Welcome to Litsy!

Incredibly good, sad, and real. Just a book about not much that gripped me.

This book grew on me. After reading it outloud 18 times to K-5, the points kids took from it were: it's true, they could relate to feeling invisible, and they wanted to know more about homeroom. But what they seemed to really enjoy was designing their own landscapes.

#ItTakesAllKinds #SomeoneRunning Playing catch up! I read this years ago. I remember I loved it.

After reading an article with the author about banned books, I read Lawn Boy to see what all the fuss was about. Without giving much away, there's themes of sexual identity & sex, but the book is much more about poverty & how difficult it is to overcome than anything else. I see no reason for this book to be banned. The honest reflection of class in our society could make some uncomfortable, but as the saying goes, “The truth sometimes hurts“.

Essential reading to help correct the nonsense spouted by mainstream media and those with power.

This has been on my radar a bit, and the audio was available on Libby at just the right time. As for the story…. It‘s pretty character driven, about Mike, a half Latino guy in his early 20s, trying to catch a break while also figuring things a#out about himself, his goals, and his sexuality. Overall, it was alright - the narrator eventually grew on me, but it‘s a shame it gets challenged in high schools for what it is.

Quick read, slice of life story. About the general manager of a red lobster working the last shift before their restaurant gets shut down. There is a blizzard and business is slow and he time to reflect on his life choices and pick out a Christmas present for his girlfriend. If you like the movie Waiting or Waitress you will like this book. #wintergames #teamevergreen @Clwojick

1520 pts

Another quick read to boot my totals for the year. Looking into the lives of others is fascinating.

Confession: I chose this volume because I like the eponymous Iron Maiden song. Luckily for me, these stories about the hardscrabble midcentury English working class were a slam dunk and I feel richer for it. Two in particular, about a defiant runner and a soldier‘s bittersweet memories of youthful adventure, were especially poignant. I like how Sillitoe doesn‘t romanticize or condemn, but rather aims for the tough, sooty truth. Kippers and all.

One of the ALA‘s ten most banned books. I read it because it was challenged in my high school library by a community member. I thought it was an appealing book for teens with lots of humor. It also had a protagonist who was a little lost and searching for direction, which is something that kids need to see.