or her sister's book. Thank goodness for that. I'm so glad she finally tell her side of the story. I get teary eyed to know what she went through. And I dislike how people take advantage of a woman through her kids. It's hard to believe that family is the ones who are supposed to love you but chose to hurt you instead. I'm glad she has her freedom now.
Thank you Simon Audio for the complimentary audiobook!...more
Thank you PRHAudio for the complimentary audiobook! Thank you Doubleday Books for the opportunity to read and review!
This story is narrated by the autThank you PRHAudio for the complimentary audiobook! Thank you Doubleday Books for the opportunity to read and review!
This story is narrated by the author. It's great! I enjoyed it. Good humor. The book discusses about variety of different topics and tips. The start of the story is about snoring husband and the author's friends' common agreement with their husbands snoring too and on sleep arrangements so that the couple can still have a good night sleep. All of the things Helen mentioned, I have done them: kick the husband to stop him from snoring and then pretending to sleep ...more
Excellent memoir. Fantastic read. Heartbreaking. This memoir followed the author's life: childhood, life in prison, and after prison. Her mom was abusExcellent memoir. Fantastic read. Heartbreaking. This memoir followed the author's life: childhood, life in prison, and after prison. Her mom was abused by her grandpa so her mom pretty much abandoned her life to drugs and men and physically abusing her kids. The older kids escaped their mom's rage but Sara was left behind. They lived in the poor neighborhood, but it was her mom's abandonment and abusive behaviors that Sara was lured and groomed by older men who would later used her for sex and sex trafficking. She was only 11 and 12, too young to know how to stay away from bad men, especially when her mom left her hungry and men offered her free foods. Her mom was too busy to keep Sara safe.
Later Sara dated a guy who had an uncle that was in the drug business. They learned that Sara's pimp always carried cash on him so they set up to where Sara ended up killing her pimp and went to prison for it. Sara served 20 years even though her original sentence was for life.
I enjoyed reading this memoir. It's sad that Sara went through so much at such a young age. It might seem like she's trusting and gullible but it's not because she was not nurtured by a caring parent who would have reminded her repeatedly to stay away from strangers. I liked learning of good people helping her to obtain her freedom. Among the bad people who hurt her, I'm glad she able to find some good people in her life. Better late than never. I highly recommend everyone to read this book!
Thank you Pantheon Books for the opportunity to read and review. ...more
Read for my toddler’s bedtime. So sad about kids and people living near the landfills and looking through landfill for something valuable to sell for Read for my toddler’s bedtime. So sad about kids and people living near the landfills and looking through landfill for something valuable to sell for survival. An inspiring story as well. Chavez decided to teach children in town to keep them out of trouble. They were short on instruments so they use the landfill for materials to build their own instruments and it paid off. The children practice a lot and became good at playing music. Eventually, They were invited to play all over the world.
Read for my toddler’s bedtime. A good story about a woman named Isatou in Gambia, West Africa taking action against the piles of plastic bags growing Read for my toddler’s bedtime. A good story about a woman named Isatou in Gambia, West Africa taking action against the piles of plastic bags growing on the roads. She cleaned them then reused these plastic bags to make beautiful purses. The plastics have been killing animals on land and in ocean. It stays forever and ever after people discarded it. The story was a good read and I loved reading about someone doing good things.
A fantastic read, this autobiography gave me a glimpse into foreign cultures and traditions I was not expecting to learn. Especially what Maasai boys A fantastic read, this autobiography gave me a glimpse into foreign cultures and traditions I was not expecting to learn. Especially what Maasai boys and girls went through, the young boys and girls around 12 years olds are getting circumcised without anesthesia to be considered men and women. The age-mates’ rules for sharing wives was an unexpected surprise. As I read, I googled Maasai houses to see how they looked like. It’s interesting that the women were the ones to build the houses which were made of dung and mud. Won’t that be stinky? I loved learning the hospitality of the Maasai people. I enjoyed reading the tales within this book. I cringed when I read the process of the cut. Ouch! The story behind it was a severed form of punishment. Child abuse always make me sad and so sad that in other parts of the country, kids were made to work so hard that they could forfeit their childhood and even their life. Growing up in rural villages but have the desire for higher education is one of a kind and I admire Nice and other girls for having that interest, especially at a young age. That’s awesome that the author was invited to give a TED Talks. I need to watch it.
