117. "Help Yourself" by Dave Pelzer

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Pelzer, Dave. Help Yourself: Finding Hope, Courage and Happiness. New York: Plume Books, 2001.

218 pages

Reviewed by J. d'Artagnan Love

Most people know Dave Pelzer's most famous work, A Child Called It. Dave experienced one of the most severe documented cases of child abuse and neglect in United States history. I was interested in reading this particular book because of curiosity about the concept of resilience discussed ad nauseam in developmental psychology research. Dave has experienced horrors from which few would recover, but seems to have become a moderately well adjusted, productive, and happy adult. I was curious to know how he got there and thus, picked up this book. 

In this book, Dave chronicles what he did to survive his situation, not just physically, but psychologically. He discusses how he manages his life now and the psychological significance of the trauma he experienced. His goal is an honorable one: an attempt to help others by sharing how he overcame and continues to overcome his childhood experiences. 

Perhaps I should not have been surprised to find that the strategies Dave uses and suggests in his book aren't ground breaking. The advice provided is the same advice found elsewhere in other self-help books and research. Keep a positive attitude. Practice forgiveness, not for the sake of the offender but for your own mental health. Practice self-reflection and take responsibility for your choices. Try to spend time helping others to get out of your own head. These are all valid options for improving a life but nothing new was really added to the conversation on resilience and trauma recovery. 

While it may seem so, I'm not terribly disappointed with this book. I'm sure it will be and is helpful to those who have never encountered these concepts before. For me, it fell flat because of the amount of exposure I've had to the ideas. Had I read this in high school before I became steeped in trauma research, it would have probably seemed ground breaking and inspiring to me then. Alas, that is not how my experience with this book was in reality though, and so I can't say I liked it all that much.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Readers with no experience or background on the topic of resilience and trauma recovery. It's a good "starter" book on the topic. 

NOT RECOMMENDED FOR: Readers with any previous background on the subject. The ideas are repeats of ideas already well known.

2 darts out of 5

116. "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou

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Angelou, Maya. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. New York: Ballantine Books, 2009. 

289 pages.

Reviewed by J. d'Artagnan Love

Maya Angelou has a writing voice both melodic and forceful. In this memoir, she recounts her childhood, the mysteries of growing up in the deep south, the excitement and energy of spending time in cities like St. Louis, and the trauma of being raped. She reaches into the heart of her family system and the lives connected to the family like threads of a spider's web. 

My experience reading this book was visceral. In a traumatic scene, my stomach cramped and I broke out in a sweat. My chest felt tight and I had to breathe deeply. She pulled me so deeply into her life, it affected me physically. This is the first time I've experienced this from a piece of literature. 

When she describes the power of words, especially the power of the spoken word, it opened my eyes to how magical language truly is. I have always loved language but she made it clear just how important the spoken word is. How you can hold a word on your tongue, let it roll around a bit, let it seep in different vocal intonations so that the word becomes more than a word--it becomes an experience, an energy, an incantation. This Angelou's power with words. Her poetry shines even in her prose. 

RECOMMENDED FOR: Readers who can appreciate lyrical memoirs, readers interested in Black history, and readers interested in women's history. 

NOT RECOMMENDED FOR: Those who could be triggered by scenes of rape and assault. 

5 darts out of 5

115. "The Leader in Me." by Stephen Covey

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Covey, Stephen. The Leader in Me: How Schools and Parents Around the World are Inspiring Greatness One Child at a Time. New York: Free Press, 2009. 

242 pages. 

Reviewed by J. d'Artagnan Love

The Leader in Me is a program implemented in K12 school systems based on Covey's book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. This program is implemented in most of the schools in my local community with at least one of the schools being categorized as a "Lighthouse" school. A Lighthouse school is, apparently, a school that has reached a certain level of sponsorship and implementation of the this program. 

This book, The Leader in Me, describes how this program started at A.B. Combs Elementary school. Essentially, the principal at A.B. Combs wanted to make the school a magnet school focused on fostering leadership skills. Covey's ideas weren't the only ideas she used but, instead, she pulled from the work of leaders all over the world to build the program. The concepts were interwoven into the culture of the school and results seems to indicate increased teacher satisfaction, improved test scores, and reduced discipline issues. 

I read this book as part of a research project I'm working on so it is hard for me to give a "review" in terms of quality for the general reader. I'd say this is definitely interesting stuff for educators and parents to comb through, but you should also be aware that this isn't the only program out there doing great things in schools. There is actually a lot of controversy surrounding the Leader in Me program especially when it comes to the cost of implementing the program through the official sponsoring organization. 

Overall, the book does a good job describing the program, its roots and how to implement it. The bias is quite obvious so readers definitely need to use critical thinking skills when determining whether this is something to consider for their own school systems. 

RECOMMENDED FOR: K12 educators, parents, and researchers interested in education. Just keep the bias in mind and don't let it blind you.

NOT RECOMMEND FOR: The general public--it isn't a book to read unless you have a specific interest in education. 

3 darts out of 5

114. "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson

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Halse Anderson, Laurie. Speak. New York: Puffin, 2001.

208 pages.

Reviewed by J. d'Artagnan Love

Popular among teens right now is the Netflix original series 13 Reasons Why based on the book by Jay Asher.  Having watched the series myself, but not read the book, I"m going to venture an educated guess that Speak is far better. It addresses the same kinds of themes but more tactfully and with less misogyny. 

