The book The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros is about a girl named Esperanza who grows up in a barrio of Chicago in the 1960's. She faces obstacles set before her based off her poverty, race and gender and blossoms into a strong woman who is independent and has escaped Mango Street, while telling the stories of others who were not as fortunate as her and remain in the neighborhood, trapped by poverty, abuse or other reasons. The book was written well with a child-like personality but tells a dark story with hidden meanings that the reader might not catch immediately at first glance, causing it to be a thoughtful, captivating read.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian
In the book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, it talks about 15 year old Arnold Spirit and his journey of self discovery as he leaves his Indian reservation in order to attend the white high school and get a better education. As he does so though, he loses many people along the way such as the lives of his grandmother and sister and the trust of his tribe. The book itself was very inspiring in the way of saying that even though it may look as if your future has already been taken from you at birth, you still have hope and no one can take that away from you.
The Art of Racing in the Rain
The book The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein takes the point of view of a dog named Enzo as he lives his life and is part of the lives of the people around him. From a puppy, Enzo is adopted by a racecar driver named Denny. As he grows, so does Denny and soon there is a wife and a child in the picture as well. Unfortunately, the wife, Eve, is diagnosed with a brain tumor and dies, leaving her daughter Zoe in the hands of her grand parents and Denny in a constant custody struggle over the course of a few years. I did enjoy this book quite a lot and how taking the point of view of the dog did not turn into a condescending "dumb animal" story and instead was beautifully crafted and intelligent while providing a third person, first person point of view to the story.
Romeo & Juliet
Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare is about two lovers whose romance is doomed by their two feuding families. Set in medieval Verona, the families Capulet and Montague fight furiously with each other, meanwhile their son and daughter fall madly in love. They are faced with an obstacle though when, after their secret marriage, Romeo gets into a fight with Juliet's family and ends up killing her cousin, causing Romeo to be banished.This is the start of a downward spiral of events that the young couple face. I thought this book was quite alright although the structure was hard to follow and it was extremely fast paced in terms that on one page, everything would be perfectly fine and on the next page, two people would have died out of no where.