This book started with an introduction to the author and her names. Then the story began where Nice grew up, a Maasai Village near Kenya and Tanzania with the view of Mount Kilimanjaro. The small town was dry with dust everywhere and their homes were small with just the beds made of stretched cowhide for furniture. She has an older brother Kevin, sister named Soila who was 3 years older than her and a younger brother. Young Maasai children were required to have their cheeks tattooed with a heated metal circle. To be considered men and women, pre-teen boys and girls were required to be circumcised. The girls were to endured the cut of her clitoris, a tradition that was passed down from generations before. The story was that the clit makes women lustful and bad decisions were made through the feelings of lust; therefore the cut was practiced to keep women loyal. However, if girls refused to undergo the cut, they will be outcast, their family shamed, they won’t be considered adults and couldn’t get married. There were color pictures of the author’s family and relatives within this book. The author told her story starting 4 years old.
The Girls in the Wild Fig Tree was well written and unputdownable. The story pulled me in and kept me continue reading and turning the pages. I was fascinated by the different traditions of the Maasai people. The story of girls couldn’t say no to men was a vulnerable one because then girls were being taken advantage of sexually, possibly her mother who got married when pregnant with someone else’s kid. I admire Nice’s mom for her strength to carry so much: water on her head and arms and a baby on her back. Life sounded so tough in a small village and I knew of it because I have lived in one before when I was younger, though Africa sounded way poorer than mine. An inspirational read. I admire the author’s dad, having very little education but knew how to think to make a difference and made changes to the way of life, changing for the better of the Maasai people. Reading about Nice and the challenges she faced was inspiring. It helped that her grandfather had power, but mostly, she was persistent in her missions and it paid off. Even when she was outcast for her defiance of the cut, she didn’t care what people think and kept coming back to her hometown to help others. When Nice failed at her mission, she tried different tactics until she accomplished what she set out to do. Definitely amazing. I highly recommend everyone to read this book!
An excellent biography picture book! This story taught my son about Japanese culture, how the family put more hope and attention to the eldest son in An excellent biography picture book! This story taught my son about Japanese culture, how the family put more hope and attention to the eldest son in the family. It’s actually pretty similar to my Vietnamese background but my son didn’t believe me until he read this book for himself. It’s our first Japanese picture book read and we loved it. We recently visited a sushi restaurant called Osaka Sushi so my son can recall that the chef making our sushi was a man. I didn’t know making sushi was only a man’s job though so it was interesting to learn that in Japan, the skills were meant to pass down from father to son.
This book followed Niki as a young girl having dinner with her family in Los Angeles. Her siblings and her were born in US but her parents were born in Japan. They ate American foods marinaded with Japanese flavors. Niki liked foods since she was a little girl and she got excited every time her grandma invited her to go grocery shopping with her. As she grew older, she announced to her family that she wanted to be a Chef. She went to Japan after she graduated high school to explore different flavors of authentic Japanese foods to gather inspirations. Despite her family’s protests, she continued to pursue her dreams of becoming a Chef. Niki’s restaurant specialized on telling stories through her dishes, specifically 13 dishes for 13 stories. Consequently, customers will be served 13 different dishes at each of their separate visit and they won’t get to eat the same dishes every time. There were two Japanese words used within the story and a detailed explanation was provided for it at the end of the book.
Niki Nakayama: A Chef’s Tale in 13 Bites was well written and illustrated. This book was about Niki and being a daughter in a Japanese family, she had to prove herself to be taken seriously. She had to work harder than other men to obtain respect from the Chef at her internship. This book is a good story to inspire girls everywhere. There will always be someone saying they can’t do it but if they focus and work hard, they will be able to achieve anything. Of course success didn’t come immediately because from this story, readers saw that Nikki played it safe by following her mom’s advice first. The illustrations in this story were fantastic. There were multiple opportunities for my toddler to learn from looking through the pictures. The young Niki with straight black hair reminded her of her cousin so it’s no wonder she liked this story a bit more. I recommend everyone to read this book! (After reading this book, I watched 2 video interviews of Niki and her wife Carole on YouTube. I’m amazed that she came out considering Asians are very strict. Niki sure prove she can do anything).