In Speak, Melinda is dealing with a trauma, the origins of which aren't revealed until later in the book. She deals with this trauma by withdrawing into a dark place. She stops speaking, thus the title of the book. It is through the help of a teacher and some of her own inner resilience that she is able to work through her limitations. 

This lyrical novel reminds me slightly of Francesca Lia Block's style in the Weetzie Bat series. It has the same lyrical quality but where it differs is in the concrete story line and absence of magical realism. Laurie Halse Anderson has an unmistakable voice that is consistent throughout the story. 

I appreciated this story and felt it was a germane representation of trauma and the resulting depression and anxiety. I'm looking forward to reading it again. 

4 darts out of 5

Recommended for: readers who liked 13 Reasons Why. This is better.

No recommended for: readers who are sensitive to depictions of mental illness, readers who don't like lyrical writing, and readers sensitive to sexual themes. 

113. "The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll

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Carroll, Lewis. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. New York: Sterling Publishing, 2005.

129 pages.

Reviewed by J. d'Artagnan Love

Most people know of this classic children's story. Most people also cheapen Alice's journey through Wonderland by claiming the story is just one big acid trip. While it is fantastical and full of whimsy, the story of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is much more political and social commentary than it is an acid trip.

In sum, Alice, a little girl follows a rabbit down a rabbit hole. This leads her to a series of adventures that are hard to believe. For example, in one scene, Alice enters the rabbit's house and drinks a potion that causes her to grow so large, she sticks one hand out the chimney and a foot out the door. A cat with a Cheshire grin seems to float through the air because he can make parts of his body invisible at will. The story is dizzying and disorienting and makes almost no sense. 

I enjoyed reading the book but I'll be the first to admit that fully appreciating this work is going to require that I do much more extensive research. A brief survey of the literature on this work points to Carroll indulging in a style called English nonsense verse that became fairly popular in his time. Carroll holds some scathing opinions about the English school system based on this tale and that is about as far as I've gotten with my research. 

The edition that I read appeared to only contain the first part of the story (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland) so I need to find the second half and read it (Through the Looking Glass) and continue to read more about how scholars have made sense (as much as one can with the genre) of the writing to feel like I truly "get" Carroll. I'm not yet a frenetic fangirl, but I am intrigued and will keep exploring. 

Recommended for: a reader who has time to dedicate to really learning about the political and social discourse happening in these stories.

Not recommended for: readers who want a story that makes sense or readers not accustomed to searching for clues in writing. Someone who hates poetry, for example, would probably hate this.

3 darts out of 5

Reference

Kwoka, B. (2009).  Literature, History, and Culture in the time of Victoria. Retrieved from http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/carroll/kwoka8.html

(I know I'm mixing citation styles here but I primarily use APA but started this blog in MLA and try to stay consistent. Forgive me?)

112. "Storm Front" by Jim Butcher

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Butcher, Jim. Storm Front. New York: Penguin, 2000.

322 pages

Reviewed by J. d'Artagnan Love

Harry Dresden is both a wizard and a private investigator. He takes a job with the local Chicago PD investigating a murder in which two people's hearts exploded out of their bodies. This was murder by magic and Dresden is set with the task of figuring out who could have the power to do such magic. 

The novel is a fun genre mashup of standard mystery novel formula meets urban fantasy. The pace keeps the reader interested and there is also enough detail provided to understand the world creation and magic system. Told from Dresden's first person perspective, the writing is both intimate and witty. A cast of characters is skillfully built to develop a series of additional novels. I was left wanting to learn more about the cast and to see which adventure Harry would be met with next. Overall, this was a quick, engaging read. It wasn't a literary masterpiece but it was an entertaining 322 pages. 

Recommended for: readers who enjoy a good urban fantasy suspense. Adult readers (some sexually explicit and violent themes I wouldn't recommend for children and teens).

Not Recommended for: Kids and teens or anyone wanting a book that has lyrical or masterful prose. Expect prose that is plot oriented and meant to entertain. 

3 darts out of 5

111. "White Oleander" by Janet Fitch

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Fitch, Janet. White Oleander. New York: Little Brown and Company, 1999.

390 pages

Reviewed by J. d'Artagnan Love

Twelve year old Astrid's mother killed a man and now Astrid is in foster care. For Astricd, foster care is the exact nightmare that every child pictures. Trauma follows trauma. That is essentially the story. As I read, I wondered if perhaps Janet Fitch sat down and asked herself: in how many ways can I torture a teenage girl? White Oleander was created as her resounding answer.

Fitch's writing is lyrical in some ways, redundant in others. At times, her prose took my breath away. At others I rolled my eyes after the eleventh simile on a single page. Her greatest strength in this novel was character development. The characters were rich, deep, and clearly individuals. Sometimes you read a book and the characters all kind of blend together. That didn't happen in White Oleander. Each character had a unique way being in the world as is represented by Astrid's "museum" at the end of the novel. The book is not so much a story with a conflict and resolution, but more of a character map. For me, this is interesting and kept my attention. Perhaps it is my background in psychology--the Velcro loop for Fitch's hook. If you don't enjoy a deep dive into the mind of a character, or prefer novels that are plot driven, this isn't the book for you.

Overall, it is a commendable work for a debut novel.

4 darts out of 5