Charles Dickens and the Street Children of London

Charles Dickens and the Street Children of London
By Andrea Warren
Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2011. 156 pg. Teen Nonfiction

While most of English society thought poor people deserved their lot in life and simply ignored those who were "beneath" them, Charles Dickens had a different opinion. As a youth, his father's debts made it so Charles was denied the education he so desperately wanted and instead was forced to do menial labor. As he did so, he saw how society, with its laws and regulations (such as sending people to debtor's prison until they could pay their debt but not allowing them to work in order to earn money) and lack of support from the government kept people in poverty, allowing them no way to escape. He was especially touched by the experience of England's impoverished children, many of whom were homeless, lacking in education, and working in horrible conditions in order to help earn even meager bits of money for their families. Dickens, having never forgotten his own experiences, and never quite being able to shake the fear of being impoverished again, deliberately drew the public's attention to the conditions of their country. With his novels, essays, and newspaper articles, he gave the poor a voice and showed the rich that it wasn't simply their lot in life to be "better" than others but that they should help those around them. Through his work as an author and a social reformer, Dickens brought about changes desperately needed in his society.

Very well done. This is a highly interesting, highly readable piece of nonfiction. The author does a great job of showing what life was like in Victorian England for the lower classes, and it's fascinating to see the impact that one man could have at opening the eyes of those around him. Highly recommended.

4.5 stars. Clean read.

The Adventures of Mark Twain

The Adventures of Mark Twain
By Huckleberry Finn with considerable help from Robert Burleigh and Barry Blitt
Atheneum Books for Young Readers, c2011. 1 volume, unpaged. Middle grade nonfiction

One of Mark Twain's most famous characters, Mr. Huckleberry Finn himself, takes readers through a brief synopsis of the famous author's life. Complete with Huck's customary speech, readers get a feel for both the author and Huck. This is a funny, albeit really brief, biography, but the idea of a character describing his author's life is amusing and the content could be enough to make readers want to learn more about Twain. The language is fun and will have readers chuckling--or even wanting to make up a few new phrases themselves.

One small piece of nudity.

4 stars.

Unbroken

Unbroken
By Laura Hillenbrand
Random House, 2010. 473 pgs. Adult Nonfiction

Louie Zamperini was a hellion as a child--stealing, fighting, failing his classes. His older brother Pete forced him to start running, which Louie initially resented but soon came to love; his natural talent and his training were such that he competed in the 1936 Olympics in an event he'd only run a handful of times. Before the 1940 Olympics, though, WWII broke out and Louie joined the Army and was trained to be a bombardier with the Army Air Corps. Louie and his crew completed several successful missions but one day, their plane crashed on the ocean. Only Louie and two others survived and floated for weeks in rafts in shark-infested waters. By the time they were picked up by the enemy Japanese, only Louie and his friend Phil remained, and the worst part of their experience--being POWs with sadistic guards, little food, hard labor, and constant illness--was still to come.

This is nonfiction at its finest; it's gripping both in the story--Zamperini's story is moving and inspirational--and in the writing, which is engaging and does its subject justice. From the first page, I was hooked and couldn't wait to see how things would play out for Louie. I can't say enough good things about it. It's one of those books that provides the reader with tons of information and, at the same time, sparks the desire to learn lots more. For example, I HAVE to read more about Japanese POW camps after this. Although it was published for the adult market, many teens would be hooked as well.

5 stars.

Amelia Lost

Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart
By Candace Fleming
Schwartz & Wade Books, c2011. Middle grade/Teen Nonfiction

In 1937, Amelia Earhart disappeared while completing one of the last legs of her flight around the world, vaulting her into the status of a legend. Before that, though, she was a little girl who loved an adventure, a teenager dealing with her father's alcoholism, and a young woman who initially thought she might want to be a doctor and then decided she wanted to fly and carefully courted the spotlight to vault herself to the status of a hero.

Here, Fleming gives readers insights into who Amelia Earhart really was, in a biography that clearly demonstrates Amelia's spunk as well as some foibles, such as how her future husband already had a wife when he and Amelia met. It's told in alternating chapters about Amelia's last radio contact and the people who heard her but couldn't find her, and chapters about her life. All in all, I vote this one of the best pieces of young adult nonfiction I've ever read; it's easily accessible to readers, has an inviting format, and is informative and entertaining. I was hooked from the first page and wholeheartedly recommend this book to history buffs, anyone wanting to read about spunky women, and those just looking for a great read. Five stars.

Left to Tell

Left to Tell
By Immaculee Ilibagiza
Hay House, 2006. 215 pgs. Biography

Immaculee Ilibagiza was living a good life in Rwanda; the first woman in her family to attend college, she was working toward a bright future. However, racial tensions, which had been in place in Rwanda for many years, erupted in 1994, and Immaculee was caught in the middle of it. As the majority group, the Hutus, began massacring the minority Tutsis, Immaculee, a Tutsi, found herself fighting for her life. In approximately 100 days, one million Tutsis were killed, and while Immaculee lost the majority of her family, she found a deeply personal relationship with Jesus Christ as she hid from the Hutus and prayed for her survival.

Immaculee's story is simultaneously sad, horrifying, inspiring, and moving. The atrocities committed against the Tutsis will turn readers' stomachs, but Immaculee's developing relationship with God is remarkable. This faith-filled story is an important one for people to become familiar with.

As a side note, it seems like a lot (or...all) of the books I've read that take place anywhere in Africa feature violence and war, and while such topics are certainly important and accurate, I wonder if I'm getting a skewed perception of Africa. Is Africa as bloody and violent as we're led to believe? What are the other sides of it?

Another African author, Chimamanda Adichie, talks about the "danger of a single story," or, basically relying on a single idea to represent a whole people/nation/continent in this really fascinating video: Chimamanda Adichie: The danger of a single story | Video on TED.com
There's a really interesting part where she discusses a professor informing her that something she had written wasn't "African". So, I ask--what do we think it means to be "African"? Do we simply think of poverty, violence, and AIDS? What else is there? What other stories are there that need to be told? Tying this back to Left to Tell, Immaculee talks about how Rwanda is a beautiful country, like paradise. How many of us would associate Rwanda with beauty? While it's definitely important to know about the Rwandan holocaust, what more is there about the country that we need to know? What other stories do Rwandans have to share? And, what are some good sources for finding those stories?

Overall, 3.5 stars because the story is great, but the writing isn't necessarily the most compelling.