Read for my toddler’s bedtime. Such a beautiful illustrations! Good story about a boy wanting to paint birds from a young age all way until he grows oRead for my toddler’s bedtime. Such a beautiful illustrations! Good story about a boy wanting to paint birds from a young age all way until he grows old. He got to travel to different countries to paint different types of birds.
Read for my toddler’s bedtime. A fantastic biography of Mary Anning, a paleontologist who discovered dinosaur fossils at a time when women was not allRead for my toddler’s bedtime. A fantastic biography of Mary Anning, a paleontologist who discovered dinosaur fossils at a time when women was not allowed to attend school let alone holding a professional job. She didn’t have any education and self taught through curiosities. Men didn’t accept her findings at first but she didn’t let that deter her and continued to learn and discovered more fossils. Loved the illustrations.
Read for my toddler’s nap time. A fantastic biography about Eugenie Clark, a shark lady. A girl who loved sharks at a young age, went through school tRead for my toddler’s nap time. A fantastic biography about Eugenie Clark, a shark lady. A girl who loved sharks at a young age, went through school to obtain her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degree to study sharks and spend time with sharks, diving deep into the ocean. She defied the norms by proving that women can be smart enough during a time when women should be a secretary or a housewife. Loved the illustrations!
A fantastic read, another installment with good humor and real life crisis. Excellent illustrations! I can imagine it’s hard to make individual faces,A fantastic read, another installment with good humor and real life crisis. Excellent illustrations! I can imagine it’s hard to make individual faces, hair, body image and clothes for so many characters. Love the glimpse into the illustrations process at the end of the book! Love seeing the publicity team’s eighth grade photos! Thanks for sharing! I like how this book influenced my son in a good way. Shannon was a straight A’s student who strived to win and be the best student. She wanted to make her parents proud but at the same time she wanted to do something and be somebody instead of thinking herself as a homemaker, a job most men think women should settle.
This book followed Shannon starting eighth grade. In seventh grade she made some friends, boys and girls so she continued the friendship in eighth grade. Even though she has friends, she still felt like she’s not good enough. She wanted to be beautiful, famous, successful, liked by boys, etc. She begged her mom to take her to a salon for a new hairstyle just to feel beautiful as her friends. Her friends all coupled up with boys except her. She worried if something was wrong with her when she had no boyfriend while her friends had many. She had a lot of emotions and constantly worrying that she’s not good enough. This worry spiraling downhill and made her depressed. Eventually she figured out a way to feel better and out of the depression hole.
Friends Forever was very well written and illustrated. It brought back a lot of memories for me. I felt exactly like Shannon with the boyfriend situation and the not beautiful. I do love those notes I passed back and forth with my friends too. There’s a book I read on this topic called Folded Notes from High School. This friends series is an awesome idea. A must read for kids everywhere. I liked how Shannon reached out to make friends and in the drama team despite how she usually doesn’t like the spotlight. An example is her runny nose in math class. She avoided at all costs to get up in front of the class to get a tissue off a teacher’s desk but she able to perform on stage. I like the issues of feeling not good enough vs feeling just enough. Reminding kids to love themselves and who they are is so important and I’m glad my son got the teaching from reading this book! I highly recommend everyone to read this series!
It’s great to have biography of someone who are actually alive. Kids can see a real living person doing the things they did written in books they readIt’s great to have biography of someone who are actually alive. Kids can see a real living person doing the things they did written in books they read rather than oh, the book was about someone they don’t know who died more than 50 years ago. Kids can verify for themselves who they are reading about because they most likely have seen him on TV during Covid-19 pandemic giving advice to the public about how to take care of themselves from contracting the virus. I liked how this book encouraged young readers that it’s good to ask questions and take the time to work out a problem and that all problems eventually has a solution. My husband liked how Dr. Fauci has a father figure to look up to and how his father supported him to not give up.
