Adventures of Greek Heroes by Molly Mcleen

Personally I did not like this book. I thought I would enjoy it because usually Greek mythology is exciting and interesting to me. But this book was far too simplistic; it was clearly written for a lower grade level than a high school senior. There was very little detail involved in any of the descriptions and the language was very simple. Everything was completely explained, down to the character’s thoughts, in an extremely simple and boring manner. If you enjoy a very simple, easy read just to keep you busy, I would recommend this book. But, if you want to be entertained and kept interested by a book with some degree of detail and difficulty, do not read this book; it is not for you. The most entertainment I got while reading this book was laughing with my friends over just how bad it was.

Derek B.

Princess Sultana's Daughters by Jean Sasson

This non-fiction international best seller (Van Nuys: The Sasson Corporation, 2001. 212 pages, $12.95) is second in the trilogy of the biography of an Arabian princess, Sultana, who is suppressed by men all around her. She decides to take a stand and show the world how men hide behind religion and justify terrible treatment of women in Saudi Arabia. This princess is one of 11 children in a royal family that has uncountable wealth because of oil. Her one brother, Ali, is the source of much trouble because he views women strictly as objects of sexual play just like his father. "A girl possesses nothing but a veil and a tomb." –Saudi Arabian proverb. Sultana's goal is to change this perspective of women in Saudi Arabia by telling the world her story and to try and inspire women to take a stand for their rights.

Her husband supports her views and they both try to create a sexism-free household so their daughters do not feel like they are less than their brother, Abdullah, or any other male. Sultana describes many instances where women are mistreated by the men in their families. One example is her sister who was locked up in the "women's room" for fifteen years because she associated with men not in her family and her uncle considered that a "crime". She died because she was shut off from the world for no good reason just like many other innocent women. Another example was Sultana's childhood friend who was put to death by her own father for a crime against his "honor" for sexual misconduct. Also, a young girl Sultana's daughter knew was drowned by her father simply because she was a girl and not a boy and this supposedly ruined his reputation. Due to these horrific executions, Sultana decided to go against her culture and fight for women's rights.

Throughout the book, the author connects Sultana's current life of struggling with her family to her past life of trauma that has made her who she is today; an outspoken woman who advocates women's rights despite criticism. Sultana is first inspired by her close friend's death but she gains momentum in destroying sexism as the book unfolds and horrors are revealed. This momentum begins with Sultana discovering something very disturbing about her daughter, Maya. Maya confessed she had witnessed her friend's father taking the virginity of young girls simply because he could. She became a lesbian due to the fact she no longer trusts men because she was scarred.
The imagery the author paints about Sultana's struggles is powerful and enables the reader to feel how helpless and undermined women in Saudi Arabia feel. She is my role model because I believe society has built up the male stature and it needs to change before our world goes spiraling downhill because of corruption.

This book also moved me greatly because I did not even realize extreme sexism still existed. I just thought veils were for religious purposes and not a condemnation of the female population. I have always been interested in female rights. I even did my junior research paper on Sojourner Truth and how she led the women's rights movement. I had assumed after black people earned their rights and Title IX was passed women were almost equal. But this book showed me sexism is still a major problem, even in the 21st century. My eyes were truly opened to the meaning of freedom.

In America, we take our freedoms of speech, press and the right for legal representation for granted. In Saudi Arabia, the men are backed up by the church and the Koran (which is misinterpreted), so women have no chance to survive without a man in their life because they must have a male escort when they travel in public. Usually in divorces, material goods and children are divided up evenly and the process takes awhile. In Saudi Arabia, however, a man can divorce his wife, no questions asked, three times before the law intervenes. If a woman is abused, she will not divorce her husband because she fears losing her children. Most women want to divorce their husband because they are forced to marry the highest bidder even if they have no feelings at all for the bachelor, if you can even call the men bachelors. Men jump from wife to wife when they get bored and want more action. These conflicts are discussed in detail which would be very disturbing for younger children.

Besides the gross details, this story is a very interesting read. The intense vocabulary, which is Islamic based, is not explained well though, so you have to do a lot of inferring to determine the meaning. Do not get me wrong though, this book is not a boring history book; it is real life situations that are happening at this very moment. I believe this story also opens the reader's mind to the possibility that even wealth cannot please some people if they do not have the right to even love the people they want or to protect themselves in a court of law.

The core of this book focuses on encouraging women to stand up for their rights, even if it means death. This story can appeal to anyone because it is not hard to empathize for these women due to the fact their very lives are in danger if they upset their "masters". It was interesting to discover that moral conflicts and horrific deeds go on in this world unspoken because women are too afraid to stand up for themselves. I strongly believe people deserve to have their own free will. This is a common belief around the world and I feel if you believe in free will, then you can connect to this story and let it touch your heart.

Annette E.

Finding Miracles by Julia Alvarez

“Finding Miracles” is about an ordinary American teenager living in Vermont. Her name is Milly Kaufman and she lives with both her parents, a sister about the same age as she and a younger brother. Her life was ordinary until she met Pablo, a new student at her high school. Pablo has an exotic accent, a strange fashion sense and an intense interest in Milly. His interest of her forces her to confront her identity as an adopted child from Pablo's native country. As their relationship grows, Milly decides to undertake a courageous journey to her homeland. Along the way she discovers the story of her birth is intertwined with the story of a country recovering from a brutal history.

Yesenia G.

The Old Man and The Sea by Ernest Hemingway

This classic book written by Ernest Hemingway is a must read. It is about an Old Man who can't get a break when fishing. He didn't catch a fish for 82 days until one day he traveled far out to sea and hooked a marlin too big to put in his tiny skiff. I liked this book because it kept me on the edge of my seat not knowing what was going to happen next. I think other students would like this book for the same reason. It's exciting and adventerous.

Cole P.

Letters from Rifka by Karen Hesse

I liked this book because it talks about a girl's experience when she comes to America. She had to endure a lot of obstacles to get to America and accomplish her dream. I think other students will like to read this book because it is good and illustrates the difficulties of an immigrant coming to America.

Anayeli G.

When I was Puerto Rican by Esmeralda Santiago

I like this book because it describes the hardships Negi and her family went through being a poor family and coming to New York from Mancun, Puerto Rico with no money. They went through a lot because they didn't know English. They were a big family. Her mother didn't have enough money to afford all the costs of the house. Even though she is Hispanic, she succeeded in learning English quickly and in helping her mom by translating at her job when she needed it. Because she was so smart and a very strong person, she went to Harvard University. If you read this book, you'll like it because she was the oldest of her brothers and sisters and her parents were divorced. But, she didn't stop going to school and instead helped her mom to persevere and keep on going.

Maria A.

A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park

I liked this book because it was an adventure book. The author gave really good details to make you feel attached to the character as if you were best friends or you knew the person. The book also teaches some life lessons. Plus, there was some humor in the book which made it a fun read.

Cody R.