This book followed Dr. Fauci when he was a little boy always asking questions. He constantly searched for answers with an open mind to questions about the world and how everything works. “His family encouraged that curiosity.” His father cooked him delicious Italian foods and ran a drugstore. Dr. Fauci helped deliver prescriptions. When he struggle with homework, his father would be there to remind “him that every problem has a solution.” Dr. Fauci wasn’t a big guy but he found ways to gain acceptance and leadership to his advantage. In high school Dr. Fauci knew he wanted to be a doctor. He worked hard and graduated first of his class. Throughout his career, he encountered many major diseases like AIDS, West Nile, SARS, Ebola. With his questions and problem solving skills as well as keeping an open mind and communicating with scientists around the world, new information were discovered and vaccines got developed.
Dr. Fauci: How a Boy from Brooklyn Became America’s Doctor was well written and illustrated. I loved that illustrations of the small fish tank in Dr. Fauci’s room to the big ocean above outside of his room. It’s good to inform young readers of what happened during pandemic because they might only have been aware of what happened to themselves. A good encouragement to teamwork for readers to finding a solution to a big problem like Covid-19. Also a good reminder to readers to keep practicing to “don’t get discouraged. Don’t run away because you don’t understand the problem. Think about it carefully and try to work it out.” At the end of the book there are explanations on whether vaccines work and if they are safe. Dr. Fauci also offered 5 tips for future scientists. A fantastic book for kids and I highly recommend everyone to read it (despite the bad publicity that circulates around Dr. Fauci currently).
This book was a great read! The author's voice sounded honest about his experiences with gay bars and people he came across. I'm surprised to learn thThis book was a great read! The author's voice sounded honest about his experiences with gay bars and people he came across. I'm surprised to learn that women chose to have their bachelorette's party at a gay bar. There were many references in this book I wasn't aware of like the crimes against gay in the UK. I was aware of the nightclub shooting in Florida. I'm surprised of the X-Rated actions in the gay bars dance floor the author and his companion attended. I have been to a small gay bar and nothing like that happened haha.. I can't imagine how it's considered passion by burying his face to another's armpit. I'm surprised to learn that there are public urinal in London to collect discarded semen where men rendezvous in public places to reduce the odor left on the streets or alleyways. Interesting to know when the vocabulary of gay, gay bar, and coming out was first introduced. I liked the mentioned of Vietnamese in Little Brown books lately, this one and The Chain!
This book was told first hand of the author's experience at gay bars. The book started out at bars in London, then Los Angeles, back to London before heading off to San Francisco and so on. At the bar in London, the guys just shuffled him around and pushed him down onto his knees asking him to suck someone because his was the biggest one there while somebody commented that the place reeked of the smell of penis. There are pictures in each chapter and within the chapters.
Gay Bar was well written and an interesting read! Good history coverage of different gay bars and transferred of ownership and name changes. I'm glad that when gays became more exposed and less closeted, bars sprouted out all over to give people the place to feel acceptable and completely comfortable. I have been reading a lot of fiction these past few years that this nonfiction surprised me with many big vocabularies I couldn't understand and many references like a research paper. Not an easy read or am I getting less smart for reading too many fictions with simple vocabularies..
I didn't realize this book was the second to the series until I started to read it but it's okay to read as a stand-alone. I like the main character, I didn't realize this book was the second to the series until I started to read it but it's okay to read as a stand-alone. I like the main character, Shannon because she appeared humble and nice. This book has some great advices about friendship. I liked how Shannon felt bad for gossiping and being mean. She's a good role model when she stood up for herself by confronting Jenny of stealing her job. And she did it only after she thought it through. Shannon was good with earning money for her young age. The rules about friends with boys and girls are cute and funny. I loved the illustrations!
This book followed Shannon, a sixth grader. She's part of a group of girl friends but sometimes she felt left out. She didn't know the current cool songs that everyone seemed to know because her family listened to different kinds of music. She didn't know about the current TV shows because she's not allowed to watch TV on weeknights like her classmates. She felt like as soon as she's happy with her friends there seemed to be a new unwritten friend rule and then she fell out of the loops again. In between, Shannon typed up a story of her imagination that went parallel with what she experienced at school.
Best Friends was very well written, illustrated, and developed. I liked how Shannon went to her oldest sister, Wendy for consultation when there's a major event in her life, like a boy asking her out. The roller coasters part was cute/funny and it reminded me of the time I introduced my son his first ride and he was as scared as Shannon. That part with the stuff animals at the amusement park got me teary eyed. I loved the part about girls chasing boys and boys afraid of girl cooties. I loved this memoir and I'm so pumped to read Real Friends! I gave this book to my 8 years old to read right after I finished it. I highly recommend everyone to read this graphic novel!
This book was an informative and interesting read. I liked the story about the author's name. One thing we all have in common is worrying about what oThis book was an informative and interesting read. I liked the story about the author's name. One thing we all have in common is worrying about what other people think of us, queer or not, it happens to all of us. Growing up with cousins and all being taken care of by granny, awesome as she was, sounds fun. She's definitely the coolest grandma ever. The cowboy boots story had me smiling. I liked the advice about speaking up and other advices, including time.
This book started with an introduction about the author, how he came out to the world with a full head of hair and his aunt thought he was a girl. He discussed about gender and what society decide for a person and the activities that shape a person into that of boy or girl. He discussed about how the "n word" was buried so that the black community could be treated with respect. The author recalled being five and was a good actor so no other kids would make fun of him for the truth of his wants. This book is divided into four acts: a different kid, family, teenagers, and friends.
All Boys Aren't Blue is well written and full of honest disclosures. I'm glad that George did have relatives that were lgbt to support him and his family the basic knowledge while growing up. It would have been harder if his family didn't accept him being different. I like the letters within the story. The family photos are an added bonus. I'm glad someone taught him sex, better a trusting someone than a stranger who will take advantage of an innocent first time. I like the reasons of the book title. This memoir sure pulled out all emotions from me. I highly recommend everyone to read this book!
I started reading Naturally Tan on 5/11/2019 and finished it on 5/16/2019. This book is an excellent read. Normally memoirs put me to sleep but this bI started reading Naturally Tan on 5/11/2019 and finished it on 5/16/2019. This book is an excellent read. Normally memoirs put me to sleep but this book is actually written in a way that I feel like Tan is talking to me. It’s upbeat and honest and I found myself wanting to get to know him and learn from his experiences. I have never heard of Tan France and the Netflix show Queer Eye until I receive the surprise book mail, advance copy for review. I went on Netflix right after I open my book mail to watch two episodes from season 1. Tan worried about himself not being silly enough on the show compared to the other guys, but I thought their silliness is a bit annoying. I do love the end of the show because the transformation is gorgeous. From this book I learned that racism do exist in England too and not just in USA that I know of.
This book is told in the first person point of view following Tan France, a Netflix Queer Eye star specializing in fashion. He was born in England and experienced racism against Pakistanis for being a person of color. He learned fashion from an early age through his grandfather’s denim factory. He worked many different jobs growing up and travel to USA often for fun. While in USA he met Rob, now husband and they started dating. Since he couldn’t get married to a man to stay in USA with Rob, they continue their relationship long distance. Later he started a business in the fashion industry to obtain work permit and eventually US green card.
Naturally Tan is very well written and a fast paced read. I enjoyed reading his experiences in starting a business and the stress of keeping it afloat. Definitely interesting to learn about international press tours where Tan and the guys are in a room for up to 12 hours just answering questions from different reporters. Each time they answer a question they have to be excited like it’s their first time answering the question. Sounds intense. I’m also surprised that Pakistanis wanting their skin white just like Asians. I enjoy the different advices spread throughout the book. Definitely a good memoir to read to obtain a glimpse into show biz, fashion, marriage, etc. I highly recommend everyone to read this book!
Pro: fast paced, page turner, England, humor, advices, starting a business in fashion, press tours, Netflix auditions
Con: none
I rate it 5 stars!
***Disclaimer: Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review. Please be assured that my opinions are honest.
Yeah I pretty much read it overnight in one sitting! This memoir was a great read, though I loved book 2 a bit more. This book deals with bullies, botYeah I pretty much read it overnight in one sitting! This memoir was a great read, though I loved book 2 a bit more. This book deals with bullies, both at home and at school. Definitely hard being kids even though their main goal was to find one best friend. The next day I questioned my third grader if he was bullied in school and unfortunately yes and that it happened last year in second grade. I'm heartbroken that kids so young and already know how to be so cruel. Graphic novels are fast reads and I'm loving it. This memoir written this way makes the read fun and easy. The illustrations were excellent as well.
This book followed Shannon, being the middle child at age 6 who was often alone. Her two older sisters had each other because they were close in age as well as her two younger sister and brother. At school, she had trouble making friends. Eventually she was part of a group of friends but she was picked last as a favorite of the most popular girl in her grade. One mean girl in the group often made her cried. At home her older sister was mean to her. Shannon couldn't do anything right by her sister and she often run from the room crying. Until one day, Shannon happened to have a new group of friends in school where even the mean girl wanted to join.
Real Friends was a good read for kids everywhere. My third grader read twice on each book and like me, he also liked book 2 a bit more. Being a memoir, the experiences of feeling alone, feeling left out, feeling difficult to make friends are real that kids everywhere can easily relate to. I was not the popular girl in school and I wasn't part of the popular group so I was not aware of girls fighting over each other to sit on the right and on the left of the popular girl in school. That part got me wondering about my son but he said his school assigned lunch seats so that's even better! I recommend everyone to read this duology! I already recommended my sister-in-law to get the books for her kids!
My Experience: I started reading Boying Up on 6/8/18 and finished it on 8/29/18. (It’s silly that it took me this long to read because I have a probleMy Experience: I started reading Boying Up on 6/8/18 and finished it on 8/29/18. (It’s silly that it took me this long to read because I have a problem with reading one book but wanting to read another book, so this book got put on hold. There’s nothing against this book. I will definitely read this book again!) This book is an excellent read! I love children’s nonfiction for the very reason that it’s written in an easy to read & easy to comprehend style. It dumbs down with the vocabularies of everyday words that we are familiar with. It has illustrations to give us a visual on what is being discussed. I like the organization of this book with illustrations, boxes, and pictures instead of it being all wordy. I like how the author relates herself and her family in this book. It makes the read more of a memoir rather than a self-help book. I like the author’s clear explanation regarding friends with bad influences versus good influences.
This book’s audience is aim towards boys and young men. Boys will learn about how their body changes as they grow up and how to utilize the time they have. The author recommends that boys should be hands on and do more physical and mental activities instead of watching TV. She relates herself as being very active with musical instruments like playing the piano and the harp as well as being hands on in arts & crafts like learning how to sew from her mom. Readers will also learn to differentiate between good friends and not so good friends. This book will also cover how to be smart about dating, the feelings boys get when they like someone, and to understand about intimacy. Any parents who feel embarrassed about discussing with their sons about sex and pregnancy, this book has it cover too. There’s a chapter on dealing with stress that will be helpful to readers.
Boying Up is very well written and presented. Reading this book reminds me to drink more water and eat better. It lists the consequences with drinking less water and it shocks me how many of them I’m currently suffering. I like the reminder about external influences. I like tips about eating and schooling. My son likes learning about the voice box. I like the fun chapter on dating and the explanation on how it feels to crush on someone. I like the author’s advices on education and men who made history. This book is very positive and it gears toward preparing boys to grow into a happy and successful life. I would highly recommend all teens to read this book! There are so many excellent advices I love learning and I just couldn’t list them all on my review.
Pro: easy to read, useful tips, fast paced, page turner, illustrations, personal experiences, humor,
Con: none
I rate it 5 stars!
***Disclaimer: Many thanks to Penguin Young Readers for the opportunity to read and review. Please be assured that my opinions are honest.
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